About

Directors submit films through FilmFreeway in more than a dozen categories, from animation, documentary, and drama to music video, video podcast, and a one-minute micro movie, each with its own length cap. Entry costs rise from free to $65 across four deadlines. Films must be uploaded as downloadable files, and significant generative AI use must be disclosed.

Official Selections screen at the AMC Empire 25 in Times Square, and the Teen Indie Awards close the weekend with what the festival says is over $500,000 in scholarships and prizes. Directors must have been in high school or younger when making the film; recent graduates may still enter. Attendance is optional for awards, but passes are sold separately and no travel funding is offered.

No acceptance rate is published; the festival reports a library of over 17,500 films from all 50 states and more than 50 countries.