From the east coast to the west, February brings opportunities to filmmakers everywhere.

With a record number of nearly 18,000 attendees last year, the San Diego Film Festival returns for its 10th year. Be part of the celebration of Asian American media by submitting your own shorts, animation, feature length, documentary or music videos. There's a minimum cash prize of $1,000 for the Jury Winner and all films are automatically entered into competition. Think about that: way better odds than the Lotto. The festival is in October, but the April 30th early deadline for entries is sooner than you think, so visit their website for more information.

Another deadline is right around the corner, and that's for the 9th Annual Slant: Bold Asian American Images in Houston, Texas. As a festival of short films, covering all kinds of genres, it will sure appeal to people who like to get to the good stuff quickly. It's also worth mentioning that the festival's curator is Hyphen's own founding editor, Melissa Hung! Deadline is February 23rd so do make sure you postmark accordingly. Follow this link to read up on more details, and act fast.

In New York, gears churn for the next Asian American International Film Festival. Their regular deadline is tomorrow -- but don't panic. The final deadline gives you until February 25th. With six categories currently accepting submissions, they are looking for films of different strokes to please the many different folks. Follow their submission guideline here, and take part in the first and longest running festival to recognize the works of Asian American filmmakers.

Your camerawork wants to fly. Set it free.