FAQs

No. There are no discounts or ticket/pass levels priced for children, students, or seniors.

Yes. You can buy a ticket to any of our shows in-person, at the festival, before the show. Tickets are $15 and are not available online in advance except for some select screenings.

No, the event is free and open to public.

No, but if you are not a filmmaker, you will need your VIP pass. The event is only open to VIP pass holders, filmmakers, and invited guests. 

You can purchase passes online here, or in person at the Festival.

To purchase a ticket to a single show, you must purchase it in-person, at the Festival. Individual tickets are not available online in advance except for some select screenings.

To attend the festival you just need a pass or ticket to a film. An All-Access pass will get you access to every event in the festival, except the Filmmaker Brunch, and a VIP pass will get you into everything including the brunch.

You can also purchase tickets to single screenings if you don’t have a pass. Tickets to a single screening can be purchased in person at the festival. Select screenings may be available to purchase in advance online. Single screening tickets are $15.

Thank you! We appreciate your support. You will also receive an email with the below details, but just in case you didn’t: You can pick up your pass(es) in person during the festival dates at the festival box office. The festival box office is inside the Challenger Learning Center at 200 S Duval St. and will be during the festival dates.

Some email systems will flag email confirmations for your purchase as spam or junk and you may not see them in your inbox. You can usually fix this by going into your email inbox settings and adding tallahasseefilmfestival.com domain to your “safe sender” list or address book. You can contact us for a copy of your receipt, but rest assured, if your purchase went through and you were charged, we have your items on hold.

Tickets can be picked up prior to the showtime at the venue. Festival passes can be picked up during the festival dates at the festival box office, located in the Challenger Learning Center.

No.

Yes, our outdoor film screenings on Kleman Plaza (part of Tallahassee Downtown’s Movies in the Park series) are always free! This year, we also have live music all day, Saturday 9/27 in Kleman Plaza which is free and open to the public. Learn more about the live music.

Also, our Saturday night party at the festival has no cover (although only passholders have access to the free food drink tickets); and the Awards ceremony is free (although passholders and filmmakers will be admitted first). 

As the only 501(c)3 nonprofit, all-volunteer film festival in Tallahassee though, working hard year round to cultivate cinematic arts in Florida’s capital city, your ticket purchase and/or donations are always greatly appreciated.

If you’re buying online via this website, we accept PayPal, Venmo, Apple Pay, G Pay, and most major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express). If you’re buying in person at the festival, we accept cash, all major credit cards, Venmo, CashApp, and PayPal. No personal checks please. 

The festival is Friday through Sunday, September 26-28, 2025.

The festival is at multiple venues around downtown and the Gaines Street/Railroad Square district in Tallahassee, Florida. Find all the details on our Theaters & Venues page.

Yes. We have three main award types. The Florida Filmmaker award, the Directors’ Choice Award, and the Audience Favorite awards, of which there are numerous subcategories. Award types and Audience Favorite subcategories are subject to change.

The Audience Favorite awards have no cash value. The TFF Directors’ Choice Award comes with a $500 cash prize. The Florida Filmmaker Award, presented by Flamingo Magazine (aka “The Flamingo Prize”), comes with a $1,000 cash prize. Films eligible for the Florida Filmmaker Award are directed by a current Florida resident and/or consist of a majority above-the-line crew who are current Florida residents and were shot in Florida. Please provide this information in your cover letter. Actual awards and/or cash prizes may be distributed within 60 days after the last day of the Festival. Read the Rules & Terms for complete details and information about eligibility. Award recipients will be announced on September 28, 2025, at the Festival, and filmmakers not present in person will be notified thereafter via email. The judges’ decisions are final.

Films that are selected to screen at the Festival may not necessarily be selected to be in competition for awards. Notifications regarding potential selection for competition status may occur subsequent to notifications of selection for exhibition. Films invited to exhibit at the Festival may be screened out of competition. TFF reserves the right to select whether films screen in or out of competition. TFF reserves the right to change the entry category or otherwise assign a category to fit programming needs and interests which may also affect what subcategory the film competes in for Audience Favorite. If you have a specific question or concern regarding award eligibility once selected, you can contact us.

