We will be screening everything in full 1080p HD.
Formats:
Short films must be submitted via FTP ONLY in .MOV or .MP4 format.
Feature films have the option of FTP (in .MOV or .MP4) or Blu Ray Disc. NO DVDs.
Lengths:
Short Films: 20min & under
Feature Films: 60min & under
Rules & Terms
By submitting my film I agree to the terms here in:
CONTRACT, RULES & REGULATIONS FOR SUBMISSION
The following is an explanation of rules and regulations (“Rules and Regulations”) governing the submission of a film (hereafter called the “Film”) to Dark Frame Film Festival (hereafter called the “festival”)
By submitting you are agreeing to the Terms And Conditions found on the Festival submission form located at https://filmfreeway.com/festival/DarkFrameFilmFestival-108687, the person submitting the Film (hereafter called the “Applicant”) acknowledges that he or she has obtained consent from any and all owners, creators, writers, Producers and/or other authorized representatives of the Film (hereafter called the “Film’s Owners”) whose consent is required to submit the Film to the Institute, and has read and understood the submission rules and regulations set forth below:
I. GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF A FILM TO DARK FRAME FILM FESTIVAL:
NOTE: The submission categories and program categories that are referenced and identified as capitalized terms in this Section I of these Rules and Regulations, and the eligibility requirements for each, shall be understood as having the definitions and descriptions assigned to them in Sections II and III of these Rules and Regulations below.
. 1) If 50% or more of the Film’s financing originated from sources within the United States, the Film may only be submitted as either a U.S. Narrative Feature Film, or as a U.S. Short Film.
. 2) If more than 50% of the Film’s financing originated from sources outside of the United States, the Film may only be submitted as either an International Narrative Feature Film, or as an International Short Film.
. 3) If the Film’s final running time, including credits is projected to be less than 20 minutes, the Film may only be submitted as a U.S. or International Short Film.
. 4) U.S. Narrative Feature Films that have been released theatrically, broadcast on television, or screened at any number of film festivals are eligible for submission to the Festival.
. 5) International Narrative Feature Films that have been released theatrically, broadcast on television, or screened at any number of film festivals within their country of origin are eligible for submission to the Festival.
. 6) Short Films do not have any premiere requirements. U.S. and International Short Films do not forfeit their eligibility for submission to the Festival if they were previously released theatrically or on DVD, broadcast on television or the internet, or screened at any number of film festivals in the world.
. 7) U.S. and International Narrative Feature Films that have previously been theatrically exhibited at a “work-in-progress” screening at which tickets were available to the public are only eligible for the Festival if the version submitted is significantly different from the version previously screened. The Institute reserves the right to determine a previously screened project’s eligibility, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, based on the content of the submitted version of the Film as compared with the previously screened version.
. 8) U.S. Narrative and International Feature Films that have been previously released via any home video outlets (including, but not limited to, DVD, Blu-ray, or Video on Demand) or broadcast on television or the internet in any country are eligible for submission to the Festival. The Institute reserves the sole and exclusive right to determine a previously released or broadcast project’s eligibility, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, based on the content of the submitted version of the Film as compared with the previously released or broadcast version.
. 9) Films do not have any date of creation required to be eligible for consideration for the 2015 Festival.
. 10) Films that have been submitted for Festival consideration in previous years are eligible for submission for 2015 Festival consideration, but only if the Film has been changed significantly since the last time it was submitted. The Institute shall have the sole authority and discretion to determine whether a Film that was previously submitted has been changed significantly from the previously submitted version. The Festival reserves the right to determine a previously submitted Film’s eligibility, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, based on the content of the newly submitted version of the film as compared with the previously submitted version.
. 11) It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to secure authorization and permission from the copyright owner(s) of any and all copyrighted content or materials included within the submitted Film. The Institute expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any copyrighted content or materials within or relating to the submitted Film, including any content or materials that are or may become the basis for any third party claims for copyright infringement. The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film with any unauthorized inclusion of copyrighted content or materials. In the event that any claim, dispute, action or proceeding shall be brought or asserted by any person or entity that alleges that the Film makes unauthorized or unlawful use of any copyrighted content or material, Applicant shall fully indemnify and defend the Institute, the Festival, and each of their representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any fees and expenses, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that any of them may incur in connection therewith.
. 12) It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to secure authorization and permission from the owner(s) of any and all trademarked content or materials included within the submitted Film. The Institute expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any trademarked content or materials within or relating to the submitted Film, including any content or materials that are or may become the basis for any third party claims for trademark infringement, trademark dilution or unfair competition. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film with any unauthorized inclusion of trademarked content or materials. In the event that any claim, dispute, action or proceeding shall be brought or asserted by any person or entity that alleges that the Film makes unauthorized or unlawful use of any trademarked content or material, Applicant shall fully indemnify and defend the Institute, the Festival, and each of their representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any fees and expenses, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that any of them may incur in connection therewith.
