This page contains information about the CID/CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars. Information about applying to our Film Slam Workshop and submitting a short film for the Vermont CineSLAM festival and Pride of the Ocean Film Festival is below and includes on-line application form.
Past Festivals:
Festival Information:
- Film Slam Program Includes
- Application Guidelines
- Program Pricing
- Information on Merit Scholarship
- Application Agreement
Film Slam Program Includes
The CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars is a series of three intensive sessions of peer critique for independent filmmakers, as well as a program of screening shorts. The program consists of two separate sessions:
1. Screening session: The filmmaker will present their film and lead a Q&A for 10 minutes to the Pride of the Ocean Film Festival audience.
2. Critique session: Besides critiquing your short film, you can optionally add 10 minutes of new material, works in progress, trailers, or whatever you think is important to be critiqued. This critique is your fellow filmmakers and guests invited by Susi Walsh, Director of the Center for Independent Documentary and Film Slam Seminar leader.
Each participant will present up to fifteen minutes of a work in progress. This material can be anything, from clips of raw footage, a fine-cut trailer, or an excerpted sequence from a feature film. We prefer workshop material for the Film Slams to be material in production, but finished material may also be accepted.
In order to apply to the Film Slam Seminars, you must submit a short film to the CineSLAM Film Festival, which upon acceptance your film will also be screened at The Pride of the Ocean Film Festival.
Please Note – filmmakers who produce feature-length documentaries are encouraged to submit a short cut of their documentary to this program. (10 minutes is best)
Acceptance into the CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars, automatically qualifies your submitted film for inclusion in the CineSLAM Film Festival program. The festival is held annually in Southern Vermont. All films in the festival program are eligible to win the Chessie Award (Best Short at CineSLAM) which includes a $250 cash prize.
Because the CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars are hosted by the Pride of the Ocean Film Festival Cruise, the 2016 seminars will take place on board the Norwegian Epic, Barcelona to the Western Mediterranean. This 7-day, round-trip festival cruise will sail June 5-12, 2016. Participants stay on the ship during the 7-day journey, and have access to all Pride of the Ocean program amenities: exclusive cocktail parties, group dinners, Pride of the Ocean festival screenings, and “Bon Voyage Party”.
Visit www.prideoftheocean.com for more information on the festival cruise.
Application Guidelines
To apply for the film slam seminars, you must submit a short film for entry in the CineSLAM Film Festival. We define “short film” as being 15 minutes or less. All genres and styles are welcome (documentary, narrative, animation, etc…). Please note that CineSLAM and Pride of the Ocean are both LGBT film festivals. The application for the workshop includes film submission .
It is by this short submission and your written application that our jury will consider your participation in the program.
There is a $25.oo nonrefundable application fee to apply for the Film Slam Seminars. It covers the cost of film submission and application to the workshop.
In order to apply to the Film Slam Seminars, you must first read and agree to the terms in the Application Agreement below.
There are two ways to apply for the CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars, by mail and online. See details below:
APPLICATION BY MAIL
In your submission packet, be sure to include all of the following items:
[1] DVD copy of your CineSLAM Film Festival submission [2] brief description of your festival submission [3] a letter, explaining why you would like to participate, what you plan to show in your optional Film Slam (it should not be the same as your CineSLAM Film Festival short film entry), and a little background of your filmmaking experience. [4] $25.00 check, made payable to our foundation, “The Kopkind Colony” (this includes your film submission and application fee). Upon acceptance you will give permission for CineSLAM and Pride of the Ocean to screen your film at its festival screens both on the Celebrity ship and in Vermont.
Send all materials to:
CineSLAM c/o John Scagliotti 158 Kopkind Rd. Guilford, VT 05301
ONLINE APPLICATION
You may choose to apply online by clicking here to open our application form.
Please Note – Once you have clicked the “Submit Application” button at the end of the form, you will be re-directed to our secure Paypal payment page. Once on the Paypal page, you may make your application fee payment. You do not need to have a Paypal account to use this service.
Please Note – Your application will not be eligible for review by our jury until payment of the application fee has been received.
Please Note – If your submission is accepted by our jury, you will be asked to provide a DVD version of your submission for inclusion in the CineSLAM Film Festival. You will be informed of where to send your DVD with your acceptance letter. You will have 2 weeks to submit your DVD. If it not received by that time, we will choose an applicant from the waiting list to replace you.
If you are selected, you will be given a CineSLAM Merit Scholarship. The CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars primary mission is to provide an opportunity for emerging filmmakers to workshop their projects in focused, peer-driven critique sessions. To make this possible, our foundation offers generous merit scholarships so that everyone has the opportunity to participate in this program. Recipients of this scholarship are determined by our film selection jury.
The CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars Merit Scholarship covers the Film Slam Seminars Program Fee, room and board on the Norwegian Breakaway, Pride of the Ocean program fees, and limited travel expenses in the form of a stipend to be decided following your acceptance and the amount will be in your acceptance letter.
The merit scholarship does not include pre-paid gratuities for wait staff and stewards on board the Norwegian Breakaway or additional expenses on board the Norwegian Breakaway including bar tabs and specialty restaurant charges.
Recipients of the Merit Scholarship will be paired with another scholarship recipient for lodgings on the ship. If you would prefer to either stay in a single stateroom, or if you would prefer to stay with a friend or partner, you will be responsible for paying the difference in price. In other words, the scholarship will cover the same initial price, and you will need to pay the difference for the upgrade or the additional passenger.
Please contact our Programming Director, John Scagliotti, if you have any questions about the CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars Merit Scholarship. He can be reached by email at stonewal@sover.net.
Application Agreement
By submitting your application to the CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars, you agree to the following terms and conditions.
PUBLICITY
CineSLAM and its representatives reserve the right to utilize any submitted materials for the purpose of promoting the CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars on the Pride of the Ocean Festival Cruise and the CineSLAM Film Festival. This includes but is not limited to video stills, video excerpts (up to 1 minute or official trailer), and biographical information provided by the applicant.
SCREENINGS
If your short film is accepted, you agree that your film can be screened at the 2014 Pride of the Ocean Film Festival, as well as future Pride of the Ocean Film Festivals, as determined by the Pride of the Ocean Program Director.
ON SHIP, SHORE EXCURSIONS, AND TRAVEL
Participants in the CineSLAM Film Slam Seminars are responsible for making their own travel arrangements both to and from the ship.
Participants who have been approved for the Merit Scholarship may be offered limited travel reimbursement. The amount of this reimbursement is based on availability and is determined prior to embarkation. Recipients will be notified ahead of time as to the amount they are eligible to receive, so that appropriate travel accommodations can be made. Recipient will be reimbursed for travel expenses in the form of a stipend on board The Pride of the Ocean cruise. Recipients will be required to submit receipts for reimbursement.
While docked, passengers on board the ship are free to go ashore and participate in the activities available. Be sure to return promptly to the ship before departure. Passengers who delay departure are subject to fine from Norwegian Cruise lines, which can exceed $10,000.00.
CineSLAM, Pride of the Ocean, and their representatives strongly advise all participants to purchase travel insurance, especially medical, as most US plans do not cover foreign port.