Tropfest: Prospect Park, June 21

If you’ve got a burning desire (or even just a passing interest) in putting together a short film, we’ve got some exciting news.

Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival, is headed to Prospect Park this June, and the submission deadline has been extended to May 16.

Moving across the river from its US debut in Bryant Park, this year’s expanded festival, hosted by Liev Schreiber, will feature “music, food, art installations and of course, a lineup of great short films that will be screened and judged live by an esteemed panel of industry and celebrity judges.”

Here’s the coolest part. With no budget restrictions, and all formats (including mobile phone videos) accepted, anybody can enter.

According the the Tropfest website, “all entries must be made specifically for the event and have their premiere at Tropfest New York. Films cannot exceed seven minutes, including titles and credits, and each film must contain the Tropfest Signature Item (TSI), which changes each year and is different in each Tropfest territory.”

This year’s TSI is “BRIDGE.”

“Filmmakers are welcome to include “BRIDGE” in their films in any manner they choose,” the rules state, “either as a main part of the film or as a very subtle inclusion.”

If you’re thinking to yourself, “my previous YouTube videos have never seen the light of day, so there’s no way that I have enough experience for something like this,” think again. “The Tropfest premise advocates strength of idea over ‘slickness’ or technical merit,” and several of the examples in their compilation of favorite films cost pennies to make.

16 finalists will be chosen to have their films screened in Prospect Park on June 22. The Grand Prize winner will receive $20,000 (which would be a nice way to combat the high cost of living in our area), and a trip to Los Angeles for a series of meetings with film executives, agents and others. All 16 finalists will receive $500.

For a full list of contest rules and submission guidelines, visit the Tropfest website.

Give it a go, and be sure to let us know if you enter so we can show some love to our local filmmakers.

Photo via Tropfest on Facebook