Film Submissions FAQ

Do you offer waivers for film submissions on FilmFreeway?

As a festival, we understand filmmakers don't always have the funds to submit to festivals. One of our goals is to make PHLAFF accessible for all, particularly for young, emerging filmmakers.

We’ll post an update regarding waiver availability soon.

I’m planning on submitting to the LOLA category. Could you clarify “themes of connection” so I can determine if my film qualifies?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, connection can be defined as “The condition of being related to something else by a bond of interdependence, causality, logical sequence, coherence, or the like; relation between things one of which is bound up with, or involved in, another.” We encourage you to seek how your work might relate to this theme whether it be directly or more abstract. What elements of connection are in your work? What is its core, its heart, or its nature? How do you express this within your film?

If a film is submitted to the Los Shorts Program, will it also be considered for the LOLA Shorts category? What about the other way around?

A film can only be entered into a single category for consideration. It will solely be evaluated for the category it is submitted to and won't be taken into account for any other category that it has not been submitted for.