The Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) is a "hybrid" festival with both online and in-person theater screenings. TCFF is one of the country’s premiere celebrations of independent cinema, serving as both a regional showcase for the year's most accomplished independent films and a prominent stage that puts Independent art and artists in the spotlight. Beyond its core October event, TCFF operates as a year-round visual arts education organization, promoting industry talent while providing educational, networking and distribution opportunities that can expand careers and support thought provoking content.

With roots tracing back to 2010, the Twin Cities Film Fest boasts an impressive track record of recruiting, celebrating and showcasing brilliant works of visual art — and then building a supportive network to aid artists in their next creation. In addition to hosting premiere screenings during the festival, TCFF is is known for its socially-conscious sidebar, which spotlights one theme each year, as well as its educational events, professional networking opportunities and its in-depth post-screening Q&As. Apart from its core October event, TCFF also organizes year-round premiere screenings, training sessions, networking expos, filmmaker mixers and script readings.

Staff Awards: Best Feature Award, Robert Byrd Best Documentary Award, Best Short Film Award, Bill Cooper Best MN Feature Award.

Indie Vision Awards - Performance, Achievement

Audience Awards: Feature Film, Documentary, Short Film

"Fun is Good" Bill Murray Comedy Shorts Award

2024 TCFF GENERAL RULES

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE 2024 TCFF

+Films completed after January 1, 2022 are eligible for consideration for the 2024 TCFF

+All feature length and short films will be considered regardless of their premiere status. However, TCFF prioritizes films that have not yet had public screenings in the Twin Cities.

+Feature-length and short film submissions must not have been broadcast or televised, or be publicly available in their entirety online prior to their date of exhibition.

+Feature length and short films are eligible to enter in the Minnesota Connected Category if they are filmed in Minnesota, produced or directed by a native Minnesota (residency not required) or feature a native Minnesotan actor in a lead role.

+TCFF reserves the right to determine eligibility of any work submitted.

+TCFF reserves the right to revoke acceptance of a film that cannot be submitted in a required format.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The following submission requirements must be met before a submission can be considered:

1) Completed Submissions Form (online).

2) Submission Fee. Payment is accepted via FilmFreeway. Submissions fees are non-refundable.

3) Waivers will be granted on a case by case basis. Filmmakers should request a waiver prior to submission at info@twincitiesfilmfest.org.

4) Filmmakers may submit more than one project. Each project must be submitted separately.

5) Only online screeners are accepted. Filmmakers can submit via FilmFreeway.

REQUIREMENTS FOR FEATURE AND SHORT FILMS SELECTED FOR EXHIBITION:

1) Feature Length Films:

+Must be available for exhibition in DCP format for theater screenings and downloadable mp4 files for online screenings.

+Two additional screeners and/or a secure online viewing link must be provided for press requests.

+Exhibition copies must be delivered to the TCFF office by September 20, 2024.

2) Short Films:

+Exhibition copies of short films will be uploaded to a specific dropbox with these guidelines:

- Quicktime, AVI, or MXF file format

- Pro-Res, AVID, XD-CAM or h.264 (HQ) codecs. Uncompressed is also acceptable.

- Display size no smaller than 1920x1080 (please indicate if image is Scope - 2.39:1)

- Keep all videos in project’s native frame rate (23.98, 24fps, 29.97, etc.) Avoid frame rate conversion.

- All Surround Sound submissions MUST have track IDs, either in a text document or written form.

- The deadline for submitting exhibition copies for short films is September 12, 2024.

3) General:

+An Electronic Press Kit with high-resolution production stills, trailers, official synopsis, filmmaker bios, promotional postcards and posters should be emailed to the TCFF offices for marketing purposes.

+Exhibition Copy Shipment: Feature films must be shipped prepaid, insured, and properly packaged. TCFF does not assume liability for damage to exhibition materials 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. TCFF may provide return shipping. If requested, TCFF may ship the exhibition material to another festival. This is decided on a case-by-case basis.

+TCFF reserves the right to place accepted works in the appropriate program.

+TCFF reserves the right to remove a film from the festival program 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.

+Accepted films may be screened several times during the run of the fest, at the discretion of TCFF.

+Screenings will take place at the official festival venue, including, but not limited to: Showplace ICON Theatre or other screenings throughout the year season. Online screenings will be presented on our TCFF STREAMS platform.

+The Festival reserves the right to use images from selected films for announcement purposes.

NOTIFICATIONS:

The last of the submission notifications will be sent via email on or around September 6, 2024.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Casey McAdams

    Twin Cities is an amazing festival! Extremely well organized, great events, awesome people -- all good things. We were so honored to be a part of this year's festival.

    November 2023
  • Brian Farrell

    Fantastic festival! I’m so grateful to all involved in making this film festival happen. Twin Cities Film Fest created a space for our quirky short film in a block called Absurdly Funny and it was such an inspiring and memorable night of stellar independent films. Thank you Twin Cities Film Fest from Team South Pasadena Short Films!

    November 2023
  • This was a truly amazing festival! I felt very welcomed. There are separate buildings for their own ticket office and the filmmaker lounge! The films are top notch. I met so many wonderful filmmakers and felt like I was leaving family when I had to go home. I only regret I couldn't stay through the last week. Tons of sponsors and a production and education side as well. So honored and THRILLED to have our film be part of it. I highly recommend this festival. Do yourself a favor and submit.

    Huge shout out to Jaytin Setia, Naomi Dahlgren and Josh Dahlman for all they do for this incredible festival. Your hard work dedication and passion for film and the arts is evident. Thank You

    November 2023
  • James Werner

    A fantastic festival, with a dedicated and wonderful staff. I'm honored to have tied for best short :)

    November 2023
  • Such an honour to have my film Bin Day awarded the "Fun Is Good" Bill Murray Comedic Shorts Award. I only wish my team and I could have attended. The TCFF team were always quick with their communication and kept me up to date during the festival. I will definitely submit again given the chance.

    November 2023