Film Festival held live in Sparta, NJ-
We feature a variety of short and feature-length documentaries from all over the world.
Block dedicated for New Jersey Filmmakers

Thr New Jersey Documentary Film Festival presents 4 Awards;

Best Documentary Feature
Best Documentary Short
Best Homegrown Doc
Truth is Stranger Than Fiction Award

NJ Documentary Film Festival official selections will receive laurels
Trophies will be awarded to the winners.

RULES
All genres/forms accepted. Seeking Documentary films only, Both Short and Feature length films will be considered. ALL GENRES of Documentary Films will be considered
All foreign-language works MUST be subtitled in English to be considered.

SUBMISSION ELIGIBILITY
- All submissions must have been completed after May 1, 2023.
- Short films are up to 30 minutes. Feature length films are 31 minutes or longer.
- We place no restrictions on your work in terms of premiere status
- Applicants may submit as many entries as they wish, as long as each entry has a separate entry form and fee.
- Features must not be available online, as a DVD or as a digital download/link for purchase. They also must not have been broadcast on television in the United States or screened theatrically in the United States prior to July 1st 2024.
- All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles.
- By submitting to us, you give us the right to screen your film in front of a live audience. You are also giving us permission to promote clips and stills from your film on social media, based on the press kits you provide us with.
- Official Selection: Films selected for screening will be notified via email.
- We cannot provide refunds.
- We reserve the right to update our terms and conditions at any time.

FILMS MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA ONLINE SCREENER ONLY THROUGH THE FOLLOWING PORTALS:
- FilmFreeway and its video player;
- Vimeo with its current password protected private link;
- YouTube as an unlisted link.
Passwords must not be changed until submissions have closed and notification of program films is announced.

1. The New Jersey Documentary Film Festival , its officers, associates, affiliates, family members, legal representatives, or any party directly or indirectly involved with the New Jersey Documentary Film Festival are not responsible nor liable in any instance for materials and contents included in the inscribed film that may involve illegal actions related to copyright, unauthorized materials and content included as part of the film, or any material and content considered to be unlawful in any civil, criminal, private or governmental instance.

2. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to ensure the proper permission of the copyright owner for full or partial use of any part of the project, music or any other material and content thereof, including ensuring that there is authorization from all parties involved on the film allowing the unrestricted and unlimited use of the materials and contents in order that they may protect the copyrights of entities or individuals related to the production and execution of the film. In addition, it is stipulated that the legal representatives of the film submitted are solely responsible for any kind of error, omission, negligence, moral damages, financial losses, safety, death, accidents, violence, perjury, defamation, any kind of action that may result in damages and damages not mentioned in this document, any legal problems related to the civil and criminal area. as well as, the applicant is solely responsible for any copyright infringement of the material and content that is provided with permission to post your images, posters and trailers on the site and / or social media pages and / or other media.

3. The presentation of the film in the New Jersey Documentary Film Festival shows that the registrants fully agree and accept all the policies set out in the application form and also agree and fully accept the stipulated rules of the submission guidelines.

4. In the event of unexpected circumstances, it is established that the organization and organizers of the New Jersey Documentary Film Festival have full and exclusive powers to change the places of registration, presentation, date, or cancellation of the event without prior communication or permission of the participants. 5. It is determined that through this document, I(we) agree to allow my (our) film to be displayed on the New Jersey Documentary Film Festival or other locations and media selected by the organizers and the New Jersey Documentary Film Festival organization.

5. I(we) declare that I (we) are the sole owner (s) of all copyrights and legal title (s) and have the legal authority to send the materials and contents attached to The New Jersey Documentary Film Festival. I assure that all rights necessary for participation in the New Jersey Documentary Film Festival have been legally transferred by me (us) and by everyone who may be involved with the film entered.

6. I (we) declare and accept that I (we) will indemnify and hold harmless The New Jersey Documentary Film Festival , its legal representatives, family members, associates, affiliates, the New Jersey Documentary FILM FESTIVAL and collectively, or any other party directly or indirectly connected with the New Jersey Documentary Film Festival , against all Type of claims, demands, losses, damages, judgments, liabilities, costs, expenses (including but not limited to attorneys' fees and court costs) that may be incurred by reason of any copyright, trademark, publicity, credit, loss, moral damages, security damages, damages caused by perjury, damage to materials and contents of screening, theft, plagiarism, or any illegal act of any nature with private entities, governmental entities, companies and individuals.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Joseph Lingad

    Everything about this festival was excellent, from communications to engagement to welcoming you. This experience was much better than an Academy-Award-qualifying film festival I recently experienced.

    August 2024
  • We hade our short documentary BRAVE screening at NJDFF in 2024. Amazing experience. Thank you for sharing our work with the audience and your passion for film.

    August 2024
  • Jeffrey Himpele

    Thrilled to be selected for this year's NJDFF. So well-organized and we're looking forward to submitting again in the future!

    July 2024
  • Art Varga

    Friendly atmosphere, quaint town, organized - great festival overall!

    July 2024
  • What a beautifully, professionally run festival. Cozy and quaint, but some of the best people I have met on this journey. And the town of Sparta is just warm, welcoming and delightful. Thank you for all your hard work. And, thank you for Best Documentary Short. You are all such blessings to this field!

    July 2024