Entries for the 2025 AoBFF open October 21st, 2024
THE ART OF BROOKLYN is a an award-winning international film festival designed to connect Brooklyn's vibrant indie scene with their peers around the world. Founded by working artists in 2011, we are a filmmaker-focused event, platform and showcase for emerging creators and established voices.
We are generating significant growth each year with an expanding international footprint among audiences, filmmakers, and the entertainment industry. In 2020 we entertained guests from 15 countries, and 3 of the features we premiered gained distribution, despite the fact that we were fully digital due to the pandemic. Over 35 of our premieres have gained distribution — and one became an HBO series.
We are now a fully hybrid festival, producing live, in person screenings in neighborhoods across Brooklyn and streaming screenings and panels to an international audience, with studio grade DRM protection via the Eventive Festival Platform. We have produced film events in 20 different venues for diverse audiences in 10 different Brooklyn neighborhoods, including those underserved by art and culture organizations.
Adding streaming to our event enables us to host global events locally, bringing the largest possible audience to our films. We also partner with local Brooklyn bars and restaurants for both formal and informal networking events with after party drinks specials for the entire run of our festival-- in addition to our famous Launch Party's open bar.
Equity is organic to our mission. We bridge the opportunity divide by making media accessible to everyone, including those who are underrepresented on either side of the camera. Every year AoBFF invites different film professionals to act as Guest Festival Director for the season, and in 2023 we had a team of GFDs for the first time! If you're interested in submitting yourself for the position please contact us at [email protected]. The position has been held by members of underrepresented groups over 70% since we started the program in 2016. One of the things we are consistently noted for is the outstanding quality of our curation, which has only improved as we've opened up to exciting new voices.
We have a Transparent and Ethical Submission Policy in which every film we receive until midnight of the last day of late submissions is viewed in its entirety and considered for programming. We never pre-select films for competition, fill a template or set our schedule before submissions close. Every single submission is screened multiple times, first by our selection committee, a diverse (racially, by gender, and age) group of film professionals and film fans, who represent the popular taste of our audience. They leave detailed notes on each film for the Guest Festival Director, who makes final decisions based on their own complete viewing. We have curated films we’ve received at the very end of our submission process several times, resulting in more than one AoBFF award-winner. So don't hesitate to spend on a late submission to AoBFF, it's worth it.
• We DON'T require filmmakers to purchase blocks of tickets for their own screenings.
• We DON'T make filmmakers pay for their own trophies
• We DON'T charge filmmakers for marketing or promotion.
• We DON'T use AI to read or score any entries.
We believe that film festivals exist for filmmakers, not the other way around.
We are generating significant growth each year with an expanding international footprint among audiences, filmmakers, and the entertainment industry. In 2020 we entertained guests from 15 countries, and 3 of the features we premiered gained distribution, despite the fact that we were fully digital due to the pandemic. Over 35 of our premieres have gained distribution — and one became an HBO series.
We are now a fully hybrid festival, producing live, in person screenings in neighborhoods across Brooklyn and streaming screenings and panels to an international audience, with studio grade DRM protection via the Eventive Festival Platform. We have produced film events in 20 different venues for diverse audiences in 10 different Brooklyn neighborhoods, including those underserved by art and culture organizations.
Adding streaming to our event enables us to host global events locally, bringing the largest possible audience to our films. We also partner with local Brooklyn bars and restaurants for both formal and informal networking events with after party drinks specials for the entire run of our festival-- in addition to our famous Launch Party's open bar.
Equity is organic to our mission. We bridge the opportunity divide by making media accessible to everyone, including those who are underrepresented on either side of the camera. Every year AoBFF invites different film professionals to act as Guest Festival Director for the season, and in 2023 we had a team of GFDs for the first time! If you're interested in submitting yourself for the position please contact us at [email protected]. The position has been held by members of underrepresented groups over 70% since we started the program in 2016. One of the things we are consistently noted for is the outstanding quality of our curation, which has only improved as we've opened up to exciting new voices.
We have a Transparent and Ethical Submission Policy in which every film we receive until midnight of the last day of late submissions is viewed in its entirety and considered for programming. We never pre-select films for competition, fill a template or set our schedule before submissions close. Every single submission is screened multiple times, first by our selection committee, a diverse (racially, by gender, and age) group of film professionals and film fans, who represent the popular taste of our audience. They leave detailed notes on each film for the Guest Festival Director, who makes final decisions based on their own complete viewing. We have curated films we’ve received at the very end of our submission process several times, resulting in more than one AoBFF award-winner. So don't hesitate to spend on a late submission to AoBFF, it's worth it.
• We DON'T require filmmakers to purchase blocks of tickets for their own screenings.
• We DON'T make filmmakers pay for their own trophies
• We DON'T charge filmmakers for marketing or promotion.
• We DON'T use AI to read or score any entries.
We believe that film festivals exist for filmmakers, not the other way around.
2025 DEADLINES & ENTRY FEES
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EARLY BIRD:
Nov. 8, 2024 FEATURES: $50 SHORTS: $45 SHORT FILM & 30 Min. TV SCREENPLAYS: $45 FEATURE FILM & 1 Hr. TV SCREENPLAYS $50 |
REGULAR:
Feb. 19, 2025 FEATURES: $70 SHORTS: $60 SHORT FILM & 30 Min. TV SCREENPLAYS: $60 FEATURE FILM & 1 Hr. TV SCREENPLAYS $70 |
LATE :
April 9, 2025 FEATURES: $90 SHORTS: $80 SHORT FILM & 30 Min. TV SCREENPLAYS: $80 FEATURE FILM & 1 Hr. TV SCREENPLAYS $90 |
EXTENDED:
May 1, 2025 FEATURES: $95 SHORTS: $85 SHORT FILM & 30 Min. TV SCREENPLAYS: $85 FEATURE FILM & 1 Hr. TV SCREENPLAYS $95 |
* All FilmFreeway GOLD members receive a discounted entry fee *
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ENTER FILMS or SCREENPLAYS:
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ENTER SCREENPLAYS:
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