RIFF (Rome International Film Festival)

By entering The Rome International Film Festival, you agree to follow its rules and guidelines.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• We consider films in any language, from anywhere in the world. English subtitles are required for non-English language films.
• We will consider work in progress. Please include a title card describing what is unfinished at the beginning of the submission screener.
• We consider films regardless of their premiere status. Even if your film has already premiered at another festival, whether it screened at a physical venue or online, it’s still eligible for consideration. Premieres are always welcome, and we do work to spotlight them.
• Films must have been completed within three years of the submission date. We will allow for older films that stalled and are getting a delayed release.
• Features that are currently online for commercial streaming are not eligible.
• Features previously self-distributed by the filmmakers online are not eligible for consideration in Feature categories.
• Only independently produced episodes completed within three years or later are accepted into the Episodes category.
• There are no requirements for short film submissions other than they are less than 30 minutes in runtime.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Entrants can update their screener by uploading a new video file, provided your original link URL does not change. The link must stay the same after you have submitted your entry. If it is replaced, programmers will lose access to your screener, and it may not be watched in time.
• All screeners must be uploaded by the appropriate deadline.
• Deadlines close at 11:59 PM EST.
• We will contact entrants if there's anything wrong with the submission. If this occurs, you will need to fix the submission issue by the requested deadline. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee that your film will be reviewed in time.
• We DO NOT provide refunds for festival entries.

HOW WE PROGRAM

• At least two different screeners will watch each film. If you are using Vimeo Pro stats, you can track the watches most of the time. However, we have had many cases in which watches were not recorded correctly, including for some of the accepted films. We prefer the FilmFreeway uploaded screener.
• Programmers determine festival selections.
• Our programmers are not required to read submission cover letters and other supporting materials, but we encourage you to submit them if they want to learn more about you and your film.
• We do not share programming feedback with entrants.

IF ACCEPTED

• Accepted filmmakers will be notified via email, phone or text. Filmmakers must confirm their participation by the given deadline. If not, their spot in the line-up may be lost
• Accepted filmmakers must be the authors of their submitted work and be ready to sign an agreement stating that they own all rights to their film and its components ahead of screening at The Rome International Film Festival.
• If accepted, entrants are responsible for delivering their festival exhibition copy, trailer, screener link, press stills, and press kit in a timely fashion.
• If accepted, filmmakers are expected to attend the festival.
• We DO NOT cover travel expenses.
• We DO NOT cover shipping expenses for screening copies and other materials.
• We Do NOT provide screening fees.

Please follow these submission guidelines if you are mailing your items:

Note: We prefer a high-resolution digital copy of the film. (H.264 or .mov) Only send media copy if the digital format is not an option.

A copy of your Blu-Ray or DVD, in NTSC (If needed).

A reproducible photo or electronic image suitable for use in the program.

A synopsis or description alone on one page (one paragraph, appropriate for quick reading)

Be sure to include your name and return address clearly on the package and include the category on the label.

Please include your FilmFreeway tracking number on all physical materials.