Hello. Bonjour. Guten Tag. Hola. Olá. नमस्ते. Welcome to VAiFF, the 9th Annual Various Artists Independent Film Festival! We have two programming opportunities to fit both the new and up coming content creators as well as the seasoned professionals.

Up and Comers: We have year-long FALL, WINTER, SPRING, and SUMMER submission seasons culminating in our live FINALE in Chicago, Il. Our programming allows for (1) virtual screening opportunities during our festival (2) in some cases live screening programming in front of our opening night audience for submitters worldwide and (3) select projects will be granted distribution of your project on our streaming platform.

Competition Information: VAiFF is a quarterly competition with four submission periods. Each submission will have a clip/trailer created for it if it doesn't exist already. The clips will be posted on our website, and a 21-day online voting period will determine the projects that advance to the FINALE COMPETITION.

The FINALE COMPETITION means your entire project will screen at either the LIVE VAiFF event in Chicago or the virtual event in October 2024. Our festival includes film screenings, artist performances, workshops, panel discussions, networking, and employment opportunities.

Seasoned Professionals: For those not looking to compete but looking only for festival laurel acceptance and recognition, you can still submit and it will be screened for inclusion in our live or virtual programming separate from the year-long competition listed above.

Our categories are as varied as the content creators that produce them. We have 14 categories for submissions:

- Animation
- Black Voices
- Children/Family
- Comedy
- Documentary
- Drama
- Experimental
- Faith-Based
- Fan Films
- Woman Strong
- International (subtitled)
- Horror/Thriller
- Music Video
- TV/Web series

VAiFF has no 2-year project stipulation rule, and any completed project can submit, regardless of the completion date. All entries must be 60 minutes or under, and we screen all submissions in their entirety.

Throughout our history, our judges' panel has included esteemed Academy and Emmy Award Winning and Nominated artists to working professionals in the industry today, including but not limited to Carl Jones ("The Boondocks", "Black Dynamite"), Anjul Nigam ("Grey's Anatomy"), Bob Gale ("Back to the Future" trilogy) and more.

When you submit to VAiFF, you become eligible for additional advantages, including personalized crystal awards for the Best Film in each category, a FREE COPY OF HARMONY Animation software for the "Best of Animation" winner, and a chance to be selected for a PAID INTERNSHIP on a new Carl Jones project.

Please submit your film via FilmFreeway, providing a secure digital downloadable link. You must follow all entry terms and conditions. Each quarter will accept the first 100 entries per category, and late entries will be considered for the next quarter's festival.

By submitting your film, you grant us the right to use excerpts for promotional purposes. You agree to provide the necessary screening materials if your film is nominated.

Join VAiFF, celebrating independent filmmaking, and share your passion with our supportive community. One screening at a time, we stand together as Various Artist

VAiFF is a year-long celebration of independent filmmaking. We are all Various Artists and we will stand together as one voice, sharing our passion, one screening at a time.

Awards & Prizes

When you submit to VAiFF, you not only join a supportive community of artists, you become eligible for these additional advantages:

√ THE BEST FILM in each category will win a personalized crystal award in the FINALE COMPETITION!

√ The "Best of Animation" winner will receive a FREE COPY OF HARMONY Animation software!

√ A chance to become selected for a PAID INTERNSHIP on a new Carl Jones ("The Boondocks", "Black Dynamite") project.

√ The Grand Prize. One selected filmmaker will be chosen as the recipient of the SHORT FILM PRODUCTION GRANT! Where they will become selected for a one-year mentorship opportunity and a new short film will be created and premiered at next year's opening night event!

Rules & Terms

Entrants must agree to all entry terms and conditions, which also include deadline and entry material requirements. Please read all TOP TEN Entry Terms and Conditions in their entirety as submission fees are non-refundable.

1). ALL entries must be completed and considered a ‘final release’ before submission into the competition.

2). ALL entries are allowed to have screened publicly and distributed to other film festivals worldwide.

3). There is no ‘2-year completed by’ date as ALL films are eligible for this festival, whether they’ve been selected for ‘Official Selection’ or denied inclusion in previous festivals.

4). No premiere status is required.

5). All submissions must be allowed to use clips of their film for marketing and promotional purposes. The Various Artists independent Film Festival (VAiFF) is granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition for promotional purposes.

6) Submitted films will need to allow VAiFF the option to screen their films either virtually during our yearly event or in person at our theatrical screenings.

7) Each submission must be 60 minutes and under. Music Videos must be 12 minutes and under. Each submission is carefully considered solely on its own merit by the festival programming committee.

8). Up and Comers: Once the nominations for that quarter’s categories are announced, Applicants will be notified of when the voting process opens and they can begin campaigning for their project. They will also be notified of when the voting process ends. Winners of the quarter categories will be notified via the contact information they provided at entry.

9). Submitter is responsible for submitting the film in the appropriate category. If VAiFF finds that the film does not belong in that category, the film will be disqualified from competition or moved to another category where it is applicable. VAiFF is not responsible for categorizing the submissions and will not refund submission fees if this occurs.

10). All of the above submission eligibility guidelines and general rules are subject to change by the Various Artists Independent Film Festival without notice.

For full details and rules, please read the Entry Terms and Conditions and the Legal Terms & Conditions on our website. If you have any questions, email programming@variousartists.tv.
55 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • J. Aldric Gaudet

    Thank you for choosing "Happy Sad" as a Nominee in the Best of Music Video category.

    January 2025
    Helpful
  • Marc Marashi

    We were privileged to be a part of this unique festival! Everyone involved was very kind and communicative. The fest itself features a crop of interesting movies from all around the world, and from a wide variety of genres. We were proud to be included, and will submit future works!

    November 2024
    Helpful
  • Andrea De Benedictis

    People (and professionals) always ready to meet the needs of individual authors: highly recommended festival! For me it was a real pleasure to get an honourable mention.

    November 2024
    Helpful
  • Vibin Alex

    Thank you for this great opportunity....

    November 2024
    Helpful
  • Mark Short

    It was a great experience. And we will send it again.

    November 2024
    Helpful