The goal of FilmicFest 2023 is to make an even bigger impact on the lives of aspiring filmmakers around the world, starting with $75,000 in cash and prizes at stake for the best mobile films.

Narrative, documentary, music, travel, experimental, and ultra-short 30-second films., are all the key categories for the 2023 edition of FilmicFest Film Festival, which has a huge list of prizes to distributes to participants. For this year’s festival, Filmic has partnered with leading filmmaking gear manufacturers and software developers to offer a number of prizes valued at over $50,000, and a $25,000 production grant to go toward funding the budget of the winners’ next big film project.

It’s not just about the prizes, though, as FilmicFest 2023 participants will also have the chance to have their submissions reviewed by a world renowned panel of celebrity directors, cinematographers, filmmakers and influencers, and seen by people from all around the world. FilmicFest made its debut in 2018 as a way to inspire a whole new generation of filmmakers to create and share their vision. On mobile. As technology evolves, both in terms of hardare and software, more filmmakers have easy access to the tools needed to create fantastic naratives.

This year, the goal of FilmicFest is to make an even bigger impact on the lives of aspiring filmmakers around the world. The organizers say that “especially now, with Hollywood in lockdown, there has never been a better opportunity to empower the voices of these young filmmakers who would typically not have the chance to let their stories be shared in a substantial way.”

Participation in FilmicFest 2023 is simple. Just shoot a short film with your iOS or Android device using Filmic Pro. Videos must be 5 minutes or less (music videos can run the length of the song, if the song is over 5 minutes.) Films must be shot 80% or more using Filmic Pro, and ancillary drone, DSLR, animation or other footage is acceptable for up to 20% of your submission. Submissions must also include a Filmic bumper or a custom logo branding of Filmic in the credits (4K and 1080p Bumpers provided).

FilmicFest 2023 is officially open and accepting submissions immediately. Follow the link for more details or to submit your entry to FilmicFest 2023. FilmicFest submissions close at 11:59PM PDT on December 15, 2023. Category winners will be announced  January 16, 2024, and the Grand Prize winner will be announced on January 30, 2024.

Serious prizes for serious mobile filmmakers!

The winner of FilmicFest 2023 is eligible to win some big prizes; this year, Filmic is giving a $25,000 production grant to the Grand Prize winner, and over $50,000 in filmmaking gear from festival sponsors, including prizes from Adobe/Frame.io, Shotdeck, Scriptation, Shotlister, Smarthouse Creative, FilmConvert, PolarPro, LumaTouch, iOgrapher, Zacuto, Easy Release, Melodie, Sandmarc and Divevolk.

There are Prize Packages for 6 talented winners in 6 categories including Fiction, Documentary, Travel, Music, Experimental and SuperShorts (30 second short films). Details and resources, including rules for submissions as well as Filmic Pro logos and bumpers can be found here: https://www.filmicpro.com/more/filmicfest/.

This year’s judges

Submissions will be viewed, judged and scored by an internal group of the Filmic team, and will be judged on originality, production value, emotion and narrative value. For FilmicFest 2023, the team at Filmic has aligned a globally-renowned panel of celebrity directors, cinematographers, filmmakers and influencers as judges for the Grand Prize winner. This year’s judges include:

• Lawrence Sher, ASC (Oscar-nominated DP; Joker, The Hangover, Garden State)
• Mel Eslyn (President, Duplass Brothers Productions; writer-director, Biosphere)
• Atom Egoyan (Oscar-nominated writer-director; The Sweet Hereafter, Devil’s Knot)
• Justine Ezarik (aka iJustine, billion-plus YouTuber and influencer)
• Ryan Connolly (founder, FilmRiot; writer-director)
• Valentina Vee (director, cinematographer, editor)
• Tyler Stalman (YouTube influencer, cinematographer)