F3: Queen City Film Festival, Film Curation, & Film Awards

Rules & Terms

Monthly Awards
• October and November winners will be informed by December 5.
• December and January winners will be informed by February 5.
• February and March winners will be informed by April 5.
• April and May winners will be informed by June 5.
• June and July winners will be informed by August 5.
• August and September winners will be informed by October 5.
• Finalists for our annual screenings will be informed by October 15.

In-Person Public Screening
• In-person film festival and awards ceremony will occur in the month of October 2026.
• There are monthly screenings with our judges panel.
• We also do pop-up screenings throughout the year. If your film is chosen to screen during one of these public pop up screenings, we will let you know so you can plan on attending.

Since all in-person screenings take place in a theater, a DCP will be required if your film is chosen to screen. We only accept submissions via FilmFreeway. Payment is expected at the time of submission. Films will not be screened by our panel of judges for consideration without payment. No refunds will be issued for films submitted to F3 and we do not pay exhibition fees for any films. We cannot assist with travel costs or accommodations for screenings, award ceremonies, or any other in-person events.

F3 accepts feature films, short films, television shows, web series, series pilots, competition films, trailers, music videos, commercials, student films, and vertical videos. We accept films in all genres and all lengths. We accept films in any language, however films not in English must have embedded English subtitles. F3 is not a genre specific film festival. However, it is the sole discretion of the judging panel to reject a film based on content that might not be appropriate for general audiences We do not accept pornographic content.

F3 has no completion dates or world premiere regulations. However, if a filmmaker has a distribution deal, the festival must have permission to screen the film free of charge from the distributor. It is solely the filmmaker's responsibility to provide this permission and the filmmaker assumes any and all liability. Submitting to the festival implies ownership of the film and/or permission to submit the film and have it screened. Submitting your film grants the rights to F3 to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted for promotional purposes. Multiple entries are allowed for each filmmaker or filmmaker team. Each entry may be submitted to multiple categories. Categories where winners are chosen may change each month if the required minimum number of entries is not received in a category. For any category listed as student or first time, proof may be required to win an award in that category. Trophies are optional for winners and are not included in the submission fees. All winners will be provided a link to order trophies by paying for the trophy and shipping costs. F3 reserves the right to refuse entries, limit entries, and close entries early. The jury can remove an entry from the competition at any time. Entry fees are non-refundable. The person, company, or corporation submitting the entry hereby warrants that they are authorized to do so and authorizes F3 to screen the film publicly, privately, and/or virtually without any screening fee. The person, company, or corporation understands and accepts these requirements, regulations, and rules. They agree to indemnify and hold harmless F3 from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses – including but not limited to attorney’s fees costs of court, and other unforeseeable expenses – which may be incurred by reason of any and all claims involving copyright, trademarks, credits, screenings, press, publicity, and other unforeseeable and unexpected claims. By submitting the film, the person, company, or corporation acknowledges that they have read, understood, acknowledged, and accepted all rules and regulations.