The Terror on the Plains 2019 Call for Entries is now open. Please read the rules carefully.
- Films MUST be under 10 minutes in length (including titles and post-credits). NO EXCEPTIONS.
- Submission fee in 2019: $15 for ALL FILMMAKERS. No waivers.
- Deadline for submission: Sept. 1, 2019
- Films must have been filmed within a two-year period of current festival.
- Your film must fit within one of the sub-genre of horror, but we here at TERROR ON THE PLAINS know that what we each perceive as “horror” is subjective (thriller, psychological, satire, spoof, shock, supernatural, slasher, gore, etc.)…questions? Just ask.
- Please use original music or music you have permission to use. Seriously.
- If you qualify for the Best Local Filmmaker Award or the Best Young Filmmaker (20 and Under) Award, be sure to note your age and location in your submission on FilmFreeway in order to be eligible for one of the local awards. See below for qualifications.
- Live action, stop-motion, computer and traditionally animated movies are eligible for submissions.
- All films that are nominated for one of the four pre-determined nominee categories (Best Horror Film, Best International Film, Best Local Filmmaker, Best Young Filmmaker) will screen on night one of the TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL; but not all films that screen that night will be up for nominations and awards. i.e. your film could not receive a nomination and still screen at our festival or be invited to screen and not be up for a nominated award.
- The short film competition is night one of TERROR ON THE PLAINS. Not all films submitted will screen. We generally screen roughly 2.5 hours of short films. That number is flexible each year depending on our submissions.
- The TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL committee will determine nominees for categories. You do not need to submit your film for a category.
- 2019 Terror on the Plains Awards:
- Best Horror Film
- Best International Horror Film
- Best Local Filmmaker “The David Berry Award”
- Best Young Filmmaker (20 and Under)
- Audience Choice (NEW in 2019!!
Submit your film to: Filmfilmfreeway.com/TerroronthePlainsHorrorFilmFestival.
If you have any questions about whether your film qualifies, contact Tim English (tim@terrorontheplains.com)
BEST LOCAL FILMMAKER — THE DAVID BERRY AWARD:
This award is presented to a local Kansas City/Kanas/Missouri/filmmaker who displays excellent skill and proficiency in storytelling and craft. This is an international film festival that first and foremost celebrates our incredible local talent. So, bring it, KC.
- Eligible filmmakers must live within the borders of Kansas or Missouri.
- Three to five nominees will be selected for this award.
- Nominees and winner will be determined by the TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL committee prior to the festival. The winner will be announced following the short film competition on night on of Terror Fest.
- Winner to receive a plaque, a SKULLY Trophy and a personalized certificate (certificate to be delivered at a later date).
- Filmmaker does not need to be present to win, but it is a lot more fun.
- This award is sponsored by the Kansas City Film Office (KCFilm).
This award is dedicated to the memory of filmmaker David Berry. David had a film included in the TERROR ON PLAINS film festival every year since our inception. He was a huge supporter of our film festival during our infancy and we want to ensure his legacy is always a part of the Kansas City filmmaking community.
BEST LOCAL YOUNG FILMMAKER — (20 AND UNDER):
This award is given to a young filmmaker who displays excellent skill and/or promise as a filmmaker and storyteller. Submissions are open to all young and student filmmakers.
The TERROR ON THE PLAINS HORROR FILM FESTIVAL was established to show case the immense talent in our local community across both sides of the state line and that includes the future of our industry.
- Ages of eligibility 10-20. Middle school, high school, college student filmmakers encouraged to participate.
- Filmmaker must be 20 years of age or younger at the time of festival deadline (Sept. 1, 2019) for submission to qualify for this award.
- Festival deadline for 2019: Sept. 1, 2019. If you turn 21 before this date you are ineligible.
- In the case of this award and who qualifies: Filmmaker = credited Director of Film.
- Up to three to five nominees may be selected for this award.
