Attention Filmmakers, Submissions Are Now Open For The 31st Philadelphia Film Festival Happening Next Fall
The Philadelphia Film Society (PFS), the proud producer of the Philadelphia Film Festival (PFF), is excited to announce that PFS is now accepting submissions for the 31st Philadelphia Film Festival (PFF31) which will take place October 20 – October 30, 2021. Submissions are accepted via FilmFreeway through August 7.
Voted one of MovieMaker Magazine’s 50 Festivals worth the entry fee in 2016 and 2020, the Philadelphia Film Festival accepts submissions for Narrative Features, Documentaries, and Short Films from all over the world and offers a Local Features and Shorts category specifically for Philadelphia filmmakers.
Over the past several years, the PFF has grown to become not only a local gem that Philadelphians look forward to every year, but also an important festival within the industry as a whole. The quality of the programming has been stellar, known for scouring submissions and Festivals year-round for the perfect lineup for Philadelphia audiences. Past Festivals have featured some of the most highly-anticipated and eventual award-winning films, including DRIVE MY CAR, SOUND OF METAL, ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI, JOJO RABBIT, LADY BIRD, LA LA LAND, and Best Picture Winners NOMADLAND, PARASITE, MOONLIGHT, BIRDMAN (or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), 12 YEARS A SLAVE, and THE ARTIST. In total, the Festival will consist of over 100 films, screening in person across the city and online.
Every year, the Festival also welcomes a large number of guests, bringing filmmakers, actors, distributors and industry professionals to experience the Festival and Philadelphia. PFF is excited to continue and expand this year. Past guests have included: Bruce Willis, M. Night Shyamalan, Damien Chazelle, Alex Winter, Rian Johnson, Jason Reitman, Paul Dano, Karen Gillan, Todd Haynes, Lee Daniels, Jonathan Demme, Alexander Payne, Paul Rudd, David O. Russell, and Robert Zemeckis, as well as representatives from distributors or sales agencies such as: Cinetic Media, The Film Sales Company, IFC Films, Kino Lorber FIlms, Magnolia Pictures, Music Box Films, Paramount, Preferred Content, Radius-TWC, Roadside Attractions, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group, Strand Releasing, and Submarine Entertainment.
General guidelines are the following; films from any country are welcome in the Narrative, Documentary, and Short categories, films of any genre are welcome to submit in any category, works in progress can be considered but must be noted when submitting, Philadelphia premiere required – films cannot have shown publicly anywhere in the Greater Philadelphia area to be considered.
In addition to the Local categories designed for Philadelphia filmmakers, PFS also offers students a discount on submissions. Students can apply for a discount by emailing [email protected] and need to provide information about your film and proof of your student status.
