SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

By submitting to the Orem Film Festival (OFF), the applicant acknowledges and agrees to the following terms and conditions:

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Duration: Films must not exceed 40 minutes in length. While submissions under 20 minutes are preferred, all works within this limit will be considered.

Language: Non-English films must include English subtitles.

Genre & Medium: We welcome submissions across all genres and formats including narrative, documentary, animation, and music videos.

Completion Date: While films of any completion date may be submitted, those created within the past two years (2023-2025) will receive priority consideration.

Regional Eligibility: The Emerging Filmmaker Award is exclusively reserved for Utah-based filmmakers. International and out-of-state submissions are not eligible for this specific award but may compete in all other categories.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Complete the entry form on FilmFreeway
Provide a secure online screener via password-protected Vimeo, YouTube link, or other approved streaming platform
Submit the appropriate non-refundable entry fee through FilmFreeway

Notification: All filmmakers will be notified of their film's status by August 24, 2025. Please ensure your contact information remains current on FilmFreeway throughout the selection process.

LEGAL AGREEMENTS

Authorization: The applicant must possess full legal authority to submit the film to OFF. The work must not be subject to any pending or threatened claims or litigation.

Copyright Clearance: Applicants bear sole responsibility for securing clearance for all copyrighted materials included in their film. The applicant indemnifies and holds harmless OFF, its employees, volunteers, and representatives from any claims related to copyright infringement or other rights violations.

SELECTED FILMS

By accepting an invitation to screen at OFF, the applicant grants:

Exhibition Rights: Permission for OFF to screen an exhibition-quality digital file of the film during the festival and at related educational or awards events.

Promotional Use: Authorization for OFF to utilize clips (not exceeding 2 minutes), stills, titles, and related information for promotional purposes across all media platforms, including but not limited to the OFF website and social media channels.

Applicant Information: Consent for OFF to publicize information about the applicant and film, including names, likenesses, and biographical details in festival materials.

Industry Networking: Permission for OFF to share contact information with film industry sponsors and partners.

Archival Purposes: Agreement that OFF may retain a preview copy of the film in its non-circulating library for educational and archival purposes only.

OFF reserves the right to disqualify any submission violating these guidelines without a refund of submission fees.

By submitting to OFF, the applicant confirms possession of all necessary rights to the film and agreement to these terms.

PROGRAMMING STATEMENT

At the Orem Film Festival (OFF), we are committed to curating a vibrant and diverse selection of short films that reflect originality, craft, and artistic vision. Our audience includes film lovers of all ages, with a strong presence of local creatives, students, families, and cinephiles from Utah County and beyond. OFF aims to spotlight compelling short-form storytelling, with a particular emphasis on community engagement and regional voices.

Our Selection Process
Every submitted film is watched in its entirety — including through the credits — by at least two of our festival programmers. Each film is evaluated based on five key criteria: originality, technical execution, narrative strength, emotional impact, and artistic vision.

Submissions move through a three-round evaluation process:

Round 1: Each film is viewed in full by a minimum of two programmers and sorted into one of three categories: Pass, Maybe, or Recommend.
Round 2: All Maybe and Recommend films are reviewed again by additional programmers for a second round of evaluation.
Final Round: The programming team meets as a group to discuss and finalize selections from the top Recommended films. In this final stage, all programmers participate in selecting approximately 10 short films to be showcased in our theater screening.