Narrative Feature ELIGIBILITY:--------------------------
Films must be 43 minutes or more (including credits, max 180 min).
Films must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Films must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Films that have already won or been nominated for an award through JIFF festival cannot be entered again.
Narrative SHORT ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Films must be 43 minutes or less (including credits).
Films must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Films must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Films that have already won or been nominated for an award through our festival cannot be entered again.
Documentary Feature ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Films must be 43 minutes or more (including credits, max 180 min).
Films must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Films must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Films that have already won or been nominated for an award through JIFF festival cannot be entered again.
Documentary SHORT ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Films must be 43 minutes or less (including credits).
Films must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Films must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Films that have already won or been nominated for an award through our festival cannot be entered again.
Animation Feature ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Must be 43 minutes or more (including credits, max 180 min).
Must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
PROJECTS that have already won or been nominated for an award through JIFF festival cannot be entered again.
Animation SHORT ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Must be 43 minutes or less (including credits).
Must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Films that have already won or been nominated for an award through our festival cannot be entered again.
WEB SERIES ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Must be 60 minutes or less (total runtime).
Must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Series that have already won or been nominated for an award through our festival cannot be entered again.
Short Shorts - Under 5 Minutes (Live-Action & Animation) ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Films must be 8 minutes or less (including credits).
Films must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Films must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Films that have already won or been nominated for an award through our festival cannot be entered again.
Experimental ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Films must be 33 minutes or less (including credits).
Films must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Films must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Films that have already won or been nominated for an award through our festival cannot be entered again.
STUDENT - Narrative & Animation SHORT ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Films must be 33 minutes or less (including credits).
Films must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Films must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
Submissions with non-English dialogue without English subtitles will not be considered.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Films that have already won or been nominated for an award through our festival cannot be entered again.
Music Video (Live-Action & Animation) ELIGIBILITY--------------------------
Music videos must be 10 minutes or less (total runtime).
Music videos must be made within 36 months prior to the date the project is submitted.
Films must be submitted with a private link (Self Hosted, VIMEO, youtube, or a FilmFreeway screening file.) other formats are currently not accepted.
CAN be publicly available to audiences either online or on any other platform.
Quality standards must be met. below 720p resolution, poor audio quality, and/ or extensively sub-par production quality will not be considered.
Music videos that have already won or been nominated for an award through our festival cannot be entered again.
DEADLINES--------------------------
If you miss a deadline, you're almost always able to submit your film for the following SEASON in a couple of days once we start opening up for entries again.
Judging Status Deadlines
In order for us to properly judge each film, it may take some time for the submissions to be decided. This means that the judgment status on your film usually won't be updated until two weeks after the final submission deadline closes. Although this may seem like a long wait, rest assured it's because we are taking our time and are carefully judging each and every eligible submission.
Judging Status Definition--------------------------
OFFICIAL SELECTION: All official selections screen in a physical location in front of a live audience. (DUE TO COVID-19 PLEASE SEE BELOW UPDATE.)
FINALIST STATUS: All official finalists are eligible for awards, however, FINALIST status selections are not screened in person or online. The use of the jellyFEST Finalist laurel is permitted for promotional purposes of the submitted film.
SEMI-FINALIST STATUS: All SEMI-FINALIST status selections are not screened in person or online, however, the use of the jellyFEST Semi-Finalist laurel is permitted for promotional purposes of the submitted film.
QUARTER-FINALIST STATUS: All QUARTER-FINALIST status selections are not screened in person or online, however, the use of the jellyFEST Quarter-Finalist laurel is permitted for promotional purposes of the submitted film.
COVID UPDATE:----------
Due to covid, OFFICIAL SELECTIONS are not guaranteed to screen live but are guaranteed to screen online unless otherwise requested by the film's representative.
If an in-person screening takes place, all in-person screenings will follow CDC guidelines.
