Our jury will select only 5-12 films to screen at our event and earn the designation “Rated SGF." We will provide a setting to enjoy and fully appreciate each of our winners over the course of our two-day festival. We strive to cultivate an authentic connection between the audience and the artists; therefore, we require that a department head from the film join us for the celebration. Consider it a mini-vacation!

What does it mean to be Rated SGF? We reserve this designation for the best films that challenge our preconceived notions and reveal quality and substance where it is not expected. This could be a film or filmmaker out of an unexpected place or a character that sheds their expected labels to reveal their true substance.

There is no restriction on genre. A film should have been made or released in the last five years. It should fit the values mentioned above to achieve Rated SGF status. Simply put, our goal is to create an authentic connection and experience around a quality film that challenges our assumptions.

Rules & Terms

1. Entries should not exceed 120 minutes, including credits.
2. The film festival itself is not a competition. We select only the best of the best films available for public viewing (outside of the film festival circuit) as well as premiers (within the circuit).
3. Only a handful of features, shorts and music videos will be selected to be shown in 2020. The selection committee reports are final and confidential. They are looking for exceptional films found in unexpected places that challenge our assumptions and reveal substance.
4. Films should have been completed or released in the recent past (January 2014 - December 2021).
5. The director, lead actor and/or department head of the film must be willing to travel to Springfield, Missouri (aka Queen City of the Ozarks), Friday, March 26 - Sunday, March 28. Travel costs will be on us.
7. For the 2021 event, films must be primarily in English.
8. All submissions are screened and evaluated by the Rated SGF Film Committee, appointed by the event steering committee.
9. Filmmakers will be notified on February 3, 2021. Public announcement of selected films will happen after directors travel is booked on February 17, 2021.
10. In the event that a filmmaker cannot travel to Springfield at the last minute due to extreme circumstances, they are required to send a department head in their place. Or be open to doing the Q&A via live video chat as well.
11. Participation in Rated SGF grants us the authorization to show the entered film on our secure network. Your work will not be distributed outside the film selection committee.
12. An entry fee is required upon submission. Due upon entry.
13. If music or additional film material used in your film is not original, then permission from the source must be obtained. The responsibility for this rests entirely with the filmmaker. Rated SGF will not be liable to refund the fee or return the materials entered.
14. The submission of a film to Rated SGF will be considered to be an acknowledgment of the event rules.
15. Please do not send DVDs or copies of your film direct to us unless requested to do so. At the time of submission, we will only accept your entry if your film is uploaded to FilmFreeway.
16. Screening fees to be negotiated upon invitation to the event.
17. Rated SGF is managed by the Downtown Springfield Association (DSA) in partnership with the Film and Media Alliance of Springfield (FMAS). DSA’s mission is to cultivate and sustain a vibrant business community in downtown Springfield, Missouri, represented by a balance of retail, professional, service, dining and entertainment entrepreneurs. FMAS exists to inspire, educate and unify the film community in the Springfield, Missouri area. Through education and networking opportunities, they seek to open doors for working film industry professionals and those new to the industry.