I. SUBMISSION AGREEMENT
By submitting a film to SJIWFF for Festival consideration, the submitter has obtained consent from any owners, creators, writers, producers and/or other authorized representatives of the Film whose consent is required to submit the Film to SJIWFF and has read, understood and agreed to the Terms. SJIWFF may disqualify or reject but is not required to do so, any submission that it determines in its sole discretion is not in compliance, in whole or in part, with these Terms and may do so without refunding any or all submission fees paid by the Applicant. By entering a film in the St. John's International Women's Film Festival, the entrant agrees to adhere to all SJIWFF rules and regulations. SJIWFF has the power to decide on any matters not specifically dealt with in these regulations. Notice of participation implies acceptance of these regulations. In any dispute, the Festival's decision will be final.
II. SUBMISSION ELIGIBILITY:
- All film submissions MUST have been directed and/or written by a woman or gender-diverse filmmaker to qualify. Please ensure that you complete the custom form questions.
- Films must have a premiere date on or after June 1, 2025.
- Films must include an English language track or English language subtitles.
- Submissions must be viewable for jury members online; files that must be downloaded are not accepted.
- Short films must be less than 30 minutes long (including credits).
- Feature films must be 70 minutes or more.
- Rough cuts or works-in-progress are accepted and reviewed. We cannot guarantee that updated versions of your initial submission will be viewed, and urge filmmakers to submit as close to the final cut as possible. A completed exhibition copy must be available for final approval by July 1, 2026.
- Priority will be given to films that have not been broadcast, made widely available on streaming platforms, distributed on VOD/home video, or screened in-person either at another festival or theatrically in the St. John's region.
III. SELECTIONS
- Each eligible short film is viewed and rated by at least two volunteer pre-screeners, who are industry professionals, filmmakers, students, and film enthusiasts. The highest rated films are considered and selected by the programming committee.
- Feature films are programmed by curation; expressions of interest may be submitted via FilmFreeway. The programming committee will review each feature submission, however we do not guarantee that submitted feature films will be viewed in their entirety.
- All selection decisions are at the sole and absolute discretion of SJIWFF and are final and not reviewable.
- Exhibition copies of selected films will be required by the SJIWFF by the first week of September 2026. Exhibition prints may be presented in DCP or .mov file. The Festival may accept other formats on a case-by-case basis and subject to availability of equipment and venue.
- While not yet mandatory, the inclusion of Closed Captioning is preferred and may become mandatory in future years.
- The date(s), time(s) and location(s) of exhibitions of our programmed films shall be at the discretion of the Festival, which includes potential online film screenings.
- If selected for the Festival, all shipping and related costs for exhibition films/videos sent to the Festival must be borne by the owner.
- Upon selection, the entrant grants SJIWFF the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional and screening purposes in all mediums, including broadcast, print, and Internet.
IV. SUBMISSION DATES AND FEES:
Submission deadlines are at 11:59 PM Newfoundland Standard Time of the posted date.
Submission fees for short films are on a sliding scale based on deadlines. We have lowered our submission fees and listed them in Canadian dollars to further support more filmmakers. There are no submission fee refunds. Please reach out to info@womensfilmfestival.com to discuss waivers or other barriers. There is a flat processing fee of $35 for all Feature Film submissions.
V. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, LEGAL CLAIMS AND INDEMNITIES
By submitting the film to SJIWFF, the Applicant and Film Owners hereby warrant and represent that:
- The film is wholly original and is not copied from and does not include any other work that is the subject of copyright or other protection, unless such work is in the public domain or the Submitting Parties have obtained any and all consents, releases, licenses, and other authorizations or waivers of any kind necessary for the inclusion or reproduction of any person, character, location, thing, trade-mark, sound recording, musical composition or other work in the film;
- The Submitting Parties have the full right, power and authority to submit the film to SJIWFF for Festival consideration, and to grant all of the rights granted hereunder and in the FilmFreeway registration form.
- The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby understands and accepts all SJIWFF requirements and regulations.
- By submitting to the festival, the undersigned agrees to accept a screening fee in CAD$ as determined by and equivalent to the most recent CARFAC schedule.
- The Submitting Parties agree to indemnify and hold harmless the St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, its licensees, successors and assigns, and its and their members, officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives, associates and affiliates (each, a “Releasee”), from any and all claims, suits, actions or other proceeding brought against a Releasee and from any losses, costs, or damages (including but not limited to Releasee’s full attorney’s fees, and costs of court) directly or indirectly based on, in connection with, or arising from the use and exhibition of the Film submitted by the Applicant or the breach or alleged breach of any representation, warranty or other agreement made by the Applicant in these Terms, or in the Applicant’s FilmFreeway registration form.
