The Sequestered: A Micro Short Online Film Festival

What is The Sequestered?

We are a free, non-competitive weekly film festival open to anyone with time on their hands and an itch to create something during the Covid-19 pandemic.

All films must be created in a week, shot on a phone, 1 - 5 minutes long, and use the prompt all without leaving the filmmaker's shelter-in-place location.

No fancy equipment, mobility or experience necessary.

Want to watch or participate?

Scroll down for the festival rules, the current weekly prompt and films from all our previous editions.

New Prompts Every Saturday

Our prompts give amateur, aspiring, and professional filmmakers a way to channel their anxiety and creativity each week. New prompts are announced every Saturday afternoon- sign up for the newsletter to be the first to know.

Is a week to often, and seven days not enough time?

Everyone's priorities are shifting right now. If this project adds another fifty tons of stress to your life, it's okay. Come back later. There will be another round next week, and every fifth edition is a chance to submit a revised edit of a past submission, or one that didn't make it in before the deadline.

Creativity in Chaos

This festival was founded on the belief that filmmaking should be accessible to all, and that creativity can connect otherwise isolated individuals.

Over 200 films have been created for The Sequestered, and we encourage participants to use the festival as a place to try something new. Are you an actor who wants to try editing, or someone curious about trying animation? We encourage all levels of experience, all creative backgrounds and all perspectives.

What can you do with your film after The Sequestered?

Keep working on it

Past submissions have grown into standalone short films, and have been official selections at Indie Shorts Film Festival, Astoria Film Festival, White Deer International Film Festival, Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions and more!

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Rules + Eligibility

THE RULES

-For regular editions, all submissions must be original films created this week according to the prompt, with one submission per filmmaker.

-The prompt must be used as an integral part of the film. It can be represented literally, in dialogue, metaphorically, however you see fit.

-All films must be between 1 minute - 5 minutes in length (if you're adding titles, don't make them half the length of the film).

-All films must be shot on a phone. You can edit however and with whatever you like, but no fancy cameras.

-All films must take place within filmmaker's "shelter in place" / quarantine. You are able to use any part of your property- that can include your apartment's lobby, but not the sidewalk across the street. Staying somewhere else for a few days? As long as you're shooting on the property, use it!

- Don't steal. Any music, art, etc. used in a piece must belong to the filmmaker, be copyright-free/public domain, or adhere to "fair use". Youtube/Vimeo/Instagram will automatically remove work deemed in violation of copyright.

Revision Edition Weeks:

Every 5th edition is a special "revision edition", where filmmakers may submit up to (5) new or revised past entries to The Sequestered. These submissions must be directly inspired by one or more of the past festival prompts.

Films submitted for Revision Edition weeks must still be created alongside The Sequestered and abide by all above rules, but can take longer than the standard week to film, edit and submit.

SUBMITTING

To be considered, all submissions must include:

-Public or unlisted link to Youtube/Vimeo only, no GoogleDrive/Dropbox/WeTransfer links or attachments. . Emails with submission files attached will not be opened.

- Film title and all filmmaker name(s)

- Your city (please note if you do not want it displayed with your submission)

- Your Instagram / IMDb profile

All films must be sent to SequesteredFestATgmail.com by 3pm Eastern on Friday to qualify for the current edition.