Rochester International Film Festival

We are devoted to showcasing the art of making short films--and have been selecting and presenting the best to our community for 67 years! Audience members love our festival because they know they'll enjoy a variety of shorts that they won't see anywhere else: dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation. And filmmakers love attending because of the unique festival experience we offer: informative and enjoyable tours and activities, homestays, meals, local transportation, and lots of opportunities to network with other filmmakers from across the US and around the world. Just read their reviews on this site and you'll be convinced that this festival is one you want at the top of your list.

Movies On a Shoestring, a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1959, produces and presents the annual Rochester International Film Festival. It's one of the longest running, continually held short film festivals in the world. No wonder we've been voted "BEST Local Film Festival" by readers of City Magazine since 2014, despite stiff competition in our festival-rich region.

Selected entries are screened in four separate programs at the George Eastman Museum's historic Dryden Theatre in Rochester, NY. We foster a love of motion pictures by screening short films from around the globe that are rich in artistic expression. We also educate viewers in art and technique, resulting in an eager reception for your cinematic creations. Audience members and filmmakers enjoy a Q & A session following each screening.

While the Rochester International Film Festival does not offer cash prizes, it delivers hospitality and recognition galore! To start with, every filmmaker who submits to our festival receives a detailed critique letter summarizing the impressions and suggestions of our preliminary screening committee. Filmmakers have consistently told us how much they value and appreciate this feedback.

During the fest we provide filmmaker homestays, meals, networking opportunities, local transportation, private tours, and parties. Depending on budgeted funds, a limited number of stipends may be available to help defray travel costs for selected filmmakers who might otherwise be unable to attend. All films screened at the fest receive our unique Shoestring Trophy and commemorative program book.

We issue Certificates of Merit to films not screened but of notable technical or thematic quality, and we list Honorable Mentions in the program book and on our website.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Participating filmmakers receive:
• Distinctive Shoestring Trophy and commemorative program
• Opportunities to network with filmmakers from around the globe
• Homestays or assistance locating accommodations, meals while in Rochester
• Tours of Eastman Kodak, the George Eastman Museum, RIT MAGIC Spell Studios
• Filmmaker hospitality bags
• Local press coverage

Films not selected for screening, but deemed notable:
• Honorable Mention or Certificate of Merit, listing in program book and on our website

EACH film submitted:
• Individualized critique letter summarizing the impressions and suggestions of our preliminary judging committee

GENERAL GUIDELINES & RULES

+ Entries: 30 minute MAXIMUM
+ We welcome all kinds of short films up to 30 minutes - drama, comedy, experimental, animation, documentary, and student projects. But--no promotions/commercials, music videos, or teasers/pilots for TV shows.
+ Standalone, self-contained works--no episodes or fragments of larger works
+ We love having a range of international submissions, but please make sure your film is subtitled in English or English CC that we can activate. We prefer large, bold, clear subtitles - they are most visible in borders or on black backgrounds.
+ NO fee waivers available (we're an all-volunteer nonprofit)
+Online submission recommended.
+ NO late entries accepted--must be submitted by deadline. If sending by postal mail, we recommend sending at least one week prior, longer for international post.

MAIL SUBMISSION

When mailing correspondence or submitting films, include a copy of your entry form (http://rochesterfilmfest.org/riff/wp-content/uploads/RIFF-Website-Entry-Form.doc) and use ONLY the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). We use a P.O. Box and CANNOT accept deliveries initiated through any other courier. While your entry is handled with care, we DO NOT accept responsibility for lost, stolen or damaged entries.
+ File format: DVD as data disc or USB Drive, see technical specs below
+ If submitted on DVD or USB drive, one entry only per device - do not place multiple entries on one device
+ Payee: "Movies On A Shoestring, Inc."
+ Payment (USD only): PayPal (WE NEED PAYPAL ADDRESS HERE), Check, International Money Order

Send DVD or USB Drive by Postal Mail to:
Movies On A Shoestring, Inc.
ATTN: Submissions
PO Box 17746
Rochester, NY 14617

Include
+ Entry form
+ Payment--or indicate how payment was made
+ A few film stills

SELECTION & SCREENINGS

Our selection process unfolds in two stages. First, each entry is viewed in its entirety by our screening committee. Members discuss the film's merits and vote on whether to advance it to final judging. Whatever the outcome, each filmmaker receives a detailed critique letter that sums up viewers' impressions. After preliminary judging ends, a select panel of final judges views the advanced entries to select those to be screened at the festival.

Films screen at the Dryden Theatre at George Eastman Museum in four distinct screenings over the course of three days. Our festival attracts large and enthusiastic crowds of film lovers who may attend screenings free of charge to give your film the widest possible exposure. Filmmakers submit their films time and again because of the special support and attention we give their work and the hospitality they experience here in Rochester. We hope you'll join them!

HELPFUL TIPS

• $35 entry fee applies if submitted/postmarked by December 24, 2023
• $60 entry fee applies December 25, 2024 through February 21, 2025
• Entries MUST be submitted/postmarked by February 21, 2025
• Entries CANNOT exceed 30 minutes in length.
• Online submissions preferred.
• DVD entries as data disc only, or USB Drive. Submit ONE (1) entry per disc, USB drive, or digital download.
• Mail via USPS (NOT FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.)

