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~ 2018 Moondance Winners Announcements!

by Elizabeth English

MOONDANCE IS THE FILM FESTIVAL WITHOUT BORDERS!

* CONGRATULATIONS *

to all the 2018 Moondance winners, finalists & semi-finalists!

HERE ARE THE MOONDANCE 2018 LISTINGS

~~~ Stay tuned for more info, coming soon! ~~~

Moondancers are part of an amazing worldwide community; a unique collaboration of multi-talented writers, film score composers and filmmakers. The Moondance mission is to entertain, inform, inspire, encourage and educate. We honor those artists who, through their creative work, actively increase awareness, provide multiple viewpoints, address complex social issues, and strengthen ties between international audiences. 

In our continuing success of promoting top-quality original filmmaking, writing and music composition by talented artists from around the world, the Moondance International Film Festival is very pleased to announce that our annual festival competitions have brought in great submissions, in all genres and categories, from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Curaçao, Cyprus, Dubai, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kuwait, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Réunion, Russia, Serbia/Montenegro, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey, UAR, Ukraine, the UK, the US, Venezuela, Wales, and more! Please do join us!

* Thanks a million to all the talented people from around the world who submitted their best work to the 2018 Moondance International Film Festival!

Subscribe now to the Moondance news-blog!
 Our very popular news-blog has festival info, announcements, updates, news, & insider articles.

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

Thank you for watching our winning films & supporting the Moondance!

THREE THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

“The first to apologize is the bravest; the first to forgive is the strongest; the first to forget is the happiest.” ~ Source Unknown

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“The sun, with all those planets revolving around it, and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes, as if it has nothing else in the universe to do.”~ Galileo

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“Forget your perfect offering; there’s a crack in everything…that’s how the light gets in!” ~ Leonard Cohen

 

  • Remember to refresh the Moondance Home Page when visiting!

 

 

 

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~ Big Hugs & a Thank You from the Moondance!

by Elizabeth English

Moondance: The Film Festival Without Borders!

Thanks a million for all your super-talented submissions to the 2018 Moondance competition! 

Winners, finalists & semi-finalists will be announced soon, here & on the festival website…so stay tuned!

Winning & selected 2018 films will be screened in September!

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

Thank you for watching our winning films & supporting the Moondance!

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

www.mommyish.com

“If what Proust says it true, that ‘happiness is the absence of fever’, then I will never know happiness. For I am possessed of a fever for knowledge, experience, beauty and creation.” ~ Anais Nin

 

Andrew Wyeth 

“It is neither wealth nor splendor but tranquility and occupation which give true happiness.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

 

“There are only two days of the year in which nothing can be done. One is called yesterday, and the other is called tomorrow. Today is the right day to love, to believe, to do and to live.” ~ The Dalai Lama

 

 

 

 

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“SURRENDER, DOROTHY!”…

by Elizabeth English

Wizard of Oz, MGM

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

…SUBMIT YOUR FILM, SCRIPT, MUSIC, & BEST WORK TO THE MOONDANCE NOW!

DON’T WAIT ANY LONGER!

WE HAVE EXTENDED THE SUBMISSIONS PERIOD TO JULY 31ST!

2018 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES! 

FEATURE, SHORT, DOCUMENTARY, ANIMATION & DRONE FILMS, FEATURE & SHORT SCREENPLAYS, MUSIC VIDEOS, FILM SCORES & ORIGINAL MUSIC, STAGE PLAYS, SHORT STORIES, TV PILOTS, AND MORE!

We look forward to previewing your submissions!

MOONDANCE WINNING AND SELECTED FILMS FOR 2018 WILL BE SCREENED, SEPTEMBER 21 & 22, IN A BEAUTIFUL THEATRICAL VENUE: THE MAIN SANCTUARY AND FRIENDSHIP HALL OF THE HISTORIC UNITY CHURCH OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS! Oak Park has the distinction of being the former homes of Ernest Hemingway, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and other well-known creative people, such as Richard Bach, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and John Sturges, filmmaker (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape), as well as the notorious Sam Giancana, mafia crime boss.

Oak Park is only 8 minutes by train to the great city of Chicago!

THE WINNING SUBMISSIONS IN ALL CATEGORIES WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN MID-AUGUST AND WINNING & SELECTED FILMS WILL BE SCREENED ON SEPTEMBER 21st & 22nd.

PLAN TO ATTEND THE 2018 MOONDANCE TO SEE OUR WINNING FILMS!

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

Thank you for watching our winning films & supporting the Moondance!

“Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get.” ~ Dale Carnegie

“Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.” ~ Timothy Leary

REMEMBER:

