What makes a great logline?

A logline is one sentence (25-45 words) that sells your film. Buyers, festival programmers and agents read hundreds a week, so yours must deliver:

1. A specific protagonist with a defining flaw or trait ("a burned-out paramedic", not "a woman").
2. An inciting incident that kicks off the story ("when...").
3. A clear goal ("must...").
4. Stakes: what happens if they fail ("before...", "or lose...").
5. Irony or a hook: the twist that makes it impossible to ignore.

Avoid character names, themes ("a story about grief") and vague words ("somehow", "things"). Make the genre obvious from the words alone.