The Reel Impact Festival (RIF) explores how the motion picture is used to spread messages, drive change, and achieve commercial goals for social impact organizations.

The festival is focused on promo reels (under 5 mins) that organizations – both for profits and not for profits – leverage to sell a social impact product/service, showcase a social impact campaign/initiative/project or a social cause as part of their strategic communications.

With the number of social impact companies multiplying and the explosion of the use of video online, organizations must embrace visual storytelling to effectively get their message out and drive the change they desire.

All Winners will receive laurels and will be listed on the respective winners' page on our site.

Awards & Prizes

Most Creative Cinematography Award
Most Moving Video Award
Most Effective Messaging Award
Most Innovative Storytelling Award
Best Overall Award

Rules & Terms

* RIF (Reel Impact Festival) reserves the right to exclude a film from the festival.

* Reels must be under 5 minutes.

* Reels CAN have premiered previously.

* Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all music, images, and content in the entry.

* Rough cuts and works-in-progress will not be considered.

* Selected Reels will also be eligible for our awards

* We accept local and international reels that explore stories with social impact (i.e. social change, criminal justice, poverty, equality, empowerment, human rights, education, global health, climate change, immigration, and social innovation, etc.) and the selected films will screen on December 5, 2019 at Impact Hub Oakland.

* Reels in languages others than English must include English subtitles.

* Submitting to the festival grants us the right to show your film and to use your film information and stills in our publicity.

* Payment (if applicable) is due in full at time of registration, and there are no refunds.