$350 bucks makes this one of the most expensive fests around... I can't say that feels very filmmaker-friendly (from someone who has spend several thousand dollars in the last 18 months collecting rejections slips.)
Didn't mean to sound negative, just think that the festival circuit has become an industry unto itself.
But that said... (maybe this deserves a new thread.)
What about a "Public Media Awards" (like INPUT, but not US only)? This could celebrate the year's best programming across radio, TV and web in multiple categories.
And... if the awards program was simulcast on TV, radio and web, it would be a great way to remind the public, legislators and stakeholders of the mission and value of public media.
Colin, you might like to invite Amy Shumaker into this discussion -- she 's US Input national coordinator. Wonder if they ever considered an awards function?