Official Selections are the designation attributed to films that were submitted to TFF for consideration and accepted thereafter. The Official Selection designation is assigned regardless of whether the film falls in or out of competition. All submitters/filmmakers of Official Selections will be provided with Tallahassee Film Festival Official Selection laurels upon notification of selection. Please use our laurels on any press materials you may have for marketing your film.

Award recipients will be announced on September 28, 2025, at the Festival, and filmmakers not present in person will be notified thereafter via email. The judges’ decisions are final. Actual awards and/or cash prizes may be distributed within 60 days after the last day of the Festival.

Unfortunately, no.

We would prefer if you didn’t. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the laurels you have been provided.

No, films selected for the festival year will be shown in person at physical venue locations around Tallahassee.

Films that are selected to screen at the Festival may not necessarily be selected to be in competition for awards. Notifications regarding potential selection for competition status may occur subsequent to notifications of selection for exhibition. Films invited to exhibit at the Festival may be screened out of competition. TFF reserves the right to select whether films screen in or out of competition. TFF reserves the right to change the entry category or otherwise assign a category to fit programming needs and interests which may also affect what subcategory the film competes in for Audience Favorite. If you have a specific question or concern regarding award eligibility once selected, you can contact us.

If your film is selected, TFF will send an email notification via FilmFreeway. Please ensure your email contact information in your FilmFreeway account is accurate and up to date. TFF will not be held responsible for any incorrect or outdated contact information included with your submission. Please add the tallahasseefilmfestival.com and filmfreeway.com domains to the “safe senders” list within your email.

Yes, a film still is generally preferred. If you do not make any film stills available to download, TFF will capture a still from your film to use for informational purposes on its website or associated materials. If at any time you want TFF to use a different film still (or other publicity asset), please contact TFFPrintTraffic@gmail.com.

Upon notification of selection, if you no longer want to exhibit your film with TFF and/or share information about your film on the TFF website or social media, contact programmers@tallahasseefilmfestival.com.

No. Submitting your film for consideration is not a guarantee of exhibition at the Festival. TFF reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject or disqualify any entries, without a refund.

Upon sending the email notification of your film’s selection, TFF will proceed with downloading any assets you have made available via FilmFreeway to build and market the film program and will send you a dedicated Dropbox folder where you can upload any assets. TFF highlights each unique film programmed individually on its website and in associated materials. Therefore, please make film stills, posters, video clips or trailers, and any other publicity materials available for a selected film. If you do not make any film stills available to download, TFF will capture a still from your film to use for informational purposes on its website or associated materials. If at any time you want TFF to use a different film still (or other publicity asset), please contact TFFPrintTraffic@gmail.com.

Official Selections are the designation attributed to films that were submitted to TFF for consideration and accepted thereafter. The Official Selection designation is assigned regardless of whether the film falls in or out of competition. All submitters/filmmakers of Official Selections will be provided with Tallahassee Film Festival Official Selection laurels upon notification of selection. Please use our laurels on any press materials you may have for marketing your film.

TFF primarily screens films as digital files during the Festival. In some cases, other exhibition formats may be acceptable or needed. If your film is selected, TFF will confer with you on the exhibition formats available at the venue where the film will be screening. Any questions related to digital exhibition formats should be directed to TFFPrintTraffic@gmail.com.

Award recipients will be announced on September 28, 2025, at the Festival, and filmmakers not present in person will be notified thereafter via email. The judges’ decisions are final. Actual awards and/or cash prizes may be distributed within 60 days after the last day of the Festival.

Upon selection, exhibition copies and additional press materials will be requested in addition to any that may already be available via FilmFreeway. If your film is not downloadable to our Print Traffic team via FilmFreeway, please make it available or upload it to the Dropbox folder link provided in your acceptance notification as soon as possible. Exhibition copies not available to TFF within four weeks of the Festival dates are subject to exclusion from the final program, regardless of any marketing that may have already occurred.

Selected filmmakers (or those who submitted the film) will be notified on or before August 1, 2025.

