By Mylena C. Ferman
Filmmakers are encouraged to submit their films to be considered for various awards at the Lakeland Horror Film Festival. Interested filmmakers should submit their horror films by June 30, 11:59 pm EST.
The Lakeland Horror Film Festival (LHFF) is the first event of its kind in Lakeland. It aims to connect indie filmmakers with others in the industry. Winners will receive a trophy and have an opportunity to distribute their film with iBoss Entertainment.
“The ultimate goal is to get indie filmmakers seen by as many people as possible,” said Danielle DeAngelo, LHFF Founder and Director.
A panel of four judges will decide all but the People’s Choice Award, which festival attendees will vote on. Judges will be scoring films based on direction, writing, cinematography, performances, sound/music, production value, pacing, structure and originality. LHFF will notify filmmakers of their acceptance or denial on August 1. If accepted, they will receive a single filmmaker pass to the networking event and festival.
To ensure that judges would vote fairly and films would win awards based on merit alone, the LHFF organizers chose judges within the film industry who were unaffiliated with the festival or its board members.
“We wanted to make it where we were completely hands off from the [judging] process,” DeAngelo said.
The LHFF is also working alongside businesses local to Central Florida to create the festival.
“The whole goal is to keep it as cheap as possible,” DeAngelo said, “We wanted to avoid it being so expensive that people can’t afford to go.
The board members hope more local businesses will get involved to create an immersive Halloween experience while empowering the local economy.
“I want people to come to have fun, to enjoy themselves and to be able to take the experience back and tell others about it,” Jose A. Roldan Jr, one of the festival’s board members, said.
The LHFF kicks off with a networking event on Friday, October 24, followed by a full day of films on October 25. Tickets go on sale mid-August and can be purchased at www.ibossentertainment.com/lhff. Submission guidelines and the submission portal can be found at https://filmfreeway.com/LakelandHorrorFilmFestival.
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