Presented by Film at Lincoln Center in partnership with Rolex, the New York Film Festival (NYFF) is an annual celebration of the most significant international films of the season. NYFF has played a pivotal role in shaping film culture since its inception in 1963 and continues its enduring tradition of introducing audiences to bold and remarkable works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The 64th edition will take place from September 25 through October 12, 2026.

Short film submissions will be accepted via FilmFreeway from February 24 through May 26, 2026 and are now closed. The entry fee is $60 from April 6 through May 26. This fee helps fund a seasonal staff of short film submissions screeners, as well as additional festival operations, including artist support. NYFF is noncompetitive, and all sections are curated by the selection committee with support from an international roster of programming advisors and screeners. Only short films (40 minutes or less) are accepted through FilmFreeway.

Short films submitted via FilmFreeway are considered primarily for NYFF’s Currents section, though selected titles may also be invited to screen in other sections of the festival, including the New York Shorts program within Spotlight. A complement to the NYFF's Main Slate, Currents presents a diverse offering of short-, medium-, and feature-length work by filmmakers and artists working at the vanguard of narrative, documentary, and experimental modes.

NYFF’s call for short film submissions provides an opportunity for new and emerging filmmakers to share their work. In addition to short film submissions collected via FilmFreeway, the NYFF64 selection committee considers recommendations from alumni and industry colleagues, as well as work that has premiered in international festivals and galleries since the previous edition of NYFF. Submitted films are evaluated by NYFF64 programming staff and considered equally alongside all other prospective titles.

All films submitted through FilmFreeway will be notified of their status on or before August 17.

Awards & Prizes

The New York Film Festival is non-competitive.

Rules & Terms

GENERAL RULES

1. Film at Lincoln Center defines a short film as any film with a running time of 40 minutes or less. (This includes the final version with credits.) Any film longer than 40 minutes will not be considered.

2. All films submitted to NYFF must be New York theatrical premieres. “Premiere” is defined as any film having not screened for the public and/or having received a screening in a festival operating in New York area. Films must not have additional screenings in the New York area during the festival dates, ending October 12, 2026.

3. Films that have shown theatrically in New York or have been broadcast on television prior to NYFF or are available on home entertainment formats (including Blu-Ray/DVD/TVOD/VOD) will be deemed ineligible. Films that had screened regionally on a virtual platform, but not in the NY area or by a New York institution are eligible as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements.

4. Films that have had private, unpublicized screenings are eligible for submission to NYFF.

5. Films that have been previously submitted to NYFF are ineligible, including films that have been significantly re-edited.

6. Films publicly exhibited before the 2025 edition of NYFF (prior to September 26, 2025) are ineligible.

7. All applicants must complete the official festival submission form located on FilmFreeway.

8. NYFF reserves the right to disqualify any film not submitted through these websites without refund of any application fees.

9. The applicant holds the sole responsibility of copyright clearance of any copyrighted material in the film. Films including unauthorized copyrighted material are ineligible.

10. Films not in English must be subtitled in English unless dialogue is minimal and not necessary for the comprehension of the Film.

11. All projects must be submitted in a format FilmFreeway can support. Virtual reality work will not be considered.

TERMS

1. Films submitted by mail will not be returned. Films submitted by email will not be considered.

2. Multiple versions of the same film will not be considered. Only the first submitted version of a film will be considered for NYFF.

3. If the submitted film link does not play, the password does not work, or the film is otherwise not viewable, NYFF reserves the right to disqualify the film without refunding the submission fees. It is the responsibility of the person submitting the film to update any changed passwords or links. Providing a backup online preview link (Vimeo, YouTube) of the film on the submission application is preferred but not required.

4. Submitted films that qualify based on the regulations and eligibility requirements stated here will be seen by NYFF programming staff and be considered equally with all other submissions. Music videos and installments from a series/television show are accepted but each submission will be considered on its merits as a piece of short filmmaking. There are no music video-, series/episodic-, or virtual reality- specific sections in the festival.

5. NYFF reserves the right to disqualify any film for non-payment of the submission fee. NYFF will attempt to contact the applicant based on the contact information supplied at the time of submission in order to resolve non-payment status.

6. Applicants acknowledge that NYFF reserves the right to change the nature of screenings and events due to circumstances related to public health and welfare or at the direction of local, state, or federal authorities. In such cases no submission refunds shall be issued.

7. NYFF is under no obligation to provide comments regarding submitted films to any applicant. The festival is not responsible for any internal comments obtained by the applicant regarding their film.
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  • Lin Htet Aung

    Thank you so much. Even though I cannot join in person. The festival is amazing !!!

    October 2025
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