REVIEWS
John Reed Judson Vaughan So pleased and
proud to be selected at Docs Without
Borders Film Festival! An awesome, accessible film fest without
pretension that
concentrates on giving filmmakers the chance to show what they can
do/have done
and be recognized if deemed good enough. Thanks guys! December 2018 JC Barone Docs Without
Borders offers a great opportunity to indie
filmmakers November 2018 Thank you for
selecting my film. This festival is great,
as they seem to choose quite a few winners in different categories, and also offer networking opportunities. Thanks
for the
opportunities. I would submit again. November 2018 Great Festival.
Excellent communication and a great help
to us film makers who intend to exhibit their work. Thank you and keep
up the
excellent work. November 2018 I am very happy
with the recognition my short film
"The Four Loves" received from this exciting and interesting film
festival! A boost for our whole team, thank you! November 2018 It was an honour to be
nominated. Liked the communication and the guidance provided by the
Festival
Team. A big Thank You. October 2018 Thanks for
selecting my film. The festival team is very
professional and easy to communicate with. Good value for money. Will definitely submit again. October 2018
Moira Rowan This is a great
film festival and we were extremely
pleased that our short film 'Get Riel' won an award of excellence,
communication between ourselves and the organisers
was very good which we greatly appreciated. October 2018 From submission
receipt to festival wrap, every step of
this festival was rewarding. Festival communications were consistently
excellent and personalized in a truly meaningful manner. Thank you so
much,
Docs Without Borders Film Festival, and best wishes on your continued
success! October 2018
Andrea Page Great festival,
they were very helpful and encouraging! October 2018
Suzanne Garber A wonderful
experience. Plenty of communication both well
in advance as well as immediately after the event. Recommended! October 2018
Victoria Sutton Very good
communication and great value. I highly
recommend the Docs Without Borders Film Festival! October 2018
It was great.
The Docs Without Borders Film Festival was
an excellent opportunity for me to show my film to film professionals
and in
professional conditions. And, as promised me, the Docs Without Borders
Film
Festival allowed me, as Winner of the Top of show, to be chosen by a
film
distribution company and a television channel. I am very grateful to
Docs for
giving me this opportunity. May 2018 Response from
festival: We are more than
happy to provide free distribution
opportunities to top filmmakers such as yourself, as we know how
difficult it
is for independent filmmakers to get recognition from distributors. YOU
did the
hard work and created a fantastic project, so we will take the
opportunity here
to say "THANK YOU" for submitting your work to us! we were
extremely happy to received
a notification that we won "Best in
Show" with our Documentary "RCTV: EL SILENCIO DE LA DIGNIDAD" -
thank you so much. But ... the fact that now you trying to charge us an
extra
$30 for a "soft copy of the certificate that will be emailed so you can
print it yourself on a certificate card available at most office supply
stores" was an unpleasant surprise. This is our sixth award, but it the
first time somebody tries to charge us for a one-page pdf file. April 2018
Response from
festival: Congratulations
on your "Best Of
Show" award; as a First-time Filmmaker this is quite an honor and a
grand
display of your talent. We hope that our distributor contact
information - only provided for top winners such as yourself free of
charge
(other festivals charge $100-$200 for this) - helps to publicize the
cause of
your foundations objective. We strive to provide as many opportunities
on a
'free of charge' basis as possible (distribution, the free waivers to
enter
other festivals which you received, future on-demand play opportunities
for
your film on WRPN.TV so that you may earn an income from the display of
your
film, etc), but as a business, the one fee
we assess
(other than festival submission fee) is for certificates that we must
send to a
print house for execution. Regardless of the certificate being sent as
a 'soft
copy,' there are still expenses incurred for materials and handling
where our
festival is charged by an outside vendor. We must then scan the hard
copy we
receive from the vendor, so that it can be emailed to the filmmaker.
While
large festivals such as Sundance may provide free certificates, they
also
charge two to three times more for their festival submission fees, and
there is
little chance of being accepted there, much less winning an award. Thus the benefit of entering smaller festivals
such as ours,
where filmmakers have the chance to really be considered and receive
contact
with a distributor. We are sorry you are disappointed with the
certificate
options as a Best Of Show winner, but we
must cover
our handling and materials cost. Please let us know if you would like
to
discuss further or have a different solution to offer, we are always
here to
help. Again, congratulations!
The Weather Network
Pelmorex Corp. Great festival!
They were a pleasure to work with, and
communication was exemplary. April 2018
Response from
festival: Thank you so
much, we are here to help, and we are happy
that you had a great experience with us! Couldn't go, but
they were very gracious. April 2018
Response from
festival: Thank you Drew, happy filmmaking!