2018 Submissions closing date: July 31st

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~ Some Really BIG NEWS for Moondancers!

by Elizabeth English

Don’t delay! Send in your 2018 submissions to Moondance now! Beat the crowd!

  • THE REALLY BIG NEWS #1: MOONDANCE WINNING AND SELECTED FILMS FOR 2018 WILL BE SCREENED, SEPTEMBER 21 & 22, IN A BEAUTIFUL THEATRICAL VENUE: THE MAIN SANCTUARY OF THE HISTORIC UNITY CHURCH OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS! Oak Park has the distinction of being the former homes of Ernest Hemingway, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and other well-known creative people, such as Richard Bach, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and John Sturges, filmmaker (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape), as well as the notorious Sam Giancana, mafia crime boss.

Oak Park is only 8 minutes by train to the great city of Chicago!

Download a FREE Visitors Guide here!

  • BIG NEWS #2: WE HAVE EXTENDED THE SUBMISSIONS PERIOD TO JULY 31ST! THE WINNING SUBMISSIONS IN ALL CATEGORIES WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN MID-AUGUST AND WINNING & SELECTED FILMS WILL BE SCREENED SEPTEMBER 21st & 22nd. PLAN TO ATTEND THE 2018 MOONDANCE TO SEE THE FILMS!

 

2018 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

Submissions closing date: July 31st

CATEGORIES: FEATURE, SHORT, DOCUMENTARY, ANIMATION & DRONE FILMS, FEATURE & SHORT SCREENPLAYS, MUSIC VIDEOS, FILM SCORES & ORIGINAL MUSIC, STAGE PLAYS, SHORT STORIES, TV PILOTS, WORKS BY & FOR KIDS, AND MORE!

We look forward to previewing your submissions!

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

Thank you for watching our winning films & supporting the Moondance!

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Photo by Atmo, Wildquest.com

Swimming with the wild dolphins underwater is an unforgettable experience. It’s a moment where past meets future. The moment of Now. Being a guest in their world is a humbling experience and when they choose to connect with us our hearts are filled with unconditional love. Its a moment of bliss. Dolphin Bliss.

www.wildquest.com

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

REMEMBER:

2018 Submissions closing date: July 31st

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~ THE MOONDANCE BIG CHANGES IN JUNE!

by Elizabeth English

The Film Festival Without Borders!

The June Full Moon is called the Full Strawberry Moon. This Full Moon got its name from the Algonquin tribes who knew it as a signal to gather the delicious ripening fruit of wild strawberries.

2018 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

Extended submissions closing date: July 31st

FEATURE, SHORT, DOCUMENTARY, ANIMATION & DRONE FILMS, FEATURE & SHORT SCREENPLAYS, FILM SCORES & ORIGINAL MUSIC, SHORT STORIES, TV PILOTS, AND MORE!

WEBSITE: moondancefilmfestival.com

2018 ENTRY FORM

2018 FILMFREEWAY SUBMISSIONS

 

We look forward to previewing your submissions!

Big Change #1: Moondance winning and selected films for 2018 will be screened in a local theatrical venue. (We just weren’t happy with the films being online on Vimeo in 2017.)

Big Change #2: We have extended the submissions period a month to July 31st! The winning submissions in all categories will be announced in mid-August and winning & selected films will be screened in late September.

 

 

 

THE MOONDANCE E-ZINE ARTICLES!

Don’t miss reading all the great filmmaking & writing articles written by the pros exclusively for Moondance. Read about: how to win a screenplay competition; how to win a film festival competition; winning titles & loglines for films & scripts; screenplay submissions; movie script writing; writing character, dialog & action; how to get an agent; what Hollywood wants to see; directing indie films, documentaries, short films, animation; film scores; stage plays; short stories; TV MOW; TV pilots; kids films; music videos; radio plays, and more!

MOONDANCE SUPPORTS:

GreenWave is an ocean farmer and fisherman-run organization dedicated to building a new blue-green economy that creates jobs, mitigates climate change and grows healthy food for local communities. GreenWave’s 3D Ocean Farming model was named as one of the 25 Best Inventions of 2017 by TIME Magazine, and GreenWave’s Founder, Bren Smith, was named one of 25 People Shaping the Future by Rolling Stone. “This is only the beginning. There are 10,000 edible plants in the ocean.” Underwater vertical farming may become the future of food, thanks to commercial fisherman Bren Smith, who invented a sustainable way to produce seafood. Learn more about the project in this VIDEO:

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PANGOLINS ARE THE MOST ILLEGALLY TRADED MAMMAL IN THE WORLD. WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

Pangolins are the only mammals that are covered in scales. Pangolin scales are made of keratin, just like our finger nails, and make up 20 % of their body weight. When it is threatened, a pangolin will curl itself into a tight ball, which is impenetrable to predators. This unique mammal can consume up to 20,000 ants a day. That’s about 73 million ants a year! Pangolins can close their ears and nostrils using strong muscles to protect them from ant attacks. 

They have long, sticky tongues, which are often longer than their body and attached near its pelvis and last pair of ribs. If a pangolin fully extends its tongue, it is longer than the animal’s head and body! Pangolins are hunted for meat, for use in traditional medicine, as pets, and as fashion accessories. 

