We strongly encourage you to review the following carefully. By submitting your project, you acknowledge that you have read and agreed to all of the following rules and terms. All projects that have been submitted by our final deadline and that adhere to the following terms will be considered for inclusion in the 2026 Atlanta Film Festival.
If you have any further questions, please refer to our complete FAQ: http://www.atlantafilmfestival.com/submission-faq/
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
In order to be considered, each submission must be accompanied by a submission fee paid in full and a working screener. Once we have all necessary materials, the submission will be marked “In Consideration.” It is the submitter’s responsibility to make sure that all submission requirements are met. If your submission is marked “Incomplete” and you are unsure why, please email submit@atlantafilmfestival.com.
Any submissions that still have an “Incomplete” status on FilmFreeway by our final submissions deadline will be disqualified without refund of submission fees. Reasons a submission will be considered incomplete include (but are not limited to):
- Screener is missing
- Screener has been deleted or password has been changed
- Screener does not have subtitles (if in a foreign language), audio, image, or any feature that prevents us from properly judging it
SCREENERS
All projects must be submitted via secure online screener - either uploaded directly to FilmFreeway or embedded into your submission from a third-party service (such as Vimeo, YouTube, or frame.io). We do not accept any films that must be downloaded (ex: Dropbox, Google Drive, WeTransfer, etc.). The only exception for downloadable screeners is for Virtual Reality submissions (see below).
In addition, we cannot accept screener links via email, they MUST be attached to your submission.
We DO NOT accept DVD or Blu-Ray screeners.
The submitter is responsible for ensuring that their screener link and password are active throughout the entire time the submission is under consideration for ATLFF. If you change your screener URL or password, please see that it’s updated on FilmFreeway immediately. If we discover an error with your screener before our final deadline, we will email you, asking you to fix it. Failure to respond by the final submission deadline may result in disqualification without refund of submission fees. If we discover that a screener is incomplete after our final deadline, it may be directly disqualified without refund of submission fees.
For Virtual Reality film submissions, see requirements below:
For 360° video — please provide either or both:
A) Private 360-enabled screener (Vimeo, YouTube or Oculus Media Studio.)
B) Downloadable video link.
We REQUIRE a full video recording of the experience. While you may include app links and builds alongside that, the video screener is the primary format for consideration. Lastly, please detail any needs for the exhibition (such as schematics, compatible HMD/tech, etc.).
SUBTITLES
All foreign-language films must be submitted with English subtitles. If we discover a foreign-language submission is missing subtitles, we will email you to request an updated screener with English subtitles. If the submitter fails to provide working subtitles by the final submission deadline, the project will be considered incomplete and will be disqualified without refund of submission fees.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Please review all submission categories carefully before submitting your project. All entrants are required to pay the submission fee of their film’s appropriate category. If you believe you have submitted your film to the wrong category, contact us immediately. While we can typically facilitate a change in category, the entrant will be responsible for any changes in submission fees. We cannot offer partial refunds for categories with a smaller fee. If the new category has a higher fee, the entrant is responsible for paying the difference.
Submission to multiple categories is not encouraged. Please read category descriptions carefully to determine where your submission belongs. If you wish to submit to multiple categories, a separate submission fee must be paid for each category. ATLFF reserves the right to determine eligibility of a submission in each respective category. Refunds will not be offered for submission to an inappropriate category.
Our submission categories are defined by length and format rather than genre. We accept films in all genres. If you have questions about any of our submission categories, please email submit@atlantafilmfestival.com.
ATLFF will not pre-screen or evaluate films prior to submission for the purpose of recommending a category for submission.
GEORGIA FILMS
A discounted submission fee is available for submissions that were both shot in Georgia and come from a director with a current Georgia address. Projects that meet both qualifications can submit at a discount.
In order to qualify for a Georgia Film discount, your project must be:
Filmed at least partially in Georgia
AND
By a director currently residing in the state of Georgia
Films that are not live-action are also eligible for the discount, if the director resides in-state and the project was partially produced in Georgia.
If this applies to your project, email ga@atlantafilmfestival.com to obtain the discount code.
All films submitted with this code must adhere to the rules of the festival at large and the category to which they submit. If you submit using this code without meeting the necessary criteria, you will be disqualified from consideration for the festival and will not be issued a refund.
Submitting with the Georgia Film code will not impact a film’s chances of being accepted into the festival either positively or negatively. This code is intended as a way to support our local filmmaking community by offering a low-cost means of entry (and also makes it easier for us to identify local films in our submissions pool).
COMPLETION DATE
Any project that was completed on or after October 1, 2024 will be eligible for consideration at the 2027 Atlanta Film Festival.
