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Film Festival

AIHEC Film Festival Objectives:

  • The AIHEC Student Congress and the Institute of American Indian Art created the film festival to showcase the talent of up-and-coming filmmakers from the TCUs.

  • The film festival promotes friendly competition, knowledge and creativity sharing, and networking among the Tribal College student participants.      

Film Festival Rules

AIHEC Film Festival Rules

1. There are not first (1st), second (2nd), or third (3rd) place winners, the following awards tend to feature more specific merits per filmic auteur:

  • Director’s Award: Best overall film and direction in photography/cinematography, screen writing, technical (sound editing, lighting, color, montage)

  • Best Photography/Cinematography

  • Best Screen Writing and/or Plot

  • Best Special Effects

  • Best Animation

  • Best Documentary/PSA

  • Best Live Action Narrative

  • Best Editing

  • Audience Choice Award

  • Best Lead Role

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2. All TCU student directors shall meet AIHEC student conference criteria to participate in the event

3. All films should be fifteen (15) minutes or less to be eligible for inclusion at the film festival.

4. TCU student films shall have been made between March 1 of the previous year and March 1 of the current year. Due to the deadline; late entries will be disqualified.

5. Previously judged submissions to AIHEC student conferences are not eligible for this year’s competition.

6. Critical crew (director(s), editor(s), writer(s), camera crew, and technical crew) shall be currently registered at the time of the conference as TCU students, and not faculty or staff or non-TCU students.

7. Films that contain excessive violence, sexual material, or profanity will determine if the work is appropriate for audiences. Culturally sensitive content will need to be approved by a relevant TCU or cultural expert.

8. The Film Festival is open to all genres from documentary to drama to experimental to hybrid but not limited to the previous genres.

9. All films shall be uploaded onto YouTube, checked for bugs or errors, and the link forwarded to the Film Festival Coordinator. All students must have a downloadable file with a backup USB.

10. A film instructor for a competing TCU cannot be a judge.

11. TCU student directors submitting entries for the Film Festival cannot be judged.

12. More than one director can compose a film entry for submission (e.g. collaborations and/or co-directing are permitted).

13. A single TCU is allowed for up to five (5) film entries.

14. A TCU student director is allowed up to three (3) film entries. One (1) film shall be differentiated from another, and piece is judged separately from the others. If a single director’s films are a single project in more than one film, then the entry is considered only as a single (1) submission with an eligible running time of fifteen (15) minutes total amongst all reels.

15. Each TCU student director shall bring a back-up copy of their film(s).

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