B!tchFest Film Festival & Screenplay Contest - Call For Entries
Welcome to B!tchFest—where Badass B!tches command the screen!
Following the incredible success of B!tchFest Seasons 1 & 2—which featured a combined 47 film and screenplay award winners, a multitude of exceptionally talented runners-up, finalists, and semifinalists, 2 WINNING FILMS PICKED UP BY STREAMING PLATFORMS, 5 SCREENWRITERS WITH PROJECTS NOW IN PRODUCTION, a sold-out venue, and an unforgettable, emotional festival experience—we’re back for B!tchFest Season 3!
WHAT MAKES B!TCHFEST DIFFERENT?
B!tchFest is more than just a festival—it’s a COMMUNITY! One that extends beyond the festival event itself. We are invested in the success of your films and screenplays, offering a space for SUPPORT, CONNECTION, and COLLABORATION for all our past and present submitters. In a world where women and the LGBTQIA+ community often face challenges with equality and representation, we’re here to unite and empower minority creators!
B!tchFest is an INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL & SCREENPLAY CONTEST featuring an impactful in-person festival event for screenwriters and filmmakers in the heart of Los Angeles—where stories that deserve to be heard finally get their moment!
By providing a platform for RECOGNITION, AWARDS, PROMOTION, and making NEW CONNECTIONS, we aim to break barriers and help pave the way for a more inclusive entertainment industry. Join us for a festival that goes beyond screenings—promote your projects, participate in panels, showcase your work to enthusiastic audiences, walk the red carpet, and connect with industry trailblazers who share our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
We're on a mission to redefine the narrative by proudly showcasing the best screenplays, television and episodic scripts, stage play scripts, and independent films—including features, shorts, documentaries, student films, music videos, and TV pilots—crafted by the most BADASS WOMEN and LGBTQIA+ CREATORS in the industry.
Our esteemed panel of industry professionals, including directors, producers, agents, managers, executives, and casting directors, will carefully assess all submissions. Our jury consists of experts from various sectors within the entertainment and publishing industries. Established script readers, filmmakers, screenwriters, and story analysts review all entries. Top contenders are then advanced to our executive industry judges for final evaluation to determine the winners of each category.
We truly value your work and the courage it takes to submit your projects! Therefore, every screenplay and film submission is reviewed in its entirety by our judges. B!tchFest does NOT use AI to score or summarize your scripts in any way. Every word on the page is read by a real human, and every minute of every film is watched—from the first frame to the closing credits.
WHEN IS B!TCHFEST?
The 3rd annual B!tchFest Film Festival & Screenplay Contest will be held at the Eastwood Performing Arts Center in Hollywood, CA on Saturday, February 27, 2027.
Winning screenwriters and filmmakers will join our RED CARPET EVENT, SCREEN their films in front of a LIVE AUDIENCE, score TROPHIES and give SPEECHES at our AWARDS CEREMONY, PROMOTE their films and PITCH their scripts during our on-stage PANEL DISCUSSIONS (which will be recorded and streamed on our website for additional promotion), and engage in an INDUSTRY MEET-&-GREET EVENT designed to foster new connections with entertainment professionals who support our mission.
Submit your films and screenplays today and join a revolution that refuses to stay silent. Welcome to the B!tchFest family—together, we can rewrite the rules!
AWARDS & PRIZES
SCREENWRITING AWARDS:
Best Feature Screenplay (60– 130 pages)
Best Short Screenplay (under 60 pages)
Best Female-Driven Screenplay (any length)
Best LGBTQIA+ Screenplay (any length)
Best First-Time Screenwriter Screenplay (any length)
Best TV Pilot Script (1/2 or 1 HR Script Format)
Best Comedy Screenplay (any length)
Best Drama Screenplay (any length)
Best Horror/Thriller Screenplay (any length)
Best Romance Screenplay (any length)
Best Stage Play Script (any length)
FILM AWARDS:
Best Feature Film (50+ minutes)
Best Short Film (1– 50 minutes)
Best Comedy Short Film (1– 50 minutes)
Best LGBTQIA+ Film (any length)
Best Female-Directed Film (any length)
Best Documentary Film (any length)
Best Student Film (any length)
Best TV Pilot Episode (1/2 or 1 HR Format)
Best Web Series Episode (up to 60 minutes)
Best Music Video (1– 20 minutes)
The entry fee is applicable per category. Submitting your film to any film category not only qualifies your project for festival consideration, but also enables your cast and crew to be considered for the Cast & Crew Awards free of charge.
