Southern Maryland Film Festival Submission Rules and Regulations
NOTE: The capitalized terms in Sections I – IV and on the Submission Form shall be understood as having the definitions and descriptions assigned to them in the paragraphs below:
The following is an explanation of rules and regulations (“Rules and Regulations”) governing the submission of a film (hereafter called the “Film”) to the Southern Maryland Film Festival Steering Committee (hereafter called “Committee”) for consideration for the 2025 Southern Maryland Film Festival (hereafter called “SMDFF”).
By completing and submitting the official SMDFF submission form, the person submitting the Film (hereafter called the “Applicant”) acknowledges that he or she has obtained consent from any and all owners, creators, writers, producers, and/or other authorized representatives of the Film (hereafter called the “Film’s Owners”) whose consent is required to submit the Film to the Committee, and has read, understood, and agrees to abide by the Rules and
Regulations set forth below:
GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF A FILM TO THE SOUTHERN MARYLAND FILM FESTIVAL:
Section I – Qualifications, Categories and Definitions
1) All submissions must satisfy at least one of the following requirements:
a. The credited cast or crew of the Film must have resided for at least one year in Charles County, St. Mary’s County, or Calvert County; OR
b. The credited cast or crew is currently or has been a student of a school that is located in Charles County, St. Mary’s County, or Calvert County; OR
c. The Film was shot at least partly in Charles County, St. Mary’s County, or Calvert County; OR
d. The subject of the Film occurs or has occurred primarily in Charles
County, St. Mary’s County, or Calvert County.
e. Submissions made outside of restrictions (a-e) above may still be
considered for exhibition only.
2) If the Film’s final running time is projected to be less than 50 minutes, the Film may only be submitted as a Short Film. Due to the nature of the festival and film blocks, it is recommended that films not exceed 50 minutes in length in order to be considered.
3) If the Film’s final running time is projected to be 50 minutes or more, the Film may only be submitted as a Feature Film.
4) “Adult” is defined as any writer, director, or producer of the film being at least 18 years of age, but not a registered High School student at the time of creation.
5) “High school” is defined as either the writer or director (whoever is oldest) is still in high school at the time of creation. A parent/guardian may be required to co-sign submission documentation.
6) The Committee will make the final decision on the category most appropriate for each Film.
Section II – Film Submission and Selection
1) All submissions must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm, May 16, 2026 by uploading to the Southern Maryland Film Festival account at www.filmfreeway.com. Registration to FilmFreeway is required to submit your film.
2) Previously accepted films may not be resubmitted. However, films that have not been accepted prior to this year may be resubmitted for reconsideration. Applicants may submit up to three of their own films. Failure to follow this guideline may result in disqualification for the festival for that year. Each film requires a $10 submission fee (nonrefundable). Submissions by filmmakers 18 and under at the time of submission are not required to pay a submission fee.
3) All submissions must be in MP4/H264 formats only. It is strongly suggested that films are submitted in 30 or 24 frames per second to maximize the quality of the final presentation on the big screen. Submissions must be in stereo format or two channel mono format. Films that are being considered may be required to update technical issues within a fixed time period in order to be included in the festival.
4) Adult filmmakers are required to complete a FilmFreeway press kit and may also submit an edited trailer for the Film (30 seconds – 3 minutes in length), which would be utilized by the SMDFF for marketing purposes (Please keep trailers appropriate for all audiences). Trailers may be submitted upon a later date if accepted.
5) Submission to SMDFF does not guarantee selection for the festival.
6) Final selections of Films for presentation at the SMDFF will be made by the Committee; Applicants of selected Films will be contacted no later than June 30th, 2026.
ALSO:
1) By submitting a Film, the Film Owners agree to allow the Southern Maryland Film Festival full permission to publicly screen this film in any venue or format deemed appropriate by the Committee. An additional release will be requested should the festival committee wish to use the film on a future date for publicity or events.
2) The Committee retains the rights to ask Film Owners to edit content for SMDFF approval. This may include (but not be limited to) misspellings, factual errors, or content deemed too explicit for Festival viewing.
Southern Maryland Film Festival Film Selection Policy/Disclaimer
The Southern Maryland Film Festival accepts many films from all walks of life, regardless of gender, race, religion, or orientation, with the hopes that our community will be open-minded and enjoy them as art--art that helps us to appreciate beauty, challenge our perspectives, and get in touch with our emotions and feelings.
While the Southern Maryland Film Festival may choose to exhibit many films, any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed within each film are solely that of the filmmakers and do not reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the Southern Maryland Film Festival or its steering committee.
Furthermore, we recognize that some content may not be suitable for all audiences. In an effort to provide additional protection to vulnerable audience members, we reserve the right to create advisories and procedures, including but not limited to content advisories for films that are either particularly graphic, contain scenes depicting sensitive situations, and/or discuss sensitive issues that may be disturbing to viewers. The Southern Maryland Film Festival is not responsible for content that may be triggering to viewers. Parents and guardians are responsible for the decision of whether minors may view questionable content.
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When selecting films for the Southern Maryland Film Festival, they are selected on the following criteria, to which they are also judged by the jurors for the actual festival:
Originality / Creativity
Story Telling
Production Value
Engagement
Finally, the Southern Maryland Film Festival steering committee reserves the right to accept or reject any films that the committee deems appropriate for the needs of the festival and its audiences.
