All submissions are handled though our Film Submission Partner Website.
All submitters, regardless of Acceptance or Non-Acceptance will be notified by personal email from the festival.
As well as being notified through automated notification from our Submission Platform Partner Website on or before the listed
Notification Deadline Date.
This notification usually occurs at least one month prior to our festival’s opening day.
You must by 18 years of age or older to submit. If younger than 18, an adult would need to submit on your behalf.
Yes, but the project would need to be completed prior to the festival dates. However, note that the rougher the cut, the more that may affect the films chances of being accepted
Submission to the festival is not in any way a guarantee of being accepted to screen, nor does it mean the film has won any of our Awards, Honors or Prizes.
Additionally, Festival Acceptance does not guarantee the film has won any of our Awards, Honors or Prizes either.
But all Accepted Projects are potentially in the running to win Awards,
Honors or Prizes from our festival.
Yes, all accepted projects will be scheduled to screen at a public screening in the San Francisco Bay Area. Historically all of our venues have been in the city of San Francisco itself.
Most venues require a DCP (Digital Cinema Package), which is the industry standard. More detailed information will be sent closer to the event.
No, the festival does not require submissions to be a world premiere
nor to be exclusive to the festival.
What we do ask is that you try not have any other screenings in the
immediate area (San Francisco and close by) for at least two months
before our event, as historically this dilutes interest for a screening
with our festival and can affect attendance.
Yes, you can resubmit.
While there is no limit on the number of projects submitted, they would need to be submitted separately and would be considered as separate projects and judged separately.
Short Answer: Yes.
Long Answer: At our event, the amount of categories a film project is submitted to is never taken into consideration when the film is being
judged for possible Acceptance. As our festival does not want to foster a pay-to-play environment.
Of course, entering into multiple categories may allow different sets of
judges eyes to see your project (which may or may not be beneficial),
as well as sending the message to our programmers (in the event of festival acceptance) that the project is considered by the filmmaker to be of several different genres or styles equally.
Essentially, the more categories submitted to, the larger the amount of specific awards a film may be considered for, as well as increasing the
number of programming slots that such project could be shown in if
accepted.
However, those are the only reasons a filmmaker might submit a
project to more than one category per season. Our festival does not respect festivals that simply accept films based on the number of categories or times they have been submitted in a season, or who value that as a judging metric.
As such our judges and programmers do not use such metrics to determine quality or fit for film submissions.
The festival accepts submissions completed at any date and has
happily screened “lost” and “classic” films from the past.
However, as a rule, most submitted feature films normally should not
have had any major North American distribution in cinema houses at any time in the past. The year you submit should normally be the first year that your film is trying to be seen for the first time.
Of course, there can there can be special exceptions to this as well.
Enter the project in the category closest to your submission, and festival judges can update it internally if it should be in a different category.
If you cannot decide simply enter the film into a generic category (ie “Feature Film Submission” as opposed to “Dramatic Feature Film Submissions” if you are not sure if it is a drama.)
The categories are there to tell the programmers and judges how you
think the project should viewed. If none of the particular specific
categories offered seem to fit your project, then the best bet is to enter
the project into a general category.
At this time, all film submissions need to be a secure online screener submitted through our partner submission website FilmFreeway.
Once you have submitted through FilmFreeway, log into your online application and check your submission status to see if your film has been received by the festival.
Yes, but English subtitles would need to be provided.
Yes.
But be aware that submissions begin being sent to judges very soon
after being submitted. Meaning that any updates might not get
reviewed by as many eyes, if a new version is sent later. if your film is
reviewed 8 times. It could be that anywhere from 2-6 of those reviews might be of the originally sent version.
Due to the high number of submissions, the festival is not able provide and disseminate to submitters detailed feedback for most submitted projects – with submission costs increased significantly in order to cover the additional labor needed fulfill such a task.
Keep your submission information up to date. In the case of incorrect contact information the festival will not be able to contact the submitter. You may email the festival with your updated information and we always try our best.
Log into your FilmFreeway account and withdraw your submission. Unfortunately we cannot offer refunds for withdrawn projects.
Unfortunately in fairness to all submitters the festival does not offer fee waivers.
Send the festival an email and we will try to answer you, but be advised our offices receive a large amount of unsolicited mail, email, and calls. But our team does their best to reply.
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