SFS Film Fest

SFS FILM FEST RULES AND REGULATIONS

*** Make sure that your email is correct and current. In addition, please check your spam and junk mail, incase our emails have been mistakenly mis-sorted because communication is vital ***

*** Code of conduct - You are responsible for your actions as well as any guest whom you choose to bring, so please be respectful of venue etiquette ***

***Whether you are selected or not, the festival is free to attend, so we encourage you to come network and see what we're all about***

***Q&A Interviews - we schedule one on one interviews with each selected filmmaker that confirms their attendance. This interview will be between 7 - 10 minutes on our stage right after the sc

1. FILMMAKERS WHO DON’T COMPLETE SUBMISSION DETAILS
A film that is only partly complete will be considered an “Incomplete Submission” and it will not be reviewed since this ties down admin time by chasing after the details. Please fill out the entire form and you will be golden!

2. FILMMAKERS WHO SEND WRONG OR INCORRECT EMAIL AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Review your contact details carefully. Be sure those details are correct and up to date. If you’re using an old email, you will not receive our communications.

3. FILMMAKERS WHO PLAN TO ATTEND
If your film has been selected and you plan on attending the screening. Be sure to check your emails for crucial information regarding your screening time, interview time and information on checking in to receive your badge. If you plan to attend the festival and have not confirmed with us that you are attending, via the emails we send out to every selected filmmaker, YOU WILL NOT BE SCHEDULED FOR A Q&A INTERVIEW. It is our responsibility to cultivate the best possible experience for you and we do our very best to communicate with you and make that happen. So it is your responsibility to reciprocate that communication and get the most out of this opportunity. If you went through all of the efforts to submit your film, please be reachable within a reasonable time. This is your time to shine!

4. FILMMAKERS WHO ARE INCESSANT
Please do not contact us to see if we have received the film and what our decision is. We will confirm that your application has been received as soon as it’s entered via electronic submission when we have had a chance to review your submission. We greatly appreciate your patience.

5. FILMMAKERS WHO ARE HAVING AN ALTERCATION WITH THEIR TEAM
We get plenty of films submitted each year which are then withdrawn (or disqualified) because the person who submitted the film didn’t have either the rights or permission from the rest of the cast and crew. This seems like a basic thing to get straight BEFORE you started filming, not when someone on your team hears your film is heading to a festival. Always tie up loose ends and make a bow to deliver the goods.

6. FILMMAKERS WHO HAVEN’T CLEARED MUSIC RIGHTS
We can’t screen your film unless the music rights are cleared.

7. FILMMAKERS WHO SEND BAD PRODUCTION STILLS
The most difficult task we have is finding great production stills from the movie to print in our commemorative program, our website, and social media outlets. We want to show your film off - give us your very best stills so we can brag!

8. FILMMAKERS WITH NO SOCIAL NETWORK
A festival’s objective is to bring a crowd, so a filmmaker who has an established or budding social network is preferable! Alert followers of our upcoming festival screening. At SFS Film Fest - under the decorative umbrella of SFS Art Fest, we welcome and work with filmmakers to pull together a receptive audience!

9. FILMMAKERS WITHOUT A PRESS KIT
The evaluation of each submission is based on the quality of the film. Once a film is selected for the programme, it’s reviewed and a PR campaign strategy for each and every film is created. We want to see you shine!

10. FILMMAKERS WHO ARE DISCOURTEOUS
We work hard to try and make every single screening a success. Sometimes, it becomes an organizational challenge because of unforeseen dilemmas and behind-the-scene situations. It’s part of screening at a festival and we ask for your polite patience.

11. FILMMAKERS WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND THE ROLE OF A FESTIVAL
Our job is to try and deliver an engaged audience to appreciate your work. Your job is to deliver an engaging and entertaining film - and if you attend the festival, be available for an interview, along with a Q&A session with an interested panel, after your screening.

12. FILMMAKERS WHO IGNORE RELATIONSHIPS
The film industry is all about relationships and networking. It is also about utilizing your social networks. A camaraderie can spring up, unexpectedly, and if you nurture those relationships - let’s say with people whom you’ve met at this upcoming festival - they are certain to pop up at other festivals too, perhaps even the Oscars, years later!

"It’s better not to know so much about what things mean or how they might be interpreted or you’ll be too afraid to let things keep happening.” - David Lynch.