Celebrate Indie Films Globally

Anyone! We welcome filmmakers from all over the world, students, independents, first-timers, and veterans. All genres and voices are welcome.

Film Length Requirements

Your submitted project must fit into one of our festival categories:

• Short Films — up to 30 minutes

• TV Episodes / Web Series — up to 30 minutes

• Student Films — up to 30 minutes

• Animated Shorts — up to 30 minutes

• Documentaries — up to 30 minutes

• Feature Films — 60 to 90 minutes

• International Films — up to 60 minutes (must include ENGLISH subtitles)

NOTE: Runtime includes credits. Any film exceeding category limits will be rejected.

Eligibility & Filmmaker Origin

We welcome creators from all backgrounds, regions, cultures, and experience levels, with a particular focus on:

• Underrepresented voices

• First-time filmmakers

• Indie filmmakers working with limited budgets

International submissions are fully encouraged.

Technical Requirements

All films must meet the following minimum technical standards for screening and judging:

File Format

• MP4 or MOV

• H.264 or H.265 codec

• High-quality audio (stereo or 5.1 accepted)

Resolution

• Required: 720p (1920x1080)

• 23.98, 24, 25, or 30 fps

• Consistent frame rate preferred (no variable frame rate)

Audio

• Must be clean and balanced

• No buzzing, peaking, or clipped dialogue

Required Materials for Submission

The following must be included when submitting through FilmFreeway:

Mandatory

• Logline (1–2 sentences)

• Short synopsis (1 paragraph)

• Director’s name & contact email

• Year of completion

• Runtime

• Production Country

Optional (but will need for Awards)

• Poster artwork (vertical)

• Still images

• Cast & crew list

• Trailer or teaser link

• Director’s statement

Incomplete submissions may delay judging or be removed. (Festival reserves the RIGHT to reject any film/episode for any reason)

Content Restrictions

We do NOT accept:

• Hate speech designed to incite violence

• Real-world harm, illegal acts, or explicit abuse

• Pornographic content

• AI-generated films with less than 70% human-made footage

• Films created entirely with template generators

• Works that violate copyright or use unlicensed music/footage

All filmmakers are responsible for securing music rights, appearance releases,location permits, and clearance for all media

Once the festival goes live, you’ll receive a secure link via email, or you can stream all selected films directly on our platform.

Winners in each award category are determined by a hybrid voting system combining two key groups:

• 55% Judges Score

• 45% Audience/Filmmakers Vote

This allows for credibility and audience impact to both play a role in determining excellence.

Celebrating the film that moves the audience the most.

Voting Window:
Audience voting opens only during the official festival season, giving viewers a direct role in shaping which films truly connect with them.

Selection Process:
Every film screened during the seasonal festival is eligible. The highest-voted film from each category automatically advances to the Audience Choice Round, with one additional slot reserved for the top-voted film from The Weekly Cinematic Spotlight series, ensuring that every accepted film has a real path to the main stage.

Showcase Format:
The final Audience Choice Round runs during the last week of each seasonal festival, presented in a separate showcase alongside another main category as the season’s grand finale.

This award gives power back to the viewers merging audience engagement, filmmaker exposure, and community recognition to crown the true audience champion of each season.

Absolutely. We use trusted platforms like Stripe and Filmfreeway to process all transactions securely. Your personal info is never shared or stored on our servers.

Absolutely! Filmmakers are encouraged to invite their family, friends, and supporters to watch their films it's free! unless voting ($2). Since the festival is fully digital, your audience can easily view the films from anywhere in the world. You’ll have the chance to share your work with loved ones and engage with them in real-time during the event.

We follow secure storage practices, including encrypted submission platforms and limited-access review systems.
Your uploaded films and personal information are never shared, sold, or distributed to any third-party organization outside the festival process.

Cinematic Luxe ships all physical awards including T-shirts, wall-poster laurels, keychains, and other merchandise to the mailing address provided by each winner, including international recipients.
Please ensure your mailing information is accurate, complete, and up to date.

If an award shipment is returned, delayed, or undeliverable due to:

• an incorrect or incomplete address

• failure to receive, claim, or sign for the package

• customs issues or unpaid import fees

• local delivery restrictions

• refusal by the recipient

• any issue caused by the winner’s provided information

then the winner is responsible for covering the full replacement cost and the cost of reshipping the award.
International winners are also responsible for any applicable customs duties, taxes, or import laws in their country.

Cinematic Luxe is not liable for items that cannot be delivered or cleared through customs due to user error, local regulations, or failure to provide correct information.

No, please don’t share your login or access links if you're a filmmaker or have voting rights. (If you get caught doing this, it's a LIFETIME banned).

Yes! IF the film has audience and/or filmmaker comments we'll compile and share them privately with each creator after the festival ends. (Good or bad we just give you the results, if feedback is critical, it's not to shame the art but to inspire filmmakers to continue to create.)

Yes, but filmmakers cannot vote for their own films, and spam or repeat voting will result in removal of votes and possible disqualification to preserve the integrity of the award.

Absolutely! We’re always looking for aligned partners, educators, and indie allies. Contact us to start a conversation.

Yes. While we love exclusives, we accept films that have premiered at other festivals or are already online as long as you still hold screening rights.

Yes, but you must include English subtitles burned into the film. If we cannot understand it, we cannot judge it.

Absolutely! Cinematic Luxe is hosting a global festival. We accept submissions and showcase films from all over the world.

Your email acts as your unique voter ID. It allows the festival to confirm your purchase, link your votes to your account, and ensure that every participant is verified and counted fairly. Each voting ticket or submission fee is attached to a verified email address. This prevents spam voting and helps maintain transparency throughout the voting process.

If your film is submitted and passes the judging panel (for submission errors, sexually driven or other potential violations) it will automatically be included in The Weekly Cinematic Spotlight, where it will be showcased one time for a week, during the event. During the final week, the top vote getters from previous weeks will be placed against each other and the winner will be considered for a chance to be placed in the Audience Choice category (We still reserve the right to refuse ANY film for ANY reason). All films are available for audience/filmmaker voting during this extended showcase.

No. Each festival showcase is only viewable during the festival window. After that, it is removed from public access.

Yes, as long as the festival is still active, so be sure to check the schedule to catch every category. but they will be shown a second time just in case they were missed.

Narrative Insights is our creative partner, providing free professional reviews for all selected films bringing craft-based feedback to filmmakers without the fluff.

Yes. When you submit, you accept our official Terms & Conditions, which act as a binding release for screening purposes.

In the rare case of a tie, the Narrative Insights Review Points System is used as the tiebreaker. This ensures decisions are backed by storytelling craft and execution. View their website for more information on their reviewing process.