If you've ever walked into Oakland-based Book/Shop, then you know it is a gem for art books and literature lovers, offering a range of vintage and harder to find printed materials. Book/Shop engages their community and organizes public programs through their blog, printed newsletters, and public talks. Last year they put on their first annual film festival, called The Book Was Better Film Festival, where short film submissions were based on a chapter or section of a book.
For their second annual The Book Was Better Film Festival, Book/Shop has partnered with VSCO, who will host screenings of the submission finalists in their East Coast/West Coast offices - at VSCO NYC on October 15, and at VSCO HQ in Oakland, CA on October 22. Book/Shop will hold events during the days leading up to the screening, and prizes will be awarded in several categories, including best use of dialogue, best animation, and others.
SUBMISSION CRITERIA
Submit one short film based on one chapter from a book. Anyone from anywhere in the world can enter a film, but your entry must be AN ORIGINAL WORK, must be UNDER 6 MINUTES, and must be based on ONE CHAPTER OF A BOOK (or one section, one poem, one scene, etc.). It can be any kind of book (a novel, cookbook, encyclopedia, anything!), but the book should be a published work, available for someone to find in a library or for purchase (the idea of the festival is to use film to lead people to good books!).
Book/Shop welcomes submissions from anywhere in the world, but any spoken or written words be presented in English or include English subtitles. Films must be submitted DIGITALLY to info@shopbookshop.com. You can submit larger files via Dropbox, WeSendIt or other services of your choice. Submissions must be received by midnight PST, SEPTEMBER 30th, 2016. So start shooting your film!
View a trailer featuring clips from last year's entries.
Any questions about TBWBFF should be directed to Book/Shop.
Write to info@shopbookshop.com.
For updates by Book/Shop visit their website and follow them on Instagram @bookshopoakland.
