Submit Your Film

All film susbmissions must be made through FilmFreeway. For our inaugural event, we are accepting films completed in 2025, 2026 and 2027. The submitter for every accepted selection will receive two free Festival Passes. 

NO WAIVERS. Any requests for waivers will be ignored.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: Our venue does not show DCP files. We require all exhibition files to be MP4 h264, no larger than 1080p. We don't show files greater than 1080p, we don't show .MOV files, we don't show DCP files. Only MP4 h264, no larger than 1080p.

We will accept Micro Shorts and Shorts that screened at the most recent Amazing Fantasy Fest, Empire State Film Festival and Valkyrie International Film Festival but we cannot screen Features we've previously screened at those events; there just isn't enough room in a two-day schedule. We look forward to screening Features we've never shown before.

We do not accept submissions made with Generative A.I.

We have a "Live Action Combined with Animation" category but we do not accept live action films made without animation. Title sequences alone don't count; stop motion animation creatures an CGI creatures do!

We do not screen films that are commercially avilable or already available on platforms like YouTube.

Divisions:

2D Animation

3D Animation

Stop Motion Animation

Animation Combined with Live Action

Award Categories:

Student Animation (US, WNY, International)

2D Animation - Micro Short, Short, Feature (US, WNY, International)

Anime – Micro Short, Short, Feature (US, WNY, International)

3D Animation - Micro Short, Short, Feature (US, WNY, International)

Stop Motion Animation - Micro Short, Short, Feature (US, WNY, International)

Music Video with Animation - Submit as Micro Short

TV Commercial with Animation - Submit as Micro Short

Animation Combined with Live Action (US, WNY, International)

Our primary concern is screening entertaining and artitic films. We will present awards in the different divisions and categories listed above at the end of the festival.  Awards for US recipients will be plaques and laurels; awards for international recipients will be digital certificates and laurels.  US recipients who do not attend and wish to have their plaque mailed to them must pay $12 for shipping. We do not make/ship plaques for international winners (no exceptions). We reserve the right to combine or eliminate categories at our discretion.

When submitting your film, please specify the category/style of your film in a cover letter or in your film description.

Submission Deadlines are as Follows:

Early Birdy October 31st, 2026

Regular Render December 31st, 2026

Late Frame February 14th, 2027

Extended Post Deadline March 7th, 2027

Notification Date March 15th, 2027

Student (US, WNY, International)    Under 31 mins         $15, $20, $25, $30

Micro Short (US, WNY, International)      Under 7 mins $15, $20,$ 25, $30

Short (US, WNY, International)                    7 -39 mins $20, $25, $30, $35

Feature (US, WNY, International)                  40 - 100 mins $25, $35, $45, $50

Music videos and TV commercials featuring animation should be submitted in the Micro Short category; we will separate them for awards consideration.

Films must have been completed in the second half of 2025, in 2026, or in 2027.