Sussex International Film Festival

1. Entries are limited to one submission per applicant. The applicant must be the director. Where a director submits more than one film, it is up to the panel's discretion to choose which one might progress, and only one can progress.

2. Films must be submitted by midnight on Friday September 23th 2026. These should be sent via FilmFreeway.

3. Films must be no longer than 20 minutes, including all titles and credits.

4. They must be in English or subtitled in English (if there is any dialogue at all) but can originate from anywhere in the world, save in the category of Best UK Short, which has to have been made in the UK.

5. Any films which might be housed in more than one category will be judged in the category it was submitted in, and no more. Any films submitted in the wrong category will be moved to the correct category by the panel.

6. All films from selections and above may be used in promotional material for the event. Unless otherwise informed, the organisers will assume permission is given to display these online and at other events in the Hailsham Pavilion. Filmmakers should specify in an email to the festival if they do not wish their film to be used for promotion or other screenings.

7. All selected films will be screened in Nov 2026 at the Pavilion.

8. Please make sure that you include contact details and any notes that you may like us to be aware of.

9. SIFF will not be responsible for any custom duties or charges on physical submission.

10. Materials will not be returned but will be deleted on request after the event, with the exceptions of the winning entries. All rights will remain with the filmmaker.

11. The festival handles submitted physical screening files with the utmost of care but cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage. The festival will only return any physically submitted screening files if postage and packaging is covered by the entrant. Permission for the festival to use images and excerpts of each submitted film, not to exceed 1 minute for promotional purposes is considered granted upon acceptance into the physical screenings at the festival - including trailers/clips on the festival's media channels. If you would rather opt out from this, please contact the festival organisers within 5 working days of your notification of acceptance into the festival. For selected films. SIFF reserves the right to complete any information not supplied by the filmmaker from whatever source available and/or re-write material to fit our marketing requirement.

12. Entry fees will not be refunded under any circumstances.

13. The organisers reserve the right to change any of the above at any point, but competitors will be notified in advance. If in doubt about any of the above, please contact Gareth at info@hailshampavilion.co.uk before submitting your material.

Dates & Deadlines

Opening Date - February 23, 2026
Earlybird Deadline - March 23 - £6.00 fee.
Regular Deadline - August 23 2026 - £12.00 fee
Late Deadline - September 23 2026 - £20.00 fee
Extended Deadline - October 13 2026 - £28.00 fee
Notification Date - October 23, 2026

Event Date - The 4 Mondays in November, 2026.