Dramatic Short Films

A four to fifteen minute story presented using any traditional dramatic film techniques, including animation. The short film should be a complete story, rather than a prelude to or excerpt of a longer work. *

* Please Note: Film shorts which in good faith were formally begun prior to the announcement of the 2009 rules (March 10, 2008), and where the filmmakers sign an affiddavit indicating that they were formally in production of the project prior to the announcement of the 2009 rules, are eligible under this “grandfather’s clause” to submit their film short for consideration for semi-finalist status, even where the film is as long as 55 minutes in length (see film competition entry rules for more information).

Commercial Advertisements

A 15, 30, or 60 second broadcast commercial advertising a product or service. The commercial does not need to have been broadcast, but it does need to accurately represent an existing product or service. All formats of television advertising are permitted, including broadcast promotions and political ads. Filmmaker must either own the rights to the product or service, or have the copyright holders permission. As with all other categories, judges will consider the relevance and coherence of the submission in the context of a distinctively biblical worldview, and its ability to advance a Christ-honoring message through excellent production values and content which is biblically sound.

Documentaries

A five to fifty-nine minute documentation of political, cultural, theological, social, scientific, historical, or other subject matter presented in a factual and informative manner. Partial reenactments are permitted, but no more than 25% of the documentary may be purchased stock footage.

Promotional Media

Five to twenty-four minutes of any industrial or promotional video. The entered media can be an excerpt or the entire product. This category includes political media, infomercials, educational and training films, and seminar videos. As with all other categories, judges will consider the relevance and coherence of the submission in the context of a distinctively biblical worldview, and its ability to advance a Christ-honoring message through excellent production values and content which is biblically sound.

Feature Films

A dramatic film of any genre, created either for theatrical release or direct video distribution. It must not be an anthology collection, but contain a single primary story. Minimum of 90 minutes.

Special Non-Jubilee Award Categories

Treatment

A three page written condensation of a proposed film, documentary, or TV dramatic production, covering the basic ideas and issues of the production as well as the main characters, locations, and story angles. Treatments must be original concepts, not adaptations of existing works, unless all necessary rights are fully owned by the writer.

Original Score

A musical score composed and recorded specifically for the production of any short, feature, documentary, or promotional media entry. Both digital and real instruments are permitted, but soundtracks created using prerecorded loops are not considered original. *

* Please note: The SAICFF will only accept original score submissions in the context of a formal qualifying film submission. If you would like the score of your film to be eligible for the “Best Original Score” award, a separate copy of the score must be submitted on an audio CD for judging purposes.

SAICFF Trailer

A 30-second to 2-minute promotional piece advertising the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. Submissions can be animated shorts, live-action, spoofs, or any other appropriate approach. A Copy of the official SAICFF logo is available for optional use in your trailer competition entry.

Click here to submit an entry.