Calgary International Film Festival

1) The film must not have been exhibited before June 1, 2025 and not previously submitted to the Calgary International Film Festival. Submission fees are NON-REFUNDABLE.

2) All applicable licenses and waivers of copyrights, moral rights, trademarks, and other such intellectual property rights have been secured by the filmmaker(s).

3) Films not in the English language must be subtitled in English.

4) Films only need to be submitted in one category. All films submitted will be considered for the category they are best suited by the programming team.

5) Submission deadlines are at 11:59 PM MST of the posted date.

6) Waiver codes offered to all Alberta films and all alumni filmmakers (filmmakers who have had films in previous editions of CIFF). Please email submissions@ciffcalgary.ca for a waiver code.

7) Feature Films MUST have not publicly screened in Calgary or the surrounding area prior to the 2026 festival. This includes, but is not limited to, being available online in any format, broadcast versions of any length, other local film festivals, and cast/crew screenings.

8) Short Films - Priority is given to films that have not yet screened in Calgary and have not been available online. We do accept competition-based created shorts, where screening online is part of the process (e.g. Telus STORYHIVE).

9) Alberta Short Film submissions MUST satisfy at least 5 points from the following criteria:

Alberta location (2 points)
Alberta funding source (2 points)
Resident Albertan principal cast member (1 point)
Resident Albertan writer (1 point)
Resident Albertan producer (1 point)
Resident Albertan director (1 point)

10) Student Short Film submissions MUST be a project completed by a student during their enrollment at a post-secondary institution. Proof of enrollment (student ID, transcript, etc) may be requested.

11) Youth by Youth Cinema Short Film category MUST be completed by a filmmaker who is under 18 years of age or is enrolled in high school. Proof of enrollment (student ID, transcript, etc) may be requested.

12) Any usage of Artificial Intelligence must be disclosed upon submission. This will not disqualify the film from consideration.