The large-scale illegal trade in pangolins is drastically driving down their numbers. It is estimated that since 2000, more than 1 million pangolins have been traded illegally at the international level, which makes them the most trafficked wild mammal in the world. All 8 species of pangolins are threatened with extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). These protections will not stop the pangolin poaching crisis alone. Much more work needs to be done to stop the killing, trafficking, and demand for pangolins.

Pangolins are difficult to maintain without expert care and thus rarely survive in captivity. It is crucial that conservation efforts focus on the areas where pangolins are being hunted, to stop their removal from the wild.

DONATE!

Make a donation to help support pangolin conservation today.

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA

Thank you for watching our winning films & supporting the Moondance!

SOMETHING TO CONSIDER:

Waterhouse “Narcissus”

“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.” ~ Khalil Gibran

REMEMBER:

Extended submissions closing date: July 31st!

 

 

ANTHONY BOURDAIN, Rest in Peace

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~ Join the Film Festival Without Borders!

by Elizabeth English

The Film Festival Without Borders!

“No borders; just horizons!” ~ Amelia Earhart

2018 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

FEATURE, SHORT, DOCUMENTARY, ANIMATION & DRONE FILMS, FEATURE & SHORT SCREENPLAYS, FILM SCORES & ORIGINAL MUSIC, SHORT STORIES, TV PILOTS,  AND MORE!

2018 FILMFREEWAY SUBMISSIONS

https://filmfreeway.com/MoondanceInternationalFilmFestival

Being fearless, Moondance is where monotonous conformity is considered mediocrity, and extravagant individualism, innovation, uniqueness and experimentation is encouraged, awarded and applauded!

We look forward to previewing your submissions!

RULES FOR THE BLUES

Most Blues begin, “Woke up this mornin’…”

Iconic blues musician, Howlin’ Wolf

Blues cars: Chevys and Cadillacs and broken down trucks. Blues don’t travel in Volvos, BMWs, or Sport Utility Vehicles. Most Blues transportation is a Greyhound bus or a southbound train. Jet aircraft and state-sponsored motor pools ain’t even in the running. Walkin’ plays a major part in the blues lifestyle. So does fixin’ to die.

Teenagers can’t sing the Blues. They ain’t fixin’ to die yet. Adults sing the Blues. In Blues, adulthood means being old enough to get the electric chair if you shoot a man in Memphis.

Blues can take place in New York City, but not in Hawaii or any place in Canada. Hard times in St. Paul or Tucson is just depression. Chicago, St.Louis, and Kansas City still the best places to have the Blues. You cannot have the blues in any place that don’t get rain.

Breaking your leg ‘cuz you skiing is not the blues. Breaking your leg ‘cuz a’ alligator be chomping on it is. You cain’t have no Blues in a office or shopping mall. The lighting is wrong. Go outside in the back to sit by a dumpster.

Good places for the Blues: lonesome dirt road or highway, jailhouse, empty bed. Bad places: Ashrams, gallery openings, Ivy League institutions, golf courses

No one will believe it’s the Blues if you wear a suit, ‘less you happen to be a’ old black man, and you slept in it. Do you have the right to sing the Blues? Yes, if: you’re older than dirt, you’re blind, you shot a man in Memphis, you can’t be satisfied. NO if: you have all your teeth, you were once blind but now can see, the man in Memphis lived, you have a retirement plan or trust fund.

Acceptable Blues beverages are: bad wine, bad whiskey or bad bourbon, moonshine, swamp water, black coffee. The following are NOT Blues beverages: mixed drinks, wine coolers, Snapple, mimosas, sparkling water.

If it occurs in a cheap motel, behind a dumpster, in a shotgun shack, or next to the train tracks, it’s a Blues death. Stabbed in the back by a jealous lover is another Blues way to die. So is the electric chair, substance abuse, and dying lonely on a broken down cot. You can’t have a Blues death if you die during a tennis match, in a spa or hot-tub, or while getting liposuction.

Persons with names like Sierra, Sequoia, and Rainbow can’t sing the Blues no matter how many men they shoot in Memphis.

I don’t care how tragic your life: if you own a computer or cell-phone, you cannot sing the blues. You best destroy it – with fire, a spilled bottle of Mad Dog, or get out a shotgun. Maybe your big woman just done sat on it.

…and I don’t care!

Excerpted & edited from John Morrison’s Swing City website

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

Moondance congratulates the newlyweds!

Harry and Megan now have the titles of Duke of and Duchess of Sussex, a nod to the last Duke of Sussex, Prince Augustus Frederick, a son of King George III who supported the abolition of slavery and also backed civil rights for Jews and political dissidents.

 

“Barak and I have always believed in the power of storytelling to inspire us, to make us think differently about the world around us, and to help us open our minds and hearts to others.” ~ Michelle Obama

 

“Keep throwing those darts at the dartboard. Don’t listen to the critics…” ~ Will Ferrell

 

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~ THE 2018 MOONDANCE FILM FESTIVAL COMPETITION!

by Elizabeth English

