The Hot Clown Film Festival was created by members of the Hot Clown Company for two main reasons: to build and showcase the clown community, and to explore the role of clown in film. This is the first year of the only clown-focused film festival in the Midwest, and potentially the entire United States. Through this festival, we hope to honor the rich history of clown and slapstick on the silver screen, while examining the next steps in clown film. We aim to feature the talent and wit of all the artists, filmmakers, and clowns in our community.
The definition of clown film is a lot like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart’s test for obscenity: we can’t define it, but we know it when we see it! That being said, here are a few things we will be watchful of when reviewing submissions:
- Failure is the soul of clown performance. How does your film address failure?
- How is physical comedy used in your film?
- Aesthetic. Not all clowns wear red noses or have big feet, but some do! How does the aesthetic of your film contribute to the clown genre? We will check to see what about your film looks clown.
Official Selection:
Once you submit your film, our esteemed panel of clown judges will watch and review your project. The highest rated films in each category will become finalists and will join the Official Selection of films to be screened at our live event. All selected films will receive a HCFF laurel, with official award titles to be announced at the live event in 2024.
Semifinalists:
In addition to the Official Selection, the festival will distinguish a selection of films as semi-finalists. All semi-finalist projects will be shared on our online platforms leading up to the live event and will receive a corresponding laurel.
Categories:
- Micro-Gags: 0-3 minutes
- Gags: 3-8 minutes
- Not Only Short Entries (NOSEs): 8-15 minutes