SOU STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL RULES (PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING)
1) All submissions are due by 11:59pm (Pacific) on May 8th, 2026. No late submissions will be accepted.
2) All film submissions must have been directed or written by a student while enrolled at least part-time at Southern Oregon University between Spring 2025 and Spring 2026 (or by a high school or community college student who has applied to or plans on applying to SOU's Digital Cinema Major). Film completed after a student has graduated will be placed in the Alumni category, out of competition. Official selections from past SOUSFF seasons will not be considered. Film with no credits or incomplete credits may not receive full consideration. If you have any questions about submissions and selections of your projects, please contact: guerreros@sou.edu
3) No film submission may exceed 15 minutes total running time including credits. No script submission may exceed 15 pages total not including title page.
4) All submissions must be uploaded to FilmFreeway and *authorized for downloading* When exporting your work for FilmFreeway, follow all the instructions at this link to ensure the best quality online screener:
https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/224968708-Adobe-Premiere-Pro-CC-7-2-1-
Final exhibition copies should be configured for high-res downloads and meet the following specs: Video Frame Size of 1998 x 1080 (may have black bars — that's normal); Video Frame Rate of 24 fps (not 23.976); Apple ProRes (preferred) or H.264 Video Codec and .MOV container; Audio Sample Rate of 48.00 kHz; 24-bit Audio Bit Depth; Stereo (L + R) Audio Channels. The organizers are not responsible for the quality of films not submitted in this format for screening.
5) Accepted films will be notified by May 20th, 2026.
6) All submissions must adhere to copyright and fair use laws. By submitting your film, you claim the right to distribute the work in question, grant free license to the SOU Student Film Festival to exhibit the work in question, and take full responsibility for any claims stemming from copyright infringement related to said work.
7) By submitting your project, you authorize the university to exhibit your work in-full at live screening events, on television, on streaming platforms, and on our social media channels, and grant permission to have selected clips from your work be used in promotional reels for the festival or university programs with the director credited. By submitting your film and/or screenplay, you also grant permission to SOU to submit your work to additional film festivals on your behalf, including but not limited to the Ashland Independent Film Festival, the Klamath Independent Film Festival, and SOPBS student showcases.
8) If selected, only directors or lead writers are guaranteed recognition in the festival's printed and online program and publicity materials. Other collaborators will be recognized at the discretion of the festival's marketing team.
9) If you request programmer feedback on your film and screenplay, that feedback will be provided at the end of the Spring term.
10) Students may resubmit a film that was previously rejected if significant changes have been made.
11) The SOU Student Film Festival is produced by the SOU Film Club and programmed as a project of DCIN 444 Film Festival Programming & Promotion under the faculty supervision of Digital Cinema Program Coordinator Chris Lucas. Students are not permitted to judge their own projects or projects they served in a key creative role or department head. Faculty work to ensure programming decisions are based on submission quality and program fit, not student popularity. The programming team has the authority to accept or reject any qualifying submission based on their own subjective judging criteria, and any disputes arising from programming decisions will be resolved by the faculty supervisor.
JUDGING CRITERIA
Film submissions will be rated on the following criteria:
1) Story / Concept
2) Originality & Creativity
3) Cinematography
4) Sound
5) Editing
6) Casting & Performance (not considered for documentaries or experimental films)
7) Production Design
8) Genre Achievement
9) Overall Quality of Production Values
Awards will be given in categories determined by the organizers. Prizes for craft awards go to the credited contributor in that craft area. Only students enrolled at SOU at the time of the film's production will be considered for awards.
