LAcon V Worldcon Film Festival

TERMS & RULES FOR SUBMITTING YOUR FILM

• Films must be speculative fiction, which includes science fiction, fantasy, and horror films.
• Films created by generative AI will not be accepted.
• Short Films must be 15 minutes or under, including credits, in duration.
• Featurette Films must be between 15 and 45 minutes, including credits, in duration.
• Feature Films must be over 45 minutes, including credits, in duration.
• Only one title per entry.
• LAcon V does not pay screening fees under any circumstances.
• You agree your film is available for selection and exhibition during our festival dates.
• If your film becomes unavailable for selection and exhibition, you agree to withdraw your submission PRIOR to our final submission deadline (April 30th, 2026).
• If your film has not been withdrawn and remains in consideration after our final submission deadline, you agree that your film may be selected and exhibited regardless of other arrangements, including distribution deals or other festival premieres.
• Films must be complete upon submission. No works in progress please.
• Film submissions must be made available as streaming screeners through FilmFreeway.
• If your film is not in English, it MUST be subtitled.
• LAcon V does not provide transportation or lodging for filmmakers. If selected, filmmakers will receive a free one day pass to attend the in-person show.
• There are no refunds on submission fees.
• Successful submissions granted a screening must submit downloadable .MP4 or .MOV media files (via FilmFreeway, Dropbox, Vimeo, or similar).

By submitting, you represent and warrant that you have full legal right and authority to submit the film for consideration by LAcon V Film Festival, and that all necessary consents, licensing, and approvals have been obtained. You agree the work is original and owned by the submitter, is not the subject of any disputes regarding ownership, and there is no invasion of privacy, defamation, violation of rights, intellectual property infringement, or similar violation of law. You agree to hold LAcon V, Worldcon, the World Science Fiction Society, and their sponsors harmless in any and all matters pertaining to the consents, licenses, and approvals of the film.

You understand that your submission is in no way a guarantee of acceptance into the LAcon V Film Festival. No one from LAcon V, Worldcon, the World Science Fiction Society, or their sponsors has guaranteed you selection into the festival.

Should your film be selected for the LAcon V Film Festival, you retain all rights to ownership of the film, but grant LAcon V the right to exhibit the film at the festival. You also grant the LAcon V the right to use any materials pertaining to the submission, including publicity photos and still frames from the film, and to advertise and display the work in whole or in part for promotional purposes without limitation.

If you are not sure about something, please email us before you submit. We'll answer your query as quickly as possible.

"World Science Fiction Society", "WSFS", "World Science Fiction Convention", "Worldcon" are service marks of Worldcon Intellectual Property, a California non-profit corporation managed by the Mark Protection Committee of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society. You can contact the WSFS Mark Protection Committee at mpc@wsfs.org.