BY THE EDITORS |
2012 Tribeca Film Festival Submissions FAQ
APPLICATION | DEADLINES + FEES | FILM SUBMISSIONS |
REQUIREMENTS + ELIGIBLITY | FILM SECTIONS | NOTIFICATION | THE FESTIVAL
Read the Rules and Regulations.
Application
1. How do I submit my film to the Tribeca Film Festival?
To submit your film to the Tribeca Film Festival, you will have to complete the online submissions form, pay the applicable submissions fee, and send us two copies of your film on DVD. Please review the Rules and Regulations carefully prior to completing the online entry form.
2. Can you mail or fax me a submissions form?
No. We are only accepting online applications through our website.
3. What are the submissions deadline and fees for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival?
EARLY ENTRY DEADLINE: Friday, October 28, 2011, 6pm EST
· Short length fiction and documentary films - $25 entry fee
· Feature length fiction and documentary films - $45 entry fee
OFFICIAL ENTRY DEADLINE: Friday, December 2, 2011, 6pm EST
· Short length fiction and documentary films - $40 entry fee
(The OFFICIAL entry deadline is the last deadline for short length film submissions.)
· Feature length fiction and documentary films - $65 entry fee
Please note:
The EARLY and OFFICIAL entry deadlines are both postmark dates. This means that your submission must be mailed in by the applicable date and must arrive at our offices no later than 5 weeks from the postmark date.
LATE ENTRY DEADLINE: Friday, January 6, 2012, 6pm EST
· Feature length fiction and documentary films completed after the official entry deadline and which have not been screened publicly or otherwise distributed anywhere at the time of submission - $95 entry fee
(The LATE entry deadline is for Feature length films ONLY; Short films will NOT be accepted for this deadline.)
Please note:
The LATE entry deadline is an ARRIVE BY date. This means that your submission must be arrive in our offices by Friday, January 6, 2012, 6pm EST.
4. How can I pay the submissions fee?
You must fill out the online submissions form first. At the end of the form, you will be prompted to pay the fee. We accept payment by credit card (American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa). Please do not send checks, money orders, or cash.
5. Do I have to pay a submissions fee if I am submitting a student film?
Entry fees are waived for students submitting short films only. Entry fees will be waived upon receipt by the Festival of a photocopy of a current and valid student ID card or a letter from an accredited school verifying enrollment. Students who submit Features MUST pay the applicable entry fee(s).
6. What if my submission arrives after the deadline for which I have registered?
Your film MUST be postmarked or MUST arrive in our office no later than the applicable deadline for which you have registered. That is, if you have submitted your short film for the Early Deadline and have paid $25, but your submission is post-marked after October 28, OR if your submission arrives later than 5 weeks past the postmark date, you will be prompted to make an additional payment of $15 to bring your account up to date. We will not consider your film until this payment is received.
7. Does it make a difference to which deadline I submit?
No. All submissions are processed and viewed in the same manner. The only difference is the higher submissions fees. We encourage you to submit as early as possible.
8. Can I submit my short film for the Late Deadline?
No. We will not accept short film submissions after December 2, 2011, postmark.
9. If I have already completed the online submissions form, can I go back to edit information or to update my contact information or my film’s screening history?
Once you have completed and submitted the online submissions form, you cannot go back to edit. If you need to change any information you have provided us with, you must email entries@tribecafilmfestival.org.
10. Can I submit a film that is a work-in-progress?
Yes. If you send a WIP short or feature length film, you may only send in ONE replacement version of your film no later than January 6, 2012. All submissions are viewed by our programming team, but we cannot guarantee that the replacement copy will be viewed. This is why we recommend submitting the most finished version of your film.
11. Can I submit a trailer instead of a WIP or a completed film?
No. We will not be able to consider your film if you send in a trailer instead of a WIP or a completed film.
12. I submitted last year. Can I resubmit my film for this year’s Festival?
You may resubmit if you have made significant changes to your film and meet the other eligibility requirements as outlined in the Rules and Regulations. You will have to fill out the online submissions form and pay the applicable submissions fee.