Nico Mastorakis A joy to be a
part of this festival, a joy to have won an
award. April 2018
Response from
festival: Well Nico, it
was a joy to see your wonderful film, thank
you so much for submitting it to us! My experience
was inspirational. This festival gave the
project the emotional boost it needed. To be selected by such a select committe of judges committed to a world where
humanity
comes first is indeed a rare tribute. Thank You! April 2018
Response from
festival: Thank you Tunde, we are committed
to giving connections to as many films as possible through our
festival. We
hope that we have given a boost to your film's important message!
Patrick Nentzel Thanx for
letting my bike touring film Light the fire part
of your festival. April 2018
Response from
festival: Thank you Patrick, please keep up
the good work! Thank you from
the cast and crew of Calm In Chaos , for
the award. April 2018
Response from
festival: We thank you in
turn Tracey, for submitting your wonderful
film to our festival!
Kasha Fauscett Such an amazing
festival!! Highly recommended!! April 2018
Response from
festival: Well we highly
recommend your film Kasha! An amazing story
that we are so happy you shared with us, keep up the great work....
Steven Williams It was great to
have been selected for this festival and
to be an award winner they also have passed on a few connection
to some sales agents helping you take things to the next level January 2018
Howard Steen Excellent
festival experience for ourselves as first time
film makers. We liked the fact that there are
many categories in this festival and 'human spirit' fitted our film
perfectly. Also the fact that this festival
assesses each submission on
its merits creating a very fair playing field. We were delighted to
receive a
first award for our film and very good follow-up about promoting the
film further.We
can only recommend this
festival. We have not rated 'networking' as this seems not applicable
with an
online event. November 2017
Matthew Capogreco Very easy to
apply and high levels of communication.
Networking left blank only because the event was virtual. Our first
festival,
first acceptance, and first award! This festival made all three easy. October 2017
Hannah Soule So honored that
our
film Bourbon Street Dreams received the Kudos Endeavor award! Great
communication and would happily submit our next film. Thank you for the
recognition! October 2017
As a first time documentary
director, I was beyond thrilled to have my film "Beyond The Paint"
recognized by Docs Without Borders with an Exceptional Merit Award.
Communication was excellent and extremely supportive
and I would highly recommend submitting to this festival! October 2017 An awesome
festival to be a part of. June 2017
Response from
festival: We are happy you
had a positive experience Jermaine, and
we look forward to seeing more of your great work! This is the
first festival ever, which gave me feedback.
And made me better! I have been extreemely
happy to
be a part of their official selection. THANK YOU! Ivana Noa May 2017
Response from
festival: You're welcome
Ivana, and as you feel the feedback made
you better, we are looking forward to seeing one of your new creations,
and
perhaps advancing from "Official Selection" status to "Award
Winning" status! This is why we offer free
feedback to rejected films and films that receive Official Selection,
but do
not advance to a Win status. We are here to help the independent film
scene
grow, and it cannot grow if there is a great filmmaker out there who is
new but
doesn't know what they're doing wrong, or what they can do to improve.
As a
young filmmaker, you are well on your way to greatness: happy
filmmaking Ivana!
Brett Eidman This was a great
opportunity and very helpful. Nice to be
part of this festival. Hope to do it again soon. May 2017
Response from
festival: Thanks Brett, we
enjoyed your unusual biography short and
we look forward to seeing more of your work.
Durval Pereira Rarely i've found a festival
like Docs Without Borders Film Festival that connects producer with the
distributor. Highly recommended! May 2017
Response from
festival: Our most
exciting achievement is to offer guaranteed
distribution contact for our top winners with established, well-known
distributors. We feel this is much more beneficial than the claim of
other
festivals that "invite" distributors to their events, who may or may
not show up or even take notice of an individual film in a sea of
submitters.
As you stated in your film's summary, many people are surprised when
they find
out that Brazil sent an Expeditionary Force to fight in Europe during
World War
II, and it is important that the world hears the story these men have to tell. We sincerely hope that our
distributors find
your message worthy as well.
Martha Gorzycki Excellent
communication and promotion opportunities for
independent filmmakers and their creative work. It is an honor to
receive an
Award of Excellence. Thank you for supporting experimental docs! May 2017
Response from
festival: You're welcome
Martha. Although some festivals are not
welcoming to experimental creations, we quite enjoy them. Your original
use of
imagery along with the interviews from victims of the war provided
great impact
for your documentary message. We hope to see more of your work!
Heaven Kid This is indeed a
great film festival. Not only is the
organization perfect, but the service is wonderful as well. We enjoyed
being
part of it. We are very grateful to Docs Without Borders Int'l Film
Festival
for introducing two great distributors to us, so that Heavenkid
can be viewed by more people. May 2017
Response from
festival: Your film
deserves distributor attention from our established,
well-known distribution associates. This is a free service provided by
DWBFF,
which is not provided by any other festival. Other festivals claim to
"invite" distributors to their events (who may or may not show up)...but we guarantee delivery of distribution
contact
directly to you, out top winners. HeavenKid
delivers
an important cultural message in an entertaining format, and we
certainly hope
our distribution associates agree! You have a very talented filmmaking
team! Thank you for
accepting my documentary. Thank you for your
support. May 2017
Response from
festival: Thank you Maria, but your talent
and hard work are what brought you to award status, keep up the great
work! I wasn't able to attend, but
winning Best Cinematography was an incredible honor. May 2017
Response from
festival: Thank you for
sharing your talent with us Paul!
