The 2006 edition of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival has announced its annual call for entries. Submissions in all categories are now being accepted by the festival and applicants can submit via the festival's website. The early deadline for submissions is November 14, 2005 and the late deadline is December 5, 2005. The 2006 festival will be held March 10-18, 2006 in Austin, TX.

The Tribeca Film Festival is accepting submissions for its fifth edition taking place next year April 25-May 7 in New York City. Submission deadlines are as follows: Early deadline, November 4th; shorts deadline, December 9th; and features deadline, December 16th. For more information, please visit the Tribeca Film Festival website.

Entries are now being accepted for the Asian Festival of First Films. Entries will be accepted through August 30, 2005 and must be from first-time filmmakers of Asian origin. The festival will be held in Singapore from November 23 through November 30, 2005. For more information, please visit the festival web site.

Film Independent (formerly IFP/Los Angeles) is seeking submissions for it's 2005 Producers Lab. Up to 10 producers will be chosen for an intensive seven-week program in Los Angeles that will take place this fall. The program is "designed to help filmmakers develop skills as creative producers." The lab helps participating producers prepare their projects before seeking financing and entering production. Past Lab Instructors include Effie Brown (Real Women Have Curves); Eric d'Arbeloff (Lovely and Amazing); Alison Dickey (Piggie); Matthew Greenfield (The Good Girl); and Jasmine Kosovic (D.E.B.S.). For more info please visit here.

The 2006 Sundance Film Festival has announced its call for submissions for both dramatic and documentary features, and short film entries. Submission forms can be completed directly online at the official Sundance Institute website. The 2006 Sundance Film Festival will be held January 19-29 with screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.

Deadlines to submit U.S. and International films for the 2006 Sundance Film Festival are:
August 19, 2005 - Early Registration
September 2, 2005 - Short Films
September 16, 2005 - Dramatic and Documentary Feature Films

Completed U.S. and international feature-length and short films may be submitted and must arrive in the Los Angeles office by August 19 for early consideration and a reduced submission fee.

The San Francisco International Film Festival announces the call for entries for its 49th festival, scheduled to run April 20–May 4, 2006. The Festival highlights current trends in international film and video production with an emphasis on work that has not yet secured U.S. distribution. Filmmakers are encouraged to complete the entry form online at the SFFS Web site beginning September 5.

The 24th annual San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 2006 festival, which will run from March 16-26. The Festival accepts films and videos of all lengths and genres that are made by and/or about Asian Americans and Asians of any nationality. To submit online, to download an entry form or for more information, visit the SFIAAFF web site.

Postmark Deadlines:
Early: September 9, 2005
Late: October 7, 2005

The Screamfest Horror Film Festival has announced its call for entries for its event taking place October 14 - 23 at Universal City Walk in Los Angeles. Film entries are being accepted in the categories of Best Feature, Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Special Effects and Musical Score to name a few. In addition, there are special categories for Best Animation, Best Short, Best Documentary and Best Student Film. The regular deadline (July 15) has already passed, but there is still time for the August 15 cut off. Screamfest accepts film completed after January 1, 2001. For more information, visit their website.

The 8th annual RiverRun International Film Festival (March 16-19, 2006) in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is seeking entries for all categories through
December 15, 2005. RiverRun is a competitive film festival offering jury and audience awards. In 2005 RiverRun featured more than 50 features and 80 short films from around the world. For more information or to download an entry form, please visit their website.

˜The Independent Film Festival of Boston (IFFBoston) has announced its official call for entries for the fourth annual event, to be held April 19-24, 2006. IFFBoston has awarded over $20,000 worth of prizes to winning films in its previous festivals, including professional services, software packages and film gear. Films in competition are juried by a group of industry professionals and audience awards are determined by balloting following each film. Please visit the festival's website to access the submission form and general information. Deadlines are October 31, December 31 and February 10, 2006.

Ladyfest, an international DIY cultural festival providing a platform for women and queer-based projects, is seeking film submissions from up-and-coming filmmakers as well as those already established in their field. The festival will run from October 19-23, 2005 in various locations in Brighton and Hove, England. All genres of film are welcome including features, shorts, music videos, documentaries, animations, installations and live soundtrack pieces. The final deadline for submissions is September 5, 2005.

The "call for entries" period is still open for the inaugural SoCal Independent Film Festival, which will take place from October 12-15 at the Huntington Beach Public Library and Cultural Center. The SoCal fest is not limiting itself to a particular genre, but is "just looking for good movies." The final entry deadline is August 19.

The Indo-American Art Council Film Festival (IAAC) is looking for entries for this year's fest, which will take place from Nov 2-6, 2005 in New York City. All entries must be postmarked by August 1, 2005. Only DVDs and NTSC-VHS formats will be accepted for submissions. The IAAC film festival is looking for independent films made in India as well as films made by people of Indian origin living outside India, or films made by non-Indians with Indian content.

