What is this?
A filmmaker spotlight series geared towards lifting up and championing filmmakers doing a lot with a little.
What do I get?
Submitting a film for consideration in the spotlight series means the following things:
I (Josh Folan) will watch your film within 45 days (I make movies too, so sometimes my schedule is fucked) but hopefully sooner. I don’t have a staff, I won’t have a staff, I don’t want a staff. I’ve made a LOT of films with no money, I relate to and enjoy films well-made with no money and the creativity required to execute them, and I hope to discover films of that ilk that I otherwise would not by hosting (or whatever verb I’m verbing here) this film/filmmaker spotlight series.
If I do think your film fits what I aim for this collection of filmmaker’s work to stand for, I will:
- Email you directly with what I loved about your film and laurels you are free to emblazon unto any and all marketing in conjunction with the film as you see fit.
- Invite you to do an interview that I will distribute as an episode of the Filmmaking, the Hard Way Podcast in conjunction with your film’s release.
- Release your film on the NYEH Entertainment YouTube channel on a mutually agreed upon date (optional, if you prefer to release from your own platform/channel that is fine), where it will remain indefinitely (or until you elect to have it removed).
- Post the film or trailer (filmmaker’s choice) on the NYEH Entertainment socials – Instagram/Facebook/Reddit at minimum, probably some personals as well considering these will be the kinds of films I already scream from the rooftops about on Twitter/Reddit/Letterboxd as is.
Eligibility & Submission
Short (15 minutes or less), festival programming limbo-length (between 15 and 70 minutes), and feature-length (70+ minutes) films are accepted. The idea here is, again, accomplishing a lot with a little, so the production budget constraints I am going with for eligibility and submission pricing for the three tiers are as follows:
Short Films: A budget of $10,000 USD or less, submission price is $25
Limbo Films: A budget of $25,000 USD or less, submission price is $35
Feature Films: A budget of $40,000 USD or less, submission price is $45
Given my experience level with movie makin’ in limited resource situations, I am confident I will rather easily be able to call bullshit on projects that exceed the budget criteria I am imposing on submissions. I pray to the film gods I don’t have to do much of this, but in fairness to the spirit of the venture and the filmmaker ecosystem I am creating here, I reserve the right to request a production budget if I have interest in programming a film but question the feasibility of execution under the stated financial constraints. One upside to any situations where I feel the need to be a budget cop, should you convince me it does indeed qualify I fully expect our pod interview to be an absolute banger.
FAQ
What if, in your self-perceived budgetary omnipotence, you determine a film does not meet the necessary criteria for eligibility?
That further scrutiny will only occur after the selection stage, and after a budget is requested, so we’ll be in discussion about my questioning how the hell you pulled it off. Should that discussion result in my not buying what you’re selling, I will return your submission fee.
What will I need if my film is selected?
A 16x9 (1920x1080) textless (no title, no tagline, no laurels, no nuthin’) horizontal key art image for the film, a 9x16 (1080x1920) textless vertical key art image, a list of the key filmmakers, and a 1-2 sentence logline for the film. I will request these elements via email if I’d like to move forward with programming your film.
What kinds of films tickle your fancy, Josh?
Ones that I want to relentlessly annoy all my film nerd friends about watching. I spent most of 2023 telling everyone I met that Jim Hosking’s The Greasy Strangler was potentially the single greatest artistic achievement in human history after discovering that film far too belatedly. I once sat and made a list of ten things I value in a film, maybe that’s also helpful - you can read that @ https://nyehentertainment.com/what-i-value-in-a-movie/
