The 2019 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival is open for submissions and the films are rolling in! Persons who don’t want to wait until October to enjoy a bounty of documentaries can sign up to join the screening committee and play a vital role in the 2019 programming!Want to sign up? Here’s how!

As you can imagine, it takes a lot of work to prepare for those 9 days in October, and the process begins with the Screening Committee.  It gets to work as soon as the HSDFF is open for entries, and works through Mid-July. Here are the basic details:

The screening committee is an advisory group that serves the festival programmers. Each year, HSDFF receives over 1,000 entries, and the Screening Committee reviews them and pre-qualifies them to help the programmers make informed decisions. The Committee does not make final programming decisions, but they do make sure that each submission gets multiple viewings and ratings to expedite the programming process.

What is required? Watching films online, and writing detailed reviews on FilmFreeway.com. You’ll be provided a login when we get started up, and the site is very easy to use.

Do I have to attend meetings? There are monthly Screening Committee meetings held, mostly in in Hot Springs. Attendance at these meetings isn’t mandatory, but all are welcome to attend and spend time with their fellow screeners to discuss their favorite films.

HSDFF requests that screeners commit to viewing at least 50 films over a 5 month period, in exchange for a Film Buff pass, which will get you into all screenings. Screeners that watch 150 films or more will receive an All-Access pass that will grant you access to all the afterparties and the VIP lounge.

Training materials will be provided to all new screeners. You don’t have to write a professional quality review, but HSDFF does ask that you’re sufficiently thorough with your responses in addressing each entry’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall festival-worthiness.

Follow this link to complete your online application. It will only take a few minutes, and your contact information will never be posted publicly or be shared with anyone.