HOW WILL FILMS BE SUBMITTED?
All films must be submitted through approved online platforms. No other form of submission will be accepted.
After your film is accepted, you will be asked to supply a digital file of your film promptly. If you do not deliver said file by the designated time, your film could be disqualified from the festival.
If your project included a large group, please designate one (1) person to submit your project ... and only one (preferable the director, producer, or crew most able to attend). Each project accepted to screen will receive one (1) festival pass and a discount for additional passes. If you are submitting a film for your students, please clearly identify that in your film’s submission along with how to contact those filmmakers.
Multiple submissions of the same project will not receive multiple opportunities to participate.
WHAT CATEGORY SHOULD I PARTICIPATE?
All submitted films beyond 50 minutes in length should be submitted to the Feature Film category as either narrative or documentary.
Films short of 50 minutes should choose one of the following categories to compete:
- shorts (narrative, documentary, or animation)
- high school aged students
- college students
High-school-aged students are any filmmaker between the ages of 14-years-old and 19-years-old who completed their project while not currently enrolled in an institution of higher education. If a filmmaker is currently home schooled, they can compete here. If a student completed a project in May as a high school student but is currently attending college, they can submit that project here. High School films are limited to 20 minutes in total running time.
Any student who completed a project while enrolled in an institution of higher education should compete in the College Student category.
All others should compete in one of the Shorts categories.
To better recognize our area filmmakers, we are particular to films Southeast Made (ie, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Virginia, or West Virginia). Please alert us if you film was produced in one of those states, or the filmmakers are native to those state.
Films MUST BE APPROPRIATE to screen for a general audience and refrain from content that might warrant a PG-13 rating, such as foul language, excessive violence and sexual situations.
Filmmakers are responsible for all copyright clearances and releases for actors/performers' likenesses in their submissions and indemnify the festival for any issues therein.
Winners chosen in each category as applicable will receive a trophy and prizes from local sponsors.
Participants are strongly encouraged to attend. Films will be recognized by our judges in various other areas of achievement - such as best use of prompts, best cinematography, and best acting - regardless of attendance.
DOES IT MATTER WHEN I MADE MY PROJECT?
Films should be completed after the previous year's submission Regular Deadline. Projects for this year should be completed after Dec. 1, 2023.
DOES IT MATTER WHEN I SUBMIT MY PROJECT?
We have a rolling submission deadline. Review our submission dates and the increase fees attached to them. The earlier we receive your submission and can review it the better chance you have of acceptance.
CAN I HAVE A WAIVER?
All high school students in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina should use the following code for a waiver of fees: 2026FutureBlazer
All others eligible for waivers will be contacted directly.
If you are from a country that has financial issues with the United States, please use the following waiver code for free submissions: Azalea2026
If you submit using a waiver for a different category, your submission can be disqualified immediately.
WHAT DO I NEED TO SUBMIT?
Just submit your video link and FilmFreeway profile now. If your film is accepted, we will request a digital copy of your film as well as other marketing materials.
Do not submit those additional materials until requested, other than to have them on FilmFreeway.
Entries selected to the 2026 Festival will be asked to submit an exhibition video of the film in the proper file format (H.264). Failure to comply with technical specifications or by the requested date may result in the removal of the film from Festival competition.
We will ask all filmmakers to provide appropriate files for closed captioning, and we will accept additional files for open captioning screening as well.
Films might be screened in-person or virtually, or both. After films are accepted, SGFF reserves the right to screen them outside of the festival for class demonstrations, or promotion on our local cable access and streaming channel.
CAN I SUBMIT A ROUGH DRAFT?
We will only look at your film one time. If you submit a Rough Draft, that is the version that we review to include in our festival. It is possible that we will not screen your film immediately after you submit it, allowing for updates to the online file.
WHO ARE YOUR SCREENERS?
Our primary screeners are Valdosta State University students in the student organization. They will be the first eyes for the Feature, Shorts, and High School categories. To avoid conflicts of interest, the VSU faculty, SGFF Community Board, and other local professionals will be the initial screeners for the College category.
All films will be viewed by our screeners, not all films will be viewed in their entirety.
HOW MANY FILMS CAN I SUBMIT?
You can submit one film per submission fee, but you can submit as many films as you wish as long as you pay the fee.
HOW WILL I KNOW IF I AM ACCEPTED?
We will notify filmmakers through FilmFreeway. We will also post accepted films on our Social Media pages. While we will attempt to alert filmmakers by late January, but we guarantee to alert all filmmakers by February 17.
WHAT GENRES DO YOU ACCEPT?
You can submit any type of film you can make. Depending on the submissions we receive, we may program more animation or documentary one year and more horror and thriller another year. If you can make it, we would love to see it.
DO YOU TAKE AWAY MY RIGHTS AS A FILMMAKER?
Absolutely not. Filmmakers own all rights to submitted films. Using festival best practices, we will screen films both in-person and online in a ticketed capacity. At this time, we do not pay screening fees of any kind. We strive to promote your film during and after the festival - and point people to your submitted websites & social media sites.
By submitting you agree to allow Valdosta State University to use your film in parts and its entirety both for educational and promotional purposes in our classrooms and on VSU-TV digital outlets.
The South Georgia Film Festival is a signatory of the Seed & Spark Film Festival Survival Pledge, where we will maintain a films eligibility regardless if it has screened online at another festival, continue its premiere status in relation to other festival regardless if it has played online.
By completing the online entry form, Exhibitor constitutes his/her full and complete acceptance of the terms hereof and that Exhibitor has read and complies with the Terms of Entry.