Seek beauty, truth, harmony…the promise of the future and the blessings of today. Live well, laugh often, love much, gain the respect & the love of children; fill your niche, accomplish your tasks; leave the world better than you found it. Appreciate Earth’s beauties & express it. Look for the best in others and give the best you have.

2018 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

FEATURE, SHORT, DOCUMENTARY, ANIMATION & DRONE FILMS, FEATURE & SHORT SCREENPLAYS, FILM SCORES & ORIGINAL MUSIC, SHORT STORIES, TV PILOTS, AND MORE!

WEBSITE: moondancefilmfestival.com

2018 ENTRY FORM

2018 FILMFREEWAY SUBMISSIONS

 

We look forward to previewing your submissions!

INSIDER INFO:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: TITLES & LOGLINES

by Elizabeth English

Have a fabulous, unique idea for a movie? That’s wonderful, but you need to know how to turn your great story into a great logline. There is and always has been only one real secret to success in the entertainment industry: Tell a great story. Period. And you need to figure out how to tell that fabulous story in only 25 words or less! You need to learn how to get your script idea enthusiastically read by an agent and then a producer, director and actors. Learn what they look for in a title and logline. Your first impression to these movers and shakers is all about the fine art of pitching your film or screenplay, your TV series concept, your film, or story idea, via your eye-catching and memorable title and logline.

“SELL THE SIZZLE; NOT JUST THE STEAK!”

 A great title for your film or screenplay is the first (and maybe only) introduction to an agent, a producer, director or studio. “You’ve got 3 minutes; pitch me what you’ve got,” is what you’ll hear from the entertainment industry movers & shakers who might buy your project. But you probably wouldn’t even get that meeting or a reply to your query letter, if you didn’t have an interesting title and logline that caught their eye. READ MORE HERE:

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

“90BPM” A surreal comedy

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

“I am not what happened to me; I am what I choose to become.” ~ Carl Jung

 

“Choose to live by choice, not by chance. Make changes, not excuses. Be motivated, not manipulated. Be useful, not used. Choose self-esteem and listen to your inner voice.”

 

IN MEMORIAM:

  

MARTY CUNY, MOONDANCER

MARTY CUNY was known for his stunt & crew work on the films Thunderheart (1992) and Crazy Horse (1996). Marty, an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation where he was delivered by his grandmother. Among his many accomplishments, Marty excelled in screenwriting. Focusing on both fiction and non-fiction, his screenplays have been featured at the Moondance International Film Festival, Boulder, Colorado. Marty also attended the film festival annually and always gave a traditional Lakota Blessing Ceremony, and one year, as he was finishing the blessing, a double rainbow suddenly appeared overhead, to the amazement of the festival-goers gathered there.

For the past 45 years Marty Cuny has been making dolls and other traditional styled craftwork. With awards from the Red Cloud Indian Art Show and pieces in collections coast-to-coast – including the Smithsonian – Marty continued to use his art to tell the story that might otherwise be lost. He learned the craft from watching and learning the techniques of beading from his grandparents. They  taught him the basics of  how to use the leather, beads, feathers, rawhide and horsehair. His inspiration  in creating his work is drawn from dreams and a desire to incorporate what  had occurred in history, and  the knowledge that he could share with the people who have come to appreciate the culture  and  history of the Lakota people. Marty Cuny, National award-winning artist, writer and actor. made his journey to the Spirit World on March 24, 2017.

 

 

 

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Moondance Welcomes the Merry Month of May!

by Elizabeth English

 

The Film Festival Without Borders!

“You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry. Don’t worry. And be sure to stop and smell the flowers along the way.” ~ Walter Hagen

2018 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

FEATURE, SHORT, DOCUMENTARY, ANIMATION & DRONE FILMS, FEATURE & SHORT SCREENPLAYS, STAGE PLAYS, FILM SCORES & ORIGINAL MUSIC, SHORT STORIES, TV PILOTS, AND MORE!

2018 FILMFREEWAY SUBMISSIONS: https://filmfreeway.com/MoondanceInternationalFilmFestival

We look forward to previewing your submissions!

A FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

“When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud, ether.” ~ Leo Burnett

 

Vincent Van Gogh “Wheatfield With Crows”

“Creativity is allowing oneself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” ~ Scott Adams

Please be sure to check out our very popular Moondance magazine articles HERE!  Don’t miss reading all the great filmmaking & writing articles written by the pros exclusively for Moondance. Read about: how to win a screenplay competition; how to win a film festival competition; winning titles & loglines for films & scripts; screenplay submissions; movie script writing; writing character, dialog & action; composing winning film scores; how to get an agent; what Hollywood wants to see; directing indie films…and more!

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

Thank you for watching our winning films & supporting the Moondance!

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~ Moondance Extends Early-bird Discount!

by Elizabeth English