13. Do I have to obtain rights and clearances for the music or other copyrighted material included in my film?
Yes, please review the Rules and Regulations carefully.
14. What is your preferred format for submission?
Films should be submitted on DVD (DVD-R or DVD+R disc only; we do not accept dual layer DVDs or Blu-Rays.) DVDs MUST be compatible with standard consumer DVD players. Please ensure that your disc plays in a standard DVD player prior to sending to the Festival.
Please use permanent marker to label your DVD. Do not use a paper label on your disc; stickers and paper may make a disc unplayable. We prefer DVD’s to be sent in a simple paper CD/DVD sleeve in order to minimize waste.
15. Can my submission DVD be in PAL format?
We prefer that you send us NTSC formatted DVDs, but we will accept ALL REGION DVD submissions. Clearly mark the format on the DVD.
16. What should I include with my submission?
After you have completed the online submissions form and have paid the applicable submissions fee, please send two copies of the film on DVD, a copy of the payment receipt if you have paid by credit card or a copy of your student ID if your film qualifies for the student fee waiver (available only to students submitting short films). To minimize waste, we ask that you do not send printed press or promotional materials.
17. Is there a tracking number for submission?
No. We do not provide tracking numbers for submissions. As long as you properly label your DVD screeners, we will be able to match the entry materials with the information you provided online. Please put the title of your film, director(s) name(s), contact information, total runtime and remember to indicate if your film is submitted as a WIP. Please refer to the example below.
18. Where do I send my entry materials?
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL ENTRIES SHIPPING ADDRESS
All submissions must be sent prepaid (including any applicable customs fees) to:
FEATURE LENGTH FILM ENTRIES:
Tribeca Film Festival
Attn: FEATURE LENGTH FILM ENTRIES – “Film Title”
375 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013, USA
SHORT LENGTH FILM ENTRIES:
Tribeca Film Festival
Attn: SHORT LENGTH FILM ENTRIES – “Film Title”
375 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10013, USA
19. What happens if you are unable to get my DVD to play?
If your DVDs do not play, we will contact you to request another copy. However, there is no guarantee that we will get your replacement disc in time and we must give preference to those who sent in a working copy to begin with. For this reason, we ask that you make absolutely sure that your disc plays all the way through before you submit to us.
20. Will my materials be returned to me?
No. Due to the high number of submissions we receive we are not able to return any materials. All submission materials will be destroyed or discarded by the Festival.
21. How do you distinguish short films from feature films?
Short films are works under 40 minutes (this is includes credits) and feature films are works 40 minutes or longer.
22. How do I know if my film is eligible for consideration?
Please refer to our Rules and Regulations for complete eligibility rules. For quick reference, you can check the eligibility chart below.
|
SHORTS |
ELIGIBLE |
INELIGIBLE |
ANY public screening, broadcast, distribution or exhibition before January 1, 2011(other than as described in 1below) |
|
✓ |
|
Theatrical - Any exhibition in the US (other than as described in 2 below) |
|
✓ |
|
Theatrical - Limited exhibition only outside of the US and on/after January 1, 2011 |
✓ |
|
|
DVD – Any commercial DVD distribution ANYWHERE |
|
✓ |
|
TV - Any broadcast available to US audiences |
|
✓ |
|
TV - Limited broadcast available only outside the US and on/after January 1, 2011 |
✓ |
|
|
Digital - Any digital broadcast (including via a non-password protected website, whether commercial or personal, e.g. Vimeo, YouTube, etc.), unless approved in writing in advance by the Festival (and, for clarity, except for TFF12 screenings) |
|
✓ |
|
Festival – Any exhibition held IN the New York Region as part of a film festival (other than as described in 2 below and, for clarity, except for the TFF12) |
|
✓ |
|
Festival - Exhibition as part of a film festival held outside the New York Region and on/after January 1, 2011 |
✓ |
|
|
1 Private, invite only screenings (i.e. screenings for family or cast or screenings for feedback) |
✓ |
|
|
2 Screenings for students/faculty in an in-house and in-person-only film festival |
✓ |
|
|
FEATURES |
ELIGIBLE |
INELIGIBLE |
