Regulations
CSFF 2023
Canadian Sport Film Festival - Regulations
Submissions for the 15th annual Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) have closed.
Films on the theme of sport produced since January 2021 were encouraged to submit for festival consideration by May 1, 2023.
- CSFF on Film Freeway
- Submitting a film to the Canadian Sport Film Festival implies you have read and accept the CSFF Regulations below
Eligibility
Focus: Submissions to the Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) should be films about sport and may explore or reflect the CSFF mission, purpose and themes below:
- To provoke dialogue on the power of sport to inspire social change
- To redefine the role of sport in society
- To affirm ethical values in sport
- To normalize equity, diversity and inclusion
- To demonstrate the social value of sport
- To update and expand the existing sport narrative
- To inspire social change through the universal language of sport
Date of production: Films must be completed after January 1, 2021 unless solicited by, or having received the approval of, the Canadian Sport Film Festival. Projects previously submitted to the Festival and not programmed will not be reconsidered.
Language: Films must be in English or have English sub-titles
Categories:
- Documentary feature
- Documentary short
- Fiction (narrative) feature
- Fiction short
- Animated feature
- Animated short
Duration:
- Feature films are 40 minutes or longer.
- Short films are less than 40 minutes.
Awards & Prizes
The Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) is a non-competitive film festival.
Entrants will be notified of the decision regarding their film in August 2023.
The Festival pays a screening fee to each film selected for the festival:
$250 CAD for a feature film and $75 CAD for a short film.
Filmmakers of some selected productions will be invited to the Festival and will be the Festival’s guests, including accommodation and/or transportation.
Submissions
The Canadian Sport Film Festival (CSFF) accepts film submissions online via FilmFreeway.
Entry Fees and Deadlines
Film duration | Entry fee – until April 10, 2023 | Entry fee – until May 1, 2023 |
|---|---|---|
Feature films (40 minutes or longer), all categories | $50 CAD | $75 CAD |
Short films (less than 40 minutes), all categories | $25 CAD | $40 CAD |
Submissions will only be considered complete once all required details have been submitted and entry fees are paid.
Selection
Notification:
- Entrants will be notified of the decision regarding their film in August 2023.
- CSFF will announce our 2023 festival lineup in August at www.sportfilmfestival.ca
- No selected film may be withdrawn from the Festival.
Screening fees:
- The Festival pays a screening fee to each film selected for the festival:
- $250 CAD for a feature film and $75 CAD for a short film.
- For non-Canadian productions, PayPal is the Festival’s preferred method of payment.
- Note: wire transfers will not be sent for fees of less than $200.
Filmmaker attendance:
Filmmakers of some selected productions will be invited to the Festival and will be the Festival’s guests, including accommodation and/or transportation.
Promotion
CSFF would like to promote the festival and all film screenings as widely as possible.
CSFF will announce the festival selections and our film schedule on social media and on our website: sportfilmfestival.ca
Selected festival films are also asked to support promotion of the festival and their film screening as follows:
- Provide a trailer that CSFF can link to / embed / upload (if not on FilmFreeway).
- Provide high-resolution digital stills for promotion (if not on FilmFreeway).
- Confirm the premiere status for your film at CSFF: Is it a North American, Canadian or Toronto premiere?
- Confirm social media channels and accounts that CSFF can tag when promoting your film at the festival.
- Promote your film screening to your networks, on your website and on social media.
- Confirm any groups / individuals / channels that CSFF should include in promotion.
Note re: Promotion: The Festival and its media partners reserve the right to use excerpts of the production (up to five minutes) and to reproduce photos of the production, for promotion and publicity purposes.
Screeners, Shipping and Responsibility
The Canadian Sport Film Festival prefers to screen from digital, projection-quality screeners.
Digital files:
- The easiest and most cost-effective way is to screen using a digital file, if one can be transferred.
- CSFF will confirm the email address and the deadline to send your digital assets.
Exhibition copies:
- CSFF will confirm the mailing address and the deadline to receive exhibition screeners in Toronto.
- CSFF will notify you when your film arrives.
- We are able to screen from a variety of digital formats.
- We would prefer Blu-ray over DVD, if those are the only options.
Note: All shipping and related costs for exhibition films/videos sent to the Festival must be borne by the owner.
Each film/video sent to the Festival is entered in Canada on a temporary duty free and GST exempt basis, which means that all films must leave Canada following the Festival. To prevent delays and duty at customs, please:
- Mark all packages with “Film/Video for Festival to be returned to owner – No Commercial Value”.
- Include an invoice containing title of film, format, and fair market value (cost of print only)
All exhibition videos and film prints will be returned by regular mail (unless specified otherwise and paid by the entrant).
The Festival is not responsible in case of accidental damage or loss of entries, except when in the Festival’s possession.
Liability: In case of loss or damage to a print, the obligation of the Festival is limited to compensating the filmmakers for the cost of making a new print.
Note: The Festival has the power to decide on any matters not specifically dealt with in these regulations. Participation in the Festival implies acceptance of these regulations. In any dispute, the decision of the Festival will be final.
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