Q. Who decides which films get picked?
A. We have an independent panel of volunteer judges that consists of 8 to 15 people. Some of the judges have academic backgrounds in cinema, but the majority are just hardcore horror fans.

Q. What are the judging criteria?
A. Films are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 10, in eight different categories including sound, lighting, editing, acting, special effects, cinematography, screenplay, and overall entertainment value. The judges may also include comments/critiques.

Q. What are the film submission fees used for?
A. Film submission fees go directly toward festival production expenses. Unlike most horror festivals, ours is run as a non-profit. As a result, our submission fees are among the lowest anywhere. What's more, filmmakers get a lot more for their investment.

Selected filmmakers get a VIP festival pass that gets them into everything, including a private "green room" with meals and drinks, as well as free filmmaking workshops, etc. They also get two passes to our VIP/Awards banquet, and are often able to present Q&A panels for their films. But most importantly, we help filmmakers promote their movies long after the festival is over.

Dark Carnival travels to horror fests and conventions all over, and we partner with our festival filmmakers to sell their DVDs at our booth, or even from our website.

Q. Why don't you use Withoutabox.com for submissions?
A. We don't really need them, since we have our own online submission system. It works pretty well for us, and collects all the information that distributors and sponsors request. Beyond that - our position is that Withoutabox has done as much harm as good to indie filmmakers. Basically, WAB puts the filmmaker at the bottom of the foodchain - even though they claim the opposite.

They streamline the submission process, but they also create an environment where the process itself becomes nothing more than a means to generate revenue. WAB can funnel tons of submissions to a festival, which makes the festival lots of money. However WAB also charges festivals a lot of money to use their service - and those charges are passed on to you in the form of higher submission fees. That means everybody is making money from indie films EXCEPT for the people who make them!

What's even worse, some film fests take in so many submissions that their selection committees can't watch them all. So who ends up deciding the fate of your movie?

For these reasons, Dark Carnival currently boycotts WAB, and we urge filmmakers to do the same. Many film fests that use WAB also have the option of downloading a printable form. For more on this subject, check out author Chris Holland's excellent book "Film Festival Secrets" available FREE online at http://www.filmfestivalsecrets.com/book/issuu/

Q. Can I get my submission fees waived?
A. Generally, no. Again, our submission fees are purposely kept lower than just about any other festival out there. If you can afford to buy a handul of DV tapes to make even the lowest budget movie, then $10-$15 shouldn't be too much of a stretch.

Q. Can I submit more than one film?
A. Yes. Each film is evaluated on its own merits, and we have screened two or more films from the same filmmaker in past festivals.

Q. Can I get the judging results for my film?
A. Absolutely - but not until final selections have been made. We can send you an electronic file that includes the judges overall evaluation - just send an email to submissions@darkcarnivalfilmfest.com

Q. I'm planning on attending the festival if my film is selected. When Will I be notified regarding whether or not my film makes it in?
A. We understand the need to make travel arrangements as early as possible and we will do our best to let you know as soon as we can. However, please be aware that in many instances, we won't be able to make any notifications until after the submission deadline.