A selected film will screen at least once during the festival dates, September 26-28, 2025. You can obtain the date, time, and venue on this website generally within the two months prior to the Festival. Keep in mind that dates, times, and venues are always subject to change without notice. If you are unsure of something, you can contact us for more information.

Yes. TFF will use the contact information from the Submitter Information section of your FilmFreeway Project page to contact you regarding the status of your submission, including whether or not you are selected to screen at the Festival.

Yes. TFF will use the contact information from the Submitter Information section of your FilmFreeway Project page to contact you regarding the status of your submission, including whether or not you are selected to screen at the Festival. Selected films are considered “Official Selections.” If your film is selected, TFF will send an email notification via FilmFreeway. Please ensure your email contact information in your FilmFreeway account is accurate and up to date. TFF will not be held responsible for any incorrect or outdated contact information included with your submission. Please add the tallahasseefilmfestival.com and filmfreeway.com domains to the “safe senders” list within your email.

Yes, but if you make any substantive changes to your film (e.g., add a scene, remove a scene, re-edit existing scenes to make substantive plot or character changes), you should let us know as soon as possible. If it is a substantive change, and our programmers have already viewed the film, it would be good to have them view it again. If you make nonsubstantive changes (e.g., add a music track, adjust dialogue, cleanup a transition, or change a credit), you do not need to inform us unless it’s after selection notification has occurred. If we have notified you that your film is selected, and you make any change to it, we need to know so we can review it and update our exhibition copy, and match your preferred cut. Keep in mind, a substantive change to an already selected film, could change or nullify our acceptance of the film for exhibition.

Yes, if you provide the password when submitting the film. If you change your submission’s screening password or link after submitting, you must email the Festival immediately at programming@tallahasseefilmfestival.com so your record can be updated. If the Festival is not notified of the change, and the link is inactive or the password incorrect, the submission may be deemed ineligible.

Films submitted to TFF in previous years are eligible to be resubmitted, provided they are eligible according to all of TFF’s current rules.

TFF prefers that selected films be Tallahassee premieres. Submitted films must not have been shown in Tallahassee in a theatrical setting to a public audience prior to September 26, 2025. This includes locally held special screenings or other festivals. TFF reserves the right to select films previously screened publicly in Tallahassee, but those films will not be eligible to compete for an award. The only exception: a film that has been shown in a classroom screening for an accredited university’s film program.

TFF prefers films that are not publicly available online. Films that are publicly available to watch online prior to the Festival may be selected for screening, but are ineligible to compete for an award.

As a filmmaker-centric festival, TFF will accept a film submission that is a work-in-progress if it is expressly noted when submitted. Please also include general notes on what is yet to be completed in your cover letter. If the film is selected to exhibit during the Festival, the filmmaker must inform TFF of the availability of the final cut and supply the Festival with their most recent version.

Why, yes! Same rules would apply to any and all films submitted.

All films that contain dialogue that is not in English must include on-screen English subtitles at the time of submission. If you wish to intentionally leave out subtitles as an artistic choice, you do not need to provide subtitles for those sections but please leave a note to this effect.

Yes. We have three main award types. The Florida Filmmaker award, the Directors’ Choice Award, and the Audience Favorite awards, of which there are numerous subcategories. Award types and Audience Favorite subcategories are subject to change.

The Audience Favorite awards have no cash value. The TFF Directors’ Choice Award comes with a $500 cash prize. The Florida Filmmaker Award, presented by Flamingo Magazine (aka “The Flamingo Prize”), comes with a $1,000 cash prize. Films eligible for the Florida Filmmaker Award are directed by a current Florida resident and/or consist of a majority above-the-line crew who are current Florida residents and were shot in Florida. Please provide this information in your cover letter. Actual awards and/or cash prizes may be distributed within 60 days after the last day of the Festival. Read the Rules & Terms for complete details and information about eligibility. Award recipients will be announced on September 28, 2025, at the Festival, and filmmakers not present in person will be notified thereafter via email. The judges’ decisions are final.

Generally, no. If you are a TFF-alum (meaning you have exhibited a film at our festival in the past), you are eligible to have your submission fees waived by contacting us with that information. Availability of fee waivers for this purpose is always subject to change without notice.

