Call for Filmmakers: Rooftop's 2024 Summer Series
Rooftop Films
Brooklyn, New York 11215
Deadline
Posted
Rooftop’s Summer Series runs annually from May through August and features daring new films, all screened outdoors, in front of big, loyal audiences in parks, on boats, and on rooftops overlooking the greatest city in the world. Tens of thousands of people attend Rooftop screenings every summer, making it one of the most popular festivals in New York City and one of the biggest festivals for independent films in the world.
Rooftop Films is committed to providing a community for the wide array of short and feature length films that are under-served by traditional outlets. They show films of all genres, formats, and lengths, as long as they’re daring, creative, and unique. They always search for films that break down boundaries or feature innovative, personal, eccentric, or hilarious takes on old forms. They love animation, satire, comedies and dramas, experimental and abstract films, personal and political documentaries, and every other form of film, entertainment, or video art. They screen hundreds of short and feature length films each summer and work tirelessly year round to bring these films to new audiences.
Categories
- Rooftop accepts Fiction, Documentary, Experimental, and Hybrid feature-length and short film work
- Feature Films are films that are 60 minutes and longer
- Short Films are films 59 minutes and under
Previews & Entry Form
- All submissions not made through FilmFreeway must go through our Submission Form
- Submissions must be in English or have English subtitles and there must be a preview
- Rooftop accepts submissions via online secure links
Screening Rights
- Should your work be selected to be part of the Rooftop Films Summer Series, Rooftop Films reserves the right to screen your film at any Rooftop screening throughout the summer, between the start and end dates of the Summer Series for which your film was submitted.
- After the Summer Series end date, Rooftop Films shall not screen any submitted films without the expressed consent of the filmmaker.
- If your film is accepted, Rooftop generally screens digital files.
Submission Fee and Deadlines
Early Bird: $15, November 17th, 2023
Regular: $20, December 15th, 2023
Late: $30, January 30th, 2024
Extended Late: $35, February 16th, 2024
Notification Date: No later than May 3rd, 2024
To ensure that your film will be considered for the Summer Series, your film must be submitted on or before 11:59 PM EST on the day of the applicable deadline. All films submitted late will be considered for the following year’s Summer Series.
- All submission fees must be paid in U.S. currency. If you are submitting a film from outside the U.S., please pay with a credit card online
- The submission fee can be paid online via the Rooftop Submission Form or FilmFreeway.
- The submission fee need only be paid once per filmmaker or curator. You may submit as many films as you like without paying an additional fee.
- All filmmakers who submit a film to Rooftop will receive two tickets to the Summer Series. We couldn’t have our festival without filmmakers, and even though we can’t show all of your films, we hope you can participate in the festival even if your film isn’t accepted. The tickets are transferable (in case you don’t live in New York).
- All on-time submissions will be notified of their status before May 3rd. All filmmakers will receive notification, whether or not their film is chosen to screen as part of the summer series.
No film will ever be turned away due to lack of funds. If you are unable to pay the submission fee for any reason email submit@rooftopfilms.com to request a fee waiver.