2020 Filmmaker FAQ

Updated 2/6/2020


WHAT DO I DO?

First, congratulate yourself! If you are reading this, your film was selected to screen at the 2020 Dam Short Film Festival. We received over 1000 submissions, but only chose 146 films to screen!  You can see the schedule here.

OKAY, WHAT NEXT?

Read the 2020 Exhibition FAQ carefully. The exhibition copy of your film is due January 15th!

ATTENDING THE FESTIVAL

If you are attending, let us know! Contact Aubrey Oiler, our Filmmaker Concierge, at [email protected].

  • Hotel Rooms: Our generous sponsor, Railroad Pass Hotel & Casino, is providing rooms to attending filmmakers (1 room per film). If you’d like a room, let Aubrey know. If you need more than one room, we have a discount rate code available.
  • Airport Rides: If you are attending and need transportation to and from McCarran International Airport, let Aubrey know your schedule. She is arranging pick-ups and drop-offs with our trusty festival volunteers. Lyft and Uber is also available from McCarran to Boulder City. 
  • Passes: Each programmed film will receive 2 Filmmaker Passes, good for all screenings and events. The passes may be used by any attending crew member or actor. You can pick up the passes at our Filmmaker/Press Lounge during the festival. This is located next door to the Boulder Theatre, where we screen the films. Here are the hours for the Lounge:
    THURSDAY  11:00 am to 7:00 pm
    FRIDAY   10:30 AM to 9:30 pm
    SATURDAY  9:30 AM to 9:30 PM
    SUNDAY  10:00 AM to 5:30 PM
    MONDAY Closed
  • Filmmaker Soirée: We’re throwing a private party for guest filmmakers and festival staff from 5:00-6:00 pm on Thursday at the Boulder City Co. Store. Shhh- it’s a secret.
  • Happy Hours: That’s right – we are holding a happy hour, with delicious brews, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 4:00 to 5:00 in the Filmmaker/Press Lounge. Quench your thirst after a long day of networking and watching movies.
  • Swag: Each programmed film will receive, if attending, DSFF swag, including a swag bag, DSFF hat, and 2020 DSFF T-shirt. (Sorry, swag cannot be mailed to non-attending films due to cost.)
  • Q&As: We will hold Q&As with attending filmmakers after each screening. If you are present, let the festival staff know and we’ll get you up on stage. We’ll also let you into the Theatre auditorium early (Filmmaker passholders only – sorry, no entourage.). Ken Cioe, our Director of Operations, will be on site, as well as Lee Lanier, co-founder and Director of Continuity.
  • Award Winners Program: We will announce the award-winning films here on Sunday evening. We are going to make a a show of this, with a red carpet, limo ride, press photography station, press interview station, Miss Dam Short Film assistants, and other surprises. Guest filmmakers will have early entry into the Theatre. There are a limited number of spots for the limo rides and red carpet experience, so if you’d like to participate, please reach out to Aubrey.
  • Monday Award Screenings: We will screen all the award-winning films Monday morning and afternoon! Good reason to spend another day with us.
  • Attendance FAQ: We’ve written a FAQ for all attendees. Read it here.
  • Venues: Here’s a new map of all our venues. Yep, everything is in within walking distance.

LAURELS (Right-click to download):

Click here to download high-resolution version

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Help spread the word! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @damshortfilm

We’ve also  created a Facebook event here.  Please join us.

AWARDS

So, how do the awards work? The award-winners are determined by the audience, who have a chance to vote for their favorite film in each program. The film with the highest percentage of votes in their program wins the category to which they are assigned. The following awards are thus determined by the audience:

Best Drama
Best Comedy
Best Student
Best Animation
Best Music Video
Best Sci-Fi / Horror
Best Documentary
Railroad Pass Best Nevada Filmmaker

We also give out a Audience Favorite award to the film with highest percentage of votes in their program regardless of category. (Note that a film can only win one award.) The Dam Short Film Society board of directors determines the winner of the Leslie Paige Award for Excellence in Filmmaking and the Movie Magic® Best Screenplay.

USEFUL LINKS

2020 DSFF Schedule
2020 DSFF Poster
McCarran International Airport
Visit Boulder City
Boulder City Weather

ADDRESSES

The Filmmaker/Press Lounge is located at:

American Legion Hall
508 California Ave
Boulder City, NV 89005

The Boulder Theatre is located at:

1225 Arizona St.
Boulder City, NV 89005

REMAINING QUESTIONS

If you have any remaining questions, please contact our Filmmaker Concierge, Aubrey Oiler, at [email protected]. You can also leave us a voice message at 1-702-509-4326.