TFF does not require “premiere status,” but understands many other festivals do and this may impact your decision if your film is selected. By submitting your film to the Tallahassee Film Festival via FilmFreeway, you agree that, if selected, the Tallahassee Film Festival in its sole discretion will exhibit your film on September 26-28, 2025. Prior to film submission, take a moment to carefully consider the 2025 Festival dates and your festival strategy for your film.

Films must have been completed after January 1, 2024. TFF reserves the right to select submitted films completed outside the above-mentioned time frame, but those films will not be eligible to compete for an award. Selected films must be available for screening at the Tallahassee Film Festival dates, September 26-28, 2025.

Read our Rules & Terms (which you can also find on our FilmFreeway page).

The Tallahassee Film Festival proudly and exclusively accepts entries online via FilmFreeway, the world’s best online submission platform offering free HD online screeners, unlimited video storage, digital press kits, and more. Use the button below to submit your film.

Films must have been completed after January 1, 2024. TFF reserves the right to select submitted films completed outside the above-mentioned time frame, but those films will not be eligible to compete for an award. Selected films must be available for screening at the Tallahassee Film Festival dates, September 26-28, 2025.

No. Submitting your film for consideration is not a guarantee of exhibition at the Festival. TFF reserves the right in its sole discretion to reject or disqualify any entries, without a refund.

The Florida Filmmaker Award, presented by Flamingo Magazine (aka “The Flamingo Prize”), comes with a $1,000 cash prize. Films eligible for the Florida Filmmaker Award are directed by a current Florida resident and/or consist of a majority above-the-line crew who are current Florida residents and were shot in Florida. Even if your film is not eligible for the Florida Filmmaker Award, you will still be able to get the TFF “Freshly Squeezed” designation in our program which highlights you as a Florida-made film. Please include in your cover letter if your film was SHOT IN FLORIDA (and include locations) or made by FLORIDA FILMMAKERS (and identify names). Providing this information helps us program films for the “Freshly Squeezed” screening designation. This denotation in your cover letter may not always constitute eligibility for the Florida Filmmaker Award; but, IF YOU WANT TO ENSURE CONSIDERATION for the Florida Filmmaker Award, please identify both the above-the-line individuals who worked on the film and are current Florida residents, and where the film was shot in Florida. If you have questions about eligibility for the Florida Filmmaker Award, contact info@tallahasseefilmfestival.com.

There are six submission categories to choose from. Feature films are any film with a run time over 45 minutes. Narrative films can include fictional, hybrid (fictional blended with minimal nonfictional), or experimental content. Hybrid content can also be included in documentary films, but any fictional element in a documentary film should be explicitly mentioned in the cover letter for programmers understanding. For animated features or shorts, 70% or more of the run time must be at least one discipline of animation.

The regular deadline is April 1, 2025. The late deadline is May 1, 2025. All films must be submitted by the dates specified in the Dates & Deadlines section of the TFF FilmFreeway page. TFF may revise submission deadlines in its sole and absolute discretion at any time without notice.

Fees vary depending on whether your film is a feature or a short, the deadline you submit by, and whether you are eligible for any discounts. Regular deadline fees start as low at $30. To find the complete list of fees and submit your film, visit our FilmFreeway page using the button below.

The Tallahassee Film Festival prides itself on exceptional and unexpected programming. We believe film is an art form that can make changes not only in someone’s life, but in the world, and therefore we respect and nurture our selected filmmakers as artists with something important to say. We have created this Festival as a safe space for artists and filmmakers to share their work with an audience of both their peers and those who appreciate film. That said, we will consider completed work and work-in-progress; feature films, short films, documentaries, animation, avant-garde, or television/episodic work.

Volunteer opportunities with the Tallahassee Film Festival require a minimum age of 18, but if you are under 18 and want to get involved, you can still do so with the supervision of a parent or guardian. Contact us for more details.

To volunteer with the Tallahassee Film Festival please complete our online application which you can find over on our Get Involved page (at the bottom), along with more details about volunteering. A member of our recruitment team will contact you with more details once your application has been reviewed and there is an opening in the area(s) you are interested. If you have questions about volunteering, contact us.