S.O.F.A TAILS is a celebration of the love between all pets, rescued farm/slaughter animals, their humans and, where applicable, the shelters that bring them together; it is the rescue and pet section of the highly successful S.O.F.A Film Festival - if you have submitted to S.O.F.A Film Festival please DO NOT resubmit here.

S.O.F.A Tails doesn’t simply screen pet videos; we screen films that have been made with an intention, concept or story to convey the connection between the animals and their humans and how they have fit into our world.

This festival also honours animals who have overcome adversity and have gone on to become heroes for people and/or other animals such as service/therapy/police/military/fire animals or those who raise awareness for various disabilities or issues concerning people or our four-legged friends.

We welcome stories about senior and disabled animals.

Between October 1st and 20th 2025 we will screen between 4 and 6 hours of the most inspirational, heart-warming and entertaining films related to the dogs, cats and their human companions from independent film makers around the globe.

All length of films welcome. Please read the categories of films we are looking for carefully to ensure your film fits our criteria.

After the festival screenings film viewers will be able to vote for their favourite film/s via JotForm. The winner will receive an official certificate and be mentioned in the following year's official program with a photograph, bio and film poster as well as a permanent link to their social media on the festival website. The Certificate Categories for 2025 is: Best Tails Short, Best Tails Feature, Best Tails Overall, Best Rescue story

ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for consideration:
1. Entrants must fully comply with these Entry Rules & Regulations, including all deadlines, entry material and other requirements.
2. Films may only be submitted online - no hard copy, DVD or Blu-Ray submissions will be accepted until after submission acceptance has been determined.
3. Films should have English subtitles if the main language is not English.
4. Submitted films should be original creations fully owned by the filmmaker or filmmakers. Filmmakers are responsible for securing clearances or legal permission for the use of any copyrighted musical, cinematic, or literary materials. By submitting your film, you confirm that you own 100% of the rights to the work. If the work's copyright is held by more than one person, the submitter must have the written consent of all other owners prior to submitting. S.O.F.A Tails will take no responsibility for copyright infringement. If S.O.F.A Tails thinks it necessary, proof of copyright will be asked for. Failure to produce proof in writing from the copyright holder will result in automatic expulsion from the competition.
5. No works in progress will be accepted unless agreed in writing beforehand or the project is invited by the Festival.
6. S.O.F.A. Tails has no premiere requirements; films submitted to other festivals are still eligible for submission. If you do wish us to hold a premiere screening, please write to us PRIOR to submitting your film to: sofafilmfestival@gmail.com
7. Filmmakers may submit more than one project. However, a separate entry fee is required for each submission.

PLEASE NOTE: The online festival is screened through our website Screening Room and accepted films must agree to upload their films directly onto the platform and link to our channel. Details on how to do this will be available in our acceptance letter and on our website. If you are accepted as part of our festival but decide not to upload the films to our Channel a submission refund will not be issued.

TERMS OF USE
By submitting your project via FilmFreeway.com to S.O.F.A. Tails you hereby agree to be legally bound by the following Terms and Conditions:

1. S.O.F.A. Tails is not responsible for the streaming quality of online submissions uploaded through FilmFreeway. If your entry is unable to be watched by our administrators due to issues with your upload, your film will be disqualified and no refund will be made. You are free to include an additional private link through Vimeo or YouTube where your film can be viewed by emailing us at sofafilmfestival@gmail.com .
2. Films may have been made at any time. The filmmaker represents and warrants that the submitted material does not defame or invade the rights of any person living or dead and s/he fully indemnifies S.O.F.A Tails against any claim made for such violations of the law.
3. S.O.F.A. Tails does not, under any circumstances, pay screening fees. By submitting your film, you are agreeing to screen your film online without a screening fee or any other compensation if selected. The same applies if your film is chosen to have a live screening.
4. S.O.F.A is currently an online festival only.
5. Entry fees must be paid in EUROS via FilmFreeway and are non-refundable. Please not that we do NOT waive entry fees. We understand the costs involved in filmmaking and that you are hopefully submitting to many festivals so we have kept our fees as low as possible. This is also a philanthropic festival so that is also been taken into account.
6. All entries will be acknowledged by email or through the FilmFreeway communication system.
7. If for some reason the Festival determines that a submission no longer meets all of the criteria listed after acceptance, the submission will be designated ineligible and no refund will be issued.
8. Selection of an entry to S.O.F.A. Tails grants S.O.F.A Film Festival the right to screen your trailer and use your name, poster (with our screening date added) and likeness for promotional purposes without compensation. Filmmakers are responsible for securing clearances or legal permission for the use of any copyrighted musical, cinematic, or literary materials.
9. Submission of an entry to the Festival does not guarantee that a work will be shown. S.O.F.A. Tails reserves the right to refuse to screen any film online or live.
10. All rights to the submitted material remain with the entrant. The Festival administrators DO NOT claim any rights to the material submitted to the competition.
11. The entrant will promote S.O.F.A Tails and their screening on their social media and websites and tag the festival using #sofafilmfestival and #sofafilmfestival. If their entry wins a Certificate they agree to post a photo with the certificate once it has been received.
12. All entrants agree to be included in the public voting for the best film and understand that the administrators cannot and will not influence the final outcome in any way. The voting forms will be handled on the JotForm platform.

ENTRY MATERIALS
1. All entries must be submitted online via FilmFreeway. Filmmakers must complete the online registration form in full prior to submission.
2. Once your film has been accepted by S.O.F.A Tails a trailer of your film and a poster must be sent to the administrator within 3 days. Details will be given in the acceptance communication.

MULTIPLE ENTRIES
Each entered film must be submitted separately and pay a separate submission fee.

SELECTED FILMS
1. Selected films will be notified via email using the information provided on the submitted entry form. Changes in the entrant’s contact information may be made by contacting the festival at sofafilmfestival@gmail.com .
2. Selected films wishing to be screened on our website must provide S.O.F.A Tails with a link or embed code from YouTube or Vimeo (or similar reliable video presentation platform).
3. Entrant must be 18 years of age or older. (Entrants between the ages of 13 to 18 may enter with a written letter of consent from a legal guardian.)

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Bryce Iwaschuk

    It was so wonderful getting to screen our film at S.O.F.A.. They absolutely go above and beyond to make the presentation special and a wonderful experience, for the festival attendee and the film makers. Getting to see our film selected for S.O.F.A. made us feel special and confirmed why we went through the extraordinary efforts to make War Tails. Their communication was fantastic and made it easier for the first time documentary maker easy to understand.

    November 2024
  • Donna Guthrie

    I am so sorry I wasn't able to attend but very happy my film was selected.

    October 2024
  • 제 영화 <HELLO VIVIAN>을 채택해주셔서 감사하고 영광스럽게 생각합니다 ^^

    October 2023
  • Great Opportunity and communication during such an odd time for our industry. Glad to be chosen and to be a part. Thanks for the acknowledgements!!

    October 2023
  • We are so honored that our short film Friendshio Bracelet was selected to part of your prestigious film festival!!!

    www.creativeiconfilms.com

    October 2023