Terms and Conditions for submitting films to the 59th edition of SIFFFC
SUBMISSION RULES FOR FILM PRODUCTIONS PARTICIPATING IN THE 59TH SITGES - INTERNATIONAL FANTASTIC FILM FESTIVAL OF CATALONIA
IMPORTANT
These rules are subject to the official regulations of the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia (Sitges Film Festival). We ask that you please read the regulations carefully to understand the nature of each section and the essential requirements for participating in them.
The Sitges Film Festival is a film competition accredited by the FIAPF (The International Federation of Film Producers Associations).
The Festival is committed to filmmaking talent and the creative authorship of the pieces presented. Film productions that are created entirely with artificial intelligence, or those in which artificial intelligence has been an essential element in their concept or artistic production, will not be accepted in any of the in-competition categories. If you have any questions, please contact the Films Department.
I. SUBMISSION PROTOCOL:
To submit a film to the Festival and facilitate its viewing, please follow these instructions:
Submit the short or feature film via the official platforms designated by the film competition: festhome.com & filmfreeway.com.
FEATURE LENGTH FILMS may be submitted to the following categories:
a) Fiction feature film
b) Documentary feature film
c) Animated feature film
d) Brigadoon Section (feature films)
e) Sitges Family Section – family audiences (feature films)
SHORT FILMS may be submitted to the following categories:
a) Live action short films
b) Animated short films
c) Brigadoon Section (short film)
d) Sitges Family Section – family audiences (short films)
Notes on submitting short films to the Festival:
Only short films that comply with the following conditions will be considered:
- All short films must be fantastic genre films produced in 2025/2026.
- The maximum running time for short films is 30 minutes.
- The short films submitted in the general categories will be eligible for being selected for the following sections (additional information in the official regulations):
Official Fantàstic In-Competition Selection
The Festival's main in-competition section. This section requires a Spanish premiere, although a European premiere will be given preference. The winning short film in this section automatically qualifies to be included in the shortlist of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood for consideration as a candidate for the Academy Awards®.
Noves Visions Petit Format Section
In-competition section featuring experimental or avant-garde works. Competing films must be shorts previously unreleased in Spain.
Anima’t Section
Competitive section for animated short films. The winning short film in this section automatically qualifies to be included in the shortlist of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood to compete for the Academy Awards®.
Brigadoon Section
Short films submitted to the Brigadoon Section are exclusively included in this section's selection. Brigadoon features a selection of independent productions, focusing on horror and fantastic themes. For a short film to be eligible for Brigadoon, it is not an essential requirement for it to be previously unreleased in Spain.
Sitges Family
Short films submitted to the Sitges Family Section are exclusively included in this section's selection. Sitges Family - selects films aimed at family audiences and, specifically, focusing on an audience made up of children and young people. Sitges Family is not an in-competition section.
Sitges Coming Soon
TEASERS/TRAILERS/SCENES can only be submitted to the Sitges Coming Soon category. The submitted works must necessarily correspond to feature films that are in the final stages of post-production. In this case, the maximum run time of submitted pieces must be 5 minutes.
Short films submitted in the general categories and in the Brigadoon or Sitges Family sections cannot be productions uploaded to the Internet or other platforms.
Other considerations:
All films submitted in the general categories and the Brigadoon Section must include English subtitles (if the original version is in a language other than English). Films submitted to the Sitges Family Section must necessarily be dubbed into Spanish or Catalan.
Projects that are still “works in progress” will be accepted. This production status must be indicated at the time of submission by checking the appropriate box or by indicating it in parenthesis after the title.
DVDs / Blu-Rays will not be accepted. Likewise, viewing links received outside the official platform will not be taken into consideration.
IMPORTANT: works will not be submitted based on the Festival's specific sections, except in the case of those wishing to participate in the Brigadoon or Sitges Family sections, which have their own requirements. Participants in the general categories, if selected, will receive a communication indicating its assigned final section, as determined by the Programming Committee. This Committee reserves the right to place the work in the section it deems most appropriate, independent of the submission category, if applicable.
II. ENTRY FEES & SUBMISSION DEADLINES
The Festival will charge an entry fee for each work submitted to the viewing platform. This fee does not include any submission fees that the platform may apply.
The fees established for the 2026 edition are:
Early Bird Submission (26/02 to 18/06)
FEATURE FILMS (general categories, Brigadoon, Sitges Family and Sitges Coming Soon)
Fee: 80 euros
SHORT FILMS
(general categories, and Brigadoon and Sitges Family sections)
Fee: 60 euros
Final Submission (19/06 to 16/07)
FEATURE FILMS (general categories, Brigadoon, Sitges Family and Sitges Coming Soon)
Fee: 90 euros
SHORT FILMS
(general categories, and Brigadoon and Sitges Family sections)
Fee: 70 euros
Payment will be made at the time of submission via the platform.
In the event that you decide to cancel your participation in the Festival, the entry fee will not be refunded.
The Sitges Film Festival upholds an agreement policy with film promotion organizations and/or academic institutions throughout the world. The Festival only grants waivers via these organizations and institutions. To apply for a waiver, please contact the organizations and institutions in your country and submit your request directly to them.
No films will be accepted after the official submission deadline on July 16th, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. (CET).
III. FILM SELECTION FOR THE SITGES FILM FESTIVAL
The Sitges Film Festival will contact the producers/distributors of the selected films, and they will need to complete an additional form (the entry form) to formalize their participation in the film competition. This communication will take place, at the very latest, on September 1st, 2026.
In the event of not having been selected, the submission platform will send an automatic notification on September 1st, 2026, for all those films that have formalized their submission via this channel.