Nasser Aldhaheri thank you very
much May 2017
Response from
festival: Thanks for
sharing your documentary with us Nasser, a
great expose showing the long and difficult journey for the UAE’s land,
people,
and culture.
Patricia Shih Thank you Docs
without Borders for not only accepting my
film "Undocumented" into your festival, and not only for honoring it
with a top-tier Award of Outstanding Excellence, but for also caring
enough to
REALLY review the film CAREFULLY and adding subcategories to my award
that I
didn't even apply for! Now THAT is superb judging! I do hope that
there will be a live screening opportunity,
and maybe even a red carpet in the near future.
As a
first-time filmmaker I would LOVE to walk that carpet and get all
dressed up! Thank you again
for a beautiful experience. May 2017
Response from
festival: Thank you Patricia, we know that
you have already contacted our distribution associates and they
responded that
they will take a look, and that is wonderful! We are negotiating for a
live
screening venue for the fun, but our guaranteed distribution contact
for our
top winners is an extraordinary business opportunity not offered by any
other
festival, and we hope that our other top winners are taking advantage
of this
exclusive opportunity as well! You had a great experience because we
are
committee members of the UFFO.ORG, and our judges are trained to watch
for
exceptional production values that they will sometimes write in to a
film's
scorecard, but filmmakers are always assured of specific production
value
judging of any subcategories they submit to. That's the great thing
about
DWBFF: Each film is judged on it's
individual merits, and not as a competition against all the other
films; when
it is your turn to be in front of the judges, their attention is
entirely on
YOU, without other films clouding their attention. Thanks for sharing
your film
with us Patricia, we hope to see more great work from you!
Mirta Mataija Very nice,
high-value festival. I recommend it! November 2016 Response from
festival: Thank you for
submitting your film Mirta, we wish you
continued success!
Matthew Starr A very nice and
organized festival. The feedback was
terrific. October 2016 Response from
festival: Thank you very
much Matthew! Paula Caplan Docs Without
Borders Film Festival is terrific! It is an
honor to receive awards in a festival that is so truly international
and
attracts such high-quality films. Sharon Carpenter-Rose is consistently
gracious, efficient, and helpful in responding to questions. I would
love to
find more opportunities for networking. October 2016 Response from
festival: Thank you Paula, and it is an
honor to view high-quality submissions such as your film; we can tell a
great
amount of devotion went into creating it. We offer guaranteed
distributor
review to top-tier winners, which is the most effective networking
opportunity
available (most 'brick and mortar' festivals do not guarantee this).
Parties
are fun, but distribution is better. Internet film 'shopping' is the
wave of the
future for distributors, as it saves them the time and expense of
traveling to
venues (and also saves the filmmaker the
expense of
traveling and paying for 'festival packages' that offer no return on
investment). We are also currently developing a PPV option on our
entertainment
news network, WRPN.TV. PPV will be available even if your film is not a
top-tier winner, so there will be opportunity for all. Coming soon!
Dante Tanikie-Montagnani Five star festival well
worth the admission fee! October 2016 Response from
festival: Thank you Dante, we enjoyed your
submission. We strive to support the Indie film scene by offering
feedback to
new filmmakers if their submission needs corrections in order to
potentially
reach an "Official Selection" status, as well as distribution
opportunities for those winners in the top two tiers of award levels.
We look
forward to viewing more of your work in the future!
Nattalia Lea It was an honour that my first docu-drama
"Spikes at Her Elbow" was accepted as
Official Selection in Docs Without Borders Film Festival. I am grateful
for the
opportunity to have participated and received encouraging feedback.
Thank you. October 2016 Response from
festival: As a first time docu-drama
submitter, we look forward to seeing more great works from you, Nattalia! Thank you! The Doc's
Without Borders Film Festival is an excellent
festival to participate in. Entry is easy and effortless. The staff
does not
hesitate to communicate with the filmmakers. They would have scored
higher on
their ability for networking, the reason for its average marking lies
with me
as I was unable to attend the festival so that I could network to my
full
potential. Great festival however! October 2016 Response from
festival: Thank you Andy,
we hope to see more of your work in the
future....congratulations on your
award-winning film!
Jan Edwards Docs Without
Borders is an online festival and they rate
each film on it's
own merit
which is really awesome. Great way to get feedback and share your film. October 2016
Response from
festival: Thank you as
well for the great submission. We feel that
rating films on their own merit gives the filmmaker a much better feel
for the
quality of their individual film, with no chance of getting lost among
other
fine submissions. Congratulations on your award-winning film! |