Criteria | International Mobile Film Festival

2026 RULES IN DETAIL

Welcome to our 15th Annual Edition of the pioneer International Mobile Film Festival for only movies shot with mobile phone cameras for the big screen, launched in the Spring 2009. Please read this article carefully and contact us if you have any questions. We will do our best to answer promptly.

When contacting us, please provide your full name and details about the project you would like to submit.

Official Submission Deadlines begin June 19 for all competitions and contests. The Early Bird Submission is now open! Deadline to save and submit during the early bird deadline submission period is JUNE 18.

HOW TO SUBMIT: We use FilmFreeway as the only platform to submit films, unless something changes, this is where all submissions should be submitted. We may ask for higher quality links for judges to view and rate films, if your film is selected. FilmFreeway limits the streaming quality of all films to 720 HD.

Note: Even though the economy has increased costs and expenses, as part of a mutual mobile filmmaking community, we made a hard decision to keep YOUR submission fees to the festival for the new 2026 edition the same. We value and respect all filmmakers. Be inspired.

There are no refunds.

EARLY BIRD SUBMISSIONS OPEN MAY 25, 2025

Read testimonials

EARLY BIRD SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR ALL COMPETITIONS
DEADLINE JUNE 18

Festival Event Dates: APRIL 24, 25 & 26, 2026 in San Diego, California

All deadlines

All Deadlines are final and there are no exceptions. Each contest and/or competition has its own deadline listed in each category/competition on FilmFreeway.com.

Films will ultimately need to be downloaded at full HD 1920X1080 resolution. Films must be under 2GB for feature films, and not more than 1 GB for short films of a full 10 minute length.

All non-English films must have embedded subtitles in English. The subtitles must be embedded in your downloaded videos. We do not stream films or videos in our film festival. All films may be subject to embedded close captioning in English to screen at the festival.

FIRST AND FOREMOST: ONLY FILMS SHOT WITH SMARTPHONE / MOBILE PHONE CAMERAS QUALIFY. NO OTHER MOBILE DEVICE QUALIFIES.
No other mobile device is eligible…we decided, when we launched in 2009, to give every human in the world an equal arena in which to compete using the same mobile device, the phone. Any brand or make qualifies. All films and projects should be original works created by the submitting filmmaker(s). Plagiarism or unauthorized use of others’ work is prohibited. All films and projects should be original works created by the submitting filmmaker(s). Plagiarism or unauthorized use of others’ work is prohibited.

EDITING

Any apps that make edit decisions or make automated sequencing decisions for you are not allowed.

USE OF AI

Using AI (artificial intelligence) is not allowed for any competition or contest in the festival.

Stay tuned to emails from us once you submit your films. You must respond to emails and inquiries from us.

EMAILS
Stay tuned to emails from us once you submit your films. You must respond to emails and inquiries from us to stay in the selection and screening process.

It’s very important that you read the rules thoroughly. Once you submit your film, there are no refunds. There is also a process after submission. Please read your emails.

If we consider selecting your film, we will send you a link to a release form that you will need to sign online. We only send the link to filmmakers who are being considered for an official selection. We require your completion of this form in order to distribute your film in our film festival in-person and online.

If you don’t receive our emails, you may miss deadlines and timely requests that require prompt resolutions and requests. You risk being disqualified from the process. Please understand that if you are interested in including your film the disappointment is mutual. Do not risk your film being disqualified for ignoring communication from us. We will do all we can on our end but we won’t chase filmmakers down.

Films selected will screen in San Diego during the live festival event. We must consider our audience and program schedule in our selection decisions. If your film does not get selected it does not always mean your film is not good. However, we are looking for the best high quality mobile films in both feature and short film competitions to screen in our film festival. If your experience level is low, consider the “Rookie” competition instead.

Be aware that some or all selected films may also be available online during our post event festival to take place at a date to be determined, if we choose to do so.

FEATURE FILM COMPETITION: We are looking for exceptional quality NARRATIVE films with higher production quality and a story-driven narrative. Minimum length 60 minutes. Maximum length 120 minutes.

