GENERAL RULES
The Portland Film Festival will take place in Portland from October 12th to 16th, 2023.
1. Submission Deadline
Submissions will be accepted from December 1, 2022. The Starting Deadline is December 14, 2022. The End-of-the-year deadline is December 29, 2022. The Early Deadline is January 11, 2023. The Park City Deadline is February 9, 2023. The discount deadline is March 8, 2023. The early bird deadline is March 22, 2023. The regular deadline is April 5, 2023. The late deadline is April 26, 2023. The extended deadline is May 17, 2023. The final deadline is June 14, 2023. Early entry is encouraged but in no way guarantees acceptance.
2. Submission Format
Films must be submitted on DVD or BLURAY, via a link with password (Vimeo or YouTube) or the FilmFreeway online screener only. The title, submission ID number, screening format, and running time must be clearly labeled on the disc and cover. Please avoid stickers on the surface. Submitted copies will not be returned.
3. Submission Eligibility
- All submissions must have been completed after January 1, 2020.
- There is no premiere policy for submission.
4. Premiere Status
- There is no premiere policy.
5. Submission Fee
All submissions for Portland Film Festival are to be paid by credit card or paypal. The submission fee is non-refundable.
6. Shipping
Submissions should be sent to:
Festival Submissions
Portland Film Festival
1126 NW Marshall St.
Portland, OR 97209
All shipping and postage costs for the submission package and, if the film is selected for the Festival, for all prints, tapes, and additional materials sent to and returned from Portland Film Festival must be borne by the submitting party. Portland Film Festival will not accept Cash On Delivery shipments. Portland Film Festival will not absorb any fees incurred in customs. All charges must be pre-paid. Portland Film Festival will not accept submissions if the submitting party has not paid customs and delivery fees.
Submission packages from outside the US must be labeled 'Trade Sample' on any customs label and, for customs purposes, must be given a value of no more than US$10.
7. Selection of Films
Submissions are reviewed and selected under the following criteria:
Strength of story
Quality of narrative and production values
Independent nature of the production
Portland Film Festival endeavors to complete all selection procedures by September 30, 2023 and inform all submitting parties, in writing, if their film has been successful or not after that time. Successful submissions will receive a Filmmaker Festival Pack that will include important information on shipping the print or DVD/BluRay and/or .mov file to the Festival, press and publicity, guest accreditation, contact information, and how to make the most of participating in the Festival.
A selected DVD/BluRay or .mov file must be received at Portland Film Festival no later than THIRTY days before its scheduled feature screening date, and FORTY-FIVE days for shorts. The Portland Film Festival will take place from October 12 to 16, 2023.
8. Festival Screenings and Scheduling
Portland Film Festival has the capability to screen .mov, BluRay and DVD. We have limited capability to screen DCP. In the chance that we can screen your film in DCP, you will be required to provide the film also in a file or BluRay backup. Please clearly label whether your film is PAL or NTSC. Our facilities do NOT support 35mm, Super 16mm, or double-head formats.
Our partner cinema uses pin sharp Cinema projection, making screenings look incredible.
Portland Film Festival aspires to provide the best quality projection possible but will not be held liable for any failure in the technical quality of the projection, nor will fees be refunded in any such case. Portland Film Festival assumes that the submitting party or filmmaker(s) or entrant(s) or print source company has insured for damage and loss of the festival print or tape.
Screenings are scheduled during the Festival at the discretion of Portland Film Festival. While every effort will be made to adhere to the published schedule, Portland Film Festival reserves the right to make changes at any time for any reason. Portland Film Festival will not be liable for any costs claimed as a result of a change in scheduling. Portland Film Festival also runs daily industry screenings with limited availability during the Festival.
No film may be withdrawn from the festival program after its selection, and no film may be screened outside the festival venue during the Festival and before its official presentation without the approval of Portland Film Festival.
