Reel to Real
2021 KOTESOL Filmmaking Festival and National Conference
- In Partnership with the Liquid Arts Network -
November 3-7 (Wednesday through Sunday)
"Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it." This advice, Avatar director James Cameron once gave to young directors. It is in this spirit of fun and creativity that we present the first filmmaking festival connected with KOTESOL's National Conference. REEL to REAL is the theme, and we invite students and teachers to present a short film on any subject in their L2. Yes, teachers will also make films in their second language to foster mutual understanding between themselves and their students. This creativity and storytelling comprise the REEL. The second part, the REAL, are presentations by teachers on how to connect with their students in diverse and inclusive ways. The teaching landscape has changed dramatically over the past year, and teachers are encouraged to share their thought and ideas on how to now reach students in this reality, using creativity, gamification, and other means. Let's help each other navigate a new normal.
In this two-streamed event, academic sessions and original creative films will be showcased in tandem. The words spoken in all films should be in any language other than the participants' L1. Students making films will use English, and teachers making films will use a different language of their choice. Student films may be teacher-assisted. Teacher films do not feature students but are creative projects for teachers. English subtitles should be included. Copyright and research ethics apply. We highly value proposals that are related to the theme. Note, for regular conference presentations, we are requiring both written abstracts and video abstracts. For film submissions, a short written description along with the finished film is required.
Please complete our survey in which you can drop questions, and visit our FAQ section. You may make submissions to our regular conference program, our filmmaking festival, or both. The call for submissions to our regular conference program will happen in the spring, and the call for submissions to our filmmaking festival will start in the late summer. There will be film awards; more information will be provided closer to the festival date.
First Call for Conference Session Proposals: Friday, May 14–June 30, 2021
Second Call for Conference Session Proposals: Thursday, September 2–September 30, 2021
Call for Films: July 20 - October 13, 2021
To submit a proposal, please visit our conference website, register your profile, and then follow the instructions for submissions.
Join our Discord server to connect with other conference-goers!
To learn more about our partner, the Liquid Arts Network, please visit their website.