ANY public screening, broadcast, distribution or exhibition before January 1, 2011(other than as described in 1 below) |
|
✓ |
|
Theatrical - Any exhibition in the US (other than as described in 2 or 3 below) |
|
✓ |
|
Theatrical - Limited commercial exhibition only outside of the US and on/after January 1, 2011 |
✓ |
|
|
DVD – Any commercial distribution in the US (other than as described in 3 below) |
|
✓ |
|
DVD - Limited distribution only outside the US and on/after January 1, 2011 |
✓ |
|
|
TV - Any broadcast available to US audiences (other than as described in 3 below) |
|
✓ |
|
TV - Limited broadcast available only outside the US and on/after January 1, 2011 |
✓ |
|
|
Digital - Any digital broadcast available to US audiences (including via a non-password protected website, whether commercial or personal, e.g. Vimeo, YouTube, etc.), other than as described in 3 below |
|
✓ |
|
Digital – Limited internet broadcast available only outside of the US and on/after January 1, 2011 |
✓ |
|
|
Festival – Any exhibition held IN the New York Region as part of a film festival (other than as described in 2 or 3 below and, for clarity, except for TFF12 screenings) |
|
✓ |
|
Festival - Exhibition held outside the New York Region as part of a film festival and on/after January 1, 2011 |
✓ |
|
|
1 Private, invite only screenings (i.e. screenings for family or cast or screenings for feedback) |
✓ |
|
|
2 Screenings for students/faculty in an in-house and in-person-only film festival |
✓ |
|
|
3 For SELECTED films: theatrical, DVD, TV, digital and/or festival screenings scheduled to be held DURING the TFF12 but after the Feature's Premiere, if approved in advance and in writing by the Festival |
✓ |
Note: If subsequent to its initial consideration, the Festival determines that a submission no longer meets all of the criteria listed in the applicable chart above, the submission will be designated ineligible.
23. What locations are included in the New York Region?
“NY Region” means the tri-state area including the five boroughs of New York City, the surrounding New York metropolitan area (e.g. Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, Orange, Ulster and Columbia counties), southwestern Connecticut (e.g. Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield counties), and northern New Jersey (e.g. Bergen, Passaic, Monmouth and Hudson counties).
24. Can I choose the film section I want to submit to?
No. When you submit your film, you can choose between the following: Short Documentary, Short Narrative, Feature Documentary, Feature Narrative. If your film is selected to screen at the Festival, TFF programmers will determine which film section best suits your film.
25. Is there a different submissions process for the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival?
No. You must first submit your film for consideration. You will have to complete the online submissions form, pay the applicable submissions fee and send us two copies of your film on DVD. If your film is selected to screen at the Festival, TFF programmers will determine if the film is appropriate for this program.
26. How do I know if my submission has arrived?
Due to the high volume of submissions we cannot send individual notification. It is your responsibility to ensure that your submission arrives within the deadline window you have selected. If you have submitted your film for the EARLY or OFFICIAL deadline, your materials must arrive in our offices no later than 5 weeks from the postmark date. We will NOT accept submissions after January 6, 2012. The Festival reserves the right to disqualify any submission, without refund of any kind, which does not arrive at the TFF12 shipping destination within the deadline window selected by Entrant.
You can email entries@tribecafilmfestival.org or call (212) 941-2305 to find out if we have received your submission up to 5 weeks after the applicable submission window deadline.
27. When and how will I know if my film has been selected?
We notify ALL filmmakers via email of their status by early March 2012. Please make sure your contact information is up to date. If you have not received any notification by the end of March 2012, please email entries@tribecafilmfestival.org for an official notification.
28. If my film isn’t chosen to screen during your Festival, will you let me know why?
No. Due to the large volume of submissions our programmers cannot offer individual critiques.
29. When does the Tribeca Film Festival take place?
The 12th Tribeca Film Festival will take place April 18 - April 29, 2012.
Download and print this FAQ.
Read the Rules and Regulations.
Complete the online submissions form.