The 2020
CINEPLAY AWARDS
Now Open for Submissions

About Us
The Cineplay Awards is a non-profit annual film festival and awards ceremony featuring unique categories not seen in most traditional film festivals. The goal is to gain exposure for up and coming filmmakers while also giving them insights to make there filmmaking process more productive. We charge no fees to submit to the festival for any category and welcome films from around the world. Non English speaking films must have subtitles in English.
Unlike other festivals that use a small pool of judges to review films, Cineplay uses a large number of indie film lovers who are subscribers to it's streaming platform. This allows films to be judge by thoise who mater most, the fans. It also creates an excellent platform for future distribution of a film since those filmmakers who receive great feedback are offered to opportunity to have there films added to the Cineplay catalog after the festival. It also creates a potential revenue stream for filmmaker. Something that no other indie film festival to our knowledge offers.
Categories and Awards
One of the most unique characteristics of the Cineplay Awards is our diverse range of categories and awards which include:
CATEGORIES
Feature Film: 45 minutes or Longer
Short Films: 5 minutes to 45 minutes
Music Videos: 2 - 5 minutes
Web/Digital Series: A minimum of 3 full episodes: 5 - 30 minutes per episode
Cell Phone Films: Must be filmed exclusively on a cell phone in Landscape mode and include dialog and a distinct storyline : Length: 5 - 30 minutes
1 Minute Mini Films: 30 - 60 seconds long with a Beginning and ending and not filmed on a phone.
If you are unsure as to if your project fits one of our categories, please email us at
Films submitted that do not fit any category will be rejected. Do to the enormous number of films submitted, we will not be accepting documentaries at this years festival
AWARDS:
Best In Festival
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Feature
Best Short Film
Best Web/Digital Series
Best Music Video
Best Cell Phone Film
Best Director
Best Female Producer or Director
Best Cinematography
Best Crew Award
Social Media Awards
Best Drama
Best Comedy
Best Sci-Fi
Best Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Special FX
More Categories May Be Added.
PRIZES
At our last festival we awarded over $5,000 in Cash and prizes. This year will be even bigger including a full budget to produce an Original Short film for Cineplay. Stay tuned for updates on prizes as more sponsors join on.
RULES
1. Submissions must be made only by a delegated party that owns the rights to the production.
2. You may submit only one film per category up to 3 categories total.
3. All submissions should be in 1080p or higher resolution including cell phone films. Submissions for the Cell Phone Category must be filmed in landscape format.
4. Foreign films must include subtitles burned-in in English.
5. We will do not accept the following:
a. Extremist or propaganda content from religious or political organizations.
b. Films which are made before 2015.
c. Films with a poor production standard (bad sound, lack of subtitles/captions for non-English films, or video resolution less than 720p HD).
d. Pornography, Prank or Reality Videos
6. All Submissions must be by links to content online. Digital MP4 or MOV. files will be required for all films selected finalist being shown at the festival.
7. Additional rules and details will be provided to all films selected.
Please Note: We received over 5,000 submissions to our last festival. Please be patient if emailing us for any additional info. Responses may take 3-5 days especially during the Coronavirus lockdown period as we are based in New York City. Question via our Instagram Chat may receive a faster responses than email: IG Page: http://instagram.com/cineplayawards/
Submissions and Dates
Submission to the Cineplay Awards is 100% free. There are no fees for any category or submission date. The official deadline is September 30, 2020 which may be extended based on the status of the CoronaVirus. The Final Notification date is October 30, 2020 for Selection and November 30, 2020 for Finalist. Only films selected as finalist will be screened at the festival.
The festival and Awards Ceremony is scheduled for March 12-14, 2021 in New York City. Dates are subject to minor changes as we work our way through the Coronavirus
You may only Submit your film once so please make sure it is the final version. We will not accept revisions of the same title.
Please make sure to complete all sections of the Submission Form including a link for screening. Incomplete forms wll be rejected. We only accept submissions through our submission form. By clicking the submission button , you agree to all tems and rules of the festival. Good Luck!!!