Welcome Back
Welcome to the Gloria Film Festival. The Gloria Film Festival is an annual event that takes place each August in West Valley City, Utah.
We are entering our seventh year. If you are a filmmaker seeking an audience for your film, have a business wishing to sponsor an event, or you just want to attend, this web site will provide all the information you will need.
There is a need for films that have engaging characters, thought-provoking stories, and time-honored values. We believe a film does not have to cost a lot to entertain. A low-budget film carry be just as powerful as any Hollywood movie if it is well-thought out and executed creatively.
About Us
Gloria Film Festival
History
The Gloria Film Festival began as the Salt Lake City Film Festival and held its first festival in August 2002 at the Salt Lake Community College - Larry Miller Campus in Sandy, UT.
We received over 60 film and screenplay submissions and screened 25.
We presented the Gloria Award that first year in honor of Wayne Lee's mother, Mrs. Gloria Lee.
The following year, the festival moved to West Valley City and changed its name to the Gloria Film Festival.
The amount of film and screenplay submissions has continued to grow over the years. As we prepare for our 7th Annual Gloria Film Festival here in West Valley City, UT, we expect great things to unfold.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Mission Statement
Our mission is simple, yet powerful:
To showcase films that stir the soul, heal the heart, and enrich the world.
Vision Statement
Our vision is to become a successful community event in West Valley City, UT by 2010. And by 2012, in time for our 10 Year Anniversary, we expect to be the premiere film festival that showcases quality independent films in the Mountain West.
Submission Guidelines
• The main categories are: Features, Shorts, Animation, Children, Documentary, Student, and Screenwriting.
• No profanity, vulgarity, racial degradation, overt sexuality, nor questionable material will be considered for the Gloria Film Festival.
• No questionable dialogue, either implicit or explicit, will be considered by the Gloria Film Festival.
• Short Films can be up to 30 minutes. Feature Films must be between 31-120 minutes in length. Screenplays up to 120 pages are eligible.
• All entries must include a press kit to include (but not limited to): film synopsis, press stills, film trailers (20-sec. and 1-minute) and press book information.
• All entries in a language other than English must be subtitled or dubbed in English, unless dialogue is non-essential to comprehension and appreciation.
• Filmmakers may submit up to 3 different films for award consideration, however, each film must be on a separate DVD, each must have a completed Entry Form, and each must be accompanied by its appropriate Fee.
• The Submission Format must be on DVD.
• The Exhibit Format will be DVD.
• Films must have appropriate clearances and rights to be considered by the Gloria Film Festival. If a film student, please include school address and contact phone numbers.
• Submission deadlines and fee schedules are listed at our submission partner's website at Withoutabox.com.
• Cashier's checks, travelers' checks, money orders, credit cards and PayPal are accepted. Please make cashier's checks, travelers' checks, or money orders out to: The Gloria Film Festival.
• Fees are in U.S. dollars only.
• Should your film be accepted, the Filmmaker must ensure film arrives undamaged to the Gloria Film Festival Headquarters. We will not be liable for damaged delivery of your film. We will ensure the safe return of your film only with self-addressed material which must accompany your film for exhibition at the Gloria Film Festival.
• If you feel your film and/or script meets our guidelines, we look forward to reviewing your film.
Judging Criteria
Each entry is reviewed by a panel of judges selected by members of the Executive Staff. Entries are judged by assigning a point value in several critical areas. The individual judges total their points, then all scores are added together to obtain a grand total awarded to that entry. Gloria Awards are presented to the films that receive the highest overall score.
Film Judges
Coming Soon
Executive Staff
Wayne L. Lee, Executive Director e-mail: wlee@gloriafilmfest.org
I was raised in an artistic family. Music was a big part of my upbringing. However, it was films and television that helped shaped my views of the world. These forms of entertainment had such a positive affect upon me. I knew from a young age that film and television can be a powerful teaching tool. I also believed that if done with the right intent, they can be an influence for good in the world. My mantra has always been, "One film can change a life and one life can change the world." The films and television programs that have had a powerful impact upon me were: To Sir, With Love, The Empire Strikes Back, Forrest Gump, The Wizard of Oz, The Color Purple, Steel Magnolias, Sesame Street, The Three Stooges, The Little Rascals, and Bugs Bunny Cartoons.
Kevin McDaniel, Festival Director e-mail: kmcdaniel@gloriafilmfest.org
I have always enjoyed storytelling. It doesn't matter whether I am the one telling the story, or if I am reading a book or watching a movie--I appreciate the unique abilities a story has in sharing experiences and emotions to others.
My favorite movies tend to be an escape from the familiar into worlds with which I am unfamiliar, yet they still seem to strike some sort of sense of familiarity in my mind and heart.
My favorite films: Raiders of the Lost Ark/Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Great Escape/Chicken Run
Field of Dreams
Spiderman 1 & 2
The Rookie
Rebecca Weston, Volunteer Coordinator
I have always enjoyed film. It wasn't until my senior year of high school--when I took a television broadcasting class--that I really started loving the whole video editing/producing aspect of the industry. I enjoy editing film and making personal movies in my spare time. I hope to expand this hobby through the inspiration I get from all of you independent film makers.My 2 Favorite Movies:9 to 5 with Dolly Parton. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved this
movie. I watched it almost everyday as an eight-year-old. I could recite the entire film word for word.The Goonies - As a kid, I always thought it would be fun to go on a similar adventure with my friends.
Donna Skousen, Screenplay Coordinator
I was destined to be a media junkie when, young enough to ride in the grocery cart, I would quote/sing the commercials to my mother as she shopped. I have been addicted to movies from birth, or at least at age 4, when I saw Star Wars in the theater. I entered college as a theater arts major, but switched to English with a writing emphasis. I figured that I had a better shot at an Oscar for screenwriting, than for screen time. These days I sometimes wish I still worked at a movie theater like I did during my college holidays, so I could see as many free films as I wanted.
Movies are a very flexible media. They can entertain, teach, document, scare, amuse, etc. I'm a sucker for good special effects, but I'm a fan of great dialogue, too. I often use film as an escape from my life, which is why I really like happy endings. Slapstick humor can be funny in small doses, but today's farcical movies are often way over the top, overly suggestive, and not really enjoyable to me. The characters tend to be static, one-dimensional people with no real motivation. It's not good when people wonder why anyone would fund your movie. Good writing is essential for good scripts. And it will also be the difference between having your movie run on late-night cable or premier on a major network in primetime. Don't copy what other people are doing. Don't assume your audience is stupid. Don't completely change a story based on a popular or classic novel and call it the same title. Do be innovative and original. Write enough story even if the script is special effects happy. Know your audience and write for them, or even to them. And this should go without saying--love what you do.My Favorite Movies (this changes daily and even hourly)
Favorite Quotable Movies: Clue, The Princess Bride
Favorite Campy Sci-Fi Movies: Flash Gordon (1980), The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
Favorite Computer Animated Movie: The Incredibles
Favorite Classic Comedies: Bringing Up Baby, My Favorite Brunette, Every Girl Should Be Married
Favorite Modern Musical: High School Musical
2008 Call for Entries
We have extended our deadline to May 15. Hurry and get your films and screenplays submitted.
Latest GFF News
IMPORTANT!!! IMPORTANT!!! IMPORTANT !!!
We have immediate openings for our upcoming festival. These positions are unpaid, part-time (between 5-10 hours a week). However, you will gain so much more in the experience of helping us put on the 7th Gloria Film Festival.
The positions are: (Job Descriptions will be posted in a few days)
Marketing Director
Finance Director
Administration Director
Contests
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Archives
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