IMDb qualifier's Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT was established in Toronto in 2015. In a short period, it became a well-recognized international festival in Toronto with more than 10000 patrons each year, and it is now after Tiff it is the most successful local festival that is held each year at TIFF Bell Light Box, the house of Toronto International Film Festival (Mayor of Toronto, John Tory, opened the past two editions of the festival; in the past years, Globe and Mail and CBC, two prominent news outlets in Canada covered the festival).
The eighth edition of the festival offers a hybrid seasonal structure for film competition; in the first round, our jury selects the winners of each season through private screenings. All the winner's projects have the option to request an online screening. If they get chosen by the programming team, each season's winners may be considered for the physical competition. If this happens, they will be shown and compete with other film winners at the physical event.
Best international narrative Short
Best Canadian narrative Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Animated Short
Best Experimental Short
Best Covid 19 Film
Best Student Short Film
Best Music Video
Best Actor in Short
Best Actress in Short
Best Directing in Short
Best Script in Short
Best Unproduced Script in Short
Best Canadian Feature Film
Best Canadian Documentary
Best International Feature Film
Best Human Right's Film
Best Directing in Feature Film
Best Actor in Feature Film
Best Actress in Feature Film
Best Long Feature Script
Best Unproduced Long Feature Script
Best Female Director
Best Social Justice Film
Best LGBT'S Film
Best Environmentalist Film
Best Women's issue Film
Best Culinary Film
Best First Time Filmmaker
Best Horror
Best Comedy
Best Animation
Best Web Series/ Tv Pilot
A) Eligibility Requirements
1. Films completed on or after Jan 1, 2015 are eligible for consideration
2. Films previously submitted to the Cyrus International Film Festival of Toronto are NOT eligible for consideration.
3. Feature-length films that are available for public online viewing are not eligible.
4. Films shown at private screenings not open to the public (for crew, investors, etc.) are eligible.
5. All entries must be either in English or subtitled in English. Dialogue lists are not accepted.
6. Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry to the Festival and to use all music, images, and content in the entry.
7. The festival keeps the full right to change the date of its event and the deadline
B) Submission Guidelines
1. Feature-length films must be submitted via online screener hosted by Vimeo, on DVD or on Blu-ray disc.
2. Only complete entries (including fee payment and screener) will be considered.
3. Entrants are permitted to submit works-in-progress (i.e., without final color correction or sound mixing), but please note that the programming committee will only consider the version submitted. Subsequent cuts or replacement copies will only be accepted at the request of the programming committee.
4. To qualify for student entry fee rates, entrant must include proof of student status at the time of production (copy of student ID, transcript, etc.)
5. All films selected for the festival will be screened on Bluray/DCP unless otherwise arranged by the submitting filmmaker and programming team.
C) Shipping
The cost of shipping an entry to the Festival must be paid by the entrant. Collect or COD shipments will not be accepted. All international entries must be sent “free domicile” to the Festival office with all transportation charges, duties, and taxes prepaid by the shipper.
D) Judging & Selection
Films are selected for Festival presentation by the programming committee. If a film is selected, the Festival office will contact the entrant by phone or email. The Festival does not provide feedback or screening notes to entries that are not selected.
The Festival reserves the right to change the event date and the notification date. We are watching the films as soon as they get submitted. If your film is part of the physical event, you will receive an email from us much earlier than the notification day, providing you with the necessary information.
All competitive film categories are judged during the Festival.
F) Entry Fees
Each entry must be accompanied by the appropriate entry fee. Entry fees are not refundable. Fees cover registration, registration notification, consideration by the programming department, and notification of the results. These fees may be paid by credit card (VISA, MasterCard, or American Express).
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