Welcome to University Film and Video Association (UFVA) Conference Screenings and/or Scripts FilmFreeway submission site. You MUST be a member of the organization to submit; to learn more about membership, please go to ufva.org.

The theme of UFVA 2024 is "Rock On: Urban Resilience, Cinema, and Sustainability." The event is a 4-day academic conference at the Cleveland State University School of Film & Media Arts in Cleveland, Ohio from July 30 to August 2, 2024.

Please note: There is a TWO-STEP submission process for Screenings and Scripts for UFVA 2023.

STEP 1: Fill out a SCREENING or SCRIPT submission form at ufva.org. This allows us to gather the info we need to create a pdf conference program.

STEP 2: Enter your project info and link here at FilmFreeway, which is where UFVA co-chairs and judges watch, evaluate, and program all films and scripts. You should have received a UFVA 2024 FilmFreeway password from ufva.org at the send of STEP 1, which you will need to submit your project here.

NOTE: To submit a Paper, a Pre-Constituted Panel, a New Media exhibition, or a Workshop to UFVA 2024, please use the platform at www.ufva.org. For those areas, the submission process happens ONLY at ufva.org; for Screenings and Scripts, there is a SECOND step at FilmFreeway.

All completed films will be peer-reviewed. All work entered for competition will be further adjudicated for awards.

Completed scripts can be submitted to the following three juried categories:

1. Short Script
2. Feature Script
3. TV Pilot Script

Scripts can also be submitted as “Work-in-Progress" and can receive feedback if you choose to have a formal respondent. Works-in-Progress are not eligible for awards.

Completed films may be submitted in these categories:

Scripted Narrative Feature (>40 minutes)
Scripted Narrative Short (<40 minutes)
Documentary Feature (>40 minutes)
Documentary Short (<40 minutes)
Experimental
Animation
Music Video
Multicam/Live

Completed films can be eligible for awards through adjudication or they may be submitted outside of competition.

Please see the Awards & Prizes and Rules & Terms sections below for more information.

Awards & Prizes

Awards for Screenings and Scripts are given to the top work submitted to the "In Competition" categories. NO AWARDS are given for work submitted to the "Work-in-Progress" categories. Graduate students are NOT eligible for awards and MUST submit in the categories with titles that begin with "GRAD STUDENT PROJECT."

You may submit your completed film for screening at the conference without a fee; if you would like it to be considered for an award, there is a $25 submission fee for the "In Competition" category. (Submission fees are used by the Screenings area as an award fund.) Awards are given only to the Producer or Director of the completed film, who must be a UFVA member. In the Screenings Juried Competition category, the awards are:

Best Animation
Best Documentary Feature
Best Documentary Short
Best Experimental
Best Scripted Narrative Feature
Best Scripted Narrative Short
Best Music Video
Best Multicam/Live Production

Awards given in the Scripts Juried Competition category are:

Best Short Script
Best Feature Script
Best TV Pilot Script
(in proper script formats for film or TV pilots)

Honorable Mentions in both Screenings and Scripts categories are given when deemed appropriate by the judges. All prizes will be announced during the conference.

Rules & Terms

Submission FAQs and Answers

1. What are the benefits of submitting my project to the UFVA Conference?
Submitted work will be reviewed by academic filmmakers/industry professionals like yourself. UFVA serves its membership by providing screening, reading and feedback sessions to those who submit and attend the annual conference. Written evaluations of screened work can be incorporated into the submitter's tenure review file.

2. Written evaluations, but no awards, are provided for completed work (if a respondent is requested on the ufva.org submission form). Competitive awards are provided to the top completed work in each of the screening COMPETITION categories, though there is a charge for submitting to this category. Graduate student work is not eligible for in-competition awards.

3. What kinds of films or scripts is UFVA accepting?
UFVA accepts animation, documentary, experimental, music video, scripted narrative films of all lengths and genres, plus multicam/live productions. UFVA accepts feature-length, short, and TV pilot scripts. Submissions are open only to active association members. Learn more about membership at www.ufva.org

4. What is the screening format at the conference?
Filmmakers can screen films of variable lengths at the conference, up to and including features. Please keep in mind that conference sessions are 105 minutes in length, and some time must be reserved for questions. Thus, no member may screen a project for more than 90 minutes. (Longer projects may be submitted, but 90 minutes is typically the maximum screening time at the conference.)

5. Can I submit more than one film or script?
Each member of UFVA is entitled to submit one item to the conference, and may submit up to one additional item if it is in a second content area. The six content areas for UFVA 2024 are:

Individual Papers
Pre-Constituted Panels
Screenings
Scripts
New Media
Workshops

These content areas are clearly identified in the ufva.org submission forms.

6. Do you accept submissions of films from outside of the U.S.A.?
Yes.

7. What is the preview format for the film?
Submit your film via secure online screeners or Vimeo / YouTube links (with or without a password). See the FilmFreeway specifications for links.

8. What is the submission format for the script?
PDF file, with proper script formatting.

9. You may not re-submit a completed film though you may re-submit a work in progress. Preference will be given to work that has not been screened before.

14 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Laura Zaylea

    I absolutely love UFVA and have been a member for over 10 years. This review is for the 2023 conference in Cleveland, Ohio: Fantastic! Well organized, excellent community, professional screening room with a large screen and golden seats! Each screening I attended ended with detailed responses from a dedicated respondent followed by thoughtful and meaningful Q&A with the filmmakers/producers and a discussion with the audience. Excellent feedback. Vibrant community. An amazing experience, all around. I'm grateful to be a part of this community and to be able to share my work in a caring, thoughtful environment at a well organized event. Thank you!

    August 2024
    Helpful
  • Eve A. Ma

    I thoroughly enjoyed the festival - including the panel I was on (good feedback and good fellow-panelists), the other panels I attended, the workshops, the vendors, and the hospitality. Wish there would be one on the West Coast!

    August 2022
    Helpful
  • Nick Smith

    An excellent, smoothly run conference. Everyone was friendly and helpful; feedback was constructive.

    August 2022
    Helpful
  • Patricio Salinas

    A great conference with excellent feedback.

    August 2022
    Helpful
  • Zardosht Afshari

    I am glad that I could attend the conference. I enjoyed the sessions of Screenings, Scripts, Papers & Panels, and Workshops. The hospitality, communication, and networking were great. I hope I will be able to attend the next year's conference.

    August 2022
    Helpful