Call for Entries

Every Fall, the VAFF showcases new narrative and documentary features, independent and international projects, and local filmmakers from throughout Virginia. VAFF brings in a robust selection of guests, from internationally acclaimed directors and actors to craft talent and leading cultural experts, who power discussions that stimulate, educate, and engage. Today, the VAFF stands as one of Virginia’s most important cultural landmarks and one of the most respected regional destination film festivals in the United States.

We are looking forward to celebrating 38 years of the Virginia Film Festival October 22-26 in Charlottesville, VA!

How to Submit Your Film

The 2025 Call for entries is now open!
Final (extended) submission deadline is July 15, 5:00pm EST.

Please read below for all rules, regulations, and expectations, including information on deadlines, entry fees, discounts, and qualifying parameters. To be considered, you must submit your film through our Film Freeway portal, which is linked below.

If a film is accepted, press materials for the film will be required in a timely manner, which can include, but may not be limited to: high-resolution publicity stills, filmmaker bio, and film trailer (if available).

Acceptances, Rejections & Feedback:
Due to the volume of submissions, the Virginia Film Festival does not offer “notes” or specific critique of any films not accepted for exhibition, and reserves the right to not accept a submission for any reason.

We receive 850+ submissions annually, have considerably fewer programming slots. By nature, this means some very strong projects are not invited each year.

Rules & Terms: A full list of our rules and regulations can be found on our FilmFreeway page, under “Rules.” A couple of key items to keep in mind:

  • PREMIERE STATUS (Full-Length Films): All feature-length entries submitted and accepted into the Festival must be Virginia premieres (at minimum), meaning no public exhibitions, theatrical runs, streaming, or prior festival play in the State of Virginia before the VAFF dates (Oct 22-26, 2025). *This premiere status restriction applies only to full-length (31 mins. or longer) productions, and not short films, which are eligible regardless of prior exhibition or streaming status.
  • PRODUCTION YEAR: VAFF only considers new productions eligible for submission. In order to qualify for 2025 VAFF consideration, your film must have been completed in 2024 or 2025.

If you have any questions about submitting your film, please email vaffsubmissions@virginia.edu

Deadlines & Submission Fees

Dates
Early Bird Deadline – May 6, 2025
Regular Deadline – July 1, 2025
Final (extended) Deadline – July 15, 5pm EST, 2025
Notification Date (notice on whether project is selected for VAFF) – September 10, 2025

Features (31 min. and above)
$30 – Early Bird Deadline
$50 – Regular Deadline
$60 – Final (extended) Deadline
***FREE for Virginia residents and students at VA schools (see below)

Shorts (30 min. and under)
$10 – Early Bird Deadline
$20 – Regular Deadline
$25 – Final (extended) deadline
***FREE for Virginia residents and students at VA schools (see below)

Discounts for Students & VA Residents

VIRGINIA RESIDENTS
Current Virginia residents (including full time students at VA schools) are eligible to have their entry fee waived. This waiver *only* applies to, and can only be used by, the film’s rights-holders. This waiver does not extend to other cast/crew/friends/supporters of the projects who reside in Virginia.

In order to receive the VA resident fee waiver, the address you list in your submission must be in Virginia, and you must enter the code 25VAFFRES38 when you complete your submission on FilmFreeway.

Proof of current residency may be requested by VAFF and is required if submitting using this code.

Note: This discount code may be used once per filmmaker.

STUDENTS OUTSIDE OF VIRGINIA
Full-time students currently enrolled in accredited program outside of Virginia are encouraged to submit projects in all categories with a discount of 75% off the submission fee.

In order to qualify, you must upload a scanned valid/current student ID with your project and enter the discount code 25VAFFNVS38 when you complete your submission on FilmFreeway.

Note: This discount code may be used once per filmmaker.