The Blue November MicroFilmFest STAGE III, a film festival taking place on November 4-5, 2005 at OSU-Tulsa Auditorium in Tulsa, Oklahoma is looking for entries. The festival focuses on Oklahoma film and art. Entries must be NTSC DVD or VHS, and will not be returned. Submissions need to include your name, address, phone, email, title, format, bio and synopsis, and running time. All genres accepted. There is no entry fee and the deadline is Sept. 15, 2005. For an entry form or additional information, contact Captain Chambers at captain@blue-november.com.

The Northwest Film and Video Festival is looking for entries for this year's fest, which will take place from November 5-13, 2005. All entries must be postmarked by August 1, 2005. There is no entry fee, but you must be a permanent resident of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho or Montana to participate.

"Independent Lens" is a national PBS series showcasing independent documentaries and dramas. The series is seeking submissions of completed films for the October 2006 - June 2007 season. Jointly curated by PBS and ITVS, "Independent Lens" welcomes the full spectrum of film — from history to drama to animation to shorts to social-issue subjects. The deadline is September 23rd, 2005. Further information and a downloadable submissions form can be obtained at their website.

The Eighth Annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival (November 9 -13, 2005, Rehoboth Beach/Delaware) has announced it's final call for submissions deadline of July 15. The Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival celebrates independent and foreign cinema with special events, seminars and five days of film on the picturesque Delaware coast. Approximately 100 entries will be selected for diverse programming in eight theaters." Last year's highlights included film fest favorites "Beauty Academy of Kabul," "My Architect," "Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself" and "Bear Cub." For more info please visit their website.

The Prized Pieces International Film & Video Festival, showcases films from around the world that address issues of human rights and social justice from a uniquely Black perspective. This year, the festival takes place on Columbus-Day weekend, October 7 – 10, 2005, at the historic Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY. Submit your script for their Screenwriters Contest for a chance to win $2,500 (early submission deadline is June 17, 2005; Final submission deadline: July 30, 2005). Film entry deadline is July 30, 2005. And, write your favorite Harlem Story for a chance at $500 -- deadline is August 19, 2005. For more information, visit their website.

"Point-of-View", the Navarra International Documentary Film Festival, is now seeking submissions for next year's festival which will take place Feb. 17-25, 2006 in Pamplona, Spain. The deadline for submissions is Sept. 30, 2005.

The Anchorage International Film Festival is looking for entries for this year's fest, taking place from December 2 - 11, 2005. The entry deadline is September 1, or save $10 by submitting your film before July 15.

The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), presented by Miami Dade College (MDC), announced its call for entries. The 23rd annual Festival to be held March 3-12, 2006 is now accepting submissions for films. The early submission deadline is August 19, 2005 and the final submission deadline is September 23, 2005. Submissions are open to first- and second-time directors in three juried competition categories including: Dramatic Features – World Cinema Competition; Dramatic Features – Ibero-American Cinema Competition; Documentary Features – World & Ibero-American Cinema Competition. For more information, visit the festival's website.

The final submissions for the 30th Toronto International Film Festival's International film entries is June 10! The festival will take place September 9 - 18. Canadian requirements and deadlines are separate. For more information, visit the Toronto International Film Festival website.

25th Annual Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival is now accepting film submissions in all categories. The 25th LVHIFF will be held October 20 – 30th, 2005. Cash and in-kind prizes are given in some categories. For more information and an application, visit the festival website. or Without a Box. The submission deadline is July 18.

The 25th Atlantic Film Festival (September 15-24, 2005) has extended its call for entries deadline for film submissions to June 24th. The call for entry form is available for download from the Atlantic Film Festival (AFF) website, under “Filmmakers & Delegates.” This is the first year where there is no entry fee. Submissions may be of any genre and length.

The Northwest Film & Video Festival in Portland is seeking submissions of any length and genre from filmmakers living in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, and British Columbia. Selected filmmakers have the chance to appear in the Best of the Northwest Film & Video Festival Tour and share in over $10,000 in production service awards. For more information, or to download an entry form, visit their website.

The Eureka! International Film Festival, a "new, nonpartisan political film festival" to be held this October 2005 in New York City, is seeking films from all over the world with the goal of "showcasing films that present a broad spectrum of views spanning the political and social spectrum." For more information please visit their website.

The Sundance Institute's 20th Annual Independent Producers Conference gives one the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with some of the best minds in the independent film business. Presented in the mountains of Sundance, Utah, the Producers Conference is an intensive weekend of panels and small group sessions on topics like marketing, distribution, finance, and the elusive art of pitching. Panelists will include execs from Sony, HBO, and the producer of the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award-winner Hustle and Flow. To get an application for the Independent Producers Conference and see a list of past panelists, visit the website or email producers@sundance.org for more information. The application deadline is May 25th.