~~~ The Film Festival Without Borders! ~~~

The early bird gets the worm!

2018 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

The early-bird discounted entry fee has been extended through April

MOONDANCE INFO

2018 MOONDANCE ENTRY FORM

2018 FILMFREEWAY ENTRY FORM

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

Thank you for watching our winning films & supporting the Moondance!

A FEW THINGS TO THINK ABOUT:

“Freedom” by Zenos Frudakis

“Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows.” ~ Pope Paul VI

 

“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” ~ Audrey Hepburn

 

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls, and looks like work.” ~ Thomas Edison

 

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Moondance Celebrates Spring: EARLY-BIRD Call-for-entries!

by Elizabeth English

The Film Festival Without Borders!

C’mon in!

2018 CALL-FOR-ENTRIES!

Submit your work right now to take advantage of the $25 early-bird entry fee! And, due to popular request, we have extended the early-bird discounted entry fee through April 30!

The Moondance selected film screenings are online-only! All winning & selected films will screen on our own Vimeo Pro site. Now our best films will have the opportunity for not only a one-time local theater screening but also an international audience of many thousands of viewers, on a computer or any mobile device, for a long time to come, instead of maybe an audience of 50-100 or so, screened only once at a local film festival’s theatrical venue. This is truly today’s preferred, state-of-the-art & most important global networking, promotional & networking advantage!

Please watch this inspiring Moondance winning music video directed by Moondance award-winner Lou Hamilton: flash mob in London’s Trafalgar Square to bring public awareness of child sex trafficking and exploitation.

 

If of thy worldly goods thou art bereft

And from thy slender store

Two loaves alone to thee are left,

Sell one, and with the dole,

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

~ Saadi (1184-1283), Persian poet

MOONDANCERS WRITE US:

• “I am glad to know that MOONDANCE continues to be a bright star on the international film festival circuit.” ~ Chris Nebe, Moondance award-winning documentary filmmaker

• “You still have one of the most respected film and creative venues for aspiring whomever who actually do real work,  and the global response seems to know it.” ~ Gino Mateo, Canada, Moondance award-winning writer

PLEASE WATCH ALL OUR 2017 WINNING FILMS HERE!

Thank you for watching our winning films

& supporting the Moondance!

 

 

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