11TH FILM FEST OCT 21-28, 2010

Filmmaker FAQ

  • Do I have to be Asian to submit my film to your festival?
    If you are not Asian, then your film's subject matter or storyline must deal with Asian issues, or the work must feature an Asian cast.
  • I am Asian, but my film has no Asian storyline or characters. Can I still submit?
    Of course! The SDAFF supports showcasing both Asian/Asian American stories and supporting the works of Asian filmmakers.
  • I'm a poor filmmaker, could you please waive my entry fee?
    Sorry, we do not waive entry fees. We encourage you to submit by the early deadline, which is only a $25 fee. And believe us, if you get accepted, we spend a lot more money and time hosting you and your film, so it's a good investment. Also, as a nonprofit organization, we depend on the entry fees to pay for administering our festival.
  • What is an "exhibition copy"? And what formats do you accept?
    An exhibition copy refers to the 35mm film or video tape that you will send to us for public exhibition at the film festival if your film is chosen. The filmmaker is expected to ship us an exhibition copy by a specified deadline (usually in late September). If your exhibition copy is screening at another festival before ours, you should instruct them to ship your exhibition copy to us.

    For most films, we accept 35mm prints, Beta SP (NTSC) or Digibeta NTSC. For short animation films, we also accept mini DV.

  • Why don't you exhibit your films on HD Cam or DVD?
    We'd love to showcase films on HD Cams, but for now in San Diego, HD Cam decks are hard to rent, and they're very expensive. In fact, we are not aware of any other local film festivals that exhibit on HD Cam for this exact reason. As for DVD, it's too risky. Because there are so many different DVD formats and because it's a spinning disc, we run the risk that your film on DVD may skip, or not play at all. We don't want to take that chance.
  • What are my chances of being accepted?
    Typically, we receive about 400 entries each year, and have a 30% acceptance rate. For short films, your chances of selection can be increased greatly by limiting your total running time to under 15 minutes. But rather than percentages, our programmers focus on finding good, innovative, films – regardless of the film's length and your history with our festival.
  • What happens if my film is selected?
    By mid-July, our programming staff should contact you by email, phone, or both to let you know that we would like to screen your film. Once you confirm your film's exhibition with us, we begin the marketing process. We will do our best to give your film excellent exposure, but also depend on your help to market the film online as well. Each confirmed filmmaker receives one All-Festival Pass, plus access to networking with other filmmakers and industry guests. All films entered into our festival have a chance at winning an award in one of several categories from our distinguished jury, and are eligible for a minimum $1000 prize for the Grand Jury Award.
  • Why do you have more than one way to submit a film? Should I use Withoutabox?
    Because of the number of entries each year, it's important that we streamline the process. So if you have an account with Withoutabox, please submit using that system. However, we recognize that not all filmmakers have a Withoutabox account. So, if you want to submit to us using the "old school" way, simply download the PDF of our entry form, fill it out, and send it to us in the mail.
  • How important is a press kit?
    Press notes are helpful but not essential to us. The most important part of a press kit is your HIGH RESOLUTION FILM STILLS. If your film is selected, we will need stills from your film (not headshots) that are at least 300 dpi (print quality not web quality). For feature length films, we may request the filmmaker's headshot and to do an interview for marketing purposes.