Broken Film Festival is an independent film festival founded in 2024, focused on exhibiting work that cleaves open spaces for maneuverability through limit-pushing and filmic transgression. We aim to explore the possibilities of emergence, resonance, the fantastical, and the phantasmagorical in the search for a cinematic otherwise.

We are interested in narrative or experimental works of any length, in particular DIY, cellphone-shot, unfinished, silent films. Broken Film Festival invites submissions from makers of historically underrepresented groups including artists marginalized through race, gender, and ability. We aim to be exhibit a program of works diverse in style, content and perspective and exhibit the festival in accessible spaces. In keeping with our commitment to accessibility, we will be prioritizing films that have captioning.

The inaugural festival will take place on April 25th-26th in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, and will include an opening night presentation of film(s) with a live improvised score by local musicians, and second evening programme of other selected works.

Rules & Terms

Submission Rules
1. The BFF is an international film festival accepts films from anywhere in the world.
2. The Festival accepts narrative and non-narrative films of any length and content, and in particular interested in exhibiting films outside conventional modes of expression, including films that are unfinished, DIY, cellphone-shot or student-produced.
3. Films completed after January 1st 2019 are eligible.

4. Films which have received screenings in Guelph, ON prior to the festival are ineligible.

5. Press Kits are required upon selection, including 3-5 film stills (jpeg or png), a director's headshot (jpeg or png), poster (if available), and a synopsis (100-200 words).

6. Promotional materials of selected films can be used to promote the Festival and the programs of the Festival in all mediums.

7. All films must be submitted with a private online screener embedded on FilmFreeway.

8. If selected for the festival, a high quality MP4 file is the preferred exhibition format (10GB max)
 

9. Submission fees are non-refundable. It is the responsibility of the filmmaker to ensure that their submission is applicable for our festival, meets all requirements, and adheres to all rules.

10. Films must be in English and/or offer hardcoded English Subtitles or captions, unless not including subtitles is an intentional choice. Please inform us of this if that is the case.
11. This year's festival will include one or more film presentations with a live improvised score by local musicians. A film submitted in this category may be selected for either program, and thus, films with scores are accepted there.

Screening Access
The Festival will provide two complimentary Festival passes for each filmmaker selected for the festival. As this is the first year of BFF, the Festival will be unable to provide funding for travel expenses.

Program Selection
Entries will be reviewed by a Curation Committee appointed by/and including the Festival Directors.
Upon Acceptance, and you will be notified by March 1st of your acceptance or rejection.

All digital screeners for selected films must be emailed to BFF by April 1st, 2025 to info@brokenfilmfestival.com