Independent filmmakers across the Borderland and southern New Mexico have until November 20 to submit short films, free of charge, for a chance to see their work on the big screen at Club 101 next month. Alacrity Studios has opened submissions for its second go-round of the event, dubbed Alacrity Film Fest: Take II, giving local creators a low-barrier path to public screenings and cash prizes.
According to KTSM 9 News, organizers are accepting entries through November 20 with no submission fee required. Eligible films must run 20 minutes or less and include a title, credits and a brief synopsis, per the same report.
Screenings Set for Two Nights at Club 101
Selected films will be screened December 16 and 17 at Club 101, with showings scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., the station notes. The two-night format gives the festival room to showcase a broader slate of entries than a single evening would allow.
Filmmakers will compete for cash prizes, with $100 awarded for first place, $60 for second place and $40 for third, according to Alacrity Studios’ social media accounts as relayed in the report. The top three winners will also receive a limited-edition Alacrity Studios trophy.
Organizers Frame Festival as a Local Platform
Festival organizers Alan Dominguez and Renee Acosta said the festival aims to give emerging and established filmmakers a platform to share their work, connect with other creatives, and gain recognition within the local film community, the article states. Submissions can be sent to [email protected].
How It Stacks Up Against Plaza Classic’s Local Flavor
El Paso’s short-film landscape already has a bigger-money option in the El Paso Community Foundation’s Plaza Classic Film Festival, which opened submissions for its ninth annual Local Flavor showcase and award, according to KFOX14. That program will award more than $3,500 in cash prizes, with $1,500 for first place, $1,000 for second, $750 for third, a $250 audience favorite award and a $100 student award, KFOX14 reports.
Local Flavor accepts both short and feature-length films, though works-in-progress will not be accepted, and eligible projects must have been completed on or after January 1, 2025, and be made locally, set locally, or connected to the El Paso-Juárez-Las Cruces area. Like Alacrity’s contest, Local Flavor charges no submission fee, though its entry window closes earlier, with entries due by 11:59 p.m. on a Monday, June 22.
For now, Alacrity Film Fest: Take II offers Borderland and southern New Mexico filmmakers a no-cost route to a public screening before the year is out, with the November 20 deadline fast approaching for anyone hoping to make the cut for the December screenings at Club 101.
