Film Festival FAQs

If you have any questions that are not answered below, please contact us at filmfestival@spyscape.com.

Can I submit my project to the Spycon Film Festival?

Yes! Submissions are now open on FilmFreeway. The final deadline for submissions is September 1, 2020.

I am not submitting a project to the Festival, but I still want to get involved! Is there anything I can do?

Yes! We are currently accepting applications for our Submission Screening Committee. The Submission Screening Committee evaluates all films submitted to the SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL. Each Screener commits 56 hours total (12-14 hours each month) to viewing and evaluating submissions between June 1st through October 1st.
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Please note: This is not a paid position. Screeners will be awarded with 2 passes to SPYCON 2020 in New York City, and will be permitted to use the SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL laurel on their resume.

How do I submit my project to the Spycon Fesitval?

SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL only accepts entries on FilmFreeway. Once on FilmFreeway, set up an account or log in to your existing account to submit your film to SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL. The direct link to our submissions page is: https://filmfreeway.com/SPYCONFILMFESTIVAL
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If you are new to FilmFreeway, you will first need to create an account, then create a “project” for your submission. For more information on how to create an account and submit your projects to festivals, please refer to the following page: https://filmfreeway.com/help
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We cannot accept any project that has not been officially submitted through FilmFreeway. SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL will NOT accept submissions on DVD or Blu-Ray.
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If you encounter any issues when submitting your project through FilmFreeway, please refer to their Help page (linked above) or contact FilmFreeway via email at support@filmfreeway.com.

What genres do you accept?

All submissions must contain a significant element of the spy genre, including but not limited to: conspiracy, crime, espionage, hacking, suspense, investigative journalism, and related technologies. Beyond that, there are no restrictions to genre. If your project is a thriller, comedy, documentary, animated work, etc. that contains a significant element of the spy genre, we want to see it!

What are your deadlines?

We have three deadlines throughout our submission process: Early bird Deadline (July 1, 2020), Regular Deadline (August 1, 2020), and Late Deadline (September 1, 2020). All deadlines are set for 11:59pm EST.

If your submission has an unpaid balance after a deadline, you will be required to pay the following deadline’s submission fee. Submissions that do not include the appropriate fee will be disqualified without a refund.

Any submission that is incomplete by our final deadline will be disqualified without a refund. Submissions will be considered incomplete if the screener is missing, the screener has been deleted or the password has been changed, or if the screener is missing audio, image, subtitles (if in a foreign language), or any feature that prevents us from properly judging it.

How do I know if my submission has been received?

After you submit your project through FilmFreeway, you will be able to check the Submission Status under the “Submissions” tab on your FilmFreeway account. If your submission to the SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL is listed as “In Consideration,” your project has met all of our submission requirements and is ready to be viewed by our selection committee.

If your submission is listed as “Incomplete,” please check your submission to ensure that your screener was properly uploaded.

If we encounter any issues with your submission during this process, we will update the status of your project to “Incomplete” and reach out to you to correct the problem. If your project is listed as Incomplete and you did not receive an email disclosing the reason, please contact us at filmfestival@spyscape.com, and include the subject line “Submission Listed as Incomplete.”

Can I submit an outside link for my online screener?

Yes, but SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL only accepts online screeners through FilmFreeway. We cannot accept emailed links to online screeners.

Through FilmFreeway, you can upload the video file for your project directly, or you can submit password-protected Vimeo links or YouTube links for online screeners. Online screeners must be available to stream; we cannot accept any project that must be downloaded.

Submitters are responsible for ensuring that your screener link and password are active through at least June 1, 2021. Please email us immediately if the password or screener URL changes after you have submitted your project. If we encounter an error with the screener, we will attempt to email the submission contact to resolve the issue. Failure to respond with an updated screener or password by the final submission deadline will result in disqualification without a refund.

Will you take a look at my project and tell me if I should submit to you?

Unfortunately, we cannot review any film that has not been officially submitted to us. We have to dedicate our time to viewing projects that have followed the submission process and paid their submission fees.

Do you accept rough cuts or works-in-progress?

SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL will only accept submissions in their final, completed form.

If you are submitting episodes for the Episodic category, the submitted episodes (up to four individual episodes in total) must be in their final, completed form. However, the full series does not need to be complete for your project to be considered.

Can I submit my project with a temporary music track?

If your score is not complete or you have not secured licensing for any or all of the music included in your film, temp tracks, scratch music, and temp scores will be acceptable for submission purposes. If this is the case for your project, please include a list of missing or temporary elements directly on-screen before the film begins.

Are there time restrictions for specific categories?

Shorts must be under 40 minutes. Anything over 40 minutes will be considered a feature.

Individual episodes for the Episodic category cannot exceed 60 minutes in length. Up to four episodes may be submitted, but all episodes must be submitted in a single video file or online screener. Please note: If your project is accepted, we reserve the right to limit the number of episodes screened during the Festival at our discretion.

If my project includes non-English dialogue, do you require English subtitles?

All projects that contain significant non-English dialogue MUST include on-screen English subtitles at the time of submission. Please ensure that all subtitles are hardcoded to your video file.

Is my project eligible if it has aired on television or streaming services?

If your project is a short film (less that 40 min in length), it is still eligible even though it has been broadcast on television, streaming, or anywhere else.

