Festival start: 05 September 2019
Festival end: 07 September 2019
Threadbare:
- films crafted with artistry, despite what seams may show through.
- genre conventions thoughtlessly reiterated, losing all context of their original meaning.
...so...
What's your Genre?
The Threadbare Mitten Film Festival is a celebration of genre cinema, here in the tell-tale heart of Michigan.
We won't push you into a box:
Horror, Sci-Fi, Contemporary Western, Neo-Noir, Absurdist Comedy, Fantasy, Splatterpunk, Magical Realism, Creature Feature, Psychological Thriller, Modern Samurai, ZomRomCom, Exploitation and Grindhouse, Road Trip, Documentary ad Mockumentary, Experimental and Non-Narrative... whatever weird quirks spark your camera rolling, we want to give you an exhibition home to exorcise them with an appreciative audience.
(and if being pushed into a box is your thing, well ok, show us that!)
As the Michigan Film and Digital Media Office says:
"Think of the Threadbare Mitten Film Festival as the anti-genre, but all-genre film festival, if that makes any sense. Truly a grassroots festival if ever there was one."
- June Newsletter 6/12/18
We do not categorize submissions by genre, only by duration. We will program screening blocks based upon the characteristics of the selected films themselves.
BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY Edition! New town, new time, same eclectic and eccentric programming. Lansing's REO Town takes over hosting our two-night-and-all-of-a-day festival, including screenings and at our festival's new home in the beautiful Robin Theatre and other venues, a Friday night Film.Craft.Beer VIP Party, and Filmmaker Q&As. Jury and Audience Awards will be presented during the festival.
More details to come as we negotiate with additional venues and partners for this year's festivities!
Located just off of Lansing's downtown core, REO Town represents the heart of creative revitalization and the artistic community. Saddleback BBQ, the REO Town Diner, Blue Owl Coffee, the REO Town Pub, Ellison Brewing, Sleepwalker Ales, along with an assortment of shops, are right here on Washington Avenue under the Three Stacks.
Laurels and locally-crafted Trophies for each of 10 Award Categories:
Juried Category Awards:
Best Short Short
Best Short Film
Best Feature Film
Stranger Than Fiction
Audience Awards:
People Pleaser
Michigan Masterpiece
Juried Special Recognition Awards:
A+ Student Filmmaker
Bloody and Brilliant
Subversive Selection
and a [Mystery Award] to be announced at the award ceremony
* Unique trophies are made by a different artist for every year *
Exhibition Formats:
Films selected for the Threadbare Mitten Film Festival must provide exhibition copies to the festival coordinators at least 2 weeks prior to the festival dates.
Films selected for screening must provide a digital screener in standard .mp4 format or equivalent. If you are unable to establish an electronic transfer of an exhibition quality file to our staff, we ask you to please mail a flashdrive or SD card containing the file to our submission address.
At this point, we do not have venues scheduled for this year's Festival that require physical media for exhibition. If this changes, then upon notification of selection, we will inform you if we will require your film on a physical disc, compatible with standard disc players and deliverable to the submission address. It is your responsibility to confirm proper disc playback, or promptly notify us if you will not be able to produce a required Blu-Ray or DVD disc.
We reserve the option to reschedule your film or replace it with another selection if there are issues receiving adequate exhibition files or discs.
Please be aware that we offer personal, constructive feedback to filmmakers that are not selected. As filmmakers ourselves, we know how frustrating it can be to spend production dollars on festival submissions and only receive blank form rejections that give no indication of a given film's strengths or weaknesses, or whether it was just poor luck that your hard work simply didn't fit with a given year's programming. We aim to provide feedback on our own selection process and reasoning for your benefit, on a professional level. Just let us know when you submit your film if you are interested in hearing from our programmers, in case the unfortunate happens and we are unable to find a place for your work in our Festival.
1. The Threadbare Mitten Film Festival (the FESTIVAL) will only accept original works. (no fan-films)
a) By submitting your film to the FESTIVAL, you assert that you are authorized to submit the film, and that you own (or have legal permission to use) the copyright to all submitted materials, including the soundtrack and on-screen imagery. The FESTIVAL assumes no liability for any potential claims, damages, judgments, and expenses against any submitted film.
b) By submitting your film, you grant permission to the FESTIVAL to publicly exhibit the film during the festival dates, and to share imagery, copy, and audio/visual clips from the film for promotional purposes, including the promotion of future events.
2. Electronic submissions are preferred. We encourage you to provide any available electronic promotional/publicity materials at the time of submission. Upon notification of selection by the FESTIVAL, the submitter of Short and Feature category films must provide at minimum a film trailer, poster, and synopsis.
3. For physical copy submissions, please email threadbaremittenff@gmail.com prior to submission. Physical submissions will not be returned.
4. All submissions must be in English or contain English subtitles.
5. Judging is anonymous and arbitrary. FESTIVAL judge decisions are final.
6. The FESTIVAL does not require any particular Premiere status, any prior screenings or distribution will be considered as part of the overall submission for all films. .
7. Filmmakers whose work is selected will receive 2 VIP passes to the FESTIVAL.
Short Shorts
Short Films 10'<
Fee-8%
Early5$4.6$
17 Feb 19
Standard10$9.2$
21 Apr 19
Late20$18.4$
26 May 19
Extended25$23$
16 Jun 19
Submissions deadline
16 Jun 19
Save up
0.8$
Submit
All Genres: films under 10 minutes runtime.
Short Films
Short Films >10' 40'<
Fee-8%
Early10$9.2$
17 Feb 19
Standard15$13.8$
21 Apr 19
Late25$23$
26 May 19
Extended30$27.6$
16 Jun 19
Submissions deadline
16 Jun 19
Save up
1.2$
Submit
All Genres: films from 10-40 minutes runtime.
Feature Films (mid-length)
Short and Feature Films >40' 65'<
Fee-8%
Early15$13.8$
17 Feb 19
Standard20$18.4$
21 Apr 19
Late30$27.6$
26 May 19
Extended35$32.2$
16 Jun 19
Submissions deadline
16 Jun 19
Save up
1.6$
Submit
All Genres: films between 40 and 65 minutes runtime. (While the Academy considers anything in excess of 40 minutes to be feature length, exhibition realities often leave these mid-length films stranded both from theatres and the festival circuit. We love giving strays a home.)
Feature Films
Feature Films >65'
Fee-8%
Early20$18.4$
17 Feb 19
Standard25$23$
21 Apr 19
Late35$32.2$
26 May 19
Extended40$36.8$
16 Jun 19
Submissions deadline
16 Jun 19
Save up
2$
Submit
All Genres: films in excess of 65 minutes runtime.
Festhome holds accountable fees festivals by holding the payment of the fees of most newer festivals until they have viewed the submissions, held their festivals and other methods.
-8%
Festhome holds accountable fees festivals by holding the payment of the fees of most newer festivals until they have viewed the submissions, held their festivals and other methods. 