- Nominees and winner will be determined by the TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL committee prior to the festival. The winner will be announced following the short film competition on night on of Terror Fest.prior to the festival. The winner will be announced following the short film competition on night on of Terror Fest.
- Winner to receive a plaque and a SKULLY Trophy and a personalized certificate (certificate to be delivered at a later date).
- Filmmaker does not need to be present to win, but it is a lot more fun.
- This award is sponsored by the Kanas City Art Institute for Continuing Education, therefore to be eligible to win this prize the filmmaker must be a resident of Kansas or Missouri.
If you have any questions about whether your filmmaker qualifies for this category, contact Tim English (tim@terrorontheplains.com).
BEST HORROR FILM:
- Films under 10 mins. No exceptions.
- Films do not need to be in English, but English subtitles are appreciated but not exactly required. Thanks.
- Up to six films will be nominated for Best Horror Film to be screened on night one of the TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
- Nominees are selected by the TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL committee.
- Winner is determined by a panel of judges independent of our festival committee who will see the films live for the first time on night one of Terror Fest and determine a winner immediately following the competition.
- The winner will be announced following the short film competition on night on of Terror Fest.
- Winner to receive a SKULLY Trophy and a personalized certificate (certificate to be delivered at a later date).
- Filmmaker does not need to be present to win, but it is a lot more fun.
- This award is sponsored by Ignition FX.
If you have any questions about this category, contact Tim English (tim@terrorontheplains.com).
BEST INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM:
This award is given to the Best Horror Film by a production team and filmmaker outside the United States of America.
- Films under 10 mins. No exceptions.
- Filmmaker must live outside the continental United States.
- All countries and regions are welcome to submit. We love you all.
- Nominees are selected by the TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL committee.
- Winner is determined by a panel of judges independent of our festival committee who will see the films live for the first time on night one of Terror Fest and determine a winner immediately following the competition.
- Winner to receive a SKULLY Trophy and a personalized certificate (certificate to be delivered at a later date).
If you have any questions about whether or not your film qualifies in this category, contact Tim English (tim@terrorontheplains.com).
AUDIENCE FAVORITE — NEW IN 2019
We’ve had an overwhelming number of our audience each year wonder how they can judge the films. Well, KC, you asked….and we’re gonna figure that out. We will be handing out an Audience Favorite Award this year. How are we going to do that? We’ll let you know.
- All films that screen on night one of the TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL are eligible to win this award.
- Winner is determined by the audience in attendance of Friday night of TERROR ON THE PLAINS during the awards ceremony immediately following the competition. Details TBD.
- Winner to receive a SKULLY Trophy and a personalized certificate (certificate to be delivered at a later date).
IF SELECTED FOR TERROR ON THE PLAINS:
If your film is selected to screen on night one of the TERROR ON THE PLAINS INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL, we will contact you by email. At that time, you will need to submit a digital copy of your film (via email, Vimeo, dropbox, etc.) as well as the still images and synopsis you would like us to use in our festival marketing campaign. You have one week to do this.
Below are the format parameters for submitting your film. On the file, we need your feature to have 3 seconds of black at the head of the program and 3 seconds of black on the tail. Also, the file should not have any color bar, count down, or slate in the beginning.
Please remove ALL mentions of any previous awards your film has been nominated for and/won. No wooing the judges. Let your film speak for itself!
Please make sure your final audio mix is an average of -6db. And lastly, the files should be labeled correctly with the complete film title, details will be delivered following your selection.
Requirements:
- File Extension: .mp4
- Compression Codec: H.264
- Max Bit rate: 32Mbps
- Audio: MPEG- AAC, Stereo or 5.1, 48khz, 256kbps
- Resolution: 1920X1080
- Frame Rate: 23.98 or 24 or 25
Please send your film and completed application to: tim@terrorontheplains.com.
Please do not require any sort of password. We will be sharing assets and promoting films on all social media. If you do not want your information shared, you must let us know asap.