Feature length films (over 40 min) are not eligible if they are from the U.S. and have been aired on one or more local or nationwide television channels / streaming networks. Only features that have not been distributed are eligible for the SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL.

Accepted filmmakers must own the rights to their project in its entirety by the time of the Festival. This includes distribution rights.

I directed / produced / worked on / acted in a project that I think would be perfect for SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL. Can I submit it?

Submissions should be made by a permanent member of the crew, such as the director or a producer. If you worked on or acted in a project that you would like to submit, you should only submit the project if you have received permission from the filmmakers. If you are not the director, please include the director’s contact information with your submission.

If you are the director or producer of the project, it is recommended that you only submit your project once everyone on your team is in agreement about the festivals to which you are submitting and which version of the film is being submitted.

How many projects can I submit?

You can submit as many projects as you would like, as long as they are all eligible to screen at the SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL 2020. You will be required to pay a separate submission fee for each submission.

Do you have any ratings limitations? Do you program films with strong language and content?

We have no ratings limitations on films submitted.

How old can my project be to still qualify for submission?

All projects submitted for consideration in 2020 must have been completed in 2018 or 2019. Projects completed before January 1, 2018 are not eligible for submission.

Do I need to meet a minimum age requirement in order to submit a project?

We encourage artists of all ages to submit their work! However, if you are under the age of 18 and your project is accepted, we will require written, signed permission from a parent or legal guardian before we are able to exhibit your project at the SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL.

Should I provide you with press/publicity materials at the time of my submission?

It is not necessary to provide us with press materials at the time of submission. Should your project be accepted, we will request the necessary press/publicity materials at that time.

When will filmmakers be notified of the final decisions for SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL 2020?

Final notifications are scheduled to take place no later than the end of the day on October 15, 2020*. Some filmmakers may receive notifications sooner than this, but if you have not heard from us yet, your project is still being considered.

*Notification dates are subject to change. We will attempt to communicate schedule changes via email, but please check the Festival website regularly for updates.

How will we be notified?

If your submission is successful, you will be notified by email. Acceptance emails will include the Official Entry Form and Screening Guidelines for you to complete and return to us.

If your submission is unsuccessful, you will be notified via email by the notification deadline.

Your status of Accepted/Not Accepted will be reflected in FilmFreeway under “Submissions” by the end of the day on October 15, 2020.

Please make sure that the email address associated with your submission remains active and is checked daily throughout the submission process. Add filmfestival@spyscape.com to your address book to prevent our communication from going into your spam folder.

Am I required to obtain rights clearance for trademarked or copyrighted material?

Before you exhibit your project publicly, you must license or obtain permission from the appropriate legal rights-holder for any and all trademarked and/or copyrighted materials included in your project, including music, stock images/footage, or any other elements that could violate an existing legal trademark or copyright.

SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL will not be held responsible for ensuring that you have obtained licensing rights or other clearance for these materials at any point during the application process, nor will we be held responsible for the inclusion of unlicensed or uncleared trademarked or copyrighted materials held within the final version of your project.

If your submitted project contains unlicensed or uncleared materials, it is the sole responsibility of the owner(s) of the project to license, clear, or otherwise replace these materials in the event that the SPYCON FILM FESTIVAL chooses to accept the project for Festival exhibition. We encourage you to reach out to rights holders directly to avoid any potential rights infringements, as projects accepted into the Festival will be required to sign a waiver stating that all materials contained within the project do not violate any existing trademark or copyright. Rights holders will often offer reduced rates for independently produced projects.

Can I post trailers, clips, and/or scenes from my project online?

Yes. Posting minimal footage or scenes from your project does not affect its eligibility for any submission category. It is also acceptable for cast and crew members to use scenes from your project for the purposes of a public or private exhibition reel.

How are projects selected?

Each submission is watched by multiple members of our selection committee and evaluated across several different criteria. Committee members will have to answer a series of questions about each project to help determine whether or not it is a good fit for the Festival.

Are films selected solely on committee feedback?

For final selections, projects are selected based on overall filmmaking, variety, and what will make the most interesting lineup for our Festival program. A project’s content and quality matter the most when it comes to the selection process. Committee feedback is important to the process, but it is not the ultimate qualifier. Our selection process is focused on making curatorial choices that will ensure the strongest lineup, so we strive to revisit as many projects as possible to make sure that our Festival program is the best that it can be.

Can I request updates on how my project is doing after it has been submitted?

No. Please do not call or email us for updates on your project. The submission process is very complex, and decisions are not confirmed until very close to the notification date. We will notify you once the choices are finalized.

My Vimeo link doesn’t have any views. Did you even watch it?

We absolutely view every project submitted to us with an account in good standing. Accurate statistics are not always recorded using Vimeo’s methods of tracking loads or views. FilmFreeway utilizes a third party player to enable submissions to be screened within their platform. Vimeo videos viewed by a third party player do not always record statistics in the same way as videos viewed via a direct link in a web browser.

If you would like to learn more about how your Vimeo video is viewed through third-party players, please check out the following article from Vimeo: https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/224823567-Third-party-player-links

If my project is not chosen, can you give me notes or feedback?

Unfortunately, we are not able to give feedback to every single applicant. We are only able to include a limited number of projects in our Festival lineup, so please do not be discouraged if your project is not accepted.