CAST & CREW AWARDS:
Grand Jury Award
Best Performance
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Director
Best Cinematography
Best Producer
Best Edit / VFX
Best Original Score
SCREENWRITER PRIZES
The winners of Best Feature Screenplay, Best LGBTQIA+ Screenplay, and Best Female-Driven Screenplay will receive a 1-hour Zoom mentorship meeting with one of our screenwriting industry judges, where they will get feedback on their script and advice on production, casting, and distribution.
ALL SCREENWRITING CATEGORY WINNERS will receive a free 4-month InkTip Pro Membership (a $130 value), courtesy of our partners at InkTip. With this membership, writers can list their scripts in the InkTip Script Library, where industry professionals discover new material. Members also gain access to weekly pitch opportunities and the Pitch Kit Tools to help effectively market their scripts. The membership allows writers to submit their work directly to literary agents and managers actively seeking new clients through InkTip queries, as well as free entry into InkTip’s Pitch to Page screenwriting contest.
FILMMAKER PRIZES
The winners of Best Feature Film, Best LGBTQIA+ Film, and Best Female-Directed Film will each receive a 1-hour Zoom mentorship session with one of our executive film industry judges, where they will receive valuable feedback on their film and advice on distribution.
Winners of the Best Short Film, Best Comedy Short Film, and Best TV Pilot Episode categories will receive a DCP prize package, courtesy of our partners at The DCP Works. This prize is redeemable for any film of the filmmaker’s choice and is not limited to their festival submission. (Note: B!tchFest does not require DCPs for festival screenings.) The prize includes the creation and delivery of one 2K or 4K DCP (up to 20 minutes in length). For films longer than 20 minutes, the first 20 minutes will be provided free of charge, with additional runtime rendered at a discounted rate of $5 per minute.
CAST & CREW PRIZES
The winners of Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Performance will receive a 1-hour Zoom meeting with THREE CASTING DIRECTORS from Black Sheep Casting in Los Angeles.
GENERAL FESTIVAL PRIZES
All Film Category Award winners will be invited to screen their films at the festival, held at the Eastwood Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Saturday, February 27, 2027. Winning films are eligible to screen regardless of whether the filmmaker can attend the festival in person or not.
TROPHIES will be presented to the winners of all Screenplay Category Awards, Film Category Awards, and the Cast & Crew Awards on stage during the festival AWARDS CEREMONY.
All category winners will also be invited to speak about their projects and pitch them during our live-recorded FILMMAKERS & SCREENWRITERS PANELS (which will stream on our website for promotion), take PROFESSIONAL RED CARPET PHOTOS, and attend our INDUSTRY MEET-&-GREET EVENT aimed at making NEW INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS. Winners and runners-up across all categories will receive two complimentary tickets to the festival.
Runners-up, finalists, and semifinalists will be acknowledged on screen during the festival, in the printed program, and on our website. Additionally, they are welcome to attend all festival events, including screenings, panels, guest speaker Q&As, take red carpet photos, and promote their projects during the industry meet-&-greet event.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
For consideration, film projects must feature at least one woman or member of the LGBTQIA+ community in a key production role—such as director, writer, producer, cinematographer, lead actress/actor (etc.). OR the film should address women’s or LGBTQIA+ issues and themes.
For screenplay submissions, scripts written by women and/or members of the LGBTQIA+ community are preferred. Screenplays written by men and non-LGBTQIA+ individuals are also welcome; however, they must include female or LGBTQIA+ characters and/or address women’s or LGBTQIA+ issues and themes to be eligible.
We wish you a B!TCHIN’ time on your creative journey and hope to see you at the next B!tchFest!!!
TO SUBMIT PLEASE VISIT OUR FESTIVAL'S FILMFREEWAY PAGE:
https://filmfreeway.com/BtchFestFilmFestivalandScreenplayContest
