LEARN MORE ABOUT POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH

• The Boulder Crest Foundation Resource Center
• #Choosegrowth
• What is Trauma? (Video)

THEMES TO EXPLORE

The below is not an exhaustive list. It should functions as thought starters. We all experience story and art differently. So long as you feel your video resonates with the elements of Posttraumatic Growth, submit your video and tell us why.

• The Hero's Journey
• Healthy people help people.
• Transformative positive growth in the face of trauma or pain.
• Witnessing a loved one's trauma, and subsequent healing transformation.
• Healing through community.
• Choosing growth instead of resigning oneself to a diagnosis.
• Finding power through pain and using failure as fuel.

JUDGES' PANEL

• Ken Falke (Founder and Chairman - Boulder Crest Foundation): Ken Falke is a retired Master Chief Petty Officer with 21 years of service in the U.S. Navy Special Operations Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community. A highly respected leader, Ken executed thousands of high-risk operations and made over 1,000 parachute jumps and underwater military dives. As a serial entrepreneur, he founded four companies, including A-T Solutions, a global leader in counter-terrorism training and consulting, recognized by Inc. 500 and Entrepreneur Magazine. He also founded the Boulder Crest Foundation, dedicated to supporting veterans and their families through Posttraumatic Growth.

• Wendy Finerman (Producer): Wendy Finerman is an independent film and television producer. She made history in 1994 as the first solo female producer to win the Academy Award for Best Picture with Forrest Gump, which earned six Oscars and remains one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Her credits include The Devil Wears Prada, P.S. I Love You, Stepmom, and Drumline, with her films collectively grossing over $1.6 billion worldwide. She has received a BAFTA Award and 160 award nominations throughout her career.

• Taryn Greene, Ph.D. (Director of Research - Boulder Crest Institute, Health Psychologist): A former Air Force Intelligence Officer and two-tour Afghanistan veteran, Taryn Greene is a Health Psychologist specializing in resilience, trauma recovery, and PTG. She has published research with Dr. Tedeschi and Dr. Moore on fostering PTG in first responders, military members, and veterans. Her expertise includes positive psychology, trauma-informed care, and program evaluation, with a focus on applied research for military, refugee, and immigrant communities overcoming adversity.

• Jon Huertas (Actor & Director): While most known for his roles as Miguel Rivas in This Is Us (NBC) and Detective Javier Esposito in Castle (ABC), Jon Hueartas also starred as Sgt. Tony “Poke” Espera in HBO’s Generation Kill, a role he considers his most meaningful as a military veteran. As a filmmaker, Jon has directed episodes of Ballard (Amazon), Tracker (CBS), The Irrational (NBC), The Rookie (ABC), The Company You Keep (ABC), and more. He produces narrative and documentary films and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Recently, he produced Lena Headey’s feature debut The Trap and is set to direct Rock Bottom Express and Defensas.

• Josh Plasse (Actor, Writer, Producer): Josh Plasse is known for his dynamic roles in films like Wildflower and The Resurrection of Charles Manson, as well as RIDE, which he wrote, produced, and starred in. Originally pursuing a career in homeland security and criminal justice, Josh discovered his passion for storytelling while studying theater in college. Growing up in Virginia Beach with a Navy SEAL father and a Physician’s Assistant mother, his diverse experiences continue to shape his authentic approach to filmmaking. His notable television credits include iCarly, Grey’s Anatomy, All American, The Baxters, and Tyler Perry’s All the Queen’s Men. With a dedication to creating impactful stories that inspire and amplify diverse voices, Josh continues to leave his mark in the entertainment industry. 

• Jake Allyn (Actor, Writer, Director):  A true multi-hyphenate, Jake Allyn is currently filming Clean Hands, his second directorial feature, starring Zach Braff and Esther McGregor. His debut film, Ride, which he co-wrote and starred in, streams on Paramount+ and won Variety’s “Critic’s Pick” and the Western Heritage Award for Best Movie. As an actor, Jake will next appear in HBO’s Emmy-winning The Last of Us and currently recurs on CBS’s S.W.A.T.. He has also starred in The Baxters on Amazon Prime, appeared in Venom: The Last Dance, and led IFC’s No Man’s Land alongside Andie MacDowell and George Lopez.

• J.R. Martinezis an Army veteran, burn survivor, actor, motivational speaker, New York Times best-selling author, podcast host, and Dancing with the Stars season 13 winner. J.R. has traveled the world speaking with troops at various bases and has served as a keynote speaker for numerous Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, associations, and universities. J.R. devotes himself to spreading his message of resilience and optimism.

• Matt Iseman is a doctor turned comedian who’s best known for hosting American Ninja Warrior for 16 seasons. He’s the winner of the New Celebrity Apprentice with Arnold Schwarzenegger and the host of the GoldZone that has all the action for the Olympics.

