INSIDE OUR SELECTION PROCESS

To be selected as a finalist in the Backlight Student Film Festival, submitted films undergo review from two bodies — The Selection Committee and the Board of Directors.

The Selection Committee is composed of college students across the state of Georgia and run by Backlight's Director of Programming. This committee serves as the first point of review for all films submitted to Backlight.

The committee meets periodically to screen and review all submitted films, considering how the films fare in areas such as storytelling, sound, continuity, and more.

Every film receives equal consideration and deliberation. Once all the films have been reviewed by the Selection Committee, the committee deliberates and selects their top films to advance to the next stage of selection.

These films are then sent to Backlight's Board of Directors to be reviewed and finalized in the festival's program.

The final films are sent to Backlight’s Judging Panel. Composed of film professors and industry professionals, these individuals carefully review each film and vote on the best short-form and mid-length films to be selected as winners for each of Backlight's respective awards: Best Production Design, Best Score, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Mid-Length, and Best Short-Film.

Finally, the judges reconvene and vote on winners for each of Backlight's respective awards: Best Production Design, Best Score, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Mid-Length, and Best Short-Film.