Moonlight Wins Best Picture at the Oscars!

Kudos to Director Barry Jenkins and co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney the cast and crew involved with making the film "Moonlight."



It's a historic film for many reasons, but we at the DIYFilmFest want to honor it for it's DIY roots.

The director Barry Jenkins and the playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney are from a small community on the edge of Miami. The film was shot in 22 days, for a reported budget of 1.5 million. (IMDB lists it as 5 million, but the quote comes from the director.)

The film has already won many awards, aside from Best Picture at the Oscars.  The co-writer Tarell Alvin McCraney is a playwright, whose work has been onstage in Chicago and is also Winner of a 2013 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.

Here's an excellent interview by Terry Gross and "Fresh Air" where they talk about the genesis of this film, and how it came into existence.

It's 40 minutes, and if you're curious as to how someone goes from telling a true life story to winning the Oscar, it's worth a listen.

It's a true do it yourself film experience, and should remind all filmmakers that everything begins with a good story, a point of view, or something in the heart that needs to be shared. 

Congratulations to Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney and all those who worked on this low budget film for bringing this story to the screen!

The Clock Is Ticking!

We've reached the end of the submission period for this year's annual festival...

Happy to report we have films entered from 
France, Egypt, Australia, the UK, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Lebanon, Spain, Iran, Canada and the good old US of A made in 2015/16.

All immigrants are welcome!, all are invited to submit to the Do It Yourself Film Festival.  (And since it's an online festival, there's no stress over trying to get into or out of a country.)

We are in our 14th year, about to hit 15 years as a film festival, honoring the very best in Do It Yourself Filmmaking.

A few titles are still trickling in, but the submission period for the 2016 awards has been closed... (to open again April 1st).

We are in the process of going through all the films, and we thank you for considering us in your submission.

Many of our filmmakers have gone on to have careers in Hollywood, DIY Film Fest Winner ("All That Remains" 2011) Cody Blue Snider is directing his first feature film as we speak. Go Cody! (Directing "Right Hand Guy") and recently shot amazing footage from the heart of the battle for fresh water on the front lines of #NoDAPL where he shot a music video for his dad, Dee Snider.

The point of this festival is to honor those who feel compelled to pick up a camera and tell a story.  There is a place in the vast market of filmmaking to speak your voice, to tell your story.  

Just because we love Cody and his film, here it is again.... something to aim for when we pick up our cameras...




People don't always pick up a paintbrush to pay the rent, but sometimes when they create something memorable, it turns out to be the thing that does pay the rent. But the act of art is an act of creativity, and we celebrate everyone who picks up a camera and records part of their life.

DIY Filmmakers; we honor you!  

If you've submitted a film that didn't make the deadline, it will be considered in next year's festival.  Stay tuned for the finalists which will be posted here as soon as possible...

Please keep your DIY flag flying high.

And finally, from a couple of years ago, here's the film that won for best documentary. It was shot in Syria in the midst of the ongoing war.  We have no idea if these filmmakers have become refugees, or were able to find their way out of this mess, but we applaud them for documenting the world around them....

Once again, "Not Anymore, A Story of Revolution" 2014 winner by Matthew VanDyke .... Winning Entry for Best Documentary.




(All entries need to go through Withoutabox.com - however if you have trouble with submissions, or difficulty exporting your film, contact us via email at diyfilmfest (at) yahoo (dot) com)