Submission Guidelines

2019 Sanctuary Cove International Film Festival

Deadline dates and submission fees vary based on category of entry. In order to qualify as a Short Film, the total running time must be less than 10 minutes, including credits. Feature Films must have a total running time of 70 minutes or more. Projects submitted to the Episodic Content category may include multiple episodes of varying lengths. Virtual Reality Projects may be of any length or size, but you must provide a link to download your project’s installation package or 360° video file on your application.

Submission Guidelines

1. Films must have been completed in the last 3 years and not yet commercially released to an Australian cinema, television, DVD or streaming audience.
2. Feature films must be over 70 minutes in length and short films must be under 10.
3. All films must pay a submission fee to retain integrity of the competition. In rare cases a special exemption can be made by the committee for under developed nations or cases of extreme hardship.
4. Films must be available for screening during the festival from November 21 – 24, 2019.
5. Narrative and Documentary films with Australian distribution are ineligible for competition but could be eligible for an exclusive VIP LAUNCH screening – please contact info@sanctuaryfilmfestival.com to submit.
6. Films aired on free to air television, released on DVD, streamed on line publicly before the festival are not eligible for competition.
7. We do not accept unfinished films apart from in-progress sound or colour.
8. There are strictly no refunds to any festival entries.
9. Please post us a screening copy of the film on DVD. PAL is preferred. Please send a cover letter describing your film. There is a no return policy on DVDs. You will be notified upon receiving your film.
10. Under no circumstances are films invited to the competition. Only officially submitted films will be viewed by our committee.
11. All selected filmmakers receive complimentary tickets across the event.