The North Film Festival - New York City

Main Rule for Screening Eligibility:
The festival will only screen films with representatives present at the event in New York City. If no representative is available, the film will remain selected but will only be showcased online. Priority for screenings is given to films with representatives attending the festival, including local filmmakers from USA.

Rule: Timely Filmmaker Engagement and File Submission
As part of our commitment to running a well-organized and professional festival, filmmakers are required to stay engaged and respond promptly to all communication. This includes submitting files, attendance forms, and other requested materials by the stated deadlines.

Failure to meet these deadlines may result in your film being excluded from the schedule, as we cannot make adjustments once the final program is locked. It is the filmmaker's responsibility to provide the necessary materials on time. After the deadlines have passed, no further accommodations can be made.

STUDENTS: We are proud to support student filmmakers worldwide by offering a discounted submission fee. However, if you submit your film under the student category, you must be prepared to provide valid proof of your student status upon request. Failure to do so will result in your film being removed from the selection, nominations, and schedule, as it constitutes a violation of our terms and rules.

Late Submissions and Screening Limitations:

If you submit your film within two months of the festival’s start date, please note that selected films will primarily be scheduled for online screenings due to constraints with the finalized in-person schedule. While we will make every effort to accommodate your film for an in-person screening if space becomes available, this cannot be guaranteed. Please keep this in mind when submitting close to the festival date.

Nominations Eligibility for Late Submissions:

Films submitted within one month of the festival’s start date may still be selected for screening ONLINE only but will not be eligible for nominations in any award categories. This is to ensure fairness and allow adequate time for the selection committee to review all submissions thoroughly.

We encourage filmmakers to submit their projects as early as possible to ensure the best possible experience at the festival.

Online Screenings & Voting:

Filmmakers participating in TNFF NYC 2026 may watch the online screenings without purchasing an online ticket. However, only viewers who have purchased an Online Ticket, Online Filmmaker Ticket, or Friends & Family Online Ticket are eligible to vote for the Audience Award. The email used for voting must match the email used for the ticket purchase. Votes may be verified and invalid votes may be removed.

RIGHTS, CLEARANCES AND LIABILITY

By submitting a film, screenplay, or project to The North Film Festival - New York City (TNFF - NYC), the submitter confirms and guarantees that they are the legal owner of the project or have obtained all necessary rights, licenses, permissions, and clearances required for the submission, exhibition, screening, promotion, and festival participation of the project.

This includes, but is not limited to, rights related to music, images, archive footage, trademarks, logos, artwork, scripts, performers, locations, third-party materials, and any copyrighted or protected content included in the project.

The submitter accepts full responsibility for any claim, dispute, demand, legal action, copyright issue, clearance issue, or third-party rights complaint related to the submitted project.

The North Film Festival - New York City (TNFF - NYC) , its directors, programmers, jury members, team members, venues, partners, sponsors, and associated companies shall not be held responsible or liable for any unauthorized use of copyrighted or protected material contained in any submitted project.

The festival reserves the right to request proof of rights or clearances at any time and may remove, disqualify, suspend, or withdraw any project from selection, nomination, screening, online exhibition, awards consideration, or any festival activity if a rights issue, legal dispute, or third-party claim arises.

Submission fees, tickets, gala tickets, DCP services, translation services, or any other payments are non-refundable in the event of disqualification, withdrawal, or removal due to rights, clearance, legal, or third-party liability issues.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in ensuring a successful festival experience for everyone.

The North Film Festival - New York City (TNFF)
By submitting your film, you agree that The North Film Festival - New York City (TNFF)) can use parts of your film (including trailer/teaser/film poster/Stills) for promotional purpose.
To submit a film, you must have created the project yourself, own the rights or have permission from the owner of the content to submit the film to us, you are entitled of that responsibility and you as a filmmaker YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THE RIGHTS OF YOUR FILM.

PLEASE READ THE RULES BELOW THOROUGHLY BEFORE SUBMITTING:
You must fully comply with these Entry Rules & Regulations, including all deadlines, film length, entry material and other requirements
The North Film Festival - New York City (TNFF) will review films in their entirety. Films will be watched and reviewed by members of the Selection Committee; a professional group of filmmakers, film enthusiasts and critics. Films are scored accordingly.
ALL FILMS THAT MAKE THE FINAL SELECTION ARE REQUIRED TO SEND US A H.264 (We will let you know what format we need from your film) FORMAT OF THEIR FILM TO US VIA WETRANSFER (Best) OR ANY LINK THAT WE CAN DOWNLOAD THEIR FILES FROM 
 

