BronzeLens Film Festival has now opened submissions for its 8th annual festival, to be held August 16-20, 2017.

BLFF was created to promote Georgia as the new film mecca for people of color. “Georgia now ranks third nationally when it comes to film and television production,” says BLFF in an official statement, “generating over $6 billion dollars to the state’s economy on an annual basis. There is a vibrant production community here, from studio films to indies.” According to FilmFreeway BronzeLens ranks “in the top 2.5% of among more than 4,000 film festivals and creative contests around the world.”

Early deadline for submissions is December 31, 2016. Regular deadline is March 31, 2017, with late deadline one month later on April 30.

BronzeLens seeks to showcase films by seasoned as well as the “next generation” of filmmakers that are by, for and/or depicting people of color, particularly of the African Diaspora. The Festival features outstanding films and workshops, Master Classes and Conversations about the art and business of filmmaking. Previous partners have included BET, HBO, OWN, Turner and many others.

Full rules and eligibility can be found at https://filmfreeway.com/festival/BronzeLensFilmFestival