KIFF FULL TERMS & CONDITIONS

By submitting a film or screenplay to the festival, you agree to the following:
1. Any entry will be bound by the Kingston International Film Festival Rules and Terms & Conditions (“R&Ts”).
2. The Festival is run by Kingston International Film Festival, which will be referred in the R&Ts as “KIFF”.
3. All entrants must specify the year in which their film was completed (this includes postproduction).
4. All films can be of any genre.
5. The timings for the length of films must include titles and credits.
6. Under 18 Short Films: 

• The writer, director, producer, and director of photography (“DOP”) must all be under 18 years of age when the film was completed.

• Films must be a maximum of 20 minutes. 

• Entrants into this category who are under the age of 18 are required to include a signed letter of consent from a parent or guardian to submit their film to KIFF. 

• Entrants over the age of 18 must provide proof of their age such as Passport, ID or other documentation.

​7. Student Short Films: 

• The writer, director, producer, and DOP must all have been students when the film was completed. 

• We define a “student” as those who are in full or part-time education at any age, or those who graduated no more than one year prior to the date of submission. Proof of student enrolment will be required at the submissions stage. Valid forms of student identification include: a dated student card, a copy of a student finance bill, or a letter from the university or institution. 

• Films must be a maximum of 20 minutes.

8. The Eadweard Muybridge Prize 

• This Award is for local filmmakers only. 

• At least one of the senior production team must be living or have been living in the Kingston-upon Thames post code area (KT). Or was born in the area.

• Proof of residency or birth must be included with your submission. Such as utility bill, driving licence, letter from the bank or other institution. Or Birth Certificate where applicable.

• The film can be of any length and genre. 

9. Short Films: maximum runtime of 20 mins including credits.
10. Feature Films and First Feature Films minimum runtime of 40 mins (As per BFI guidelines)
11. Documentaries can be of any length
12. Your entry form must include your name, telephone number and email so that we can contact you.
13. Submissions don’t require premiere status. Should your film be premiering with KIFF (world, UK or London premiere) please notify us, so we can advertise it accordingly.
14. We do not cover licensing or screening fees for selected projects, as films are in competition and have been submitted to us.
15. Each film requires a submission fee. Entrants may submit more than one film.
16. Due to the submission platform being run by a third party (filmfreeway.com) we cannot provide any refunds.
17. KIFF reserves the right to offer Waiver Codes for Discounted/Free/Late Submissions to their partners as well as individual filmmakers.
18. The Prizes detailed in our listings are for the previous year’s festival. Whilst we endeavour to provide the same or similar prizes we cannot guarantee them due to the possibility of unforeseen circumstances such as loss of sponsorship.

19. Submissions must not contain any copyrighted material, including music, still images or video images without the written permission of the owner. We encourage the use of original or royalty free music.
20. KIFF is not able to cover the costs of any format transfers or subtitling.
21. All entrants must agree to participate in promotional and public activities if their film reaches the shortlist stage.
22. The filmmaker grants KIFF the non-exclusive license and right to use all or part of their film only for promotional purposes, and to exhibit the film during the festival (online and offline events) and after, as well as on various social media platforms.
23. Selected films will be notified in writing and their name, as well as the filmmaker’s name will be published on the KIFF website and on social media.
24. The KIFF competition does not accept submissions from Kingston International Film Festival committee members, their immediate family, or sponsors of the event. KIFF however reserves the right to screen such films out of competition. 
25. KIFF reserves the right to change any dates regarding submission deadlines or the festival event.
26. All screenings during the festival period will take place at the discretion of KIFF. KIFF reserves the right to make changes to the advertised schedule at any time for any reason and will not accept liability for any costs incurred as a result of such changes.
27. KIFF reserves the right to amend these T&C'S at any time.
28. KIFF has the right to disqualify any entrant if there are reasonable grounds to believe they have breached any of the rules stated in the T&C'S.
29. Should the KIFF organisers decide to cancel the festival without reason prior to 28 March 2026 (“Official Selection”), every effort will be made to reimburse those who have paid to submit their film. Should the festival be cancelled without reason after the announcement of the Official Selection, only those filmmakers who have been selected to be a part of the festival will be reimbursed.
30. In the event of circumstances being beyond the control of KIFF (such as natural disaster, government restrictions, viral/bacterial pandemic, etc) then every effort will be made to amend if necessary or postpone to allow the festival to go ahead. If this is not feasible then we will aim to proceed with an online festival. In such circumstances, no refunds will be issued.
31. Submitting your film to KIFF implies your full acceptance of the KIFF T&C’s and KIFF has the right of final decision and is under no obligation to provide reasons for its decision.