1. Entries in foreign languages must come with - English subtitles.
2. All entries must have been completed AFTER January 1st 2024;
At TNFF - NYC, we follow the Academy standards for film classification:
- Short Films: Runtime of up to 39 minutes and 59 seconds.
- Feature Films: Runtime of 40 minutes or longer.
3. Any film submitted to the The North Film Festival - New York City (TNFF - NYC) can be re-submitted at any time for a second chance.
4. Works in progress are accepted.
5. You must own or be given all of the rights to anything you submit to the festival.
6. Multiple entries are allowed. You can submit more than one film to the same category. But keep in mind the entry fee must be paid for each one.
7. At our discretion, we may choose to transfer a film to the correct category, but only if the appropriate level of submission fee has been paid.
8. A screening committee determines which films shall be exhibited, submissions are not guaranteed to be shown. All decisions of the committee are final. Except for the audience award, separate juries select festival winners
9. After a film has been an official selection, the filmmaker will be notified.
10. The winners of The North Film Festival - New York City (TNFF - NYC) will be officially announced and presented with their awards during the prestigious Awards Ceremony Gala, taking place at the festival on June 12, 2027, at 8:00 PM (New York time). To preserve the excitement and integrity of the event, no winners will be revealed beforehand—all awards will be unveiled exclusively during the ceremony.
Please note that attendance at the Gala Awards Ceremony is optional and requires a separate ticket purchase. Due to venue capacity limitations, seating is limited and priority is given to Gala Awards ticket holders. While attendance is not mandatory, filmmakers, guests, and supporters who wish to experience the ceremony live are encouraged to secure their tickets in advance.
As in previous years, capacity is limited, and once tickets are sold out, no additional seating will be available.
11. Submissions are NON-refundable. We cannot be held liable for materials which are lost or damaged.
12. We totally retain the right to change the date and venue of the festival under special circumstances. All filmmakers will be informed about any changes through our online website + platforms or email.
13. If your film is selected by our festival, you automatically agree that we may use images from your project for marketing purposes for our festival. If you do not agreed, and do not consent to give us promotional rights to your material, please let us know with a call or via email; and then we will withdraw your film from the promotion of our festival. If we do not receive any notification from you within 48 hours after your film is selected, we will assume that you agree this policy.
By official selection, you agree to be publicly recognized as an official selection project through social media.
14. The festival will not pay any fee for screening a film.
15. The festival WILL NOT cover any filmmaker expenses. Please note, you will be totally responsible for your airfare, accommodation and other travel expenses.
16. The Festival will only screen films with representatives of the same. If not, it will continue to be selected, but will go online. The priority is for those who are at the Festival (Including Local Filmmakers).
17. Students- Please submit to the proper category - Graduate, College, High School or younger and supply a student ID.
18. All non-English films must have English subtitles embedded into the video. This is mandatory.
19. Before submitting your projects to The North Film Festival - New York City (TNFFNYC), we kindly requested that you carefully read and familiarize yourself with our festival's terms and rules. As part of our commitment to maintaining a respectful and positive environment, TNFFNYC retained the right to unselect any film, even if it had been selected and nominated, if we found any form of disrespect towards our festival and no refund will be provided .

Venue Accessibility & Festival Limitations

The North Film Festival – New York City is an independent festival operating in small venues and historic theater spaces. While we welcome filmmakers and guests of all backgrounds and abilities, we cannot guarantee that all venues, screening rooms, events, workshops, networking activities, bars, restaurants, parties, or third-party locations will meet every accessibility requirement.

Filmmakers and guests requiring specific accommodations are strongly encouraged to contact the festival in advance. While the festival will make reasonable efforts to assist whenever possible, participation is subject to the physical limitations, policies, and conditions of the venues used by the festival.

The festival does not guarantee accessibility accommodations, transportation assistance, personal assistance services, lodging accommodations, or venue modifications.

Independent Festival Disclosure

The North Film Festival – New York City is a small independent festival operated by a limited team and budget. Unlike major festivals such as Cannes, Tribeca, Sundance, TIFF, or similar organizations, TNFF does not provide travel grants, accommodation support, accessibility funding, transportation services, industry representation, distribution guarantees, meetings, business opportunities, networking guarantees, or other professional services unless explicitly announced in writing by the festival.

Participation in the festival does not guarantee access to industry meetings, distribution opportunities, development opportunities, financing opportunities, educational partnerships, media coverage, or business introductions.

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT POLICY

Please note that winners are never informed in advance under any circumstances.

All awards are officially revealed during the Gala Awards ceremony or the final event of the edition in which you are participating.

This policy ensures fairness, transparency, and a shared experience for all filmmakers.

Your cooperation in adhering to our guidelines was greatly appreciated, and we were delighted to have celebrated the magic of cinema with you.

I also acknowledge that the film submission fee does not guarantee acceptance and no refund will be provided if my film is not selected. 
 
Applicants who do not follow the guidelines will not be accepted.