~ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS~
All Films:
I. Must have been completed after January 1, 2025.
II. Foreign language (non-English) submissions must be available in their original language and soundtrack with English subtitles.
III. Films that have been submitted for consideration in previous years are ONLY eligible for consideration again if they have undergone extensive changes (more than 75%) and re-apply as a new submission. Please indicate these changes in your cover letter.
IV. MSP Film Society reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any work submitted.
Features:
I. Minnesota Festival Premieres are required for all feature film submissions.
II. Feature films that have had a public or ticketed screening anywhere in Minnesota are not eligible for submission.
III. Feature film submissions must not have been broadcast, televised, nor made publicly available online before their date of exhibition in the festival.
Exceptions to these rules are at the discretion of MSPIFF programmers.
Shorts:
I. Minnesota Festival Premieres are not required for short films. However, premiere status will be taken into consideration during selection.
II. Short film submissions must not have been broadcast, televised, or made publicly available online before their date of exhibition in the festival.
II. Short films that have already screened publicly in Minnesota are ineligible for juried competition.
~SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS~
The following requirements must be met before a submission can be considered for inclusion:
I. Completed Submission Form (via FilmFreeway).
II. Submission Fee (via FilmFreeway).
III. Submissions must include an online screener (Vimeo preferred). The Festival does not accept submissions via DVD.
Please note: Changing the password for a private online screener will make the submission unviewable and therefore disqualified. The Festival will attempt, but is under no obligation, to contact the applicant for an updated password.
The following fee waivers are available:
A. MN Made: In recognition of Minnesota’s filmmaking community, MSPIFF offers ONE (1) complimentary submission per Director or Producer for projects that qualify as “MN Made.” To qualify, a film’s Director or Producer must be a current Minnesota resident for at least one year prior to submission date OR a combined 50% or more of production and/or post-production must have taken place in Minnesota.
B. Alumni: Filmmakers whose work has been previously shown at MSPIFF are eligible for one (1) complimentary submission. Please include the name of your previous film as well as the year it screened at MSPIFF on the form and in your cover letter.
C. Student: Films made exclusively by college or high school students outside of Minnesota are eligible for a 50% discount off regular submission fees. You must include a photo of your current Student I.D.
Other waivers may be granted under special circumstances.
To request a waiver, please fill out this form: https://tinyurl.com/MSPIFF45Waiver or email info@mspfilm.org
~REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECTED FILMS~
Notifications regarding acceptance and non-acceptance of submissions will be sent on or around March 9th, 2026.
I. Immediately upon notification of acceptance, submitters or primary contacts will be required to fill out the official Confirmation Form provided in the acceptance letter and provide festival staff with the most accurate and necessary information. The form includes but is not limited to the following:
a. Online screener link (to be used for competition jury and press requests through the duration of the festival);
b. Film details and data, including year, runtime, language, country of origin, cast/crew, synopsis;
c. Promo assets, including high-res film stills, trailer link, film poster, press notes;
d. Premiere status, i.e. World Premiere, North American Premiere, US Premiere, Minnesota Premiere;
e. Filmmaker availability for attendance;
II. All films must be made available in Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format.
III. All exhibition copies, including backup content, must be delivered by March 18th, 2026.
IV. Physical exhibition copies must be shipped prepaid, insured, and properly packaged. The Festival does not assume liability for damage to prints due to improper packaging or other reasons. All films while in our possession will be insured against loss and damage while participating in the event. The Festival will provide return shipping. If requested, the Festival may ship the exhibition material to another festival, as determined on a case-by-case basis.
V. The Festival reserves the right to place accepted works in the appropriate program, as determined by the Festival.
VI. The Festival reserves the right to remove a film from the festival for any reason, or for no reason, and shall not be liable for any refund or claims of any kind arising out of such removal.
VII. Accepted films may be screened between 1-3 times, at the discretion of the Festival.
VIII. Screenings will take place at official festival venues, including, but not limited to: The Main Cinema, Capri Theater, Landmark Center, Marcus Cinema Rochester, and others TBD. Event changes may arise, which could include screening dates, venues, and formats.
IX. The Festival reserves the right to use promo assets, copy, and images from selected films for Festival marketing purposes.
~TERMS AND CONDITIONS~
I, the authorized representative of the project being submitted (hereafter called the “Film”) acknowledge that I am duly authorized, on my own behalf and on behalf of all other persons or entities who have any ownership rights or interests in or relating to the Film (hereafter called the “Film’s Owners”) to submit to the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. I warrant and agree, on behalf of myself and each of the Film’s Owners, that the Film is being submitted voluntarily and without promise or inducement, and that the submission of the Film neither imposes nor creates any obligation or responsibility on the part of the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival or MSP Film Society (hereafter called The Festival) to accept the Film for inclusion in The Festival, to exhibit the Film at The Festival, to acknowledge the submission of The Film, or to return the submission copy of The Film or associated submission materials to me or others.
I shall indemnify and hold harmless The Festival 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. I have paid and will pay in full all license fees, clearance fees, and other obligations, of any kind, arising from or associated with the exhibition of the Film at or in connection with The Festival.
I understand that The Festival reserves the right to waive or adjust any requirements outlined herein. I understand that I am not entitled to any refund or damage claims of any kind if my film is unable to screen due to technical or operational difficulties or if my film needs to be rescheduled, delayed, or removed from the program for any reason.
By submitting, I warrant that I have read, understood, and accept all aforementioned regulations and requirements pertaining to submission to The Festival.
