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1. If I enter one of the festivals, can I get into both? No…Each festival is a separate entity. They do share the same name, but each festival exhibits a new batch of finalists. You can enter the same project into both festivals, but only during the call for entries period for each.

2.What can I win? Each festival has a different prize package and each year the prize package value rises. In 2008 we awarded over 50,000 in prizes and in 2009 we plan on starting a new sliding scale cash prize. The more entries we receive the larger the cash prize will be, for each 1000 entries, the cash prize will rise $5000.00

3.Once I become an Official Selection, then what? Since FirstGlance™ is a competitive festival in which the audience votes at the screenings, we encourage all our finalists to promote your project however you’d like. Once we announce you as an Official Selection, we will notify you by email and include many ways of helping to promote your project along with the festival. We offer many filmmaker co-op advertising opportunities including a trailer network to ten of the biggest streaming sites, friending on MySpace, buying adspace on our homepage, we also provide on our website current links to local press and other ways of branding and co-promoting your title.

4.What formats do you exhibit? And what formats for prescreening? For prescreening NTSC DVD only!! For Exhibition, it depends on the venue, currently, at our Hollywood Event we can exhibit on DVD, MiniDv, Dvcam, BetaSP, DigiBeta, 16mm, 35mm. In Philadelphia we show mainly on digital formats including DVD, MiniDv, Dvcam, BetaSP, DigiBeta. In 2009, we may introduce HDCAM exhibition at both venues if it is cost efficient.

5. Can I link my website to FirstGlance™? Yes…we are always looking to expand our FirstGlance™ Community. Within the next year we will be doing some massive and incredible upgrades to the site, including filmmaker websites.Click on our links page and grab either banner for your website.

6. Can I sell my project on your site? We have just opened up a store site on FirstGlance™ and for a nominal yearly fee we will be glad to include your product in our store. Email us for more info.

7. Can I get FirstGlance™ to come to my university? Sure can!! We would love to come and spend the weekend at your college or university and exhibit the winners of both FirstGlance™ Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Just click on the Student Coordinator link and find out how.

8. Why don’t I receive snail mail information on the festival?
FirstGlance™ asks that you keep a valid email address, so we can send you the information via the internet. Since we have two festivals each year, a lot of information goes out and email is the most immediate, responsive and green. If you don’t have an email account, feel free to stop by the site on a monthly basis and check the headlines for the festival you are interested in participating in.

9. I can’t download the application? We have upgraded and partnered with www.withoutabox.com and have found it to be a much easier, faster and economical for both the festival and the filmmakers. In 2003 , we decided to partner with them to enhance the information we collect for the program, website, and it helps us maintain continuity. We will also have a pdf file to download, but prefer the online application they provide.

10. Can I send an entry UPS or FEDEX? Since we use a PO Box for our mail, UPS or Fedex will not deliver. The United States Postal Service is both reliable and fast and if you send Priority mail and delivery confirmation, we have had 100% satisfaction . Since our home office is quite small, we would much rather pick up all materials from the Post Office. Overseas entries, please see the Foreign entries page for more detailed information.

11. I was unable to make it to the festival and would love to see the winning projects!! We are in the midst of negotiating both a distribution and a DVD authoring deal so that we can distribute a DVD of the winners, both online and in retail outlets. This will benefit not only the winners, but also the massive audience that can’t make the festivals.

12. Can I win both festivals? Yes…we have only one restriction on the entry guidelines. An entry can be a finalist in both festivals within the year, if it wins, it automatically goes on to the opposite coasts festival. However, if the project was exhibited, and did not win the first time, and is entered a second time on the opposite coast and wins, it will not move on to the next festival, since it has already screened on both coasts.

13. Can I enter a new project, or more than one? Yes, to both…that is what makes FirstGlance™ a community.  We love to see filmmakers moving on to bigger and better projects and honing their craft, and we hope that they include us in their festival circuit rounds. While your projects are growing so is FirstGlance™.

14. Can you waive the entry fee? Unfortunately, FirstGlance™ lives by entry fees and if we make one exception, we must make many. This past year alone close to 250 individuals asked for waivers. It costs an extensive amount of money to run a festival. FirstGlance™ is a truly independent film festival which depends on the indie community to support its growth and without the fee, there is no festival.

15. Are there any restrictions on entries? We accept any type or genre of film or video, whether it is controversial,avant-garde, experimental, mainstream, foreign, or domestic. We have no run-time limitations, and your project can originate on any format. Sex, nudity, gore, violence, and language are all permissible, however we will not accept pornography. If you have any questions about what category your project falls into, email us.

16. If I become an Official Selection, do I automatically get entered into the online short contest? No...We will invite the shorts we feel could have been Official Selections, but time did not permit. Any short invited will be sent a separate email informing them. The filmmaker will have to okay the inclusion of their short by signing a contract with our online theater provider and get them the specific deliverables in due time so the film can be promoted.

17. If my short is part of the Online Contest, isn't that considered electronic or online distribution? No...The contest is well controlled and can only be accessed by those who register to be a part of the viewing and voting committee. The shorts are not distributed in a free or open platform like Youtube, and the shorts cannot be embedded or taken from the online theater site, making it as safe as if you showed it at the venue to an audience.

18. Does FirstGlance accept foreign or international films? We accept any and all films of any genre. As long as the film has English subtitles, our screening committee will be glad to watch and determine if your film is right for FirstGlance.

19. If my film is an Official Selection, does it win an award? In 2008, FirstGlance began awarding all Official Selections an awards package. We hope that each year we can create a bigger awards package. In 2009, each Official Selection will receive an awards package, which includes a very cool plaque presented at the end of each screening to each filmmaker in the screening program. The film which gets the best audience vote during the festival will win the BEST OF THE FEST Grand Prize (valued around $20,000.00) and the BEST ONLINE SHORT will recieve a prize package valued over $1500.00. Our philosophy at FirstGlance is that if your film is good enough to be a part of FirstGlance, it is an award winner.