9. Festival Jury Prizes
Jury prizes for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short. If short-listed for a Jury Prize, additional preview copies of the film must be provided or authorized by the submitting party if requested by Portland Film Festival.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
1. I, the representative of the project being submitted (the "Film"), acknowledge and agree as follows in connection with the Film's submittal to PDXFF (the "PDXFF") for consideration for the Portland Film Festival (the "Festival"):
2. I hereby represent and warrant to the Festival that (a) I am duly authorized, on my own behalf and on behalf of all other persons or entities who have any ownership rights in the Film, to exhibit this Film at the Festival, (b) this exhibition will not violate any law or any right or consent of any person or entity and (c) the Film is not subject to litigation nor is it threatened by any litigation.
3. I further represent and warrant that, to the best of my knowledge, the exhibition of the Film at the Festival will not violate or infringe any copyright, patent, privacy right, publicity right, trademark, service mark or any other personal or property right of any person or entity and that my Film does not constitute a defamation of any person or entity. I have paid and will pay in full all license fees, clearance fees, and other obligations, of any kind, arising from the exhibition of the Film in connection with the Festival.
4. If accepted, I acknowledge that the Festival's presentation of the Film does not create any confidential or fiduciary relationship between the Festival and I. I understand that I will not receive any compensation for such exploitation, although some prizes at the Festival may include cash awards. I acknowledge that no obligation of any kind is assumed by or may be implied against the Festival or the PDXFF because of the Festival's selection of the Film. I understand and acknowledge that the selection of my Film by the Festival does not in any way constitute an express or implied endorsement or approval by the Festival or the PDXFF of the content of the Film or any opinion expressed therein.
5. I agree to indemnify and hold harmless the PDXFF, the Festival, the affiliate, subsidiary and parent entities of each, and the officers, directors, employees, attorneys, advisors and agents of each of the foregoing from and against any and all claims, losses, or liabilities (including reasonable attorneys' fees) that may be asserted against any of the foregoing or incurred by any of the foregoing at any time in connection with the Film or the Festival's use thereof, and/or arising from any breach or alleged breach of any representation made by me to the Institute or the Festival.
6. In the event that the Film is accepted into the official Festival program, myself and all other parties involved with the Film agree that the Film will not associate with nor receive support from corporations during or related to the Film's participation in the Festival that are not Official sponsors or supporters of the Festival without prior written consent of the Institute. Methods of support include: hosting a dinner, party or junket for or in conjunction with the Film, providing media space for roundtable or one-on-one interviews, etc. The PDXFF is a non-profit organization that relies on the funding of our official sponsors and supporters to produce the Festival. For an official list of sponsors and supporters, please refer to the contributors list at http://www.portlandfilm.org. If you have been approached by a company or corporation that does not appear on this list, they are NOT officially aligned with the Portland Film Festival.
7. If accepted, I hereby grant without reservations, to the Festival, and their related entities (a) the right to use footage, stills and/or titles, and information from the Film for promotional purposes and (b) the right to issue and authorize publicity concerning the filmmakers and the Film and to use all associated names, likenesses and biographical information. I also agree to provide contact information for the director and producer(s) of the Film and grant the Festival the right to provide this information to film industry organizations sponsoring Festival events at its discretion.
8. I represent that I am 18 years of age or older, or that if I am younger than the legal age to enter into contracts in my state, I have provided a written consent from my parent or legal guardian. I agree that any controversy arising out of or in connection with my Film and the Festival will be governed by the internal laws of the State of Oregon and conclusively determined by arbitration in the City of Portland in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association before a single arbitrator mutually agreed by the parties. I hereby waive any and all rights and benefits which I might otherwise have or be entitled to litigate any such dispute in court, including without limitation a trial by jury.
9. I acknowledge that I have read and understood the rules and regulations for submitting a film to the Festival.
10. By clicking "I Agree" below, or by submitting a film or screenplay to PDXFF, I constitute my full and complete acceptance of the terms hereof. I acknowledge that no oral representations of any kind have been made by the PDXFF or the Festival.
