Submit via FilmFreeway
ReelHeART International Film Festival proudly accepts Film and Documentary entries of any genre via FilmFreeway.com, the world’s best online submissions platform. FilmFreeway offers free HD online screeners, Vimeo and YouTube integration, and more. Click to submit with FilmFreeway.
Our Categories: 20 Film Competitions
ALL FILMS – TV PILOTS AND SCREENPLAYS
**MUST BE A PREMIERE**
No Film or Screenplay can compete in Ontario prior to ReelHeART!
(This means no ‘feedback festivals’, no ‘pay for award only’ festivals. Your Film or Dco must premiere at ReelHeART)
Any film of any kind that has screened in and / around Toronto and /or the Province of Ontario in any kind of screening or Screenplay Competition that may have slipped through our due diligence and into the notification process will be automatically pulled from the current year line-up. No Refunds. No Exceptions.
F1. Feature Film – Narrative – Competition
(Any Genre: Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy, Film Noir, etc) Open to all Narrative Films 70 minutes and over in length. This category is open to directors of all levels. Films in a language other than English must be subtitled.
- 1st Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy (for FREE with FREE Postage)
- 2nd Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
- 3rd Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
F2. Feature Documentary – Competition
(Any Genre) Open to all documentary films 70 minutes and over in length. This category is open to directors of all levels. Films in a language other than English must be subtitled.
- 1st Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
- 2nd Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
- 3rd Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
F3. Short or Long Form Film – Narrative – Competition
(Any Genre: Drama, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy, Film Noir, etc)
Open to all Short or Long Form Films 69 minutes and under in length. This category is open to directors of all levels, including students. Films in a language other than English must be subtitled.
- 1st Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
- 2nd Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
- 3rd Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
F4. Short or Long Form Documentary – Competition
(Any Genre) Open to all Short or Long Form Documentary Films 69 minutes and under in length. This category is open to directors of all levels, including students. Films in a language other than English must be subtitled.
- 1st Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
- 2nd Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
- 3rd Prize Winners will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
F5. Dance, or Music Related Film – Competition
(Dance = Any Dance Form i.e. Ballet, Contemporary, Swing, Hip-Hop, Ballroom)
(Music Related Film = Bio Pics, Profiles, Docs on Music Scene/Artists, Bands, Concerts, etc)
Open to all Dance or Music Related Films and Documentaries of ANY length. This category is open to directors of all levels, including students. Films in a language other than English must be subtitled.
- Best Dance or Music Related Film or Documentary Winner will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
F6. Animation or New Media Film – Competition
(Any Genre) Open to all animated, new media and highly visual films of ANY length. This category is open to directors of all levels, including students. Films in a language other than English must be subtitled.
- Best Animated Film
Winner will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
F7. Experimental Film – Competition
(Any Genre) Open to all Experimental Films that are of ANY length. This category is open to directors of all levels, including students. Films in a language other than English must be subtitled.
- Best Experimental Film
Winner will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
F8. Music Video – Competition
(Any Music Genre) This category is open to directors of all levels, including students. Open to all Music Videos of any length. Music Videos in a language other than English must be subtitled.
- Best Music Video
Winner will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
F9. ReelHeART “Off The Shelf” – Competition
(Any Genre) The ReelHeART “Off The Shelf” Category was introduced in 2008 for films of all genres that never saw the light of day, or never reached an audience shortly after the film was completed. Your film has to be more than 5 years old to be eligible-
Over the past seasons, ReelHeART has been impressed with the number of films we come across during our research that are quality films but we’ve never heard of before. Art House films, documentaries, experimental films and animation- We’ve seen a quite a few and liked them.
Whether your film was created on a student/no/lo/moderate/or big budget we’d like to see it. If your film passes our criterion for all of our other categories, we’ll put it thought the same screening and scoring process as our other submissions.
We know there are quite a few experimental films out there that their loving filmmakers ‘tweaked for years’ only to be beat out by time, technology or money to market and screen their film.
We also know there are genre specific “blaxplotation”, “avant-garde”, “queer” “b-movie” and “underground” films that never got through the doors of very many theaters if at all. We know there’s tons of documentaries, quirky profiles, garage music videos, x-rated animation and experimental mixed media out there. If your film is one of these, we want to see it.
If your film is over 5 years old and you’d like to see how it matches up to its contemporaries, we urge you to submit your film today. We’re excited about this addition to ReelHeART. We hope you will be too!
- Best “Off The Shelf” Prize
Winner will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
This prize is NOT shared with other categories
F10. ReelHeART ReelTube Film and Video – Competition
(Any Genre) In this time of Webisodes, Point n Post and where anyone anywhere can upload, view and share user generated videos, ReelHeART would we’d like to take it old school.
ReelHeART has decided to introduce web videos to its film festival audience to see if filmgoers are willing to see something on the big screen they can see anytime they want on the Internet.
The criterion for getting in this category is fairly simple. We ask that you DO NOT SUBMIT ANY unauthorized clips from television shows, films and music videos.
We also ask that you DO NOT SUBMIT videos containing pornography, nudity, defamation, harassment, commercial advertisements and material encouraging criminal conduct. Your video has to be all original with only “fair use” of material (i.e. music, an image, a quote).
Your video has to have production values, i.e. Clear Video, Clean Audio and a STORY. This category also includes cinéma vérité. Other than that, absolutely anything goes!
The Top Winner will be awarded a “Best of Prize” honor and that my friend, you can submit to other film festivals and eventually shop around to Hollywood…
- Best “ReelTube” Prize Winner will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
This prize is NOT shared with other categories
F11. ReelHeART Thesis Film – Competition
(Any Genre including Docs) Calling all Thesis Filmmakers! Ok, so what have you done lately with that thesis film of yours?We don’t care what year you graduated. We just care that your film has excellent production values and a great story– for whatever year.
Spike Lee’s thesis film was called “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads“. Since then he’s made over 35 films. So, have you got a thesis film we should see before you make it big?
Where has it screened? If it hasn’t screened in Toronto, Canada, we may be interested in seeing it.
Your thesis film has to have production values, i.e. Clear Video, Clean Audio and a STORY. This category also includes cinéma vérité.
The criterion for getting in the category is fairly simple. We ask that you DO NOT SUBMIT ANY unauthorized clips from television shows, films, books, magazines and music videos.
We also ask that you DO NOT SUBMIT videos containing defamation, harassment, commercial advertisements and material encouraging criminal conduct.
Your thesis film has to be all original with only “fair use” of material (i.e. music, an image, a quote).
Narrative, Animation, Documentary, Experimental, Underground – This category is wide open. Whatever you made as your thesis film, it’s eligible in this category. Prizes in this category are 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place as well as in competition for Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Venue.
You’ll need to write a brief cover letter that gives us details about you, your school program, the year you graduated (we don’t care even if it was in the 40s), the mark you got (high or low doesn’t matter it’s the content we’re interested in), and what you’ve done since making your thesis film.
If you haven’t made it to a film festival yet, why not make it one with ReelHeART…
- Best “Thesis Film” Prize
Winner will receive a personalized Medallion or Trophy
This prize is NOT shared with other categories