1. Completion Deadline
Films must have been completed within three years of the submission deadline (by June 2026) and must meet the selection criteria outlined below.
The festival accepts both fully completed works and works-in-progress. Works-in-progress must be substantially complete at the time of submission. If selected, the final version must be delivered prior to the festival screening date.
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2. Film Length
Films of any length are eligible for submission.
There is no maximum runtime restriction. Programming decisions will be made with consideration to scheduling and overall festival curation.
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3. Budget Limit
The total production budget for each short film must not exceed £5,000.
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4. Student Requirement
All films must be produced by students currently enrolled in higher education or by recent graduates.
The festival is open to students and graduates across the United Kingdom and internationally.
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5. Required Submission Materials
All submissions must include the following materials:
- Film poster
- 3–5 high-quality stills
- A completed screener or work-in-progress cut
- English subtitles
- Closed captions (CC), if available
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6. Legal Authority
The submitter must possess the legal authority to submit the film for public screening. This includes securing all necessary permissions for music, images, performances, and any other copyrighted material.
By submitting, the entrant affirms that all required rights have been obtained for screening the film at the festival.
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7. Film Rights and Music Permissions
All music and sound elements featured in submitted films must be original, properly licensed, or royalty-free.
The filmmaker is solely responsible for clearing all audio and visual rights.
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8. Film Language
Films not in English must include English subtitles.
Where possible, subtitles should be made available as a separate file to ensure accessibility.
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9. Festival Theme
Submissions are not required to follow the festival theme. The festival welcomes films of any genre, subject matter, and style.
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10. Festival Staff Submissions
Members of the festival staff may submit films; however, these entries will only be eligible for the out-of-competition category and will not be considered for awards.
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11. Public Screenings and Distribution
Films that have been publicly screened, distributed, or made available online are eligible.
Projects that have undergone significant commercial release may not qualify. Eligibility determinations will be made at the discretion of the curation panel on a case-by-case basis.
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12. Completion Status
Both completed works and works-in-progress are accepted.
Rough cuts that are not substantially complete will not be considered.
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13. Promotional Use
By submitting to the Edinburgh International University Film Festival (EUIFF), filmmakers grant the festival the right to:
Screen the film during the festival
Use excerpts, stills, posters, and related materials in festival trailers
Feature selected works in press materials, online publications, social media, and other promotional content
Include the film as part of festival marketing before, during, and after the event
The festival will not distribute the full film outside official screenings without additional agreement.
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14. Non-Refundable Submissions
Submission fees are non-refundable. Entrants are strongly encouraged to review all guidelines carefully prior to submission.
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15. Film Content
The festival welcomes films of all genres. However, the festival reserves the right to disqualify submissions that promote hate speech, discrimination, excessive violence, or offensive material.
All decisions made by the festival committee are final.
