Announcing The PyGotham Film Festival

PyGotham is back for 2022 with our next iteration of the PyGotham TV conference format.

What is The PyGotham Film Festival?

PyGotham is a regional Python conference that has been serving the Python community in New York City and beyond since 2011. In 2020 and 2021, the conference became PyGotham TV, an online-only event that encouraged presenters to re-imagine their conference talks as television shows or broadcasts. In keeping with our tradition of being quite different, The PyGotham Film Festival takes that theme a step further.

We hope to make The PyGotham Film Festival the first conference of its kind (that we know of). We’re asking presenters to pitch short films instead of standard tech talks. PyGotham has always asked for talks covering “anything that would be of interest to the Python community”, and this year is no different. So long as your film’s topic is relevant to members of the Python community, it’s up for proposal and consideration. PyGotham typically includes presentations on topics such as web and systems development, machine learning and data science, tech ethics, and community building. These categories of topics (and more) are all still welcome at this year’s festival, and we invite presenters to view them through a different lens than they normally might. See the list below for examples of the kinds of talks we hope to accept:

What are the requirements?

Submit your proposal by 1pm EST on Friday, July 1, 2022.
All films must abide by our Code of Conduct.
Films must be of interest to the Python community. These interests are vast and varied, so don’t let this discourage you! Have an idea and want to discuss it with the organizers? You can reach us at program@pygotham.org. As general guidelines:
- A film about the impacts of technology and the kind of work that the Python community may participate in is a good fit. A romantic comedy or horror film without Pythonic or other technological themes may not be.
- A dramatic depiction of a Python tool or feature is a good fit. One that is specific to another programming language not applicable to Python or technology in general may not be.
- A parody of an existing type of film or television show that ties into Python-related topics is a good fit. A shot-for-shot remake of an existing Monty Python skit is not.
Films must be between five and twenty-five minutes long.
Content should be suitable for all ages. In addition to our code of conduct requirement, films should be family and workplace friendly, as PyGotham’s audience spans all ages.
Specific file format and other technical requirements will follow.

How can the organizers help me with my film?

We’re glad you asked! We want to help everyone make the best film possible. Here are a couple of ways in which we can do that:

Organizers will be available to discuss your proposal with you to make sure it’s a good fit for the festival and answer any questions you have regarding how or if a topic is suitable.
The festival can help with modest funding requirements upon request. If your film is within reach but lacking a specific piece of gear, we’ll do our best to work with you to make it happen.

I have another question!

Feel free to contact the team at organizers@pygotham.org.