Klamath Independent Film Festival

*Student films must meet all KIFF guidelines below. For specific student film info, see [5].

*We list a submission fee on FilmFreeway in part to prevent an onslaught of ineligible films from being submitted to us. If your film meets our eligibility requirements below, we are happy to announce that in 2025 Oregon Film is offering a submission fee waiver for ALL STUDENT FILMS! Contact us at info@klamathfilm.org to receive a unique waiver code.

[1]. KIFF 2025 is open to shorts (less than 40 minutes in length) and features (more than 40 minutes in length) completed January 1, 2024 or later, by filmmakers who are residents of the state of Oregon, or California counties on the Oregon border (Del Norte, Siskiyou, and Modoc counties), *or* residents from anywhere in the world whose film was predominantly shot in Oregon and/or Northern California in Del Norte, Modoc or Siskiyou Counties.

[2]. Films must be submitted no later than June 1, 2025. Please note we have a tight review and selection schedule. We will not accept films submitted after June 1, however if films are still being edited we will work with filmmakers to accept the original cut and showcase the final version at the festival.

[3]. Limit two (2) short and two (2) feature submissions per filmmaker.

[4]. Submissions shot in or by residents of Oregon and California counties in Coos, Douglas, Curry, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Lake, Harney, or Malheur counties of Oregon or Del Norte, Siskiyou, or Modoc counties of California will be considered for our Southern categories. The remainder of submissions will be considered for our Northern categories.

[5]. K-College students are eligible for our student prize. Films must be no more than 15 minutes in length max, and meet all other KIFF guidelines in these rules (completion date, rights to content as detailed in [6] below, etc.). Students who are residents of Coos, Curry, Josephine, Jackson, Klamath, Lake, Harney, or Malheur counties in Oregon or Del Norte, Siskiyou, and Modoc counties in California should enter as a "Southern Student Short." Residents from elsewhere in Oregon should enter as "Northern Student Short." The winner of each category will receive a $200 prize!

[6]. Filmmakers shall have all rights to, or have received permission to use, all video/images, music and any other media and/or trademarks contained in submitted films. If unsure of rights requirements please contact Klamath Film at info@klamathfilm.org.

**We strongly encourage filmmakers to stay away from relying on "fair use" to use protected content. "Fair use" is not always clear and we reserve the right to disqualify films we feel do not comfortably meet its standard, or which open us to receiving an excess of films with protected content under the guise of "fair use." This includes "fan films", "remakes", trademarked character or product use, and more. It is best to be totally original!

We are more particular about this issue than many festivals due to the range of experience/knowledge among our filmmakers, in order to keep a level playing field for everyone as best we can. Alternatively, some rights-free sources can be found on the internet via a search, such as "rights free music," for example.

For more information, contact us. We want to help you get your film on the big screen!

[7]. We reserve the right to not exhibit works which we feel are not intended for, or well suited to, the big screen audience/film experience. While we don't want to discourage great works of unique, entertaining, or artistic quality, this means submissions made for television, commercials, etc. may be dismissed.

[8]. If your film is selected for show, you grant KIFF the right to exhibit your film, and use clips/stills from your film, for promotion of the film festival.

[9]. All decisions by judges and organizers are final. Any submissions which do not meet the requirements will be disqualified, so please be sure you meet all requirements. Film submissions are rated by judges on a 1-10 scale based on technical achievement, entertainment value, and overall film quality. Scores are averaged among the judge panel to determine selections, with additional judge panels considering selected films for KIFF awards. Entry fees are non-refundable.

[10]. Klamath Film does not discriminate in any way, nor does the Klamath Independent Film Festival follow any set theme, religion, sexual preference, gender, race, or ideology in its structure. KIFF is a celebration of film as an art form showcasing Made-in-Oregon films. The festival is all-welcoming. The selection or non-selection of a film for KIFF is done on artistic merit by our eclectic panel of judges; not based on any specific religion, political belief, or otherwise controversial subject matter. We encourage artistic expression with all that film may encompass.