• Lori McCreary (Producer): Lori McCreary is the CEO of Revelations Entertainment, the company she co-founded with Morgan Freeman to produce truth-driven film and TV content. A producer and UCLA-trained computer scientist, McCreary has credits ranging from Invictus and Madam Secretary to The Story of God and the upcoming Rendezvous with Rama directed by Denis Villeneuve. A pioneer in digital distribution, she co-launched the first streaming service, ClickStar, and has long championed the intersection of storytelling and emerging tech, including VR and AI. McCreary is President Emeritus of the PGA and serves on the AFI Board of Trustees.

• Shakira Barrera (Actress): Shakira Barrera is an actress, dancer, and producer from Englewood, New Jersey. She is best known for her role as “Yolanda” aka “Yo-Yo” on Netflix’s Emmy-nominated Glow (2018), for which she and the rest of the cast received a Screen Actors Guild nomination. Shakira graduated from Rutgers University with a B.F.A. in Dance from the Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick, New Jersey. She will next appear in Marvel’s highly anticipated series Ironheart.

  
  

Maximum acceptable film runtime has been extended from 10 minutes to 20 minutes. This means films can now be up to 20 minutes long. 

We have changed the max number of submission from 1 per account to the Tongal standard of up to 5 unique entries.

Your story is never fully written. Even when your core beliefs are challenged and life seems forever changed by that trauma, it's possible to continue on to live a life filled with hope and purpose again. Boulder Crest Foundation offers life-changing programs free of charge to members of the military, veterans, first responder communities, and their families. These programs teach participants who have experienced trauma to achieve Posttraumatic Growth (PTG), becoming stronger because of—NOT in spite of—that struggle. Through their Choose Growth initiative, Boulder Crest has partnered with Atlantic Pictures to run this contest to spread awareness of PTG to new and broader audiences. Storytelling is an integral part of the process in addition to its inherent, tremendous capacity to introduce the world to new perspectives and drive change. The goal of this contest is to identify the top films that embody the theme of Posttraumatic Growth in order to broaden understanding and awareness of it.

Whether or not you know it, you've probably heard of the Hero's Journey. Like the Hero's Journey, those who experience PTG must respond to their call to change, crossing the threshold of their ordinary world, in order to take the road back — ultimately emerging stronger and wiser. Through processing trauma they experience positive growth because of what they learned through this transformation, much like the journey our favorite movie characters take. It's about transforming your life for the positive from the lessons you gained, forged in the fire of struggle. 

This contest calls storytellers to share stories that embody transformative personal change in ways that relate back to themes of Posttraumatic Growth, even if presented in a format outside the traditional cinematic structure. Your project may take the form of a fiction or nonfiction narrative short film, personal or third-person testimonial, experimental or abstract film, or use animation or mixed media pieces. This list is not exhaustive, however, so get creative. The format and medium you choose are limited only by the requirement that they must somehow relate back to the overarching themes of Posttraumatic Growth. 

Ideally, we'd love to see new content created specifically for this contest; however, we are open to pieces that have not premiered publicly before March 24, 2024. So, if you have a project that's been sitting unfinished that perfectly fits the call, this is your sign to finish it! In your submission, in addition to the finished piece, we ask that you also include a concise written explanation as to how it relates to Posttraumatic Growth, and why you choose to submit it as part of this contest.

The work doesn't end after you submit! Shortly after submissions close, there will be a public voting phase open to anyone who creates a Tongal account. The public voting phase will consist of a group of semi-finalists chosen by the project team, results of  which will be factored into the final selection of finalists. Following public voting, the top films will be sent to a panel of industry judges to select the finalists. The winning films will be announced on June 13, and will be screened the first week of July. In addition to the Grand Prize, 2nd, and 3rd Place prizes, there will be special PTG awards as outlined below.

• The Appreciation for Life Award: Honoring stories that celebrate a renewed sense of gratitude and a deeper appreciation for life’s moments after adversity.
• Deeper Relationship Award: Recognizing narratives that highlight the power of connection, empathy, and strengthened relationships in the wake of challenges.
• The New Possibilities Award: For creators who explore how adversity can lead to unexpected opportunities, new paths, or reimagined futures.
• The Personal Strength Award: Celebrating stories that showcase determination and the discovery of inner strength through hardship.
• The Spiritual & Existential Change Award: Awarded to films that reflect profound shifts in perspective, meaning-making, or personal belief systems following trauma.

By submitting, you maintain full ownership of your work. Additionally, you grant Boulder Crest and Choose Growth a non-exclusive right to share your video on their websites, social media, and other communication channels to help promote the contest and the message of PTG.

Check out more information in the Background, and for any questions or other project updates, check out the Project Forum.

EXPECTED TIMELINE: 

• Open for Submissions:  April 4 - May 23
• Public Voting: May 30 - June 6
• Judges' Voting: June 6 - June 12
• Winner's Announcement: June 13
• Screening at Soho House: First week of July

EXPOSURE: We expect content will be used on the platforms below, but if casting talent, be sure they review our required Talent Release before they're cast, as it is NOT limited to these platforms. You should also review our Music providers in the Project Requirements, as well as the platform best practices.

