35th Annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival April 7-23, 2016 Submission Guidelines and FAQ 125 SE Main Street, Suite 341 Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA mspfilm.org info@mspfilmsociety.org 612.331.7563
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL: The 35th Annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF), April 7-23, 2016, is a catalyst for artistic discovery and an essential Spring exhibition showcasing more than 200 new films from around the globe. Over 17 exhilarating days, Minneapolis, Minnesota blossoms into an epicenter of cinematic achievement as 40,000 avid film fans converge on the City of Lakes for hundreds of packed screenings, unforgettable parties and illuminating filmmaker conversations. MSPIFF s exceptional lineup annually includes films from both intrepid new artists and influential luminaries alike, hailing from more than 60 countries. MSPIFF champions films that cross boundaries and shatter expectations by presenting bold and American narrative, documentary, and animated films of all lengths in both competitive and non-competitive sections. Over the past few years, juries have awarded over $100,000 USD in cash and prizes to winners of the annual Emerging Filmmaker, Documentary and Minnesota Made competitions. For more than three decades, MSPIFF has steadily grown from a modest regional celebration of artistic achievement into a pillar of the festival circuit. Known for its Midwest hospitality, offering complimentary accreditation to visiting guests, and featuring a one-of-a-kind travel fund to encourage filmmaker attendance, the festival provides a platform for artists to engage with audiences and connect with their peers along the picturesque banks of the Mississippi River. HOW TO SUBMIT: The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival accepts submissions through: Withoutabox.com FilmFreeway.com Links to all submission platforms and more information can be found at mspfilm.org/mspiff-submissions. ELIGIBILITY & GUIDELINES: Films completed after July 1, 2014 are eligible for submission. Feature length films that have previously publicly screened in Minnesota, or that have been broadcast, televised, or are available in their entirety online prior to their exhibition in the Festival will not be considered. Please note: Short films are exempt from any premiere requirements and may be available online. However, this will be taken into consideration for selection and films available online are not eligible for juried competition. Foreign language (non-english) submissions must be available in their original language and soundtrack with English subtitles. Feature length submissions must be available for exhibition in DCP format. Short submissions must be available for exhibition in either DCP (preferred) or ProRes file formats. Films that have been submitted for consideration in previous years are eligible for submission for the 2015 Festival only if they have undergone extensive changes and reapply as a new submission. MSPIFF accepts film submissions in the following categories: Narrative (all lengths), Documentary (all lengths), Music Video (Minnesota Made only), Animation (all lengths), and Experimental (all lengths).
COMPETITIONS AND PRIZES: Over the last few years, MSPIFF has awarded over $100,000 in cash and other prizes to short and feature length films presented at the Festival. Films may be invited by festival programmers to participate in juried competition. All films are eligible for Audience Choice Awards, with winners chosen by popular vote. EMERGING FILMMAKER COMPETITION This juried competition recognizes new and up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world for their achievements in narrative filmmaking. A cash prize is awarded to the film that demonstrates standout excellence in creativity, storytelling technique, and innovation in the narrative form. TO QUALIFY: The film must be the director s debut or second feature The film must be a feature length narrative The film must not have US distribution at the time of selection DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION The juried Documentary Competition recognizes national and documentary filmmaking that exemplifies the very best in presentation, diversity, innovation, and powerful storytelling. A cash prize is awarded to the chosen film. TO QUALIFY: The film must be a feature length documentary The film must not have US distribution at the time of selection SHORTS COMPETITION This juried Competition recognizes the most visionary, innovative, and outstanding short narrative and documentary films from countries around the world. TO QUALIFY: The film must not be available online in its entirety AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS Audiences cast their votes in the categories of Best Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, and Documentary Short.
