2023 Submissions
We will be accepting submissions for the 2023 edition of the festival beginning in August 2023.
Submission Requirements
There is no fee to submit a film for consideration.
The length of the film including all credits must be at least 1 minute (1:00:00) and shorter than 6 minutes (5:59:xx).
The film must tell a story; this excludes public service announcements, trailers, music videos, non-narrative experimental pieces, etc.
Whether a piece is truly narrative is at the discretion of the submission review panel.
All genres and styles are considered, including live action and animation, documentary and fiction, drama and comedy, etc.
For 2023, we prefer films completed in 2023 or 2022. Films completed in 2021 may also be considered. Earlier films are ineligible.
Technical Guidelines
Resolution/Dimensions: We prefer 1080p, 2K, or 4K UHD.
Codec: H.264, H.265, AVC preferred. ProRes acceptable (file will be converted before screening).
Bit Rate: Between 5 Mbps and 20 Mbps, depending on resulting file size.
File Size: Ideally around 500 MB, depending on length. No larger than 1.0 GB.
Subititles: We prefer embedded subtitles but can accept .srt files or similar. No extensive grammar or spelling errors.
As of January 2023, we are not accepting DCP submissions.
Other Recommendations
None of the following criteria disqualify a film but may count against films in consideration for acceptance:
- Films under two minutes (2:00:00)
- Films from 2021
- Films available publicly online
- Films that have played extensively in the US (especially the northeast)
- Subtitles that are small and/or don't contrast with the background
Sending Film Files
To submit a file, you can send the film file to our WeTransfer page directly.
Otherwise, use a service such WeTransfer, DropBox, or Google Drive. Share with email address mergingartsfilmMergingArts@MergingArtsgmailMergingArts.MergingArtscom.
Filmmakers accepted into the festival are strongly encouraged to provide film stills and a photo of the filmmaker.