Microcinema International is looking for short films for their series of Independent Exposure DVDs. 2010 marks the series’ 14th anniversary and this year’s special judge and curator is none other than the legendary independent animator Bill Plympton! (Tho’ that doesn’t mean your film has to be animated to be considered.)

If accepted, your short film will not only be included on an Independent Exposure DVD compilation, but it will also screen at special events worldwide and all entrants will be eligible to win one of three special prizes. There is only one deadline of April 30 and the submission fee is only 5 bucks.

But what is Independent Exposure actually looking for? There is one major restriction for entering: Your short film has to be either exactly 15 minutes or less, including all titles and credits. Other than that, though, they’re pretty open to anything from all corners of the globe. From their website:

Independent Exposure is seeking narrative, artistic, humorous, dramatic, animation, documentary, experimental, alternative, avant-garde, ambient, music videos, and underground works of all genres, formats, and styles.

This year’s presenter is Panasonic Broadcast and they are providing the top prize to one lucky winner:

Grand Prize: Panasonic AG-HSC1U 1/4″ 3-CCD High Definition Video Camera
Second Prize: Selected MicrocinemaDVD.com Catalog ($500 worth)
Third Prize: Selected MicrocinemaDVD.com Catalog ($250 worth)

To submit, you need to send in an uncompressed quicktime or .avi file on a DVD. That means no authored DVDs either. If you’re confused by what that means, you can read about it in more detail on their FAQ page. Otherwise, for their submission form, address and all guidelines, visit their official submission page.