Known as a filmmakers' festival, the Mill Valley Film Festival offers a high profile, prestigious and non-competitive
environment perfect for celebrating the best in independent and world cinema. MVFF accepts short and feature length
films and videos in the following categories: narrative, documentary, experimental, animation, children’s films
and youth produced.

Add MVFF to your watch list on withoutabox.com to receive
e-mails about call for entries and deadlines.

- How to Submit Your Film
- Fees and Deadlines
- Preview formats
- Exhibition formats
- MVFF Submissions — FAQS
- MVFF - A Section by Section Profile
- Other CFI projects

How to Submit Your Film

Online Entry



Printable Entry Form (Right click link to download and save to your computer)

MVFF Entry Form (PDF)

Youth Produced Entry Form (PDF)


[Back to Top]

Fees and Deadlines

 

Youth Produced Entry
Filmmakers must be 18-years-old and younger. Submissions in this category should be under 15 minutes.
May 18: $10
June 15: $15

[Back to Top]

All materials must be postmarked by the deadline date. Entries received more than one week after the final deadline will
not be considered.

Preview formats

DVD (NTSC: Region 1 or Region 0)

If your entry is not available in NTSC or the specified region, please contact mvff@cafilm.org.

[Back to Top]

Exhibition formats

35mm
DCP
HD Cam

Other digital formats may be available. If your film has been selected for exhibition and is not available on these formats,
please contact the Programming Department at mvff@cafilm.org.

[Back to Top]

SEND ENTRIES TO:

FOR DOCUMENTARY SUBMISSIONS

Mail your entry to:

Mill Valley Film Festival
Attn: Kelly Clement
PO Box 2336
Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557-2336
USA

FOR ALL OTHER SUBMISSIONS (Narratives, Children/Family, Experimental, and Youth Produced*)

Mail your entry to:

Mill Valley Film Festival
Attn: Festival Submissions
1001 Lootens Place, Suite 220
San Rafael, CA 94901
USA

MVFF Submissions- FAQS

When can I send in my entry?
Entries may be submitted beginning March 1.

Do you offer any discounts on entry fees?
There is a discount for submissions received by the regular deadline (mid-May). Submissions received by the final
deadline pay the full entry fee.

If your film is not finished, but you know you will be submitting, you can avoid the higher fee by sending in your forms
early with a note saying the preview copy will follow. Please note all preview copies must be received by the final
deadline.

Additionally, our online partner withoutabox.com offers a discount to its members.

We regret that we are unable to grant fee waivers.

What kinds of films are eligible for MVFF?
We accept features and shorts, narratives, documentaries, animation, video art, experimental film and new media.
There are also programs for children's films and youth produced work.

What is considered a Feature length film?
Our general guideline for feature length films is 50 minutes and over.
Shorts that are under 50 minutes will be considered either for our popular "5@5" daily shorts series, as part of a
thematic compilation or as a short before a feature.

What are the premiere requirements?
Feature-length entries (50 minutes and over) receiving a theatrical release, screening at other California festivals and venues, TV
broadcast or are available for purchase on DVD or online (e.g. itunes, video-on-demand, etc.) prior to or within one month
following MVFF’s dates will not be considered for the Festival (exceptions can be made under special circumstances.)

Does MVFF offer rental fees?
MVFF does not pay rental fees. Instead, our resources are invested in the production and promotion of the best possible
showcase for your work. For theatrical runs, films may subsequently be considered for our year-round venue, the
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center.

What formats does MVFF screen?
Preview format for submission is DVD (NTSC, Region 0 or Region 1). If your entry is not available in NTSC or the specified
region, please contact Programming Department at mvff@cafilm.org. Exhibition formats for films accepted to MVFF
include 35mm, Beta SP, and DigiBeta. Other digital formats may be available by special arrangement.

Does MVFF have any awards?
The Mill Valley Film Festival is a non-competitive festival. However, short narrative films (under 15 mins) that are
accepted to MVFF are automatically eligible for the BAFTA/LA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles)
Award for short film. Additionally, MVFF recognizes audience favorites for documentary, narrative and children's feature films.

Are the deadlines "post-marked" or "received by" dates?
Submissions must be post-marked on or before the deadline. Please note, submissions received more than one week
after the final deadline will not be considered.

My film will not be completed by the final deadline. Can I get an extension?
We occasionally offer deadline extensions. To request a deadline extension, Please contact Programming Department:
mvff@cafilm.org.

Does MVFF accept works in progress?
Yes. If your film is not completed by the final deadline, you may submit a work in progress, however the film must be
finalized by September. Please indicate on your materials that the project is a work in progress.

Can I send an updated edit of my submitted film?
You may send an updated version of a film that has already been submitted, however, depending on where the film is in
our selection process, we cannot guarantee that the newer version will be screened. If sending an updated version,
please reference the film title and indicate “updated screener” on the outside of your envelope.

My film was completed over a year ago. Is it still eligible?
Films/videos must have been completed within 15 months of festival dates (after July 1, 2012). Previously submitted
works are not eligible for re-submission.

When can I expect to hear the status of my submitted film?
Filmmakers will be notified via email of entry status by the first week of September.

Is it possible to get feedback on my film once it has been screened?
Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to offer evaluations on films not selected for the festival.


Any further Call For Entry questions, please contact:
Programming Department
415.526.5839
mvff@cafilm.org

[Back to Top]

MVFF - A Section by Section Profile
The San Francisco Bay Area continues to be a significant market for independent and international film, and the
Mill Valley Film Festival consistently provides a forum for introducing new films to West Coast audiences. As the only
prominent international fall film festival in the Bay Area, the Mill Valley Film Festival is an important industry resource
for fall launches, premiere screenings of upcoming theatrical releases and Bay Area Academy Awards® campaigns.

Official Premiere Selection
A first look at films premiering in the US, the Official Premiere Selection introduces new films from around the world to
this country. The vibrant market for independent international films in the San Francisco Bay Area makes MVFF an
important launching pad into the American market.

World Cinema
Cinema is a doorway to the world, one that can change our ways of seeing and understanding our global neighbors.
Whether their objective is to move, provoke, entertain, amuse or thrill, the films in the World Cinema section tell stories
that reveal elements of the universal.

US Cinema
A showcase for new American films, US Cinema celebrates the work of both well-known masters and emerging makers,
with a common talent for independent, insightful storytelling.

Valley of the Docs
From the threads of reality are spun some of the most fascinating yarns of all. The Valley of the Docs presents the latest
in documentary filmmaking, in which filmmakers from around the world explore truth—and consequences.

Children's FilmFest
As rich as Swiss chocolate and as satisfying as a perfect summer's day, this section offers young people an exciting
glimpse into international cultures and adventures.

5@5
MVFF's popular daily forum for short films, 5@5 is a testament to the fine art of the short film. Eclectic in both content
and approach to filmmaking, the series features an assortment of filmic gems by emerging and established makers
and masters.

Active Cinema
In 2008, we launched the Active Cinema program, a dynamic effort to connect the dots between activist films, interested
audiences and the individuals and organizations that are working for the causes and issues represented onscreen. These films
have the potential to inspire, inform and transform. After festival screenings, people often ask the question, What can we
do? Active Cinema is our response to that question.

[Back to Top]

Youth Produced Category (18 years old and under)
This vibrant collection of work by filmmakers from around the world is juried and curated by the Young Critics Jury.

CFI Education
Some films selected for MVFF may also screen at schools in conjunction with the CFI Education programs.