Film Festival Categories

This category is reserved for short feature length films (duration between 50 and 80 minutes) of any genre and category are eligible as along as the film touches on a water-related topic. Short features are judged for good stories, acting, cinematography, and editing.

Earlybird Fee | $20

Regular Deadline Fee | $30

Late Deadline Fee | $40

This category is reserved for fiction films that make people laugh. The judges are looking for films that have funny moments, comedic situations, fun dialogue, humorous acting, and great characters. Comedic musicals, sketch comedy, stand-up comedy, family comedy, silent comedy, slapstick comedy, romantic comedy, action. All flavors of comedies are eligible as along as they touch on a water-related topic. Narrative comedies are judged for good stories, acting, cinematography, and editing.

Earlybird Fee | $10

Regular Deadline Fee | $15

Late Deadline Fee | $20

This category is reserved for fiction films based on real-life stories, people and situations of a more serious nature. All types of dramas are eligible as along as they touch on a water-related topic. Dramas are judged for good stories, dramatic situations, acting, cinematography, and editing.  

Earlybird Fee | $10

Regular Deadline Fee | $15

Late Deadline Fee | $20

This category is reserved for documentary films with thought-provoking short stories of any non-fiction topic touching on a water-related topic. All flavors of well documented films and stories are eligible as along as they touch on a water-related topic.

Earlybird Fee | $10

Regular Deadline Fee | $15

Late Deadline Fee | $20

In response to a water-related incident somewhere in the world, films in this category will record the issues of the matter, analyze the evidence, resources and/or lack of resources and formulate a conclusion with actionable next steps. This category is reserved for news packages and/or investigative storytelling, a visual form of news that has a story, characters, entertainment value, and facts.  

Earlybird Fee | $10

Regular Deadline Fee | $15

Late Deadline Fee | $20

This category is reserved for unscripted reactions and interviews from the public on any given water-related topic. A person hits the streets of their town to talk with their community about an important local water matter. This can be anywhere from 30-seconds to 3-minutes in length. These segments may live on their own and/or may be part of a larger-consolidated “Best of Person on the Street” at the final online film festival and in-person screening.  

Earlybird Fee | $7

Regular Deadline Fee | $10

Late Deadline Fee | $15

This category is reserved for cartoons, 2D animation, 3D animation, clay animation, sand animation, anime, computer graphics, puppetry animation, stop-motion, flip book animation, experimental animation and any form  of animated films that may exist, but we haven't listed. Films that have a mixture of animated elements and live action characters are eligible for this category as well. All categories of animation are eligible as along as they touch on a water-related topic.  

Earlybird Fee | $10

Regular Deadline Fee | $15

Late Deadline Fee | $20

This category is reserved for music videos of all musical genres. The music video must touch on a water-related topic. Music videos are judged for good stories, acting, cinematography, and editing. You must own all the rights to the music and/or sound (Copyright ©2022).

Earlybird Fee | $10

Regular Deadline Fee | $15

Late Deadline Fee | $20

This category is reserved for short films that are artistic, innovative, subversive, poetic, essayistic, enlightening, mysterious, futuristic, retro and/or difficult to classify. All categories of experimental are eligible as along as they touch on a water-related topic. 

Earlybird Fee | $10

Regular Deadline Fee | $15

Late Deadline Fee | $20

This category is reserved for TikToks that touch on a water-related topic. Multiple TikToks can be combined as long as they are edited together into one single video that is 15 minutes or less. TikToks are judged for good stories, information, cinematography, and editing.

Earlybird Fee | $7

Regular Deadline Fee | $10

Late Deadline Fee | $15