Excellence Awards & Audience Choice Awards

The IFFS Excellence Awards, for the second time in 2008, will honor and pay tribute to the dedicated professionals and executives managing film festivals. Festivals continue to provide a vital intersection where the major stakeholders in the entertainment industry converge. For decades the tireless work of the film festival professional has made monumental impacts on the industry for individual filmmakers, buyers, sellers, and countless organizations involved in entertainment. Click Here to Make an Excellence Award Nomination

This year another exemplary group of individuals will be nominated and honored by their peers and an esteemed panel of judges. The awards will be announced and presented at a ceremony taking place during this year’s IFFS in December. In addition to the awards ceremony honorees will also receive an Avid Media Composer Software Package valued at over $3,000.

New for 2008, the Audience Choice Awards will present two different awards, the Image Award and the Livre d’ Or, for the best festival movie poster and festival program booklet respectively. All finalists will be featured and displayed in the Festival Gallery onsite at the summit in Las Vegas. Attendees at this year’s conference will have the opportunity to vote for each award which will be presented at a reception during the summit. Click Here to Submit an Audience Choice Award

Three Excellence Award Categories

There are three categories each containing two awards. The categories included are: International, National and Regional, and the two awards presented in each category are the Director Award and Professional Award. A total of six awards will be presented in December.

International – To qualify for this category your annual festival budget should be greater than $1 million.

National – To qualify for this category your annual festival budget should fall between $250K and $1 million.

Regional – To qualify for this category your annual festival budget should be less then $250K.

*Director Award

Presented to the film festival director who has made considerable contributions and a lasting impact on his or her film festival and independent film. Special emphasis for consideration will be placed on festival growth, new programs, organizational structure, and overall vision.

*Professional Award

Presented to the programmer/sponsorship manager, operations manager, or other festival professional that has excelled in his or her position making a significant contribution to the success of the film festival. Special emphasis will be placed on management of staff, execution of initiatives, and new initiatives from previous years.

Three Audience Choice Award Categories

There are three categories each containing two awards. The categories included are: International, National and Regional, and the two awards presented in each category are the Image Award and Livre d' Or Award. A total of six awards will be presented in December. Finalists will be on display in the Festival Gallery at the summit this December in Las Vegas. Attendees will vote for each finalist and the winners will be presented at a reception during the summit.

International – To qualify for this category your annual festival budget should be greater than $1 million.

National – To qualify for this category your annual festival budget should fall between $250K and $1 million.

Regional – To qualify for this category your annual festival budget should be less then $250K.

*Image Award

Presented to the film festival with a highly creative and engaging movie poster. Special emphasis will be placed on uniqueness, theme and creative direction.

*Livre d' Or Award

Presented to the film festival with a well organized and exceptionally laid out program booklet. Special emphasis will be placed on uniqueness, layout and creative design.

Guidelines for Entry Submission

Nominations should be made in the online form and must be completed in their entirety. The deadline for entries is October 15th 2008. Entries submitted without all requirements satisfied may be deemed ineligible and may not be considered. All information submitted will be held as confidential and not released.

Judging Criteria

A panel of judges consisting of members from film festivals, producers, acquisition & distribution agents, and the media will judge each nomination based on organization, professional content, event history, clarity of message, and creativity and/or uniqueness.

Eligibility Requirements

The Excellence Awards are open to all film festivals and professionals throughout the world. Nominees must currently or have previously worked for a film festival within the past year. Individuals must be nominated by a peer, colleague, or industry affiliated professional working in the entertainment and film festival industry.

For additional questions please contact us at 646-502-7563.