General Submission Guidelines
Please submit your film to ONE CATEGORY ONLY.
1. Film submissions will be admitted only through FilmFreeway.
2. Submit your film only when your film is complete.
3. Submissions must be in English or have English subtitles at the time submitted.
4. Submissions will be considered incomplete if the following are not included in the initial FilmFreeway submission: Film, Poster, and Synopsis.
5. The submitter is responsible for ensuring that their screener link and password are active throughout the entire submission cycle. In the event of a password or URL change after submitting, email stxiff@cityofedinburg.com immediately.
6. Feature films running time is over 40 minutes and under one-hundred and twenty (120) minutes in length, including credits.
Short films running time is 40 minutes or less including credits.
7. To be eligible for competition and thus an award, the film:
a) Must have been completed after January 1, 2024.
b) Must have the rights to all songs and other copyright material.
c) Must not be publicly available on VOD, broadcast, online or physically for purchase or renting. The film may be online but private (i.e., password or private link).
8. The minimum requirement for selected films is H.264 codec, 1920x1080, mp4.
9. A jury of industry professionals will determine the winners of each category. The decisions will be final and unappealable and will be announced during the Award Ceremony.
10. Staff of the City of Edinburg Cultural Arts division and STXIFF Planning Committee members may not participate in any of the films which compete for an award. This includes but is not limited to actress, actor, director, writer, producer, or any other member of the production team of the film. If the producer and/or director wishes to appeal a crew member’s conflict of interest, they may do so by contacting the STXIFF staff before submitting a film. The STXIFF Staff will review the appeal and give a response within 15 days. Deadline dates may be affected by your appeal; we recommend informing STXIFF Staff 1 month prior to a deadline.
11. By submitting your film, you grant permission to STXIFF to use your film trailer, stills, press picture, synopsis, bio, up to thirty (30) seconds of your film, and all other submitted information for Festival promotion without limitation and at its sole and complete discretion in perpetuity for the production and promotion of the South Texas International Film Festival.
12. The South Texas International Film Festival takes all necessary precautions to prevent copy and intellectual rights from being stolen, however, the film submitter takes all responsibility for any loss and stolen property by submitting to STXIFF and will to the maximum extent allowed by law agree to indemnify and hold harmless and defend the City of Edinburg, the South Texas International Film Festival, its agents, employees, officers, and volunteers from and against any claim, loss, damage, liability, and expense including reasonable attorney’s fees, incurred or suffered by them by reason of all claims, demands, or causes of actions asserted or that may be asserted against any or all of the named parties, whether alleging intentional or negligent acts or omissions, and whether seeking compensatory or punitive damages, and involving, arising out of, or relating to the submission agreement and any other claims against any staff or agent of the South Texas International Film Festival and the City of Edinburg.
13. By submitting your film, you are allowing STXIFF to screen your film during the event dates. If you decide to remove your film from screening, you must notify STXIFF staff at least two months prior to the event date. Your film will not be eligible for a prize if it does not screen during the event.
14. Any other situation not considered in these submission guidelines will be reviewed by the South Texas International Film Festival.
15. We recommend you carefully review these guidelines and please email stxiff@cityofedinburg.com if you have any additional questions.
16. DISCLAIMER: In an effort to ensure fairness and transparency within our regional film competition, we invite professional filmmakers from outside the Rio Grande Valley as part of the programming team to view and select the films in our RGV competition. This process provides an equal platform for all local filmmakers in the RGV.
