Garden State Film Festival Issues Call for Entries

By: Caryn Robbins Jun. 14, 2016

The globally recognized Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) announces that its annual "Call for Entries" is open now through December 1, 2016. The festival, New Jersey's largest and most respected film festival, accepts all film genres from children's and shorts to documentaries, videos, and features. Additionally submissions are also being accepted for film scoring and music, as well as the "Home Grown" category, which includes offerings where 75 percent or more has been shot in the Garden State. Complete details for submissions and the requirements for consideration can be found on the GSFF web site at www.gsff.org.

As a formal kick-off to the "Call for Entries" the GSFF invites everyone to attend the Garden State Film Festival 2017 Call for Entries Kick-Off Party. The event is scheduled for Wednesday June 22 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at New York City's ultra-cool Le Grande at The Time Hotel, in the heart of the theater district at 224 West 49th Street. Filmmakers and industry professionals and fans will mingle with other directors, producers, filmmakers, writers, composers, actors, festival committee people and industry influencers as we celebrate all things film! There will be a cash bar and light fare and you can see the details at www.gsff.org.

The GSFF also is accepting recommendations for candidates for the Rising Star Award, an honor given annually to one up and coming actor, regardless of age or union affiliation. Eligible candidates must have an undeniable passion for the art form and have made their inroads to the industry through hard work and determination. The deciding committee will be looking for a progression of work with experiences in theater, commercials, television, and film. Submissions of website or reel are being accepted now through November 1, 2016 and should be sent torisingstar@gsff.org.

The Garden State Film Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2017. In 2016, the festival featured 233 films from 17 countries, an open talent casting call, panel discussions, and opening and closing ceremonies with multiple appearances by celebrities and honorees Ed Asner, Sally Struthers, and Al Sapienza.

A panel of professional judges will review all the submissions and will select the winning entries in a number of categories including the best Feature Length, Short, Documentary (short and feature length), Animation (short and feature length), Music Video, PSA, Commercial and Trailers. The Audience Choice Award was selected using new state-of-the-art technology for smart phones called CineBallot, designed by and launched at GSFF.

Additionally, the GSFF was the first festival to create a category to recognize the musical compositions and music's role in the cinematic arts. It remains the only independent film festival to recognize composers, artists and producers of scores, soundtracks and theme songs judged solely on their own merit. Producers may submit their works, regardless of whether the film has been submitted or accepted.

Winners of the GSFF Movie Music Track Competition will be recognized at the GSFF Black Tie Awards Dinner to be held on April 2, 2017 at a location TBD. Information about the Movie Music Track Competition is also on the web site at www.gsff.org.

Scripts are also being accepted for the Garden State Screenplay competition, coordinated with the New Jersey Screenwriter's Network. The winning screenplay will be read by professional actors at the festival, and recognized at the Awards Dinner. Screenplays should be submitted by November 15, 2017 to:https://www.withoutabox.com/01festival/01t_ent/01t_ent_sort.php?festival_id=6795!

About the Garden State Film Festival: The Garden State Film Festival was envisioned by 25-year film industry veteran Diane Raver and the late Hollywood actor Robert Pastorelli in 2002 and launched the following year. Since 2003, thousands of films have made their public premiers, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have attended; and the total infusion of cash to local businesses since inception exceeds $5 million. Until 2013, it was held in Asbury Park, in and around the Convention Center complex. In 2014, it relocated to Atlantic City as a major component of DO AC, the marketing campaign to promote arts and culture the city spearheaded by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. The GSFF is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization

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