The Feature Film Competition is a stand-alone competition: Narrative fiction story based films which qualify under the criteria specified on this page and in the FilmFreeway.com platform for IMFF.

Only TWO qualified feature length films will be selected to compete and screen in San Diego at the in-person festival. We reserve the right to include a third feature length film, at our discretion.

Feature Film Contestants agree to attend and present their films in person. The date your film may screen in 2026 is April 25 or April 26, 2026. Please keep it in mind, regardless of when you submit, and complete the selection and screening process.
Must be present during the awards ceremony to receive trophy at no cost. Read below about our updated shipping and handling policy for 2025/2026.

SHORT FILM COMPETITION: Films must be between 3 & 10 minutes and Not one second shorter or longer, including intro, end credits and/or video black at beginning or end.

The Short Film Competition seeks short high quality films of all genres. For example: horror can submit to narrative, etc.

The top Short Film Contestants in any category (excluding The Rookie Award contest category) will be in the running for First, Second and Third Place.

The top Short Film Contestants in each category will also be in the running for “best category” award laurels; and certificates in person.

International filmmakers or a designated in-person representative (contact us!), must be present during the awards ceremony to receive a trophy for an awarded filmmaker at no cost (only first, second and third).
*Read below about our updated policy for 2025/2026 awards shipping and handling.

SHORT FILM CATEGORIES AVAILABLE TO SUBMIT: (MORE DETAILS BELOW IN THIS ARTICLE)
Narrative – Documentary – Ultimate Mobile – Screendance – Geography, Wildlife and Travel – Experimental – Music Video – Spooky Narrative (NEW)

Submitting to the correct category can help your film get selected and maybe even win that category. You can submit one film to multiple categories, or more than one film to multiple categories but only one film will be selected per filmmaker.

There is no guarantee a film will be selected regardless of the category it is selected to.

THE ROOKIE AWARD CONTEST: If you are not an experienced filmmaker, you can enter films that fall within the genres available for the Short Film Competition into “The Rookie Award” category. The Rookie Award is a stand-alone separate contest for new, or non-experienced, filmmakers.

The Rookie Award is a good option for novice youth films. We still require a level of quality with video and audio to be selected. Please find details about this special category on our website and within the category on FilmFreeway before you submit.

We are available if you have questions and will do our best to respond promptly.

RELEASE FORM:
All feature length and short films, including Rookie films will require, after notification of a selection, a signed agreement to finalize the official selection of your film to screen during our film festival. You’ll receive notice with the form after the final deadline of the contest or competition you have submitted to.

NOTICE: You must complete and sign the separate release and authorization form only if your entry is officially selected, in order to be officially selected. You may also be required to submit licenses, proofs and other items such as talent release forms; upon request, for all competitions and contests. More details below in the Correspondence section.

Upon completion of the release form, once your film is officially selected (January-February 2026), please avoid publicly promoting your film’s availability for public online watching, and viewing until at least 24 hours after the live event film festival has ended.

The online world is global and local. We prefer promoting your film selection at the festival so your followers and friends can come see it in person with or without you here. We’ll create promotional graphics for your film at our film festival and at your request, we can share them with you as well.

You may still promote your film for screening in another film festival or however you please. We’re available if you have questions.

*All contestants, please make an effort to be in attendance to receive free engraved trophy with your name, in case you win these top awards: Best Feature; and the Short Film Competition’s First, Second or Third Place Awards.

2025-26 Awards Shipping and Handling: At this time, we cannot guarantee shipping trophies due to circumstances out of our control, including inconsistent and unpredictable U.S. and international shipping costs and deliver-ability issues.

All Competitions: We require filmmakers to communicate with us directly during the selection and film screening process. Please note, we do not pay or offer screening fees. We will contact all filmmakers whose films are selected prior to their film’s official selection to ensure all qualifications have been met and verified.

Our correspondence includes signing a release agreement form that gives us permission to include your film in our festival with a statement that we have the right to distribute the film in our film festival and that all information and licenses required are genuine. Without returning the signed form we cannot screen your film in our festival.

