2025 FESTIVALApril 2-12, 2025Lansing, MI
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2023 Fortnight Film Contest

The Capital City Film Festival’s Fortnight Film Contest is a competition for teams of amateur, student, and professional filmmakers in Michigan. Do a good job, win some money. $5,000+ in cash prizes up for grabs!
Enter Now
  • CONTEST DATES
    March 9 – March 23, 2023
  • REGISTRATION
    Closed
  • FEE
    $100 - entry includes two (2) all-access passes to the 2023 Capital City Film Festival ($50 value each!)
  • CASH PRIZES
    $5,000+ total
Rules & Other Stuff
  • Contest will begin on March 9 and final edited entries are due by 7pm on March 23. Required elements will be distributed by email to teams on March 9 at 7pm to officially begin the contest.
  • After the contest begins, registration fees are non-refundable.
  • Contest is open to all Michigan filmmakers. The entire team does NOT have to be made up of Michigan people as long as at least one of the following key creative positions is a Michigan resident: Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor.
  • Entries must be shot and edited in Michigan during the contest Fortnight. That means you must shoot and edit your film only between the dates of March 9-23, 2023.
  • Entries must have a maximum total running time of 10 minutes including credits. Minimum total running time is 31.4 seconds. Entries must be submitted as digital files in the Quicktime H.264 format. Entries must be returned in person to the Lansing Public Media Center (2500 S. Washington Ave. in Lansing) or uploaded via Dropbox BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT ONLY. If you upload a file that is corrupt or will not play back properly, your entry will be disqualified. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND submitting your entry in person in order to ensure that the file plays properly.
  • All music used must be royalty-free, licensed by participants, or an original work by participants.
  • There will be required elements distributed by email on March 9. Films must include those elements, as well as abide by any new requirements announced at that time, or they will be disqualified. (Genre will not be one of the required elements – that is entirely up to the individual teams.)
  • Any film that is not submitted by the deadline will be disqualified from the competition. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Judging & Prizes
  • Entries will be judged by a panel of professional filmmakers and film lovers.
  • The top entries will be screened as part of the CCFF lineup.
  • Prizes will total $5,000+ in cash and include first, second, and third places.

Questions? Contact us at info@capitalcityfilmfest.com or 517.483.4058