• Screening at Soho House in New York
• Boulder Crest Foundation website, Youtube, social media, and communication channels
• Choose Growth website, social media, and communication channels

  
  

TARGET AUDIENCE: 

• Primary: Those impacted by trauma, whether directly themselves or through family and friends who have experienced trauma.
• Secondary: The broader public, expanding awareness of the positive approach to trauma recovery created through PTG and championed by organizations such as the Boulder Crest Foundation.

TONE/FEEL: 

• Growth, healing, transformation
• Uplifting, hopeful, positive
• Strength, persistence through pain

EXECUTIONAL MANDATORIES:

• Films must be no longer than 10 20 minutes.
• Your film must not have had a public premiere prior to March 24, 2024.
• Entries must not contain gratuitous depictions of trauma, suffering, or distress without a clear purpose that aligns with the themes of PTG.
• Entries should avoid glorifying victimhood, revenge, or narratives that do not align with the ethos of growth, healing, and transformation. 
• Entries generated by macro, script, artificial intelligence (AI) or other automated means are void. 
• There is a limit of one (1) entry per Participant; multiple entries by any one individual are void. You may submit no more than 5 unique entries per Participant.

By participating in this project, creators acknowledge that the prizing is subject to change. We'll notify you in the event prizing does change via the Project Forum. Regardless of the result, all submissions will be reviewed and evaluated by the Sponsor and project team.

In order to be considered, include the below materials in your submission. For examples of effective pitches, check out this gallery. All Pitches remain private, even after a Pitch is selected, and Tongal strives to have Pitch selections made by the end of the Evaluation period,but additional time may be required by the Sponsor, depending on any number of factors.

• TEXT (REQUIRED): Up to 500 characters summarizing the events of your film and any other general related information about its creation.

• HOW DOES YOUR VIDEO SPEAKS TO THEMES OF POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH? (REQUIRED): Tell us how you believe your video relates to themes of Posttraumatic Growth, and why you felt called to submit to this contest.
  
  
• BCF SHORT FILM CONTEST VIDEO SUBMISSION (REQUIRED): Submit your contest entry here. Make sure that you've followed all executional mandatories and reviewed all requirements. 

• PITCH VIDEO (OPTIONAL): This is your opportunity to record a completely optional video telling us why you submitted, and what this contest means to you. If you have a specific personal story of PTG that inspired your submission and want to tell us about it, this is where you can do so! This is your chance to "be in the room" with the team, even when we're spread out geographically.

1. In addition to the standard Tongal W-9, Winner Affidavit, and IP Assignment, greenlit Video creators MUST also provide Talent, Location, Music (or other) Releases for all assets appearing in their Videos, as well as a photograph/headshot OR copy of a photo ID for all On-camera Talent releases. You must also provide all project files, editing sequences and a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec to claim your earnings. Tongal also reserves the right to request all raw files associated with the project.
   
   
2. Unless provided otherwise, all work must be your own original creation and free of any copyrighted material. You shall provide detailed information of your work regarding the source, the creator and background information as requested by Tongal.
   
   
3. In the event you utilize any third-party materials, such as music provided by a third-party music provider not provided by Tongal, you must obtain full written license and consent from the owner of such third-party materials and provide such license and consent forms to Tongal.
   
   
4. The Sponsor will be entitled to reasonable revisions on the finished Videos without providing additional compensation. Remember it's easier to re-edit than re-shoot so try to get as much coverage as possible.
   
   
5. Preferred format for upload to the Tongal website is HD 720p and formatted for the aspect ratios listed in the Deliverables (e.g. 16x9). Acceptable file formats are .mov, .avi, .mp4, .wmv. Acceptable codecs are H.264 (MP4), MPEG-4, H.263, MPGV, WMV, DivX. Should your submission be greenlit, you will also be required to provide a 1080p .mov master file, using a ProRes, Animation, or Uncompressed Codec.
6. You may not contact any employees or members of the Sponsor's organization, their affiliates, or any of their partners. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of your entry in the project.
   
   
7. In addition to the judging criteria stated in the OFFICIAL RULES, Pitches will also be evaluated on that member's ability to execute the final Video based on their prior work and experience as a creator.
   
   
8. Videos must be in the English language or subtitled.
   
   
9. Submissions must not portray Sponsor in a negative way, the determination of which will solely reside with Sponsor, nor can Submissions contain any profanity, offensive language, nudity or otherwise objectionable material, the determination of which is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
   
   
10. You must be at least eighteen (18) years or older to enter.
    
    
11. The Sponsor reserves the right to repost the contest.
    
    
12. See OFFICIAL RULES for additional contest information, terms and conditions. If there is any conflict or inconsistency between these requirements and the Official Rules, the terms and conditions of these requirements shall prevail.