After taking 2020 off because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Memphis Film Prize is returning in 2021. The annual festival awards $10,000 for the best short film between 5 and 15 minutes in length.
Until now, the requirements for entry included a provision that the films be shot in Shelby County, but the post-pandemic edition of the Film Prize expands that eligibility. The Memphis Film Prize will now accept all short films done in the state of Tennessee, as long as they are shot within 30 miles of the filmmaker’s place of residence. The “Film In Place” initiative, adopted in a “effort to encourage filmmakers to keep their sets safe and healthy,” includes the caveat that filmmakers need to be Tennessee residents for at least six months. The competition is still open to out-of-state filmmakers, as long as they make their films in Shelby County.
The time frame for eligible films has also changed. All films that registered for the canceled 2020 festival will be grandfathered into 2021, and the time frame for new films has been expanded to any film completed between November 1, 2019 and June 22, 2021.
The dates for the 2021 Memphis Film Prize festival, where audiences will choose a winner from ten films selected from the entrants, have not been announced. For the complete rules, and to find out how to register your film, visit the Memphis Film Prize website.