. 13) It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to clear all content of the Film from any and all actual or potential legal claims and issues, including, without limitation, claims based upon theories of libel, defamation, invasion of privacy, violation of rights of publicity, theft of trade secrets, breach of confidence, breach of confidential relationship, and breach of express or implied contract (“Third Party Claim(s)”). The Festival expressly disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any unauthorized inclusion of any content or materials within or relating to the submitted Film that are or may be the basis for any Third Party Claims based upon any of the foregoing legal theories or others. The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film that is or may become the subject of any Third Party Claims. In the event that any Third Party Claim(s) shall be asserted by any person or entity, Applicant shall fully indemnify and defend the Institute, the Festival, and each of their representatives and affiliates from any liability in connection therewith and from any and all fees and expenses, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees, that each of any of them may incur in connection therewith.
. 14) Applicants submitting Films that contain significant non-English spoken dialogue must provide on-screen English subtitles. The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film that contains significant non-English spoken dialogue that does not include accompanying on-screen English subtitles.
. 15) All Feature Films (60 minutes or longer) must be submitted to the Festival online (https://filmfreeway.com/festival/DarkFrameFilmFestival-108687) and encouraged to submit the digital file in addition on a single Flash Drive or single disc (Blu-Ray). The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from Applicant, any feature-length Film that is not submitted using one of these formats. If the Film is submitted in multiple parts on multiple discs, the Institute reserves the right to judge the Film based on the first disc included, with no further obligation to view the contents of the remaining discs.
. 16) All Short Films (less than 20 minutes in length, including credits) must be submitted to the Festival online (https://filmfreeway.com/festival/DarkFrameFilmFestival-108687).The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from Applicant, any Short Film that is not submitted using one of these formats. Multiple short film entries must each be submitted individually.
. 17) It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that the submitted file is sent via FTP in .MOV or .MP4 format.
. 18) It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that the submitted disc arrives at the shipping destination provided to the Applicant upon completion of the submission form. In the event that a submitted disc does not arrive at the designated shipping destination within the deadline window selected by the Applicant, the Institute will attempt, but is under no obligation, to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form in an effort to obtain a submission copy of the Film. The Institute reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film that does not arrive at the designated shipping destination within the deadline window selected by the Applicant.
. 19) In the event that the Applicant remits an updated version of the Film to the Festival after having submitted a previous version of the Film to the Institute during the same calendar year, the Institute is under no obligation to view any or all of the updated version.
. 20) In order to be considered for the Festival, the Applicant must fill out the Festival submission form located at https://filmfreeway.com/festival/DarkFrameFilmFestival-108687. The Festivalreserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film that is not submitted through this channel.
. 21) The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film with a submission form that is considered to be delinquent due to the non-payment of any or all submission fees. The Festival may attempt, but is under no obligation, to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form in an effort to bring the payment status of the account up- to-date. The Festival disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any failure to contact the Applicant and inform the Applicant of any payment delinquency or other deficiency of a submission form.
. 22) The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Feature Film (60 minutes or longer), Short Film (20 minutes of less including credits), received before Feb 1, 2015 or after September 15, 2015.
. 23) The Festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Short Film (less than 20 minutes in length, including credits) received before Feb 1, 2015 or after September 31, 2015.
. 24) Upon completion of the Festival selection process, the Festival will attempt to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form to notify the Applicant of the Film’s acceptance status. The Festival disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible for, any failure to contact the Applicant using the contact information provided on the submission form. It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to ensure that the contact information provided on the submission form is correct throughout the entirety of the Festival selection period (Feb 1, 2014 – September 31, 2014).
. 25) The Festival is under no obligation to provide to the Applicant or any other representative of the Film any comments or feedback regarding the submitted Film, any information relating to the manner in which the Film is, will be, or was reviewed; any views that the Festival or any reviewers of the Film may hold concerning the Film; any reasons why the Film, should it not be accepted for exhibition at the Festival, was not accepted; or any other information relating to the Festival’s review, consideration and/or selection process regarding the Film specifically or submissions generally beyond the information set forth in these Rules and Regulations.
The Festival disavows any responsibility for, and will not be held responsible or liable for, the contents of any internal comments or feedback regarding any Film that are or may be obtained by the Applicant or any other representative of the Film; any communications by any representative of the Institute or the Festival relating to the Film or the Festival selection process; the manner in which the Film shall be, is or was considered and reviewed; the identity or identities of any specific reviewers of the Film; and/or any failure on the part of the Festival or the Festival to provide the Applicant or any other representative(s) of the Film with information concerning the Institute’s consideration and/or review of the Film.
. 26) Submission fees paid by the Applicant does not guarantee entry into competitions or screenings, including online screenings. The Festival has the right to disqualify films that have broken any rules provided.
. 27) All films submitted have all rights retained to the Applicant. The Festival reserve the rights to use the submitted materials within any promotional materials as seen fit, which may include usage of artwork, sound bites, and the likeness and performance of actors included, for use of promotional material for the Festival only.
. 28) The applicant is responsible for owning rights to everything within the submitted entry or entries. The Festival is not responsible for any unauthorized entry materials.
