Submissions

We are no longer accepting submissions. The submission period for the 50th NYFF ended on July 15, 2012.

MISSION & OBJECTIVE
America’s pre-eminent film presentation organization, The Film Society of Lincoln Center was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international cinema, to recognize and support new filmmakers, and to enhance awareness, accessibility and understanding of the art among a broad and diverse film going audience.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The New York Film Festival was founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel.  It is an annual festival produced by the Film Society of Lincoln Center which aims to demonstrate the development of international film art and contemporary trends in content, form, and style.

The festival is highly competitive with an average of 28 feature films in the Main Slate and 16 short films selected each year.  Documentaries and special event screenings round out the event.  There are no categories and no prizes are awarded.  Selections are made by a fiver person screening committee.

Views from the Avant-Garde is a special event of the NYFF which premieres non-narrative, experimental film and video.  Work of any length is considered.

As an independent constituent of the world’s foremost performing arts center, the Film Society of Lincoln Center presents a 363-day season that includes premieres of new films from an international roster of established and emerging directors; major retrospectives; in-depth symposia and high profile events. The Film Society is one of those rare institutions whose stature is matched by its popularity, each year welcoming an aggregate audience of more than 200,000 film aficionados, filmmakers and industry leaders of every nationality, age, economic and ethnic group. The organization has been a pioneer among film institutions and one of the film world’s most respected and influential arbiters of cinematic trends and discoveries. François Truffaut, R.W. Fassbinder, Jean-Luc Godard, Pedro Almodóvar, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson—over the last four decades there is scarcely a major director who has not been introduced to American audiences by the Film Society.

GENERAL RULES
1.   Film Society of Lincoln Center defines a short film as any film with a running time less than 50 minutes.
2.   Film Society of Lincoln Center defines a feature film as any film with a running time greater then 50 minutes.
3.   Non-narrative and experimental films of any length may be submitted to Views from the Avant-Garde.
4.   All films submitted to NYFF must be New York City premieres.  "Premiere" is defined as any film having not screened theatrically in the greater New York area, or having received a run in a festival operating within New York City.
5.   Only world premieres may be considered for Opening and Closing Night.  “World Premiere” is defined as any film having not received a theatrical run or festival screening of any kind.
6.   Films having received any theatrical or home video distribution of any kind beyond festival screenings or that have been broadcast on television or the internet will be deemed ineligible for NYFF.
7.   Films that have had private, unpublicized screenings are eligible for submission to NYFF.
8.   Films that have been previously submitted to NYFF or Views from the Avant-Garde are ineligible.
9.   Films must have been completed after January 1, 2012.
10.   All applicants must complete the official festival submission form located at www.filmlinc.com/nyff or on withoutabox.com.
11.   NYFF reserves the right to disqualify any film not submitted through these websites without refund of any application fees.
12.   The applicant holds the sole responsibility of copyright clearance of any copyrighted material in the film.  Films including unauthorized copyrighted material are ineligible.
13.   Films not in English must be subtitled in English unless dialogue is minimal and not necessary for the comprehension of the Film.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1.   Films Submitted on DVD will not be returned.  Films submitted in other formats will be returned only if the applicant supplies a FedEx or UPS Account Number.  Films should be sent to: Film Society of Lincoln Center, Attn: NYFF Submissions, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza 4th Floor, New York, NY 10023.
2.   Multiple versions of the same film will not be considered.
3.   Only the first version of a film will be considered for NYFF.
4.   If the DVD does not play in an industry standard DVD player, NYFF will make an attempt to contact the applicant based on the contact information supplied at the time of submission in order to obtain a replacement.  If a replacement is not available, NYFF reserves the right to disqualify the film without refunding the submission fees.
5.   If the film does not arrive within the selected submission window, NYFF will attempt, but is under no obligation, to view a submission that arrives after the designated deadline without refund of the submission fee.
6.   Submitted films that qualify based on the regulations and eligibility requirements stated here will be seen by one or more of the five-person selection committee and be considered equally with all other submissions.
7.   NYFF reserves the right to disqualify any film for non-payment of the submission fee.  NYFF will attempt to contact the applicant based on the contact information supplied at the time of submission in order to resolve non-payment status.
8.   NYFF is under no obligation to provide comments regarding submitted films to any applicant.  The festival is not responsible for any internal comments obtained by the applicant regarding their film.
9.   Successful applicants to NYFF will be notified by August 15, 2012 through the contact information supplied at the time of submission.  The Festival will notify all other applicants by the end of August.  The contact information on the application form must be valid during the submission and notification period of June 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012.