The form protects filmmakers and our festival. If you are submitting a film and are not the owner and filmmaker, you’ll need to contact us for further correspondence, only if the film is selected.

SHORT AND FEATURE FILM COMPETITIONS:
Vulgar, porn, or demeaning and offensive films will be disqualified and rejected.

Respect other artists by not using media of any kind without proper licenses, permissions and clearance. Proof of licensing may be required to qualify. We are not shy about asking.

We have extended deadlines. Beyond those deadlines there are no exceptions. We reserve the right to refuse all films beyond the any and all deadlines set by our festival.

All films must be submitted through FilmFreeway. After all deadlines have passed, and your film is selected, you will receive a form to read and sign. This is necessary to release your film for screening in our film festival. If asked, you may need to provide materials such as music rights. You will need to provide us a download of your film, which meets the format criteria.

You’ll then receive official selection laurels and a letter welcoming you to the IMFF 2026, 15th edition.

Please keep checking for emails from us so you don’t miss requests from us. Do not use work or school email addresses, as they are temporary.

Don’t risk your film being rejected over missed emails. We have internal deadlines to meet.

All Films must be shot with smartphone cameras only. Only horizontal films with good resolution.

Subtitles must be embedded in your film if it is in any language other than English, or if spoken language is unclear.

Not more than 10% aerial footage from drones is acceptable.

Short Films must be exceptional quality films.

MORE DETAILS:
RULES SUMMARY FOR ALL FILM SUBMISSIONS

We accept more than one film submission. Only one film per filmmaker or entity will be selected.

All films must be available to download in full and full quality at a minimum 1980 HD and formatted for the wide screen.

REQUIRED FOR ALL COMPETITIONS: English embedded captions/subtitles for all foreign, non-English spoken, or hard to understand or hard to hear dialogue and narration/voice overs in all films is required.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – AI (Artificial Intelligence) used for screenplays, filmmaking, or photography at any point during your production (includes screenplays) will be cause for disqualification from all contests and competitions.

APPS – Automatic editing apps which make editing decisions for you are not allowed. Using some apps may degrade the end quality of your footage or include undesirable app branding watermarks. We will not accept films with watermarks.

PARTICIPANTS – You must be human beings. That has been a condition since we launched in 2009. We don’t limit artists/entrants/participants because of their age, income level, disabilities, race or ethnicity, sex or anything! If you are a human being you qualify as a filmmaker if you enter a qualifying film. We encourage anyone who believes they may not qualify, to accept the challenge. Submitting is easy! We only accept submissions through FilmFreeway. We also have a contest for less experienced and novice filmmakers in The Rookie Award Category.

EQUIPMENT – In case we weren’t clear: FILMS MUST BE SHOT BY MOBILE PHONE CAMERAS ONLY. All other production equipment, lights, cranes, dollies, etc. are allowed. Since mobile filmmaking has become an industry, you can find customized equipment online and stores if you need it. No apps or filmmaking accessories are required to qualify. We recommend filmmakers do some research to produce the highest quality films and base their films around great stories. Put effort into your film no matter what category you choose to enter your film to, for the best chance at being selected…and perhaps winning an award.

ENTRIES – You can submit many films, but only one will be selected regardless of the number of entries submitted. One award per film regardless of the number of people credited. If you are an organization, please contact us.

LENGTH – Short Film Competition: 3:00 minutes to 10:00 minutes including credits.

All films must adhere to the time limits for the competition or contest they are entering. Not one second shorter or longer including intro and end credits and/or video black at beginning or end. The same applies to The Rookie Award competition/category (1 to 5 minutes). All categories under the Short Film Competition share the same time limits.

Feature Mobile Film Competition – 60 minutes to 120 minutes (2 hours) total including intro and end credits.

Rookie Award Competition – Minimum 00:60 seconds (1 minute) to 05:00 minutes maximum including credits.

