The Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival is dedicated to promoting unconventional narrative film. VTFF will feature live music performances, an art exhibition, and of course — lots of films! Our inaugural festival will take place on July 7th & 8th, 2017 and we’ll cap the weekend with a filmmaker and VIP-only Award Ceremony Brunch & Excursion on Sunday the 9th.
We’re looking for films with a unique voice that tell stories in an unusual way, experiment with the medium, or explore eclectic subject matter and themes. We encourage and celebrate subversiveness, innovative use of materials and budget, and quirky independent work that doesn’t fit comfortably within any one genre.
Call them weird, cult, or niche—we know a V&T film when we see one. And though filmmaking is a collaborative effort, we have an unabashed appreciation of the auteur. We love the the absurd humor and magical realism of Terry Gilliam and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the irreverent sincerity and dysfunctional iconoclasm of John Waters and Jane Campion, the uncanny cleverness and dark mystery of Davids Cronenberg and Lynch, the tactile humanity and visceral goofiness of Jan Švankmajer and Stephen Chow, the timeless avant-garde dreamscapes of Maya Deren and Slavko Vorkapić, and the haunting beauty and moral ambiguity of Hayao Miyazaki.
We believe that filmmaking should be accessible to all and that content transcends medium. So we welcome all work whether it was shot on VHS, Super 8, an old iPhone, a DSLR, 35mm, or a 5K Red Scarlet. In fact, we have a special place in our hearts for so-called obsolete tech. We connect with characters who are outsiders, freaks, and misfits—both in front of and behind the camera!
The Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival aims to a curate a diverse and engaging program from a progressive group of unconventional filmmakers from the U.S. and around the world. We invite people of all ages, genders, ethnic backgrounds, orientations, and walks of life to submit!
How to Submit
The Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival proudly accepts entries via FilmFreeway.com, the world’s best online submission platform. FilmFreeway offers free HD online screeners, unlimited video storage, digital press kits, and more!
Awards & Prizes
Awards will be selected by a jury of working filmmakers, film critics, and film scholars.
Best of Fest
Best of Fest (Student)
Best Fiction Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Animated Short
Best Made-in-Michigan Short
Our award package is still being developed—so far we’ve got prizes from Final Draft and Wacom, and Transcend with much more to come!
Rules & Terms
Submitted films must be no longer than 15 minutes and have been completed after Jan. 1, 2016.
The Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes.
The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for public screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.
The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless The Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.
For the rest of the rules and terms, please visit our festival submission page on FilmFreeway.
