The Last Light is a fictional exercise, not a completed film or an award winner. These lessons do not verify current event rules.
A template helps you think and gather information. Submission copy should let the reader find the answer immediately. An .en filename does not mean the document is free of instructions or suitable for every application.
Complete, select, clean
A working document may contain “Insert title”, “Describe the protagonist and obstacle”, or “Delete these notes before submission”. First supply the real facts, then select the material required by the form, and finally remove author-facing instructions.
For the fictional exercise, clean copy could look like this:
The Last Light — Logline
On her neighbourhood cinema’s final night, a veteran projectionist must finish its farewell screening before the ten o’clock closure. When the projector lamp fails, she has to find another way to give her waiting neighbours a final show.
This remains fictional teaching text, not a film you may claim as your own. It demonstrates the shape of clean copy: a title and an answer, without drafting instructions or blank lines.
Check five things
Consistent facts. Match the title, credits, final runtime and completion date across the application, poster, subtitles and attachments. The exercise’s 04:20 runtime is not a default for real projects. Distinguish legitimate version differences from errors.
Clean content. Search for placeholders such as “insert”, “replace”, “TBD” and square brackets. Resolve genuinely unknown information rather than deleting evidence of uncertainty. Check tracked changes, comments, document properties, hidden text and unintended personal information.
The right answer in the right field. Keep the synopsis, statement, AI disclosure and release history distinct. Follow word, character and page limits separately. Do not invent missing required facts or sign a declaration you cannot support. Supply only the attachments requested or permitted.
Working files and links. Check the required subtitles, container, aspect ratio, file size and formats. Play the final export in another player or on another device and inspect exported PDFs page by page. Test a screener while signed out of your own account, with the access settings and expiry required by the organiser. Avoid accidentally publishing a film while testing access.
A traceable receipt. Save the submission time and time zone, film version, category, entry number, payment receipt when applicable, confirmation email and supplied files. Uploading, paying and completing an application may be separate steps.
A cover letter must stay factual
When one is requested, write for the actual recipient and category. Explain the fit without inventing credits, awards or a relationship with the festival. A template’s suggested length, such as 150–250 words, is not an official requirement.
Check premiere declarations against your real release history and AI statements against real production records. A signature field does not establish permissions. Keep unresolved material in your working folder until it is checked.
Do not upload all 33 files. The kit’s instructions, metadata and internal checklists are not submission attachments unless the organiser specifically asks for them.
Use this with your event kit
Replace the fictional facts with your own records. Remove teaching notes and follow the organiser’s current form before submitting.
Open submission kits ↗