For Immediate Release
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Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) Welcomes Sundance Winner Daughters to
2024 Marquee Filled with Stories Celebrating Importance of Positive Dad-Child Relationships
LIVE Daddying Film Forum Adds 2nd Day, Mummers Museum Venue
to Help Transform Philadelphia into “City of Fatherly Love” May 17-18
CHEVY CHASE, MD – April 15, 2024 – The 3rd annual Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F) the first and only festival focused exclusively on promoting the importance of positive Dad/Dad figure involvement for kids and families, will screen a world-class lineup of short and feature films powered by a universal and undeniable truth: involved dads matter – in their presence and their absence. D3F’s virtual film festival takes place May 2-9, on Eventive. The in-person Daddying Film Forum will be in Philadelphia, PA, at the Parkway Central Library on Friday, May 17, from 4-8pm EDT, and at the iconic Mummers Museum on Saturday, May 18, from 10am - 3pm EDT. Passes to all D3F virtual and live events are FREE and available now by registering on Eventive.
Highlighting this year’s live Daddying Film Forum event on May 17 will be a special screening of Daughters, the 2024 Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award winner for best U.S. documentary and winner for Festival Favorite. Directed by Natalie Rae and Girls For A Change founder Angela Patton, Daughters follows the lives of four young girls preparing for the first-ever father/daughter dance in a Washington, DC, correctional facility. Patton will attend the 5/17 D3F event, participate in a live Q&A, and be introduced to Forum attendees by her father.
D3F 2024 boasts 40+ short and feature films focused on the importance of positive father-child relationships from students (elementary through college undergrad), dads/dad figures, and indie filmmakers worldwide. Award-winning indie films, like 2022 SLAMDANCE Grand Jury Award winner Forget Me Not, Garden State Film Fest official selection Two Lives in Pittsburgh, and Cannes Short Film Festival winner Dad Bod will screen during the D3F along with a variety of student- and dad-created short films and videos, including music videos and animations.
Since its inaugural year in 2022, D3F has received submissions from filmmakers in 26 countries. Here is the list of D3F 2024 Official Selections.
WHAT KINDS OF FILMS DOES D3F ACCEPT?
Our relationship with our father – in its presence or absence – is one of the most important relationships in our lives. Because a father's presence or absence most directly impacts kids, D3F offers them a creative outlet to freely express feelings about their relationships with their Dads or Dad figures and, likewise, we provide a complementary opportunity for dads. Student filmmakers (1st graders – college undergrads) and Dads/Dad figures may submit 1- to 10-minute films/videos (MP4 or MOV format), including music videos, documentaries, and animated films, that relate to one or more D3F themes:
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A letter to my dad/father figure or my child(ren)
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The most joyful/fun thing I ever did or wish I could do/have done with my dad/father figure or child(ren)
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If I could make one wish come true for my dad/father figure or child(ren) it would be...
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My Daddy dream: the most positive relationship I could imagine having with my dad/father figure or child(ren)
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Men Caring: celebrating the many other faces of daddying, including men who play nurturing fatherly roles, inspire, and make a positive impact in the lives of children and youth. Examples include foster Dads, adoptive Dads, Granddads, older siblings, coaches, mentors, inspirational philanthropists/celebrities, “big brothers,” and other daddying role models.
Other non-student/indie filmmakers may also submit films of any length (short or feature). Students under 18 must have a parent’s permission to register/submit.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR FINALISTS/WINNERS?
Up to five (5) finalists and one winner will be selected in each of the following D3F 2024 award categories:
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1st through 5th grade (elementary school)
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6th through 8th (middle school)
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9th through 12th (high school)
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College/university (undergrad)
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Best Feature Film (non-student indie filmmakers)
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Best Short Film (indie filmmakers)
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Roy R. Neuberger Prize for Best Dad-created Film
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NEW in 2024: Best Animated Film (all)
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NEW in 2024: Best Music Video (all); and
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NEW in 2024: Best Dad-Figure Film, aka The D3F Men Caring Award sponsored by Equimundo. This may be a film created by a Dad-figure and/or portray a male serving in a nurturing role. (indie filmmakers)
All student FINALISTS earn $250 for use toward an activity or project to enjoy with their Dad/Dad figure. Student WINNERS earn an additional $250, and a custom-made Atticus Award trophy. All D3F winners, including Dads/Dad figures and non-student, indie filmmakers, earn an “Atticus,” a statuette symbolizing Atticus Finch from the 1962 film based on Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird. Finch, an iconic single Dad, represents several ideal daddying qualities. Roy R. Neuberger Prize for Best Dad-Created Film and Men Caring Award winners each earn $500 to use for an activity or project with their child(ren).
After review by student (1st grade - undergraduate) and adult preliminary jurors from around the U.S., trained in evaluating films by KIDS FIRST! and D3F staff, award finalists are selected by a panel of VIP judges, who are experts in film production, the arts and entertainment industry, and academia. Atticus Award winners are selected by public, online vote during Festival week.
DADDYING FILM FORUM
D3F has expanded the live Daddying Film Forum to include a second day of screenings at Philadelphia’s famed Mummers Museum to accommodate this year's increased number of high-quality, feature film selections. The Forum brings children/youth together with their Dads/Dad figures/families to examine thoughts, feelings, and insights in response to D3F Atticus Award-winning and select finalist films. Forum attendees will be able to express those responses through Q&A discussion and other creative means. More details about this year’s Forum event agenda and live film screenings TBA.
D3F CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
D3F works with several national, regional, and local family-friendly organizations, traditional and online media, and festivals to produce our live Forum, distribute information to their networks, and bolster festival submissions. Our D3F 2024 Circle of Friends includes: the Strong Families Commission of PA, Big Picture Alliance, Greater Philadelphia Film Office, All-American High School Film Festival (AAHSFF), Mighty Writers, Equimundo, Fathers Incorporated, Girls For A Change, ParentCamp, 21st Century Dads, National Healthy Start Association, KIDS FIRST! Film Festival, Art of Fatherhood podcast, and National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE).
WHAT IS "DADDYING?"
The word “daddying,” coined by Allan Shedlin in 1994, is what happens when fatherhood and nurturing converge in service to a father’s child. It is a process requiring active involvement and a lifelong commitment to a child’s physical, emotional, social, intellectual, creative, and moral/spiritual well-being.
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ABOUT D3F
The Daddying Film Festival & Forum (D3F), is not your ordinary film fest. It is the world's first and only film festival focused exclusively on promoting the importance of positive Dad involvement for kids and families. D3F was created in 2022 by the DADvocacy Consulting Group’s Daddy Appleseed Fund (DAF) to offer children and youth a stage to express through film/video how they feel about the relationship they have or wish they had with their Dads or Dad figures. D3F also encourages Dads/Dad figures to submit their own films for consideration. D3F includes a live Daddying Film Forum (Philadelphia, PA, in 2024) to discuss themes from D3F-screened films and more directly improve the daddying experience for children and Dads alike. For more information about the D3F and how to get involved as a filmmaker, potential juror, sponsor/Circle of Friends member, or other collaborator, please contact D3F.
MEDIA CONTACT: To request an interview with D3F Founder Allan Shedlin, Daughters co-director/Girls For A Change Founder Angela Patton, or one of D3F’s Circle of Friends members, contact D3F Director of Comms Scott Beller at scott [at] daddyingfilmfest [dot] com
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