It's a Wrap on VFF15 Call-for-Entries

Our 2015 call-for-entries have officially closed!

This year, we used two platforms (vs. the three from last year): FilmFreeway.com and Festhome.com and received submissions from 70 countries. 

What surprised us most was the number of films from Iran. This is a country with a rich, cultural history, yet it is also known for censoring films, throwing artists in jail, and forcing filmmakers (and their families) into exile. 

For the first time since 2009, Iran had a tent inside the International Village at Festival de Cannes. Under the Republic's new president, Hassan Rouhani, the new policy appears to be celebrating culture. Fingers crossed this is a new beginning. 

Moving on, below are the Top 10 countries VFF15 submissions came from:

1. United States
2. Islamic Republic of Iran
3. United Kingdom
4. Spain
5. Germany
6. Canada
7. Italy
8. France
9. Brazil
10. India

Countdown to VFF15...T-Minus 75 Days

75 days out and still over 300 films unwatched. 

This week we called upon our screening group volunteers to commit to an additional 10 films. With this plan in place, we're confident that every film can be viewed by August 23. This will allow us time to review the films in consideration, find the content that best complements each other and the festival, program, schedule, and update the website by September 7. 

If we miss this deadline, we miss the 6-8 week press window and we make it more difficult for filmmakers outside of Los Angeles to plan their attendance. Because we rely on our friends in the press to get the word out AND our filmmakers to support their films, this is a really important deadline for us to meet. 

We're also chasing down our sponsors, returning & new, and securing after-party venues. 

We'll provide another update once our submissions close on August 15th!