Filmmakers FAQ

GENERAL

How do you pronounce NFFTY? 

“Nifty,” as in excellent, substantial, attractively smart.

Who produces NFFTY? 

NFFTY is a program of The Talented Youth, a socially responsible 501(c)(3) nonprofit developed in 2007 by three young filmmakers who decided to create an organization that would develop networking and promotional opportunities for young filmmakers.

Who are all these people I’ve been getting emails and phone calls from? 

We produce NFFTY with a very small but dedicated team of staff and interns:

Ryan Saunders – Managing Director
Amy Williams – Program Director
Salome Seifu - Programming Intern
Stella Naymik - Programming Intern
Romina Estrada - Marketing Intern
Lake Neill - High School Programming Intern

Where can I find NFFTY official selection laurels for my film?

Right here! You can use a black laurel if you have a light background, or a white laurel if you have a dark background.

PLEASE NOTE: There is an announcement embargo, do not post about your acceptance before February 26th.

Are there awards or prizes? 

There are Jury awards, an Audience Award for each screening, and New Talent Awards for three age categories. Plus, we’ve got even more unannounced awards that you’ll have to show up to Closing Night to find out about!

Can I defer my acceptance?

No. If you pull your film from the festival lineup, you’re welcome to submit the following year, but we cannot guarantee your film will be selected again. 

ATTENDING NFFTY

How do I get a Filmmaker Pass? 

In your acceptance email you will find a link and code provided for you to redeem your free pass. You can use this same link to purchase additional passes for other primary filmmakers (up to three additional).

How many Filmmaker Passes do I get? 

One (1) free pass per film. Filmmaker Passes are only for NFFTY filmmakers, and they bring you special recognition and perks – guaranteed access to all screenings, workshops and parties, including exclusive filmmaker-only events! Filmmaker Passes are not transferable, which means that if you have more than one film in NFFTY, you cannot give your “extra” Filmmaker Pass to someone else.

Additional Filmmaker Passes (up to three additional per film) may be purchased for $90 each.

Full ticketing information can be found HERE for any friends + family that want to join us at NFFTY! Early Bird pricing is available until February 26th.

Do you sell individual screening tickets? 

Yes! Opening Night tickets are on sale now. Tickets to all other screenings will be available for purchase closer to the festival.

Where does NFFTY take place? 

NFFTY is a hybrid event this year, taking place both virtually in and in-person. The virtual festival runs Apr 3 - 13, 2025 on our Eventive platform. The in-person portion of the festival is April 3 - Apr 6, 2025 in beautiful Seattle, WA! (it’s our 18th edition!)

How do I participate in the festival this year?

IN-PERSON IN SEATTLE
Join us in Seattle for an amazing weekend of mind-blowing short films, networking opportunities, professional development, parties, and more! We’ve arranged hotel discounts for you near the venues, so if you are planning to travel to attend the festival, please check out our Travel and Lodging page for details!

VIRTUALLY
Whether or not you are able to travel to the in-person festival this spring, you will still be able to participate in the excitement of NFFTY from the comfort of your home! All screening blocks will become available as they premiere in Seattle, and you can watch along throughout the weekend. Films will be available for viewing until 11:59pm on April 13th.

I want to travel to attend NFFTY in person, but it’s not financially feasible for me this year. Do you have any assistance available?

We do have an extremely limited travel fund available for a number of NFFTY 2025 filmmakers who need extra help getting to the festival. The application is available until February 14th.

What should I wear for Opening Night?! 

Whatever you want! We encourage you to be as creative as you like, and to dress up or down as much as your heart desires. Here are a few highlights from the 2024 red carpet, for inspiration:

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS

What are the file requirements for submitting my film?

EXHIBITION

Video File Requirements: HD quality QuickTime file. Best choice = QuickTime file in ProRes 422, format 1920 x 1080. If you did not make your film in a 16x9 aspect ratio, we would ask that you submit with minimum 1080 vertical resolution if possible.

Audio Channels: Two-channel stereo. NFFTY will only be presenting films in stereo; please do not send 5.1 or 7.1 as we don’t want your film to have any compression or mix issues during festival playback.

Subtitle/Captions: .srt files

EVENTIVE

Video File Requirements: .mp4 and/or .mov, 1920 x 1080p h.264 @ 10Mbps.
Recommended size is under 10GB (a 90 minute film is approximately 5GB).
DCPs and ProRes files are not accepted.

Audio Channels: Stereo AAC
5.1 surround is not accepted.

Closed captions: .srt or .vtt files

I don’t have Closed Captioning on my film. What should I do?

To make our festival more accessible to everyone, we do require that all films have closed captioning. Don’t panic if your film doesn’t have them just yet - there are plenty of options.

Read about the difference between captions and subtitles here.

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL QUESTIONS

Will having my film available to stream during the festival affect the premiere status of my film?

All films will premiere on-screen in Seattle at the same time as they become available to stream, so generally speaking, it shouldn’t impact your status.

How safe is my film when it’s streaming on Eventive?

All content on Eventive (our virtual festival platform) is protected with the same Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology used by Disney+, iTunes, and Netflix. DRM prevents users from downloading, copying, redistributing, or converting content to ensure that streams only play on trusted devices with a valid session.

You will upload your movie file directly into our video partner's secure cloud storage, where it is transcoded and encrypted with DRM. The source file is then deleted immediately afterwards. Only authorized pass and ticket holders are granted access to view the content, and all activity is logged.

You can find full security protocols and information here.

How can people access the virtual festival and watch my film?

We will have Virtual All-Access Passes available for purchase on our website starting in March. These are our simplest and most cost-effective option, and give the pass-holder access to everything NFFTY has to offer this year on the virtual side of things. We will also have individual tickets available for all screenings and events, which will be available on our virtual platform once the festival is live.

What will happen if I chose not to include my film in the virtual portion of the festival?

If you opt-out of the virtual festival, your film will not be available to watch on Eventive. Your film will still be exhibited at the physical screening in Seattle, WA.

My question wasn’t answered on this page. Who do I contact with additional questions?

filmmakers@nffty.org. Please try to limit phone calls to our office to critical questions or emergencies, and we promise we will get back to you via email promptly.