Introducing Flicks4Chicks: Our Brand New Film Contest Has Launched!

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On February 14th the Flicks4Chicks international film contest launched! Developed by Harvard Square Script Writers and Women in Film and Video/New England, two Boston-based non-profits, the competition challenges filmmakers to make a short (under 10 minutes in length).  Time is running out to sign up as the deadline is March 31st.  Terrific cash and product prizes will be awarded in a number of categories at the Festival screenings on June 29th and 30th.

Flicks4Chicks is a part of a larger, newly conceived film festival entitled Different Faces/Different Voices, which asks participating teams to produce original films that explore human experiences that often go untold in conventional cinema. The Flicks4Chicks contest specifically aims to encourage writers and filmmakers to develop non-stereotypical stories about women.

The goal of this particular festival is to move beyond the Bechdel test. In the original comic challenge (based on a 1985 cartoon by Alison Bechdel), a woman put forth the following requirement for any film she would agree to see: the movie had to have at least two women in it who talk to each about something other than a man. In the Flicks4Chicks contest, we ask filmmakers to create cinematic narratives where female characters are taken beyond that minimum standard, shown pursuing their own goals, engaging in exciting adventures, overcoming significant odds, and feeling victorious (or at least gaining knowledge) by the end of the experience. In other words, we encourage the kind of stories that have often, historically, featured men at their core.
Bechdel Cartoon
The original cartoon that started the conversation.

The competition aims to promote original fictional stories that focus on the realities of a wide variety of diverse women, embracing their own destinies, while taking charge of their lives as fully realized human beings, and not simply as Hollywood caricatures or sidelined shadows.

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This data from 2014 reveals part of the issue. Lately, the topic has gained greater attention when no minorities received nominations in the top Oscar categories for 2016

Similar to the 48 Hour Film Competition, film-makers will sign up to participate. They may come from anywhere in the world but must complete their film in English (or with English subtitles) and must have a female in at least one of the following creative roles: producer; director; director of photography; writer; editor.

At the start of the competition on April 1st, each team will receive a choice of three “situations” that they may take in any number of directions. Some examples are: two middle-aged women embark on a road trip after tragic events have befallen both of them; a young employee must prove her worth in a job setting where everyone thinks she is a token hire, or a young minority enters a new school, only to encounter subtle prejudice which she must confront and combat. Each team will have one month to complete their film and submit it via Film Freeway.

To learn more about this exciting contest, check out www.flicks4chicks.org or head straight to Film Freeway to review the sign-up process and register your team.

Judging will occur during the months of May – early June, followed by screenings on June 29th and 30th in Cambridge, MA.

There will be awards in a number of areas and the top 40 films will be screened over two days as part of the “best of the festival” competition.

A diverse crowd came out to learn about Women in Film and Video and the parameters of the contest.
A diverse crowd came out to learn about Women in Film and Video and the parameters of the contest. Writers, actors and filmmakers were encouraged to form teams in anticipation of the project launch.

Awards will include:

Best Beyond-the-Bechdel Film

Different Faces Different Voices (Diversity)

Best Direction

Best Drama

Best Comedy

Best Acting-Female

Best Acting-Male

Best Cinematography

Best Editing

Best Musical Score

Best Costumes

Best Special Effects

Best Sound Engineering

Best Storyline

Best Dialogue

HSSW Director Genine Tillotson discusses the statistics and challenges that confront minority filmmakers, particularly women.
HSSW Director Genine Tillotson discusses the statistics and challenges that confront minority filmmakers, particularly women.

The contest is already off to a great pre-start, as Harvard Square Script Writers joined forces with Women in Film and Video on January 9th, 2016 to hold our first event meetup. Over 40 people showed up to discuss the challenge of increasing diversity in both the film and television industries.