Garden State Film Festival Kicks Off Call For Entries For 2018 At Swanky Event

The globally recognized Garden State Film Festival (GSFF) announces that its annual "Call for Entries" is open now through December 1, 2017. The general public is invited to join us at one of Asbury Park's trendy venues to celebrate our return to Asbury Park and the kick off of our 2018 Call For Entries at the Salvation Bar at The Asbury Hotel. Enjoy a cocktail (cash bar) and the spectacular views of Asbury Park among the beautifully designed gardens lit by hundreds of lanterns and candles. Attendees will feast on an array of hors d'oeuvres, mix and mingle with filmmakers and film lovers from all over.This event is not to be missed! It marks the return of the event that helped shape the revitalization of the seaside resort.

New Jersey's largest and most respected film festival, is accepting global submissions of all film genres from children's as well as experienced filmmakers are encouraged to submit narrative films, documentaries, animations, music videos, in short and feature length as well as PSA's, trailers, original movie music submissions, screenplays and candidates for its coveted Rising Star Award. Always true to its New Jersey roots, the review committee welcomes submissions to its "Home Grown" category. The criteria requires that 75 percent or more of the project 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. In 2017, the festival featured over 225 films from 19 countries.

A panel of professional judges will review all the submissions, and those selected for inclusion will be notified via email, when the screening process is complete, sometime in early 2018.

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. Composers 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 March 25,2018 at the English Manor in Ocean Township, NJ. Additionally the winners works will be played in all the screening locations prior to the start of the films. Information about the Movie Music Track Competition is also on the web site 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, 2017 and should be submitted via the filmfreeway.com system at https://filmfreeway.com/festival/GardenStateFilmFestival

The Garden State Film Festival will celebrate its 16th anniversary in 2018. The event concludes a successful four-year run in Atlantic City and will return to its original home in Asbury Park for the 2018 festival, scheduled for March 22 to March 25, 2018 in over a half dozen screening locations and meeting spaces all over the city. As always, the festival committee is planning a rich agenda of events which includes the screening of selected films as well as an open talent casting call, panel discussions, and opening and closing ceremonies, a gala opening night cocktail party, and formal closing Awards dinner, and with multiple appearances by celebrities and honorees.

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. It was held in Asbury Park, in and around the Convention Center complex. From 2014 to 2017, it was held in Atlantic City. Beginning in 2018, it will move back to Asbury Park. The GSFF is a 501-c-3 non-profit organization.

For social media updates on the GSFF, please visit:Facebook: :https://www.facebook.com/GardenStateFilmFestival/ Twitter:https://twitter.com/GardenStateFilm Instagram:http://instagram.com/gardenstatefilmfestival Hashtag: #GSFF