RULES AND TERMS
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The Ann Arbor Film Festival is open to experimental films as well as films that demonstrate a high regard for the moving image as an experimental art form, no matter the genre. Each year the AAFF selects 100-145 shorts and features for exhibition in the awards competition portion of the festival.
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Films previously submitted may not be re-entered unless there has been a significant change to the edit. Later versions of a film may be reviewed and/or selected at the programmer's discretion.
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Short and feature-length entries are accepted.
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Short films run no longer than 60 minutes. Feature films run 60 minutes or more.
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Entries not in English should have English subtitles.
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Works in progress may be submitted, but are juried in the same pool as all other submissions.
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Work must be contemporary - completed within the last three years.
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Entry fees are per film entered, and must accompany the entry form for confirmation. Entry fees are non-refundable.
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Make checks and money orders payable to the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
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The Ann Arbor Film Festival does not give waivers or discounts.
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Entries are accepted via secure online screening and 16mm only. We do not accept DVD, VHS or video data files for screening purposes.
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16MM
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If you would like the festival to preview a 16mm print of your film, please contact the festival directly at submissions@aafilmfest.org to make arrangements.
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STAFF
Leslie Raymond
Executive Director - leslie [at] aafilmfest.org
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Leslie Raymond joined the Ann Arbor Film Festival as its executive director in August 2013. In September 2019, Raymond’s leadership role expanded to include festival programming. Prior to her position with AAFF, as a teaching artist and educator, she founded the New Media Program at University of Texas at San Antonio and served as an assistant professor of art in digital video and new media art at Oakland University, where she was recognized with an Innovations in Teaching award. Raymond is a Film Festival Alliance board member, and a third-generation American of Chinese and Jewish descent. She holds a BFA in film/video from the Rhode Island School of Design, MFA in new genres from the University of Michigan School of Art & Design, and also studied film, video, and new media art at the Art Institute of Chicago.
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Listen to a 2021 conversation with Raymond on MAKE IT: The Indie Film Podcast
R. Thomas Bray
Technical Director - tech [at] aafilmfest.org
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Tom Bray has been the Tech Director since 2006, bringing the festival from analog film and video formats to be well positioned in the digital age. He has a broad and deep understanding of the production, aesthetic and IT aspects of event staging, media integration, and related technologies. This enables him to spark any project to excellence through knowledge, experience, and insight. He is a Converging Technologies Consultant at the University of Michigan Duderstadt Center; an adjunct assistant professor at the U-M Stamps School of Art & Design; and a member of the National Association of Broadcasters, New Media Centers, and Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, where he has been the Chair for the past two years. Bray received a Research Technical Staff Recognition Award for providing technological support for U-M faculty research and artistic projects for more than 25 years, effectively bridging the gap between academics across campus and the technological resources they need to enable research and programmatic goals. And he is often heard saying: “I have been father to only a small number of creative projects, but midwife to thousands."
Kailey Radwan
Operations Manager - kailey [at] aafilmfest.org
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Kailey Radwan joined the Ann Arbor Film Festival as its Operations Manager in June 2023. Having lived in the Plymouth-Canton area all her life, Radwan remained connected to her roots while pursuing an education at Eastern Michigan University as a Presidential Scholar. With a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media Production and Psychology, and minor in Women’s and Gender Studies, she has developed a varied skill set in audio-video production and editing, screenwriting and storyboarding, behavioral analysis and quantitative reporting, and socio-cultural awareness. Prior to her position with AAFF, she served as a Senior Creative for the Marketing and Design team of EMU Campus Life, collaborating with a wide array of campus-wide departments in promoting a variety of student-centered events
BOARD
Martin Fischhoff [Chair]
Liz Seger [Vice Chair]
Michelle Wright [Treasurer]
David Whitinger [Secretary]
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Chrisstina Hamilton
dream hampton
Linga McClair
Johannes von Moltke
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Diana Ng
James Reid
Jay Sandweiss
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ADVISORY BOARD
Ken Burns
Lawrence Kasdan
Bryan Konefsky
Amanda Krugliak
Heidi Kumao
Michael Moore
Chris McNamara
Deanna Morse
Rashaad Newsome
Scott Northrup
Jennifer Proctor
Terri Sarris
Barbara Twist
MORE INFORMATION
Phone: (734) 995-5356
Email: info@aafilmfest.org
MAILING ADDRESS
Ann Arbor Film Festival
P.O. Box 8232
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107