MTPIFF – Montpellier Independent Film Festival

Festival Rules (MTPIFF)

1. Eligibility:
Films completed from 2022 onwards
Very short films: under 5 minutes
Short films: under 20 minutes
Feature films: over 60 minutes
Accepted genres: fiction (Experimental, Animated films and documentary films are not accepted).
Subtitles required in French or/and English

Films selected for screening at the festival’s final event must be provided in DCP (Digital Cinema Package) format. No other projection format will be accepted.

2. Geographic Scope:
🟡 Regional Category (Montpellier / Occitanie):
To qualify, all of the following conditions must be met:
The director must reside in the Occitanie region, including Montpellier
The film must have been shot in Occitanie
The film must have been produced and directed within the region
🔵 National Category (France including Corsica and overseas territories):
To qualify, all of the following conditions must be met:
The director must reside in France, including Corsica and all French overseas territories (DOM-TOM)
The film must have been shot in France
The film must have been produced and directed within France
🌍 International Category:
No geographic restrictions
Films from any country are welcome

3. Award Categories:

🏆 REGIONAL AWARDS (Montpellier / Occitanie):
Best Short Film – Fiction
Best Feature Film – Fiction
Best Very short film - Fiction

🇫🇷 NATIONAL AWARDS (France):
Best Short Film – Fiction
Best Feature Film – Fiction
Best Very short film - Fiction

🌍 INTERNATIONAL AWARDS:
Best Short Film – Fiction
Best Feature Film – Fiction
Best Very short film - Fiction

🎥 Best Student Short Film

🎬 ARTISTIC AWARDS:
Best Director - short film
Best Director - feature film
Best Screenplay - short film
Best Screenplay - feature film
Best Actor - short film
Best Actor - feature film
Best Actress - short film
Best Actress - feature film

4. Submission:
Submissions via FilmFreeway only
Final versions only
A private screening link is required (e.g. Vimeo, unlisted YouTube)

5. Screenings:
Films will be shown online on a secure streaming platform
Public access or jury-only access, at the filmmaker’s discretion

6. Rights:
The applicant must hold all necessary screening rights
By submitting, you authorize non-commercial screening of the film during the festival
* Participation in MTPIFF implies authorization to screen the film free of charge as part of the festival’s non-commercial activities. No screening fee, rental fee, or other compensation may be claimed after the film has been submitted or officially selected, unless a prior written agreement has been made with the festival organization.

7. Submission Fees:
(To be specified as per your pricing model)

8. Awards & Recognition:
Official MTPIFF laurels
Digital certificates
Promotion of winners across our website and social platforms.

9. Submission Fees – Non-Refundable
Submission fees are strictly non-refundable, regardless of the selection outcome.
Submitting a film implies full acceptance of the festival’s rules.

⚠️ To be eligible for the cinema screening in Montpellier (annual competition for Best Short and Feature Film), films not originally in French must be subtitled in French.
👉 For monthly selections, films must be either in English or have at least English subtitles.

The submission date determines the selection month.
For example, a film submitted on August 25, 2025 will compete for the August 2025 selection, and the winners will be announced at the beginning of the following month (around September 1 or 2, 2025).

⚠️ Submissions close on the 25th of each month, in order to allow the jury enough time to view the last entries and deliberate.
Any film submitted after the 25th will automatically be moved to the following month’s selection.
Example: a film submitted on August 26 will compete for the September selection and not for August.

👉 According to the regulations, only one film per director per month is accepted in competition. In case of multiple submissions, the organizer reserves the right to keep one film for the current session and defer the others to subsequent sessions.

Article – Submission Commitment and Irrevocability

All submissions to MTPIFF – Montpellier Independent Film Festival constitute full acceptance of the festival rules and regulations.

All submissions are final and binding.

Once a film has been officially selected, the selection is deemed irrevocable.
No withdrawal may be requested by the submitter after the official announcement of selection, except under exceptional written authorization from the festival organization.

Submission fees are strictly non-refundable under any circumstances, including withdrawal requests made after official selection.

The festival reserves the right to maintain any previously published communication related to an official selection.
It is the sole responsibility of the submitter to ensure, prior to submission, that participation in MTPIFF is compatible with any current or future contractual obligations (distributor, sales agent, broadcaster, exclusivity agreement, premiere requirements, etc.).

The festival shall not be held responsible for any contractual conflicts arising after submission or official selection.

Any premiere requirement (world, international, national, or regional) must be clearly stated at the time of submission. Otherwise, the film will be considered free of premiere restrictions.

A selection at MTPIFF, when it does not involve a public screening, shall not be considered a commercial release or public exhibition.