For the first time in the history of the FilmDayton Festival, the organization is welcoming international open submissions.

Features will remain by invitation-only, but short films (those under 30 minutes in length) may be submitted for consideration in the following genres: Narrative, Documentary, Ohio, Horror, Experimental/Animation.

Comedy Shorts under 5 minutes should be considered for submission to “Flick My Clip” — a selection of super short comedy films curated by Ryan Singer. A separate admission process for these films will be announced shortly.

The festival is slated for Friday, Aug. 23 to Sunday, Aug. 25, with the majority of the screenings at The Neon in downtown Dayton. In addition to features and shorts, the festival also includes panel discussions, Q&As, a Pitch-It competition and social/networking opportunities.

All this information and more is available at the online submission page at Withoutabox.com.

You can also contact David Temmesfeld, festival shorts coordinator, at: filmdaytonfestival@gmail.com