I submitted two films to the Women's Film Festival, which is run by Excelsior Studios, and my experience was extremely concerning. The festival's advertised details -- including notification dates, event dates, and the in-person venue -- changed multiple times without proper communication. The venue listed (Rocketown in Nashville) had no record of the event, and the festival ultimately admitted it would only be an online awards stream, despite collecting submission fees for an in-person, two-day festival.
When I asked for clarification, I received unprofessional and contradictory responses. After documenting the issues, FilmFreeway stepped in and issued me a full refund.
Additionally, I discovered that this was not the first time Excelsior Studios had taken money for services that were not delivered as advertised. The pattern was consistent enough that I feel a responsibility to warn other filmmakers and artists to proceed with caution.
I hope Excelsior Studios improves their transparency and professionalism going forward, but based on my experience, I cannot recommend submitting work or booking services through them without very careful verification. read more