Destiny City Film Festival planning for February 2021 date. Submissions open
For those who consider themselves filmmakers and have been wanting to get back into working on their craft, there has been some recent good news.
Not only is production in Washington state being given the go-ahead to resume, but there is also Tacoma’s own Destiny City Film Festival, which recently announced it is accepting submissions.
Emily J. Nakada-Alm, founder and executive director of the festival, said they are planning to hold the event starting in late February 2021 but acknowledged much is uncertain about specifics.
“We don’t know if it will be all in person, partially in person or online,” Nakada-Alm said. “Either way, we’re going to have a festival no matter what. We just believe so much in the value of our festival and how it brings people together.”
The last day to submit is Nov. 6. The festival is accepting both film and screenplay submissions.
Additional information can be found on the festival website at www.destinycityfilmfestival.com.
“Something that we feel is very important is we offer free submission for anyone in Pierce County,” Nakada-Alm said. “Students get a discount as well as any Washington state resident. We try to support multiple points of access.”
Past participants include Chelsea Eng, who directed “Reencuentro: A Non Binary Story,” which played in the Reel Q (Queer stories) shorts program at the last festival.
Eng lives in San Francisco but considers Tacoma a “lifelong second home” and encouraged anyone who could to submit.
“You, and your film, will be treated well by the DCFF team. To screen at this festival is a positive experience – from the warm welcome to the programming to the venue,” Eng said. “DCFF focuses on the power of storytelling in the connecting and engaging of community, which is critical in today’s social and political climate.”
There also is Laura Seay, whose short film “Speak” won the first prize in 2017 and is now being produced into a feature film. If things end up going virtual, Seay already has some experience of what that may look like.
“The year that we were actually screening there, I was in L.A. so I wasn’t able to be there physically,” Seay said. “My interactions with the coordinators were mostly virtual. It was pretty apparent how hardworking they were to get this festival off the ground.”
Seay would then come back to speak on panels and serve on juries for the festival.
“When I was able to finally get there in person, I was really impressed with the quality of programming,” Seay said. “They’re very inclusive, they’re diversity forward, they like to tell well-rounded stories. Stories that you haven’t necessarily heard before.”
When it comes to doing the work of making a film to submit, Seay said the world has changed and planning things out has become of the utmost importance.
“Pre-production was already really important and now it’s extra important,” Seay said. “You’re needing to not only take a distinct concept and adjust them to COVID protocol but actually write concepts that thrive in COVID protocol. You want to create projects that can be shot modularly, you know, in pieces. The more control you have in post, that’s always helpful but even more so now.”
For interested parties hoping to shoot in Tacoma, they must apply for a permit and abide by current guidelines.
Kim Bedier, director of Tacoma Venues and Events, said via email “non-permit holders may be asked to discontinue filming if approached by a City of Tacoma or other official, and they may jeopardize their ability to receive future permits.”
Bedier also said there is a $100 fee for commercial/theater projects, a $50 fee for non-profit, student, or b-roll projects, plus a requirement to provide proof of insurance.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
