Elevating female filmmakers worldwide

In honor of International Women's Day on March 8, AudPop, in partnership with Gerety, launches our 6th annual Women's Film Challenge. 

The 2023 IWD theme is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. This theme is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”.

AudPop invites female and non-binary filmmakers from around the world to submit their short fiction or nonfiction films, 20 minutes or under. Through our films, we celebrate women's achievement, raise awareness about discrimination, and take action to drive gender parity. #EmbraceEquity. 

Winning films screen live. Winning filmmakers will speak on Gerety Panel in late March.

How It Works: Filmmakers have until March 22, 2023, to upload and submit their short films. Once you successfully upload and submit your film to this challenge on our site, your film is reviewed by our screeners for admittance. You will receive notice if your film is accepted or rejected before jury and audience voting opens. Films are judged by the AudPop content, development, and distribution team. The top five most voted films + the top five films as selected by the AudPop team will advance to the finals round. From the finals round, the finalist jury will select the Grand Prize Jury Award and two Honorable Mentions. The top films will screen live at an AudPop event in 2023. The top three filmmakers are invited to speak on a panel for the Gerety Talks Series about Creativity and Story. 

Films are evaluated based on the following judging criteria:

• Creativity 
• Technical Merit 
• Fresh, Diverse Perspective
• Adherence to the Assignment

The Women’s Film Challenge Mission

• Celebrate the women and girls who are championing innovation and technology for gender equality;
• To exalt female and non-binary driven stories and the work of women in film;
• To promote and engage audiences to support female and non-binary filmmakers;
• To encourage emerging talent to continue to create;
• To provide a platform for female filmmakers and non-binary to find and become role models;
• To build awareness worldwide of the abundance of talented female and non-binary directors, writers, editors and producers in this industry;
• To connect female and non-binary filmmakers to brands and brand opportunities.

The finalist films will premiere at an AudPop live event in 2023 as part of AudPop's 10th anniversary celebration.

Entries will be evaluated based on the following judging criteria:

• Creativity (45%)
• Technical Merit (30%)
• Adherence to the Assignment (25%)

Awards for the winning films:

• Grand Prize Jury Award
• 2 Honorable Mention Jury Award

• Grand Prize Jury Award: Live screening + speaking opportunity on the Gerety Talks panel
• 2 Honorable Mention Jury Awards: Live screening + speaking opportunity on the Gerety Talks panel.
  
  The finalist films in this challenge may be used across additional multiple distribution channels. Your film may have been previously screened and distributed. If you are a winning filmmaker, we will request a pro res file of your film for the screening. 

Uploading your film checklist: 

• Use Google Chrome for optimal uploading. 
• Ensure your film is under 500 MB.
• If you have done the above 2 and experience difficulty, reach out to monique@audpop.com.

*AudPop premium status marks you as a premium filmmaker/creator. AudPop reaches out to our premium and pro filmmakers and creators when there are brand jobs and entertainment opportunities for our top talent.

About the Gerety Talks Series: Just like the award show, the Gerety Talks series puts some of the marketing and creative industry’s true changemakers in the spotlight and at the centre of the conversation for a refreshing take on what leadership looks like. Named for Frances Gerety, the copywriter who in 1948 coined the slogan "A diamond is forever”. The Gerety Awards brings together a jury to select the best in advertising that resonates most with a female audience, creating a benchmark that is relevant to the market reality, all while redefining the standard to which advertising has traditionally been held.

AudPop is a social impact video platform connecting creators and filmmakers, businesses, and audiences globally. We believe that real stories can change the world. That’s why we connect creators with brands and audiences through the creation, curation, and promotion of authentic video content. AudPop powers turn-key video submissions and video production through connecting mission- driven brands and creators/filmmakers. Brands use AudPop to crowd-source addictive, gorgeous video content at scale from our award-winning diverse global filmmaker collective and to get the exact video that they need. AudPop has worked with many brands including Verizon, Southwest Air, GoDaddy, Hilton Worldwide, and DELL. AudPop supports a community of 75K global filmmakers and creators, has 14K short films on its platform, and has operated over 500 online film festivals, video contests, and film challenges awarding over $10M in cash and prizes to global diverse creators. Founded in 2013, AudPop is committed to facilitating collaboration and creating meaningful change.

*Become a PRO member of AudPop and submit to every opportunity for free. Up to 20GB a week of upload space + 4K/1080p uploads. PRO members receive opportunities to license and monetize their films. PROs are connected to brands looking to hire local filmmakers. Other opportunities for PRO filmmakers include production funding for feature documentaries, narratives, and animations and marketing your career to our followers. $14/month or $140 paid annual (2 months free). Go PRO here: https://audpop.com/upgrade

SUBMISSIONS DUE BY

Submissions Closed

VOTING OPENS

Mar 22, 2023 at 12:00pm MDT (America/Denver)

VOTING CLOSES

Mar 31, 2023 at 12:00pm MDT (America/Denver)

WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Mar 16, 2023 at 12:00pm MDT (America/Denver)

FINAL ROUND PRIZE DESCRIPTION

Live Screening + Premium Filmmaker Status + Interview on Gerety panel

FINAL TEAM AWARDS

1st Place Jury Award: Live Screening + Premium Filmmaker Status

2 Honorable Mention Jury Award: Live Screening + Premium Filmmaker Status