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Works in progress are accepted with the following stipulations:
Incomplete projects must be clearly listed as such. Films should be marked either “Rough Cut” or “Work In Progress/WIP”. All missing and incomplete materials or changes to be made (e.g. temporary score, missing VFX, no color correction) should be clearly indicated in your cover letter, project title, and/or on an opening title to the film itself.
You may update your screener up until the final submission deadline, as long as the link and password for the submission remains the same. However, ATLFF cannot guarantee that your submission will be re-screened and considered each time you update it. Therefore, you should not submit your project if it is not complete enough to adequately represent the final product.
Updated cuts must be accessible via your FilmFreeway account. We cannot accept updated cuts via email.
No updated cuts will be accepted after the final submission deadline.
The final version of films selected for the festival must be available as soon as possible after the posted Notification Date.
PREMIERE STATUS
ATLFF does not require a World Premiere in any category, but we do consider premiere status when making final selections.
Films should not have screened publicly in the greater Atlanta area prior to the Atlanta Film Festival, and we strongly prefer to program works that have not yet screened in the state of Georgia. Exceptions to this rule may be made on rare occasions and are solely at the discretion of the programming team. A Georgia Premiere is required for consideration in the feature competition categories, excluding the Georgia Feature Award. Feature films that have acquired US distribution of any kind prior to selection at ATLFF are not eligible for competition.
Feature films that have been (or will be) publicly released on VOD, streaming, or physical media prior to the Atlanta Film Festival are not eligible to screen. Short films that are made available online by filmmakers are programmed on a case by case basis, but we typically prioritize films that have not yet been released to the public.
Films that have screened online as part of a virtual festival presentation are still eligible for screening at ATLFF.
It is the submitter’s responsibility to notify ATLFF of any updates in premiere status as they occur, especially if the film is selected for another festival in the state of Georgia.
DEADLINES
Please keep track of deadlines closely if you plan on submitting within a certain submission window. All deadlines are set for 11:59pm Eastern Daylight Time (with the exception of our final deadline at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time).
You can find a full list of deadlines under the “Dates & Deadlines” section of our FilmFreeway page.
ACCEPTED FILMS
All works selected must be ready with a final version, or a reasonable expectation of when we can expect a final version, by our notification date for inclusion in the festival.
Upon acceptance into the Atlanta Film Festival, you grant ATLFF the right to utilize an excerpt from your film for promotional purposes.
All accepted films will screen at least once during the festival, with the possibility of an encore screening for select films/shorts blocks on a case-by-case basis. All scheduling, screening venues, digital platforms, and time slots are at the discretion of the ATLFF staff and are subject to change.
Schedule and screening venues are decided solely at the discretion of the programming staff, and ATLFF cannot guarantee that any film will play in a DCP-capable theater. Please be prepared to have an alternate print format available. If approved for DCP, you must provide a backup format (such as Blu-ray or a digital file).
SCREENING FEES
The Atlanta Film Festival does not pay screening fees for submitted films. By submitting your project, you acknowledge that ATLFF will not pay to present your work.
THIRD PARTY SOFTWARE
ATLFF regularly uses private, secure third party software to organize, track, and review submissions. By submitting to our festival, you are authorizing us to handle your film using those third party softwares.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Please be advised that the Atlanta Film Festival has instituted a code of conduct by which all attendees of the festival are expected to follow. Those who fail to follow the terms of this code of conduct will face possible dismissal from the festival. Possible grounds for dismissal may include, but are not limited to, the following: gross misconduct or insubordination, theft of property or misuse of agency materials, abuse or mistreatment of clients, guests, staff or other volunteers, failure to abide by agency policies and procedures, any form of harassment or assault. To view the full code of conduct, please visit: http://www.atlantafilmsociety.org/code-of-conduct
COPYRIGHT & LEGAL TERMS
By entering your film for consideration to the 2026 Atlanta Film Festival, you authorize that your work is cleared for festival exhibition and accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property therein. The submitter and all filmmakers associated with the project shall indemnify and hold harmless the Atlanta Film Festival, Atlanta Film Society, and any representative or affiliates 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.
REFUNDS & DISQUALIFICATION
Once a project is listed “In Consideration” on FilmFreeway, we are unable to offer refunds for any reason, including (but not limited to):
Submission to the wrong category
Change in premiere status or distribution
Duplicate submissions
Failure to pay the full submission fee by the final deadline
Failure to provide a working screener by the final deadline
Project’s failure to comply with submission Rules & Terms
Improper use of a discount code or waiver
Rejection from the festival
Withdrawing your submission for any reason (including changes of heart)
ATLFF reserves the right to disqualify any submission without refund, even after a film has been invited or final programming has been announced, at the sole discretion of ATLFF staff.
ATLFF reserves the right to decline any submission for consideration for any reason.
If you have any questions that are not answered here or in our Submission FAQ, please email us at submit@atlantafilmfestival.com. We are unable to address inquiries via phone.
