Bend Film Festival

GENERAL RULES

Submission to the 2026 Bend Film Festival constitutes an agreement with all festival terms and conditions, and permission to exhibit the work during the festival, if selected. Entrants warrant that they have the legal right to submit the work to BendFilm, that all statements made in this application are true and accurate, and that all necessary rights and clearances have been secured to exhibit the work at the festival.

Submitted work must have been completed after January 1, 2025, and, unless prior approval has been granted, may not have been publicly screened or broadcast in Central Oregon prior to the 2026 festival dates.

Films accepted to screen at the festival will be programmed in competitive and non-competitive categories at the sole discretion of BendFilm, and may be accepted into a category other than the one to which it was submitted. Films not accepted into a juried competition may still be eligible for an Audience Award, as determined by the BendFilm programming committee.

Venue(s), program time(s) and number of screenings of selected work are also at the sole discretion of BendFilm. The number of scheduling slots available for competitive and non-competitive narrative features, documentary features and short films may vary from year to year.

BendFilm DOES NOT provide screening fees or honorariums for submitted work — or for any film screening as part of the festival’s juried competition.

Feature films available online or on VOD prior to the festival dates will not be considered for competition slots.

BendFilm may deny acceptance of any film at its sole discretion.

ENTRY FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. Please note: if the 2026 Bend Film Festival is canceled or completely virtual because of an act of God, natural disaster, epidemic, or for any other reason beyond our control, submission fees cannot be refunded.

Online screeners must be provided for submissions to be reviewed by the BendFilm programming committee. (In Vimeo, please set the "Where Can This Be Embedded?" privacy setting to "Anywhere" to allow our screening committee to view the film within our review platform. Also, enabling “Watch Later” will give committee members greater flexibility by allowing them to watch your film on TVs and set-top devices enabled with the Vimeo app.)

Entrants will be notified of their submission’s selection status on or before August 31st. If accepted, the entrant agrees to provide an exhibition file in BendFilm's required format along with a BluRay backup posthaste -- or by September 18th at the latest.

Accepted feature films and most short films are required to deliver a DCP. All filmmakers must be prepared to deliver their films in both DCP and ProRes 422 Quicktime File formats. Online delivery may be required instead of, or in addition to this. Final format required for filmmakers is determined by the BendFilm schedule.

Foreign language films must be subtitled in English. Any costs necessary to deliver the exhibition file to BendFilm in the required format, or for any necessary subtitling, is the sole responsibility of the entrant.

All accepted films grant BendFilm and their designated agents permission to utilize clips, trailers, and images from the film for BendFilm and Bend Film Festival promotional content. The entrant agrees to notify BendFilm if or when they may lose ownership of the clips, trailers, and images and no longer be able to grant said permission.

If the submission becomes an "Official Selection" and/or wins a Jury or Audience Award, BendFilm requests that this be noted on promotional materials. Festival laurels are available to all Official Selections and Award winners.

All materials sent from outside the United States must be sent "free domicile" to the BendFilm office, with all transportation charges, duties and taxes prepaid by shipper. BendFilm will not handle customs clearances, so please be sure to include all of the proper customs documentation required by your shipping service. BendFilm will cover return shipping to the address designated as the Print Source, or to another festival or destination, within the continental United States via ground shipping.

Although every possible care will be taken with exhibition material in our possession, BendFilm is not responsible for loss or damage. Please do not send originals, special prints or master tapes.

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ENTRY FEE DISCOUNTS

The below discount codes are available for students, women, BIPOC filmmakers, BendFilm alumni, and for films produced in the Northwest. Only one discount may be used per submission. Any misuse of discount codes will result in automatic disqualification without refund.

BFNW26: $5 discount for films produced in the Northwest. To qualify, submitted film must have been filmed in Oregon, Washington, Idaho or Montana. Qualification details must be included in your cover letter.

BFBIPOC26: 75% discount for female, trans and non-binary directors of color.

BFBIPOCM26: 50% discount for male directors of color.

BFFD26: $10 discount for female-identifying directors. To qualify, submitted film must have been directed by a woman. This discount is in recognition of the challenges that women face having their voices heard in a predominantly male-dominated film industry.

BFSTU26: $10 discount for student films. To qualify, submitted film must have been produced or directed by individuals who were enrolled in school (college or graduate level) and carried a valid student ID at the time of the film’s production. Qualification details must be included in your cover letter; a copy of the producer or director’s student ID may be required.

BFALUM26: 75% discount for returning BendFilm Alumni. To qualify, the submitted film must include an above-the-line crew member (producer, director, writer, lead actor) who has screened their film at the Bend Film Festival in a previous year (2004-2025).

BFBASECAMP26: 25% discount for Basecamp fellows. To qualify, the submitted film must include an above-the-line crew member (producer, director, writer, lead actor) who has been a fellow at our filmmakers retreat, BendFilm: Basecamp, in a previous year (2024 and 2025).

Qualification details must be included in your cover letter.