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

+ It is important that we see your best cut and quality from the beginning - it improves your chances to advance to final judging.
+ Please make your file downloadable to us so we can do our screening offline, and so we can check file size and video quality.
+ Please do not submit "screeners" of lower quality, rough cuts, or watermarked films. We want to start our judging process on the film as it is meant to be seen!
+ We promise to protect your film and any files we download.
+ Filmmakers selected to advance to final judging will receive instructions from our projectionist regarding the formatting requirements for your official festival screening copy, which MUST be received by the specified deadline. If the indicated format is not provided, your entry may not be shown--so follow all guidelines and contact us with any questions. If you have already provided the best copy possible, just tell us this when contacted.
+ Our shows are presented on the big screen at the Dryden Theatre - please make a high-quality file available to us early. Film files are typically H.264/MPEG-4 and can be variable bitrate. They need to be a high enough resolution to project on a theater screen.

HAVE QUESTIONS? NEED MORE INFO? CONTACT US!

president@RochesterFilmFest.org
film-critiques@RochesterFIlmFest.org
submissions@RochesterFilmFest.org

Overall Rating

Quality

Value

Communication

Hospitality

Networking

Jhanvi Motla

Rochester truly outdoes the festival experience. From the curation, to the networking events, to visiting Kodak and the outstanding hospitality, I can't wait to keep going back every time I make a film. Much love to Marilyn and all the volunteers who make it happen.

June 2024

Helpful

Response from festival:

Thank you Jhanvi!! We truly enjoyed having you here in Rochester. It's you, the filmmakers, who make our festival so special for both our audience and our volunteers!
Donna Hooker
Submissions Chairman, RIFF
Sebastian Boneta

A one-of-a-kind festival with a long and rich history, curated and organized by a team of hard-working, deeply-caring volunteers.

With three jam-packed days of screenings, meals, and educational tours, there were many opportunities for growth and to get to know other filmmakers.

For 2024, the program was full of thought-provoking films by filmmakers from diverse backgrounds with unique viewpoints and voices.

Thank you to the Rochester Film Festival for bringing us all together.

June 2024

Helpful

Response from festival:

Thank you Sebastian - and thank you for attending and making our festival an even more enriching experience not only for you, but also for our audience and our volunteers. It's nice to see that our work earns rewards!
Donna Hooker
Submissions Chairman, RIFF
Ryan Steven Green

Dating back to 2010, I've been in attendance for dozens of film festivals all across the US. I can only think of one other festival that cared so deeply and so personally for each and every filmmaker at the fest. From the homestay program to the amiability of each and every one of the veritable army of volunteers that makes the festival a success. I felt loved even before I showed up in Rochester, but once there was really treated as if I were a family member. I was also pleasantly surprised with the quality of the programming - again selected by volunteer jury members. This level of attention, volunteerism, and care is rare in my experience and it has me wanting to return to Rochester as soon as I can finish my next short!

June 2024

Helpful

Response from festival:

Thank you Ryan- and thank you for attending in person.
This makes our festival an even more enriching experience not only for you, but also for our audience and our volunteers. It proves to us that that our hard work earns rewards!
Donna Hooker
Submissions Chairman, RIFF
YAQ Distribución

An amazing and very family friendly festival.
We have been fortunate, as distributors and as authors, to have been able to attend the festival several times and we can say, without hesitation, that it is one of the best festivals that are held and where they take the best care of the short filmmaker.

Here's to the 67th edition and beyond!

June 2024

Helpful

Response from festival:

Alicia - thank you, and our pleasure to host you each time you come. Filmmaker attendance and participation in the Q&A after each screening is what makes our festival special/
Donna Hooker
Submissions Chairman, RIFF
James Middleton

I should be able to give six-seven-heck, GOOGLE star rating to this festival. "Political Asylum" was my gateway into the jaw-dropping level of hospitality and support that came from the coordinators and volunteers of RIFF. Of ALL the festivals I have attended, this was certainly the best - and the reviewers have vast experience in film, production, and are extraordinarily generous with their time, knowledge, and making one feel welcome in Rochester - and, by the way, Rochester is worth a visit of its own. A stroll down East Avenue is a catapult to early 20th century architecture and design, and some BnBs (if the festival doesn't put you up at one of their own homes) are barely a few blocks away. Get your steps to the comfort of Dryden theatre and feel the tingle as the lush, golden curtain rises to reveal your film. We had over 30 filmmakers at the 2024 event and the conversations/interactions were priceless. DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT!!! Feel free to contact me if you have ANY questions - this is getting a GOOGLE PLUS rating in our next newsletter!!! What an unforgettable experience. My toes are curled with glee.

June 2024

Helpful

Response from festival:

THANK YOU JIM!! You GAVE us as much fun as you had! It was a joy to have you join us and participate in the activities.

Donna Hooker

Rochester International Film Festival