May 5, 2017

Houston Comedy Film Festival 2018 Submissions are now open!

September 30th, 2017 – Super Early Deadline
October 31st, 2017 – Discount Deadline
November 30th, 2017 – Early Deadline
December 31st, 2017 – Regular Deadline
January 31st, 2018 – Late Deadline
February 28th, 2018 – Final Deadline
Notification Day – Monday October 9, 2017
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The Houston Comedy Film Festival is a unique forum for comedy filmmakers from around the world to showcase their creative works in Houston, Texas. The Houston Comedy Film Festival is searching for funny and engaging films to entertain a comedy loving audience. All films are compiled and screened on Blu-Ray DVD 1080p.

Our panel of 12 judges will give out 17 different awards:
  1. Best Actor
  2. Best Actress
  3. Best Animated Comedy Film
  4. Best Cinematography
  5. Best Comedy Micro Short Film
  6. Best Comedy Short Film
  7. Best Comedy Short Film Screenplay
  8. Best Feature Film Screenplay
  9. Best Dark Comedy Film
  10. Best Director
  11. Best Ensemble Cast
  12. Best Music Video
  13. Best Original Music
  14. Best Supporting Actor
  15. Best Supporting Actress
  16. Best Texas Comedy Film
  17. Single Funniest Moment
Micro Comedy Short Film
The HCFF is looking for funny and engaging Comedy Micro Short Films that are a maximum of 5 minutes in length including all credits. All varieties of Comedy are accepted in this category including Romantic Comedy, Dark Comedy, Animated Films, Mockumentary Films, Comedy Web Series, International Comedy and anything else that will bring laughter to our audience. We screen short comedy films in a back-to-back format that is fast paced, fun and a unique experience for our audience. All languages are accepted, but the subtitles must be in English.



Comedy Short Film

The HCFF Fall 2017 is looking for funny and
engaging Comedy Short Films that are a minimum of 6 minutes, but are
no longer than 30 minutes including all credits. All varieties of
Comedy are accepted in this category including Romantic Comedy, Dark
Comedy, Animated Films, Mockumentary Films, Comedy Web Series,
International Comedy and anything else that will bring laughter to
our audience. We screen short comedy films in a back-to-back format
that is fast paced, fun and a unique experience for our audience. All
languages are accepted, but the subtitles must be in English.
Funny Music Video
The HCFF Fall 2017 is looking for funny and
engaging music videos that are thought provoking and make people
laugh. Funny Music Videos must be 5 minutes or less in length
including credits. Public music videos that are currently on youtube,
Vimeo, or Vevo are eligible.

Animated Comedy Short Film
The HCFF Fall 2017 has a specific category for Animated Comedy Short Films. We are looking for computer animation,  stop-motion, cartoons, and anything that is not “live action”for this category. From family films to “adult swim” styled animations, our judges are looking for something different, new and fresh. Animated films can range from 1-30 minutes in length including credits.

Comedy Feature Film Screenplay
The HCFF Fall 2017 is looking for funny and
engaging writing that is thought provoking and makes people laugh. A
Comedy Feature Film Screenplay must be a minimum length of 31 pages
and a maximum length of 100 pages. All screenplays must be written in
English. 12 different judges will read every word of every screenplay
submitted.
Comedy Short Film Screenplay

The HCFF 2017 is looking for funny and
engaging writing that is thought provoking and makes people laugh. A
Comedy Short Film Screenplay must be a maximum length of 30 pages.
All screenplays must be written in English. 12 different judges will
read every word of every screenplay submitted.

If you are requesting a submission waiver for your film, please click here.

April 13, 2017

Houston Comedy Film Festival Spring 2017 Official Selections & Awards

The Houston Comedy Film Festival Spring 2017 screened 21 films at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema: Mason Park on Saturday, April 8th, 2017 @ 2:00pm – 6:00pm.

