Rules and Regulations:
1. All submitted films for BIFF 2020 must have been made during or after 2016.
2. We will consider films from any country and in any language. Any film not in English must have english subtitles to be considered by the programming team.
3. All fees are non-refundable.
4. Films submitted in any of our four main categories (Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Experimental) will also be considered for related categories - i.e. a documentary is eligible to win best director, best writing, etc.
5. Student films can be submitted to any category, but films in the student category (with the reduced rate) will only be considered for best student short.
6. BIFF is not responsible for broken or non functioning film submissions.
7. BIFF is a competitive event. Not all submitted films will be selected to screen at the festival.
8. BIFF has no premiere requirements, and all shorts can already exist online prior to the
festival.
9. A fee is required for submission to the festival. For payment structures please visit our
FilmFreeway page.
10. If accepted, entrants are responsible for delivering their exhibition copy and other materials, such as: trailer, screener link, press stills, etc.
11. All submitted films must have a budget at or below $20,000 to be considered.
12. A films maximum length to be considered is 30 minutes.
13. A written review of why your film was or was not accepted will be provided to all filmmakers that request it. All selected filmmakers will receive an additional review from a published film critic.
14. The filmmaker that is submitting must own the rights to do so and is responsible for the content they are providing. All filmmakers submitting authorize that their work is cleared for festival exhibition and accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property therein. Submission to the festival constitutes permission to screen the film at the Brooklyn Independent Film Festival. If accepted BIFF has full permission to use excerpts, stills, titles, director’s names, director’s statements and directors likenesses in future press releases and promotional content. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Brooklyn Independent Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney fees, and costs of court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered. BIFF DOES NOT PAY SCREENING FEES. By submitting via FilmFreeway you acknowledge that the festival will not pay to present your work. By submitting you agree to all of these rules, terms and conditions. You acknowledge that no submission refunds are given once your application has been submitted. You also acknowledge that you will not receive any compensation from BIFF for the screening of your film or future publicity in accordance with the rules, terms and conditions.