No Man's Land Film Festival
No Man's Land Film Festival
UN-DEFINING FEMININE IN ADVENTURE AND SPORT THROUGH FILM
 

Brave Space Media photo

 

2024 film submissions

Important Dates and Deadlines:

2025 Denver Flagship Festival: March 7th + 8th, 2025

2025 Virtual Flagship Festival: March 8th - April 5th, 2025

2025 world tour: March 8th, 2025

2025 FESTIVAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE (MUST BE RECEIVED BY): NOVEMBER 1ST, 2024

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: DECEMBER 2ND, 2024

FINAL VERSIONS OF ACCEPTED FILM(S) RECEIVED: DECEMBER 20TH, 2024

*We accept films featuring a female or gender-nonconforming subject as the lead. This includes women, trans women and men, and genderqueer or non-binary subjects.

**We are always accepting submissions and, if accepted, they may be incorporated into our current tour program.

 

Please include the following items with your entry submission for the festival: 

1. Link to an online accessible digital screener

2. A completed Submission Form with film synopsis

3. Press pack with production credits, biographies, and Instagram handles

*Only films submitted via FilmFreeway will be considered for acceptance. No Man's Land prefers digital files. If a digital file is unavailable, please contact us at submit@nomanslandfilmfestival.org.

If your film is accepted, please provide us with the following items:

1. 5-10 high-quality stills from the film (4×6 at 300dpi is preferable, include photographer credit)

2. Press pack with production credits, biographies, and Instagram handles

3. Exhibition format Quicktime file

4. .SRT file for closed-captioning

4. HD trailer or three (3) 10 sec. HD clips*

*Our preferred export settings for the Festival are Quicktime files Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) at HDTV 1920×1080 square pixels. Audio 48kHz, 24-bit, discrete channel. Label photographs with the film title and photo credit. Clips and trailers will be used for promotional purposes.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

For rough cut consideration, contact us at submit@nomanslandfilmfestival.org.

BY EMAIL:

Scan completed form and email to submit@nomanslandfilmfestival.org.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What film length do we recommend?

We feature films from 60 seconds to 90 minutes. The majority of our films are under 20 minutes; 5-15 minute clips are ideal. We may ask you for a film festival cut if we love your story but have trouble managing the time. If the runtime is 35 minutes or longer, it may be integrated into our Virtual Flagship Festival and/or World Tour. Please keep in mind that because of theater time restrictions, we seriously consider every submission for screening at Denver Flagship. Due to longer runtimes, not all accepted films will be integrated into our Denver Programming, and not all films will be integrated into our World Tour.

What kinds of films do we accept?

We are looking for films that feature women (including trans women), trans men, and genderqueer or gender-nonconforming athletes as the lead subjects. We gladly accept films directed and produced by non-female individuals. The core purpose of this festival is to highlight, represent, and ultimately un-define our concept of femininity. We are looking for films that inspire adventure and have an empowered female or gender-nonconforming lead.

What do I get if my film is accepted?

Life-long satisfaction, an all-access pass to the festival and events, your film projected on a $100,000 projector to audiences around the country wildly applauding your story, the opportunity to bond with our awesome corporate partners and sponsors, our unconditional love and support, and official acceptance into the No Man's Land Family. You could also win an award!

A film festival full of radical adventure athletes and creatives in Denver, CO. Why should I come?

Because this is your wildest dream come true! You also have the chance to connect with an audience and network that includes some of the most inspired individuals on the planet: filmmakers, athletes, artists, outdoor industry professionals, film, and marketing executives, and possibly your new favorite climber/running/ski or snowboarding partner. What reason is there not to come?

Do you present awards?

Yes! We present six awards: Best of Festival, People's Choice, Fem-Wow (favorite all-woman or gender-nonconforming production), Most Inspiring Story, Best Cinematography, and Wildest Adventure.

 

2024 grant recipient

 
 

announcement soon

 
 
 
 

2023 grant recipients

 
 

Christina Rosetti // she, her

Too often, queer representation in media centers the struggle and trauma of the queer experience, and we don’t see ourselves separated from our pain. Christina Rosetti, a queer, Cuban-American filmmaker, wants to tell a story about queer joy in the outdoors.

After connecting at the 2022 Portland Pride celebration, a small group planned an all-queer bikepacking trip through Washington a few weeks later. That trip proved to be more transformational than any of them anticipated, underscoring the need for and power of queer affinity groups in nature. They decided to make it an annual tradition and called it ‘Dirt Pride.’

