Boulder International Film Festival Gears Up for Important 5th Year

Call for Entries being accepted through September 12, 2008

(Boulder, Colo., May 28, 2008) – The Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) has opened its Call for Entries for its fifth annual Festival to be held in scenic Boulder, Colo., February 12-15, 2009. 
BIFF will screen shorts, features, documentaries, animation, adventure films and student films at the 2009 festival.  “The sheer number and overall quality of the entries we receive continues to grow. We feel the fifth Festival will be the most provocative and compelling yet,” said Kathy Beeck, director of the Boulder International Film Festival.

Entries may be submitted online through the International Film Festival Submission System, www.withoutabox.com.  Benefits of using this paperless system include $5 off of the film's entry fee, extended deadlines and the ability to submit a press kit online.  Entries can also be submitted through the mail, with forms available at http://www.biff1.com/Call, and must be postmarked by the following dates:

Earlybird Deadline – June 13

Entry fees:                    $40 for features (films over 45 minutes)

                                    $35 for short films (films under 45 minutes)

                                    $30 for student productions (films of any length)

Regular Deadline – July 25

Entry fees:                    $45 for features

                                    $40 for short films

                                    $35 for student productions

Late Deadline – Aug. 22

Entry fees:                    $50 for features

                                    $45 for short films

                                    $40 for student productions                 

 

Extended Deadline – Sept. 12 (only for Withoutabox.com submissions;

includes $15 online discount)

Entry fees:                    $55 for features

$50 for short films

$45 for student production

Filmmakers whose entries films are selected are encouraged to attend the Festival.  BIFF will provide lodging along with access to parties, buffets and receptions as well as the notorious BIFF Filmmakers' Lounge.

Since its debut in February 2005, BIFF has developed a reputation as one of the most influential and innovative young film festivals in the U.S.  An extraordinary number of yet to be discovered feature films, documentaries and shorts have gone from early screenings at BIFF to significant box-office success and multiple Oscar nominations.

Over 13,000 filmmakers, national media, special guests and film enthusiasts attended the four-day BIFF 2008.

The Festival is set in Boulder, Colo., known for its breathtaking mountainous beauty and early reputation as a mecca for the counter-culture and its progressive social and ideological orientation. 

Chris Gore, the legendary author of The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide and the founder of Film Threat magazine, attended BIFF 2008 and said, "Boulder as a vacation destination already puts BIFF on the map. Add the staff's dedication to championing true indies and the amazing hospitality along with a classic theater (with a full bar that serves drinks during the screenings) make this a festival that should be on the top of every filmmaker's list." 

Festival organizers have also been proud to host luminaries such as legendary filmmakers Michael and Mark Polish “The Polish Brothers” (The Astronaut Farmer, Twin Falls Idaho, Northfork), Academy-Award nominated writer/director Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich, In Her Shoes, 28 days, Catch and Release), Golden-Globe nominated actress Maria Bello (A History of Violence, The Cooler, Thank You for Smoking), Hollywood screenwriter John August (Big Fish, Go, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and Jon Poll (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Austin Powers, Charlie Bartlett) along with many other filmmakers, stars, directors and producers, including Academy-Award nominee Eric Roberts and Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld).

“We have the added benefit of presenting our Festival on a traditional three-day ski holiday weekend in a city less than a 2 hours drive from some of the best winter resorts in the world like Vail, Breckenridge and the nearby Eldora Mountain,” commented Beeck about another benefit of the film festival’s timing, situated days after Sundance and days before the Academy announces its slate of award nominees for the annual Oscar grab.

About The Boulder International Film Festival

BIFF is presented by the Colorado Film Society, a non-profit organization founded by local filmmakers, Kathy and Robin Beeck. BIFF is dedicated to providing the large, urban, film-hip audiences of the Boulder/Denver metro area with an early look at the best new films in international cinema, along with conversations with directors, producers and actors, world-class food, parties, and an opportunity to rub elbows with filmmakers in a winter wonderland. BIFF has hosted over 150 filmmakers from around the world since the Boulder-based Beeck sisters lead the inaugural event in 2005.