I recently received word that Wingmen Incorporated did not get into The Classic City International Film Festival (CCIFF) in Snellville, GA. This is a small first year festival with a comedy category, which is why I submitted. I figured WINC would fit right at home there.
Unfortunately for me, the festival and it's director (Chase Smith) did not feel the same. Now I have been rejected from PLENTY of film festivals throughout the past 5 years. So rejections at this point don't do much damage to my psyche. However, when I pay $35 (earlybird fee) submission fee and the festival only takes 11 films (4 features and 7 shorts), that bothers me a little (but not too much, b/c they never specify how many films they were going to take). However, when said festival takes FOUR of their own films, I have a problem with that.
They took two of their own feature films. If each film is 90 minutes, that's 180 minutes of festival programming that could have gone to films that actually paid submission fees (I'm just assuming that Chase didn't pay a submission fee to his own festival). Now one could argue that perhaps WINC just wasn't good enough to get in (even if they hadn't wasted 180 minutes of festival programming time on Chase's films). I would like to point out that WINC has screened at 8 festivals and won a total of 4 awards + garnered another 6 nominations. It's wins include "Best Feature" at the East Lansing Film Festival as part of the Lake Michigan Film Competition. ELFF has been around 15 years and is much MUCH larger than CCIFF could ever hope to become.
Here's their facebook page. Scroll down to the March 19th post that has the film festival selections. Notice "Chase Smith" directed many of the films. Also notice that he runs the festival.
This isn't the first time I've submitted to a festival that ended up selecting films by the festival director. The 2013 Prairie State Film Festival, run by Willie Adkins, selected 7 films by Mr. Adkins. Willie even nominated himself for "Best Director" (along with 6 other nominations) How big are that guy's balls? *BLEEPING* huge!
At least Chase Smith had a little dignity by screening his films out of competition, but it is still pretty shitty to put on a festival and screen your own films (plural!!!). I've contacted withoutabox.com about getting a refund. I certainly would never submit to a "festival" that is nothing more than a guise to screen the festival director's own films.
later
Jason W. Schaver