FORMAT – We prefer (.mp4) (.mov) files. FULL QUALITY 1920×1080 HD video in widescreen format (Horizontal). No square or vertical formatted films. File size for features should not be greater than 2GB. Short films up to 10 minutes should not be greater than 1GB. Be sure to embed subtitles to your films if they are not in spoken English or hard to understand. Questions? Contact us!

COPYRIGHTS – We cannot accept any THIRD-PARTY music, images & photos or graphics in your video without the correct licensing specific to your film. Licensing for music is tricky and can be confusing depending on how the music is used in your film. One license may not work for all the ways you use music in your film, such as background, transitions, etc. Music is not the only proprietary license you may need, such as visual branded items. It’s best to be informed before you begin production.

DRONES – The only acceptable device camera other than a mobile phone camera is that of a drone for capturing aerial footage. The total length must not be more than 10% AERIAL footage/video captured with a drone camera.

In order to qualify, the entire rest of your film must be shot with only mobile phone cameras. Not One Second More than 10% of the film may include aerial video or footage recorded with a drone. This is the only limited exception to another camera or device allowed. You must do your own math. An example for a *Short film of five minutes: 10% of (5 minutes) = 30 seconds.

Drone Specs: You must enter the name, brand and the model of the drone and smartphone you used to film/capture your footage and certify the information with your signature in a separate registration form which all filmmakers must submit and sign *even if they did not use drones in their film.

You must include the time code where drone footage begins and drone footage ends and you must also include several time codes if 10% of your drone footage is spread throughout your film in different areas. It’s a bit of a pain so unless you really feel your film needs aerial footage, it’s simpler without it.

*By submitting media to our film festival competitions, you acknowledge that you have read and understand the terms and conditions. NO REFUNDS. All films and projects should be original works created by the submitting filmmaker(s). Plagiarism or unauthorized use of others’ work is prohibited.

**Affiliates, employees, interns, contractors, & subsidiaries are ineligible to participate. We do not allow or consider preferential treatment by extending application deadlines.

SOME CATEGORIES FOR SHORT FILM COMPETITION IN DETAIL:
The following categories are available. Most are self-explanatory, but we have further defined details for unique categories, below.

Narrative – Documentary – Ultimate Mobile – Spooky Narrative – Screendance – Geography, Wildlife and Travel – Experimental – Music Video

All films in this competition must be 3-10 minutes in length, and meet the rules and criteria for the short film competition.

ULTIMATE MOBILE FILM CATEGORY
Regardless of the genre, if you completely shot and edited your film with your phone without using any other device, this one is for you! Shoot, edit, finalize your project including audio capture and music, special effects, everything must be done on a smartphone and no other device. It’s a big challenge, are you up for it?

SCREENDANCE FILM CATEGORY
With the collaboration of choreographer and soloist filmmaker Jamiel Laurence, we introduced a unique category to our film festival. Screendance is for filmmakers using smartphones to choreograph performances for the screen. Using camera movement and style, this category hopes to inspire dancers who perform in front of the camera to team up with a camera person, or more than one, to shoot a story driven performance precisely for the screen focusing on movement from the camera in combination with the movement in front of the camera by dancers. All rules apply.

“The universal language of dance has always held a special place when being performed in the realm of cinematic capture. Fred Astaire once said “Either the Camera will Dance, or I will” and this really captures the essence of the synergy between dance, choreography and filmmaking. With the rise in popularity and easy access to mobile filmmaking technologies, choreographers are naturally finding new and exciting ways to evolve dance alongside developing mobile form factor stabilisation and affordable lenses & filters. The International Mobile Film Festival is a welcoming group of like minded creatives, and the ideal place to have your Screendance work seen by new audiences and industry professionals alike.”
Jamiel Laurence: Dancer. Choreographer. Filmmaker.

SPOOKY NARRATIVE FILM CATEGORY
Spooky narrative films is our newest category for IMFF 2026! Shoot your film with your smartphone and read the rules, because the rules apply to all categories. Make it fun. This category was inspired by filmmaker Levi Austin Morris’ film “Paralysis”. With a mutual collaboration, with Levi, we introduce this very fun and cool genre as an official category of our festival beginning with IMFF 2026. All rules apply.