DEADLINES AND FEES: Entry fee payment is required - exceptions will not be made. MSPIFF is run by the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that provides filmmakers and festivalgoers with a range of programs and initiatives. Festival submission fees assist in funding these programs and festival operations. For more about The Film Society, visit mspfilm. org. SUBMISSION DEADLINE (POSTMARK BY) Shorts (<50 min) Features (50+ min) Minnesota-Made (All lengths) Earlybird, Sep. 1, 2015 $30.00 $45.00 $0.00 Regular, Oct. 15, 2015 $45.00 $60.00 $0.00 Late, Nov. 15, 2015 $60.00 $75.00 $0.00 Extended, Dec. 15, 2015 $75.00 $90.00 $30.00 Withoutabox Extended Dec. 31, 2015 $85.00 $100.00 $45.00 Submitters will be notified of their acceptance status on or around February 26, 2016. ENTRY CHECKLIST: The following must be received by the Festival before your film will be considered: Completed Online Submission Form. Via any of the accepted submissions platforms. Submission Fee. Payment is accepted through all online submission platforms or via money order made out to The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul. One (1) fee waiver is available per individual if submitting to the Minnesota Made category by the Early, Regular, and Late deadlines. No other waivers will be granted. Submission Screener. You may submit EITHER an online screener link or mail DVDs. WHEN SUBMITTING AN ONLINE SCREENER: Both Withoutabox and FilmFreeway allow HD uploads during the application process. FilmFreeway can also integrate Vimeo links into your submission application. If you wish to submit a Vimeo link (or other secure viewing link) via Withoutabox please include the link and password in the cover letter. Please note: Changing the password to an online screener may make the submission unviewable and therefore disqualify your submission. MSPIFF will attempt, but is under no obligation, to contact you for an updated password. WHEN SUBMITTING HARD COPY DVD: Ship 3 DVDs, each marked with: Film title Tracking number (if applicable) Run time It is advised you test each DVD in a standard DVD player before shipping. Submit DVDs in paper sleeves only. Do not send jewel cases. Do not attach labels directly to the DVD as this may render the disc unplayable. Packages should be shipped, prepaid, and insured for your safety. SHIP PACKAGES TO: Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival Attn: Submissions 125 SE Main Street Suite 341 Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
REQUIREMENTS FOR FILMS SELECTED FOR EXHIBITION: If your film is selected for exhibition, the following will be required: FOR FEATURE FILMS: Exhibition copy of the film is due to the Festival by March 24, 2016. 3 additional DVD copies and/or a secure online viewing link must be sent to the Festival for press inquiries. FOR SHORT FILMS: Exhibition files must be sent to the Festival immediately upon notification of acceptance on a hard-drive, thumb drive, or be made available for download to be compiled onto a digital reel. The Festival does not provide an FTP site for file transfer. PLEASE NOTE: Filmmakers are responsible for the shipment of the exhibition copy to MSPIFF. The Festival will provide outbound shipping. If requested, the Festival may ship the exhibition material to another festival. This is decided on a case-by-case basis. FOR ALL FILMS: The following is required from all selected filmmakers. Immediately upon acceptance you will be required to fill out an online form which asks for the following information: Film synopsis Director bios Cast/crew list Official website Social media handles Trailer link You will be required to provide high-resolution (300 DPI minimum) film stills ANCILIARY MATERIALS: Press kits may be emailed to submissions@mspfilmsociety.org. Marketing materials including postcards, flyers, and posters you would like displayed at Festival venues should be mailed to the Festival immediately.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: If I submitted an online screener do I still need to send 3 DVDs? No. We only need either an online screener or 3 DVDs. We do not need both. Am I allowed to send an updated cut of my submission for consideration? Yes. However, we cannot guarantee the new cut will be watched as we want to make sure newly submitted films get their due consideration before we reevaluate a newer cut of a previously submitted film. If you plan to submit a newer cut, we ask that you send it as soon as possible. How do you define Minnesota Made? A film is considered eligible for inclusion in the Minnesota Made category when a combined 50% or more of production and/or post-production took place in Minnesota. What is your distinction between feature length and short film? Films with running times of less than 50 minutes are considered Shorts. Films of 50 minutes or longer are considered Features. Please select your submission classification based on what the final projected running time will be, including credits. There are no maximum length requirements for features, and no minimum length requirement for shorts. I m a Minnesota filmmaker, but I don t want to submit to the Minnesota Made category. Do I still get a submission fee waiver? No. The submissions fee waiver is for Minnesota filmmakers submitting to the Minnesota Made category only. Minnesota filmmakers are welcome to submit to a different category, but will need to pay any applicable submission fees. I m a Minnesota filmmaker and would like to submit more than one film to the Minnesota Made category. Can I receive multiple submission fee waivers? Filmmakers submitting feature length or short narrative, documentary, animated or experimental films to the Minnesota Made category recieve a fee waiver off of their FIRST submission only. Filmmakers submitting music videos to the music video program may receive waivers on multiple music video submissions. If submitting multiple projects please email submissions@mspfilmsociety.org for more information. Will screening/licensing fees be paid to submissions that are accepted into the Festival? Submissions accepted into the Festival will not be provided screening/licensing fees. Can I submit my film if it s not completed? Works-in-progress may be submitted to the festival for consideration, but should be 99% completed and need to include very specific details regarding elements to be completed (i.e. Additional color correction will be completed January 2016 ), as well as a firm completion date. When will I be notified if my film has been accepted to participate in the festival? All notifications will be sent via email around February 26th, 2016. Notifications will be sent to both selected and nonselected submissions. Is any feedback provided by the Festival for non-selected films? Unfortunately, due to time restraints and the large number of submissions we receive, the festival does not have the resources required to provide feedback for non-selected entries. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS? Please direct further questions to our submissions department at submissions@mspfilmsociety.org. We will respond to you as quickly as possible.