The following films are the official selections that screened in the theater:

  1. “Andy’s Venture” Directed by Pirie Martin (Australia)
  2. “Art Sale” Directed by Jeff Gentner
  3. “Dollar King” Directed by Andrew Pollins (Toronto, Canada) – Watch the Trailer
  4. “Fratino” Directed by Stanley Sievers (Chicago, Illinois)
  5. “Growing Apart” Directed by Eitan Loewenstein
  6. “Imaginary Friends” Directed by Jason C. Brown
  7. “Instapocalypse” Directed by Martin Sofiedal (Norway)
  8. “Kara” Directed by Paul Griffin (United Kingdom)
  9. “LeSeurdmin” Directed by Nicholas De Fina (Chicago, Illinois) – Watch the Trailer
  10. “Maria Fernanda in Time” Directed by Xavier Pijuan (Spain) Watch the Trailer
  11. “Mission Accomplished” Directed by Claus Martin (Germany) – Watch the Trailer
  12. “New Roommate” Directed by Victor Yerrid
  13. “Normal Behavior” Directed by Corey Craig
  14. “Oh Baby” Directed by Rory Rooney
  15. “Pajero” Directed by Javier San Román (Spain)
  16. “Philosurfers” Directed by Monk Hooper and Paul Sauline (New York City)
  17. “Radio Silence” Directed by Anthony Guidubaldi & Keith Strausbaugh (Burbank, California)
  18. “Smooth Talk” Directed by Zachary Isenberg (Los Angeles, California)
  19. “Uniforms” Directed by Ross Vivian (Toronto, Canada)
  20. “Woman of my Dreams” Directed by Millan Luis Vazquez Ortiz (Spain)
  21. “You’re Alive” Directed by W. Alex Reeves
The following films won an award at the Houston Comedy Film Festival Spring 2017: 
  1. “Best Actor”Award: Diego Sanchez in “Fratino”
  2. “Best Actress” Award: Natalie Lynch in “Imaginary Friends”
  3. “Best Cinematography” Award: “Philosurfers” Cinematographer Paul Sauline
  4. “Best Comedy Short Screenplay” Award: “The Drop” Written by Jarrod Austin
  5. “Best Editing” Award: “Fratino” Editor Stanley Sievers
  6. “Best Dark Comedy Film” Award: “Instapocalypse”
  7. “Best Director” Award: “LeSeurdmin” Directed by Nicholas De Fina
  8. “Best Ensemble Cast” Award: “Art Sale”
  9. “Best Feature Film” Award: “LeSeurdmin” Directed by Nicholas De Fina
  10. “Best Feature Film Screenplay” Award: “Operation Chaos” Written by Steve Bensinger
  11. “Best Microshort Film” Award: “Smooth Talk”
  12. “Best Original Music” Award: “Smooth Talk” by Jason Lesner and Gregg Allen
  13. “Best Short Film” Award: “Art Sale”
  14. “Best Supporting Actor” Award: James Mathis III in “Imaginary Friends”
  15. “Best Supporting Actress” Award: Angie Dick in “Smooth Talk”
  16. “Most Original Concept” Award: “Radio Silence” Directed by Anthony Guidubaldi & Keith Strausbaugh
  17. “Single Funniest Moment” Award: “You’re Alive”
Award Winners
April 12, 2017

HCFF Spring 2017: Short Comedy Screenplay Official Selections

The following screenwriters have been recognized by the judges of the Houston Comedy Film Festival 2017 for their outstanding comedy screenplays. Twelve different judges read each and every word of every screenplay submitted and have chosen these, as official selections.

  1. “A Most Unusual Birth” Written by Shawn Harmon 
  2. “Anatomically Modern Human for President” Written by Amanda R. Martinez 
  3. “Azalea” Written by Zachar Weik 
  4. “Bantam Bloom” Written by Cory Zerbe & Michael Garza 
  5. “Dill We Meet Again” (Pilot Episode of “Max’s Brooklyn Deli”) Written by Jim Norman 
  6. “Eleventh Earl of Getzford” Written by Jess Grant 
  7. “From Schmear To Eternity” (Pilot Episode for Max’s Brooklyn Deli) Written by Jim Norman 
  8. “GCC Strong” Written by Keegan Moore 
  9. “MUSED” Written by James M Martin 
  10. “Paper Sunday” Written by Rachel Napolitano 
  11. “Pickled Red Herring” (“Brooklyn Deli Pilot Episode”) Written by Jim Norman 
  12. “Remedy” Written by Margina Sisson 
  13. “Slam Fest” Written by Jeff Hoferer 
  14. “The Drop” Written by Jarrod Austin
  15. “The Adventures of Kitty Zombie” Written by John Laflamboy & Mike Bradecich 
  16. “The Mother Lode” Written by Marc Lalonde 
  17. “The New Girlfriend” Written by David Samuels 
  18. “Three Legged Dog” Written by Joshua Magor 
  19. “We’re Bros Right?” Written by David Samuels 
  20. “Welcome to America” Written by Richard Geiwitz 
  21. “Witch Way Love” Written by James M Martin
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