“Explore the macabre the paranormal, the spooky. You know the demons you’ve got hidden in your closet? Let them out! And tell us a story that is terrifying or thrilling or full of intrigue and wonder, but through the lens of a little spooky short film. And if you’re looking for inspiration, check out my feature “Paralysis”. It is now available to stream on Amazon, Tubi and Voodoo, Fandango…Sweet screams and happy shooting.”
Levi Austin Morris: Actor. Director. Filmmaker.

GEOGRAPHY, WILDLIFE & TRAVEL 
If your film is about animals and species or natural wildlife environment around the world or in your backyard, this category is sure to be a creative challenge for mobile filmmaking. Includes Travel videos including panoramic montage, and educational videos. All rules apply.

Music got you down? Don’t fret. Here is some info to research using music in your films to ensure the proper licensing. This is not the only resource, but it’s a good start. www.copyright.gov, and ASCAP.
New 2021 Copyright Law.

If you have questions or need help, contact us. When contacting us, please provide your full name and details about the project you would like to submit.

*We will allow a couple shots from another mobile device or traditional cameras only by individual basis after a conversation which determines you need it to tell your story and cannot recreate or process it on your phone. This is usually historical footage that cannot be recreated, and again, limited to one or two shots not lasting more than 3 or 4 seconds.

Join us and hang out with new and existing friends in this community!

Awards & Prizes:
All the information is clearly defined on our website in the rules and criteria pages.

By submitting media to these contests and competitions by IMFF, you acknowledge that you have read and understand the terms and conditions.

Affiliates, employees, interns, contractors, & subsidiaries are ineligible to participate.

AWARDS  
All selected films in all categories will receive laurels noting their official selection. Laurels and promotions including announcements and press release with winners listed in the Awards page on the IMFF website.

Only the top short films from all categories in the Short Film Competition will be in the running for the First, Second and Third Place awards and the trophy awards. Trophies and any physical awards and prizes are limited to in-person filmmakers during the awards ceremony at the very end of the festival’s last day, Sunday, April 26, 2026.

The Best Feature Film winner will receive the Best Film award trophy and laurels. Limited to in-person awardees or their in-person representatives.  

The red carpet is in your pocket!™

Rules & Terms:
2026 Edition Deadlines are listed in each category for short and feature films on FilmFreeway and on our website.  

If you have questions or need help, contact us. When contacting us, please provide your full name and details about the project you would like to submit.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about attending the festival:

Will you pay for travel? Unfortunately we cannot.

Do we have to buy tickets to attend? We do not ask filmmakers who have submitted films to our film festival (even if they are not selected) to pay for tickets to attend the festival. If filmmakers would like to support us for putting on a great festival experience you can pay for a ticket, but it’s not required.

Why should I attend the festival in person? The festival is a very exciting event. The attending filmmakers are asked to watch each others’ films together during the festival because it is a show of support. We offer plenty of breaks during the festival for everyone to network and connect, even discuss each others’ films and exchange contact information to collaborate on projects together. IMFF’s programming is comprised of a series of Q & A Sessions and Panels, Workshops, shows and other elements that involve interactivity with each other and attendees. We are an intimate festival that celebrates art and filmmaking featuring you, our community, as the star!

Where can I donate to support this film festival and this community? As of December 2, 2024, IMFF has a fiscal sponsor. Thanks to our fiscal sponsor Angaelica, we are now able to accept donations. ANGAELICA is a non-profit 501(c)(3) and will provide tax deductible donation receipts to donors. Donate now.

Join us and hang out with new and existing friends in this community!

VENUE QUESTIONS RELEVANT TO IMFF 2025 VENUE:

Is there parking? Parking is free with several parking lots to park in.

Are pets allowed? The rules for the venue dictate pets are not allowed.

Are there places to eat and drink? There are bars and restaurants within a few feet to enjoy great San Diego cuisine watching boats rest on the water.

Where is the venue? Marina Village and Mission Bay, where the festival is held, is about a mile away from Sea World and a five-minute drive to the beach.

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