Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFBoston)

Please read all of these terms carefully prior to submitting.

All genres are eligible for consideration.

All films must have been completed after September of 2023.

Films may not be considered if a formal premiere has occured in the state of Massachusetts prior to our festival.

Accepted films can not screen in the state of Massachusetts between acceptance date and date of screening at IFFBoston.

Short films are considered films with running times less than 30 minutes.

Feature-length films, both Documentary and Narrative, are films that are no shorter than 31 minutes or longer than 140 minutes in running time.

To be eligible for the student discount submission fee, a photocopy or scan of valid student identification must be provided to verify status. If submission does not provide verification it will be disqualified.

Foreign language films must be subtitled in English.

Works in progress must be at least 95% complete at the time of submission deadline. It should be clearly marked on the screening copy along with a statement of what aspects of the film will be added or changed by February 1, 2026.

Upon notification of acceptance to the Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFBoston), the accepted filmmaker must respond promptly to agree to allow their work to participate at the festival. If notification does not occur within a reasonable amount of time, invitation/acceptance will be nullified.

Once the filmmaker has agreed to screen at the festival, the Independent Film Festival Boston reserves the right to screen said film up to 2-3 times during the festival and screen provided clips/trailers of the film to promote the screenings in advance and during the festival.

EXHIBITION FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
For entries accepted that have consenting to participate in IFFBoston, a DCP exhibition print of the film must be provided by March 10, 2025. Details for delivery are sent at time of acceptance. We do have limited ability to exhibit 35mm prints of films.

Note: We absolutely do NOT accept Blu-ray or DVD as the exhibition format for accepted films. Failure to comply with technical specifications may result in the removal of accepted film from Festival line up.

DCP Requirements:
- DCPs must be DCI compliant and delivered on an external hard drive with either a CRU enclosure or an USB interface. Drives must be formatted to EXT2, EXT3, or NTFS file system.
- All DCPs must have a back up format: either Blu-ray or Apple Pro-res file.

35mm Requirements (features only):
- All 35mm films must have an optical sound track.

Failure to provide a viable exhibition format by deadlines can lead to the expulsion of an accepted film's participation in the festival.

Posters provided for festival use are not guaranteed for return. Due to limited resources in both time and personnel, we cannot ship these materials back. It has been our policy to return materials in person to filmmakers or representatives whenever possible after films have been exhibited only upon request. In the event that posters or materials are lost or damaged during IFFBoston, the festival will not replace or reimburse for any provided promotional materials.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFBoston) and the Independent Film Society of Boston from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening formats entered.