Mill Valley Film Festival

Please make sure your entry form is complete (see bottom section of Festival Rules marked "IMPORTANT!" for details). A separate form and entry fee is required for each submission. For submissions in the Youth Produced category (works by filmmakers 18 years old and younger) please submit to the Youth Produced category.

ENTRY MATERIALS
Only online submissions accepted.

PROGRAMMING REQUIREMENTS
Programming emphasizes premieres and new works in categories including features, shorts, documentaries, animation, experimental and children/family.

• Feature-length entries (50 minutes and over) receiving theatrical release, TV broadcast, screening at other California Festivals and venues or are available for purchase on DVD or online (e.g. iTunes, video on demand, etc.) prior to MVFF's dates will not be considered. Feature-length entries receiving a theatrical or festival screening in the San Francisco Bay Area prior to or within one month following MVFF dates will not be considered for the Festival. Exceptions will be made under special circumstances. Please contact our office if you agree to any other screenings directly before or after MVFF, other than those listed on your application.
• MVFF does not pay rental fees. Instead, our resources are invested in the production and promotion of the best possible showcase for your work. For theatrical runs, films may subsequently be considered for our year-round venue, the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center.
• Films are often screened through the duration of the festival
• Industrial, promotional or instructional films are not eligible.
• Films must have been completed within 15 months of festival dates (after July 1, 2024). Previously submitted works are not eligible for re-submission.
• Features, especially World Premieres, may be accepted for late submission. To request a deadline extension, please call our office (415-526-5839) or email mvff@cafilm.org.
• Filmmakers are responsible for providing a good quality print for their screening(s). See EXHIBITION FORMATS for requirements.
• Filmmakers will be notified via email of entry status by approximately September 16, 2025.
• Once a film is submitted it may not be withdrawn.
• If selected to screen in the festival, you may be asked to provide an electronic press kit.

EXHIBITION FORMATS
Filmmakers are responsible for providing a DCP.

SHIPPING INFORMATION/EXHIBITION PRINTS
Exhibition prints must be sent to the Festival prepaid. The Festival will cover return shipping via FedEx, DHL, UPS or US Mail, unless other arrangements are requested.

In case or loss or damage during the Festival, the responsibility of the Festival is limited to the costs of repair or replacement of the print only.

Media are insured for up to $100 per entry when shipping out. While all entries are packaged with extreme care, the Festival is not responsible for loss or damage to prints in transit.

ENTRY CHECKLIST:
The following must be included for each entry:
- Entry Form (Accepted online through FilmFreeway, 1 per entry)
- Online screener
- Entry Fee (Accepted online through FilmFreeway)

Optional materials:
- Brief Synopsis
- Filmmaker Bio and/or Filmography
- Press Kit
- Stills

IMPORTANT!

It is necessary to have the following information filled out in your FilmFreeway filmmaker account in order to ensure that we can process your submission quickly and efficiently. Not having this information already available in your account may cause a delay in the processing of your submission.

Please be sure the following information is readily available in your FilmFreeway filmmaker account!

English title (with English article if necessary)

Under Submission Contact section (Click on "PREFERENCES" on the left-hand side of the screen):
First name
Surname
Address 1
City
State
Zip
Country
Phone1/ Type
email 1

Under Production Info section:
Submission
Submission Date
Director
Producer
Origin Country
Premiere
Run time
Completion year

Throughout the listing (i.e. Niches, Formats, etc.):
Film Type
Preview Format
Production Format
Exhibition Format
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Format
Applicant Acceptance (Release)