II. SUBMISSION CATEGORIES & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Films submitted for consideration for the Festival may apply in one of three submission categories. The Festival reserves the right to determine eligibility of any film for any Festival program or submission category. The following is a description of each submission category, along with eligibility requirements for each:
U.S. NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS
Any narrative work of fiction with a running time of 60 minutes or more, including films that are shot in a "mockumentary" style. In order to qualify as a U.S. Narrative Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, and at least half of the project's financing must originate from within the United States. Only films that are World Premieres are eligible for our U.S. Dramatic Competition program, but U.S. Narrative Feature Films that have previously played at up to two other festivals anywhere in the world are still eligible for one of our out-of-competition programs. To be submitted under the category ‘Feature Films’.
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS
Any narrative work of fiction with a running time of 60 minutes or more, including films that are shot in a "mockumentary" style. In order to qualify as an International Narrative Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, and more than half of the project's financing must originate from outside of the United States. To be submitted under the category ‘Feature Films’.
U.S. SHORT FILMS
Any narrative film of U.S. origin with a running time of less than 20 minutes, including credits. In order to qualify as a U.S. Short Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from within the United States. Short Films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions-- they may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released via any home video or other distribution channel, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility. To be submitted under the category ‘Short Films’.
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS
Any narrative film of International origin with a running time of less than 20 minutes, including credits. In order to qualify as an International Short Film, more than half of the submitted project's financing must originate from outside of the United States. Short Films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions-- they may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released via any home video or distribution channel, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility.
III. FESTIVAL PROGRAM CATEGORIES & ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Please be advised that the information listed below is subject to change at any time, as our Festival program categories vary from year to year. Films accepted by the Institute into the Festival will be placed by the Festival Programming department, in one of three program categories. Applicants must submit their Films directly to any specific category. All short films (domestic and international) fall under the Short film category. All Features (domestic and international) fall under the Feature film category.
The following is a description of each program category, along with eligibility requirements for each:
U.S. NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS:
Any narrative work of fiction with a running time of 75 minutes or more. In order to qualify as a U.S. Narrative Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, and at least half of the project's financing must originate from within the United States. Narrative features have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions-- they may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, Blu-ray or on-demand, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility. Also we do not require that your film have not screened previously at other festivals.
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS:
Any narrative work of fiction with a running time of 75 minutes or more. In order to qualify as an International Narrative Feature Film, the submitted project must be either scripted or improvisational fiction, and more than half of the project's financing must originate from outside of the United States. International narrative features have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions-- they may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, Blu-ray or on-demand, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility. If the native language of the film is not in English, your submission is required to be subtitled in English prior to submission.
U.S. SHORT FILMS:
Any narrative film of U.S. origin with a running time of less than 7 minutes, including credits. In order to qualify as a U.S. Short Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from within the United States. Short Films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions-- they may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, Blu-ray or on-demand, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility.
INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS:
Any narrative film of non-U.S. origin with a running time of less than 7 minutes, including credits. In order to qualify as an International Short Film, more than half of the submitted project's financing must originate from outside of the United States. Short Films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions-- they may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, Blu-ray or on-demand, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility. If the native language of the film is not in English, your submission is required to be subtitled in English prior to submission.
U.S. FEATURE FILM TRAILERS AND TEASERS:
Any narrative trailer or teaser of U.S. origin with a running time of less than 120 seconds, including all company names, logos, and ending credit slate promoting the feature. In order to qualify as a U.S. Short Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from within the United States. Short Films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions-- they may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, Blu-ray or on-demand, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility.
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM TRAILERS AND TEASERS:
Any narrative trailer or teaser of non-U.S. origin with a running time of less than 120 seconds, including all company names, logos, and ending credit slate promoting the feature. In order to qualify as a U.S. Short Film, at least half of the submitted project's financing must originate from within the United States. Short Films have no premiere requirements or prior screening restrictions-- they may have had any number of public theatrical exhibitions, been released on DVD, Blu-ray or on-demand, and may have been broadcast on television or the internet and still retain eligibility. If the native language of the trailer or teaser is not in English, your submission is required to be subtitled in English prior to submission.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
To screen in any of the categories specified, all Features & Short Film must be submitted digitally for consideration. The specifications for all projects are:
Your file name should be as follows: TITLE_LAST NAME_FIRST NAME
VIDEO: H.264 Format. 24 FPS. 1920x1080. Multi-pass encoding. 15 Mbps Bitrate. 16x9 preferred.
AUDIO: AAC Format. 48.000 kHz rate. Stereo. 320 kbps Bitrate.
All films must be submitted digitally through https://filmfreeway.com/festival/DarkFrameFilmFestival-108687. It is the Applicants responsibility to ensure that the disc and digital files play on several standard players before it is mailed to the Institution. The Festival will be unable to return the flash drives and discs to the submitters.
Please be sure to write or print the following information directly on the face of the disc:
Name of film. Running time. Submitter’s name. State or Country of origin. A contact email, and phone number. Tracking number. Please list if it is a short film, trailer, teaser, or feature film.