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1. Submission Deadlines 

Submissions will be accepted from 1 September 2025 with a final deadline of 1 February 2026. 

•     Early Bird deadline until 1 October 2025; 

•     Regular deadline until 1 December 2025; 

•     Late deadline until 1 January 2026; and 

•     Extended deadline until 1 February 2026.

​Please note that submission fees will vary depending on the deadline by which you submit. 

2. Submission Format 

• Films must ONLY be submitted via online screener. 

• Resolution: 1920x1080 

• Format: H.264/MP4 

• Please consider adding subtitles for our audiences that are hard of hearing.   

3. Submission Categories
KIFF will feature six awards categories: 

• Under 18 Short Film; 

• Student Short Film; 

• Short Film; 

• First Feature Film; 

• Feature Film; 

• Documentary; 

• Eadweard Muybridge (local filmmakers)   

4. Submission Eligibility 

• All films must have been completed (including postproduction) after 1 January 2022.

• There is no premiere policy for any of the films. 

• We invite submissions from any country across the globe. 

•  Films must be submitted in English, or with English subtitles.

• If you have a classification certificate please supply it. If not please indicate how you believe your film should be classified i.e. U, PG, 12A, 12, 15, 18, If you are unsure please check these guidelines https://www.bbfc.co.uk/what-we-do/classification-guidelines

• FilmFreeway allows digital press packs to be uploaded with submissions, and we recommend you include at least the following with your film:

A trailer maximum length 1 minute
A poster (at least 800px wide and 300dpi)
A synopsis of your film (max 100 words)
5 stills from the film (at least 800px wide and 300dpi)
A director’s statement (max 500 words)
3 photos of the director/crew/behind the scenes (at least 800px wide and 300dpi)
The more (digital) information you include with your submission, the more we can promote your film once accepted into the festival
5. Submission Fee
The submission fee is non-refundable. KIFF takes no responsibility for incomplete, defaced, damaged or incorrectly submitted entries.
6. Notification
We do not guarantee that films will be selected for Kingston International Film Festival, however we will notify all submitters, whether selected or not, by 28 March 2026. There will be no second round of charges for any selected films.
7. Festival Screenings
Selected films must provide a digital copy within three (3) weeks of receiving the selection confirmation. If the film is not in English, it must be subtitled in English. Films that are not sent to us within this timeframe cannot be screened at the festival.
8. Promotion
Selected films must acknowledge that KIFF reserves the right to promote the films on KIFF website and social media using images, video and audio that you provide, before and after the festival date.
9. Student Fee
In order to submit a film at the discounted ‘student’ price, the submitter must provide valid Student Identification either via FilmFreeway or by email at: submissions@kiffest.uk. KIFF reserves the right to disqualify any Student Films that fail to provide Student Identification.

 

Please ensure you read the full Rules and Terms & Conditions below, as failure to comply with any of the rules will result in disqualification.
Submitting your film to KIFF implies your full acceptance of these Rules and Terms & Conditions and KIFF has the right of final decision and is under no obligation to provide reasons for its decision.