South Asian International Film Festival Florida (SAIFFF)

The South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFFF) Florida is dedicated to celebrating the art of cinema from the South Asian region and beyond. To ensure a fair and successful festival, we have established the following rules and terms for filmmakers submitting their work:

• 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:
a) Films submitted must have a direct connection to South Asia, which may include films produced in South Asia or films with themes, content, or creatives (directors, actors, writers, etc.) originating from the South Asian region.
b) All Films submitted must have been completed within 2 years of festival date.
c) All Films must present South Asian content, topics, themes or have South Asian heritage within the team (Producer, Director, Screenwriter, Composer, Actor). This clause is not applicable to International and Student Filmmakers.
d) Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran and Tibet are included in the classification of ‘South Asian’.

• 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬:
We accept films in various categories, including feature films, short films, and documentaries. Please submit your work to the appropriate category.

• 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬:
Submissions must be received by the deadline specified on our FilmFreeway page. Late submissions may not be considered.

• 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞:
Films submitted must have been completed after a specified date as mentioned in the submission guidelines.

• 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭:
Films must be submitted through our preferred platform, which is FilmFreeway. Ensure that the submitted films are in the specified digital format.

• 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
By submitting your film, you grant SAIFFF Florida the right to screen your film during the festival. This includes public and private festival screenings.

• 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:
Non-English language films must be submitted with English subtitles.

• 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
You may submit multiple films, but each film requires a separate submission fee.

• 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐬:
Entry fees are non-refundable. Please review the fee structure on our FilmFreeway page.

• 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
Our selection committee will review all submissions, and selected filmmakers will be notified of their film's status. Not all submissions will be accepted.

• 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬:
If your film is selected, you must provide promotional materials, including high-resolution images, posters, and trailers, for festival promotion.

• 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐬:
Filmmakers are responsible for providing the festival with the required screening formats for their films. Details will be communicated upon selection.

• 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:
Filmmakers are responsible for securing all necessary rights, licenses, and permissions for their films, including music and third-party content.

• 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:
By participating in the festival, you grant SAIFFF Florida the right to use excerpts, images, and promotional materials from your film for festival marketing and publicity.

• 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐬:
The decisions of the festival's jury are final. Awards and prizes, as outlined in the festival's awards section, will be presented to winning films and individuals.

• 𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬:
Filmmakers with accepted films may be invited to attend the festival and participate in Q&A sessions and other events.

• 𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐬:
Accepted Film formats for theatrically exhibited projects are DCP, mp4 and pro-res. The required exhibition formats for virtually/online exhibited projects will be confirmed by the Festival after invitations have been extended and confirmed. Please check in with the Festival staff before creating your Festival exhibition copy or copies to ensure the format and technical specifications are correct.

• 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭:
If some but not all of the episodes have been exhibited theatrically or made available via any other public platform, you may only submit episodes that have not been exhibited theatrically or otherwise released to the public. For example, if the first season of your series is available online, you may only submit episodes from a subsequent season that have not been released to the public in any form. All episodic content must play continuously in one single video file for digital upload and do not exceed 10GB in size.

• 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬:
SAIFFF Florida reserves the right to update or revise these rules and terms at its discretion.

Submitting your film to the South Asian International Film Festival Florida (SAIFFF) implies your acceptance of these rules and terms. We look forward to celebrating the magic of South Asian cinema with you and showcasing your exceptional work to our audience.