Days of the Dead International Film Festival

***PLEASE READ ALL RULES & TERMS PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR FILM***

We accept the following: Short/Feature Films, Short/Feature Screenplay and Teleplay, Music Video, Short/Feature Series or Pilot, Documentary, Fan Film, Micro Short, Student Film. Shorts must be under 40 minutes in length, features must be a minimum of 40 minutes in length. Music Videos and Micro Shorts must be under 7 minutes in length. Short screenplay/teleplay (under 40 pgs), Feature screenplay/teleplay (40-120 pgs). All screenplays must be in spec script format. ***Ensure you read category descriptions prior to submissions***

We only accept submissions for films produced after January 31, 2025 for the summer cycle.

Screenplays have no restriction in terms of when it was written.

All projects can be submitted twice within the same calendar year
(Summer Cycle & Winter Cycle)

WE DO NOT ACCEPT PROJECTS CREATED PRIMARILY WITH AI

Films must be submitted via FilmFreeway.

In the interest of fair competition to all that submit their projects, Days of the Dead Film Festival does NOT offer free submission waivers under any circumstances.

Please submit the version you want judged. We do not allow alternate versions to be submitted without being subject to another entrance fee.

By submitting your film to the Days of the Dead Film Festival, you acknowledge and authorize the use of materials for promotional use which includes but is not limited to excerpts, images, trailers.

You also agree to hold Days of the Dead Film Festival harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, expenses and damages as a result of entry.

Premieres will be considered in final programming decisions.

All non-English speaking films must have English subtitles.

Films can be nominated for multiple awards and/or categories. Days of the Dead Film Festival reserves the right to eliminate a category if there are not enough viable nominations.

Notifications will be made on or prior to May 18, 2026 via email or phone.

Days of the Dead Film Festival reserves the right to disqualify and without refund, any submission that does not meet the above mentioned submission criteria. Days of the Dead Film Festival does not allow any refunds once a film has been submitted. Films cannot be withdrawn after the submitter has been notified as an official selection.

Films that have been acquired, produced, financed or distributed by any major motion picture studio(s) or production company(ies), at the time of screening, will be screened out of competition. It is the sole responsibility of the submitting entity to attain all permissions required from the studio(s) or production company(ies) prior to submission and screening.

By submitting, the submitter agrees to all terms set forth in the rules.

Submitting your film/pilot/music video is considered giving the Days of the Dead Film Festival permission to screen your project during the course of the event. Submitting your screenplay/teleplay is considered giving Days of the Dead Film Festival permission for live script reads.

Days of the Dead Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition prior and during the Days of the Dead event for promotional purposes and special screenings outside of competition.

The submitter shall indemnify and hold harmless Days of the Dead and Days of the Dead Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

It is NOT PERMITTED to change or alter the Days of the Dead logo and/or laurels due to branding purposes, without explicit permission from the festival directors. Do not create laurels, we provide them. Any altered logos or laurels used on posters, advertisements and/or social media will be asked to be removed immediately.

SUBMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS:

Please include the following items when submitting your project:
1. If selected, acceptable screener formats are as follows: MP4, MOV, Apple ProRes.
Digital MP4 is highly preferred and H.264 Stereo format.
2.Trailer- not required but highly recommended, even for shorts (limit trailers to 90s). Please upload trailers directly to FilmFreeway, Vimeo or email directly. Ensure the download feature is enabled on FilmFreeway/Vimeo.
3. Poster
4. Film stills and/or set pics
5. Complete the Synopsis, Filmmaker Biography section in FilmFreeway
6. Add social media handles in FilmFreeway, we tag you when promoting your project
7. Ensure current email and mailing address are up to date in FilmFreeway