This film premiered at Denver Flagship Festival in 2024, and was awarded our Fem-Wow (all woman + gender-nonconforming production) Award.

 

Sarah Hamilton // she, her

Dolly Chapman, quiet and petite, was looking for something important to do with her life. 32 years of building trails felt important. It was the people, it was the land, it was the accomplishment of puzzling out a blowdown and clearing a trail. Her wise demeanor, matter-of-factness, and general joy for life make her magnetic on screen. As one of the first women to work on trail crew in the late 70’s, she has faced a fair share of hurdles. But the wilderness evened the playing field.

Now 60, she stays connected to the Wilderness by sharpening hundreds of crosscut saws each year and as well as teaching the upcoming generation of land stewards to saw and sharpen. With it, she passes on her immense technical knowledge and deep love for the land. Most trail crews in the West know her name. Some have even named their crosscut saws after her.

”Dolly’s Song” Pre-production: December 2019 - March 2023
Production: May 15 - 18, 2023: Second trip out to Northern California, filming Dolly’s class in Lassen National Park, Master interview
July 10-15: Backcountry trip in Yosemite with Young Wilderness Rangers, sharpening class, second interview
Post-Production: August 2023 -November 2023

 
 
 
 

2022 grant recipients

 
 

Erin Joy Nash,

Sanjana Sekhar +

Guarina Lopez // she, her

“Carlisle 200” follows Native bike riders Guarina Lopez (Pascua Yaqui) and Tsinnijinnie Russell (Diné) on a 250-mile prayer ride from Washington, D.C. to the cemetery at Carlisle Indian Boarding School in Carlisle, PA. Through rain and shine on the long gravel trail, Guarina, Tsinnijinnie, and fellow activist-bikers honor the 190+ children buried at Carlisle while raising awareness of the history and ongoing impact of the residential boarding school system on Indigenous communities.

The Brave Space Media team is the 2022 recipient of No Man’s Land Film Festival Pitchfest Grant, awarded to an Indigenous filmmaker amplifying the voices of their community.

 

Bex Rodriguez,

Hannah Marie Zamora +

Angela Lee // she, her

“Sol to Seoul” follows the journey of a second-generation immigrant, who carves her own path in law, climbing and farming. The film takes us from Sol Mountain Farm in Colorado to Seoul, South Korea. As a climber of four years, Angela creates The San Luis Valley Climbers Alliance and starts the first climbing festival in her rural community. Angela’s goals are to create space for inclusivity, stewardship and address racism and sexism in rock climbing while embracing JEDI principles. She replaces sketchy bolts in the crags near her farm, fights to change offensive route names and serves as an educator in the art of crack climbing and living sustainably.

 
 
 

Carla Joelle Brown // she, her

Carla Joelle Brown was born in Baltimore, MD and received her B.A. in 1998, and M.F.A. in 2001, from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a concentration in printmaking. As an interdisciplinary artist, she uses photography, printmaking and film, to visually examine themes about her gender, race and family. Brown’s recent work focuses on both her maternal and paternal grandparents and their direct influence on her life, as well as a close examination of them as individuals.

Carla Brown is the 2022 recipient of No Man’s Land Film Festival Pitchfest Grant, awarded to a Black female filmmaker amplifying the voices of her community.

 
 
 
 

2021 grant recipient

 
 

siraad dirshe // she, her

Siraad Dirsche is a thoughtful brand strategist, skilled producer, and burgeoning director who has partnered with brands such as Nike, Red Bull, and Instagram and contributing writer in The New York Times, Elle, and Essence to name a few. Her work centers Blackness to make visible their legacy stories in industries such as sports, like surfing, and cultural movements, like sustainability. Siraad is the 2021 recipient of No Man’s Land Film Festival Pitchfest Grant, awarded to a Black filmmaker amplifying the voices of their community.

 
 
 
 

2021 she’s speaking Grant

[in partnership with never not collective]

 
 

Paula Champagne

// she, her

Paula Champagne is a Visual Storyteller specializing in video, documentary photography, illustration, and graphic design. Paula’s work communicates authentic human experiences. She seeks to capture the beauty in honest moments and to highlight stories that are traditionally unsung. Inspired by her own experiences in the outdoors, her most recent projects explore and honor the healing intersection of Blackness, nature, and rest. Paula is the 2021 recipient of The She’s Speaking Film Grant in partnership with Never Not Collective, awarded to a Black filmmaker to tell a story about the outdoors through their lens. Paula’s film “Mardi & The Whites” will debut at No Man’s Land Film Festival’s 7th Annual Flagship Festival.