Boston Underground Film Festival

SUBMISSION, EXHIBITION FORMATS
Films 60 minutes and above are considered feature length. Films under 60 minutes but above 20 minutes are considered medium length. Films under 20 minutes are considered short length. Music videos should be 10 minutes or shorter.

Music video, short, medium length, and feature length submissions must be online screeners; no physical copies accepted. All submissions in a foreign language must be subtitled or dubbed in English. If submitting more than one film, a separate completed entry is required for each title. Due to the volume of submissions we receive, submitted items cannot be returned.

Accepted Feature films must be available on DCP or 35mm (required for exhibition). All accepted short and medium length films must be available on DCP and authored by a professional post-house. "Homebrewed" DCPs will not be accepted under any circumstances. If a filmmaker cannot produce proof of professional DCP authorship, the filmmaker agrees to either allow BudgetDCP (BUFF's official DCP partner) to author a DCP at a discounted rate or to get a DCP authored by a professional post-house (and provide proof thereof). BUFF will not accept digital files as exhibition copies for any films accepted into the festival. While other festivals are able to screen a variety of digital formats, BUFF's venue can only screen professionally authored DCPs, no exceptions.

PREMIERE STATUS
For Feature films we require a bare minimum of a Boston premiere. This means that the film must not publicly screen in Boston (this includes Cambridge, Somerville and/or the Greater Boston region) before BUFF. We of course love the honor of hosting World/North American/US/East Coast, New England, and Massachusetts Premieres.

For short and medium length films, no premiere status is required. If your short/medium length film is available online, we will ask you to take it down temporarily upon receipt of acceptance notification through the end of the festival (in other words, for the month of March).

NOTIFICATION AND SCHEDULING
Selected films are scheduled at the discretion of BUFF. BUFF retains the right to make changes to the published schedule at any time and for any reason. BUFF will notify all filmmakers of acceptance/rejection status via email by no later than March 1, 2025.

OUT-OF-FESTIVAL CONSIDERATION
All rejected films will be considered for our monthly programming series, Dispatches from the Underground. Throughout the year we screen shorts blocks and feature films that were not selected for the festival; our programming staff will reach out directly to filmmakers if we are interested in screening your work as part of our Dispatches series.

RELEASE
Boston Underground Film Festival (henceforth referred to as BUFF) is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes. The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless BUFF from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the 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.

ADDITIONAL
Please refer to our FAQ for answers to common questions: https://bostonunderground.org/submit/