Labour Party Films Brings First Annual Film Fest To Beverly

The first annual Beverly Film Festival is all about creativity and the celebration of art. 

Hosted by Labour Party Films (LPF), a full service film and video production company based on Cabot Street, the festival is open to student films, short films, and features. The festival will take place the weekend of Nov. 9. 

LPF's director/cinematographer Per Hanson said he's wanted to do a film festival in Beverly since 2010, back when the business was operating in a small editing suite above Chianti Restaurant. 

Once LPF moved into a bigger venue at 296 Cabot St., the opportunity presented itself. 

"We're trying to find some stuff that fits the criteria of good storytelling, and hopefully we're going to get something that seems interesting and original," he said. 

Submissions have rolled in from California, Texas, and Seattle so far, and while Hanson said he'd like to see some local participants, the festival will still go on either way. 

"Hopefully this is a way to get some of the local people who are into film out to show themselves," he said. "I don't know who they are, but I know they're out there."

Film festival prizes include a $500 cash prize for Best Feature Film and a $200 cash prize for Best Short Film.

Hanson, a Beverly resident since 2007, said he hopes to make Beverly more of a destination by hosting events like film screenings, open mic nights, and live events at the studio.

"I was out in Los Angeles for a dozen years and there were always theaters showing older films," he said. "I missed being able to see a mix of genres from a mix of eras any given night." 

LPF's daily film screenings are shown in their 50-seat theater, and mostly feature classic, independent, foreign, and cult films. Over the summer, films shown included Pulp Fiction, Zodiac, and Woodstock.

Check out the film schedule here. 

Film Festival Submission Costs:

• Student Films= $25 (any length)
• Short Films= $35 (less than 60 minutes)
• Feature Films= $65 (60 minutes or more)

To Enter:

Fill out our submission form located here and please send it, along with each submission (in it's own separate package), full payment (check only) and any press materials you may have to the address below:

Beverly Film Festival
c/o LPF Studio
296A Cabot Street
Beverly, MA 01915.

Beverly Film Festival prefers online entries submitted via Withoutabox.com, which provides cost-saving, paperless submission to film festivals around the world. Withoutabox's internet-only submission platform features online applications via one master entry form, online fee payments, press kits, and the option to use Secure Online Screeners, an economical, eco-friendly, and secure alternative to traditional hard-copy DVD submissions.