Close-Up International Film Festival aims to support short-film makers, including young filmmakers, independent filmmakers, and indigenous filmmakers. The festival also aims to provide a close-up view of recent, creative, quality films to the viewers in BC, Metro Vancouver, Canada and across the world.

Close-up International Film Festival screens short experimental, documentary, fiction and animated films.

For this edition of the festival, we specially value the concept of family, and human rights. In terms of Genre, comedies are more than welcomed.

Awards & Prizes

Best International Short Film: $1000 or equivalent production/post production services (to be confirmed)
Best Canadian Short film: $1000 or equivalent production/post production services (to be confirmed)
Best Student Short Film: $1000 or equivalent production/post production services (to be confirmed)
Best Indigenous Short film:$1000 or equivalent production/post production services (to be confirmed)

Rules & Terms

ON DEMAND SCREENINGS: By entering the film festival you are granting Close-Up International Film Festival permission to screen your film in cinemas as well as through our secure online platform that will be geo-blocked to Canada.

GENRE: Films can be any genre.

LENGTH: Films are to be no less than 2 minutes and no more than 30 minutes in length (including end credits).

COMPLETION DATE: Films must have been completed not more than three years before the opening date of the festival.

BROADCASTING: Films must not have previously been shown publicly on the Internet. (This does not apply to short films entered in the ‘Not in competition’ category.)

SUBTITLES: All entries with dialogue ( even in the English language) must be subtitled in English.

UNFINISHED FILMS: Please contact us before the deadline to request permission to submit an incomplete film, or to have an extension granted.

ENTRY CATEGORIES: Close-Up IFF has four categories of entry. Films made by Canadians or with significant Canadian content are eligible for the ‘Canadian short films’ entry category. Films made without significant Canadian contribution or content are eligible for the ‘International short films’ entry category. Canadian or international films that are or have been shown publicly online in Canada are only eligible for the ‘Not in competition’ entry category. Films made by indigenous filmmakers or with significant indigenous content are eligible for the ‘Indigenous’ entry category. Films made by students before their graduation are eligible for the "Student" category.

PROMO USE: By submitting your film, you grant Close-Up Film Festival the right to use up to 30 seconds of your production for TV, cinema advertising, video, internet, and all other electronic media for promotional purposes.

COPIES: Close-Up Film Festival may make copies of films that are selected for the purposes of censorship, obtaining media reviews/stories and for exhibition purposes.

RIGHTS: The person submitting this film warrants to Close-Up Film Festival that they have obtained all the necessary permissions to enter this film and that the film does not infringe the rights, including copyright, of any third party. This includes the use of any sound clips and music.

LIABILITY: The person submitting this film agrees that Close-Up Film Festival, the festival's board, sponsors, and judges, individually and collectively will not be held responsible for losses, damages, costs and liabilities relating to any films submitted to this festival.

INFORMATION: The personal information you provide to us is collected for the purposes of Close-Up Film Festival only.