Over the years UNAFF has screened some of the most awarded and talked about documentaries in the industry, including seven that went on to win Academy Awards and thirty that were nominated.

AWARDS include a CASH prize

• UNAFF Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary $2000
• UNAFF Grand Jury Award for Best Short Documentary $1000
• UNAFF Award for Best Cinematography $500
• UNAFF Award for Best Editing $500
• UNAFF Youth Vision Award $500

UNAFF provides filmmakers with pass credentials, guest festival passes and some assistance with lodging and airfare. In addition to screenings, UNAFF provides filmmakers the opportunity to present their work through panel discussions and Q&As and to meet distributors and leaders of community organizations.

23rd UNAFF CALL FOR ENTRIES

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN for the 23rd UNAFF, which runs from October 15-25, 2020 in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco and Stanford University.

UNAFF celebrates the power of international documentary films dealing with human rights, the environment, refugees, famine, homelessness, racism, disease control, women's issues, children, universal education, war and peace.

This year’s theme THE POWER OF EMPATHY continues our two decades long celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, emphasizing our readiness to care about other people’s emotional experiences.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

• Documentaries only - but absolutely no films that are available online for free
• No production year limit
• No runtime limit – UNAFF accepts both shorts and longs
• Rough-cuts or works-in-progress accepted, but please submit as close to the final cut as possible. UNAFF cannot accept updated versions of a film less than 10 days before the start of the festival

Submission formats:

- Blu-ray region 0 or 1 or DVD (NTSC/PAL) (see mailing address below)
- Download-enabled online link with a password valid until July 31, 2020. Please email online link and password with attached signed submission form to linksubmit2020@unaff.org
- The language of the festival jury and audience is English, so if your film is in a different language, please translate the title and submit an English subtitled version, or send us an English SRT file.

SUBMISSION PROCESS:

- Submit online via FILMFREEWAY
or
- Send in your disc or downloadable link directly to UNAFF. Visit www.unaff.org for the downloadable Entry Form, which must be filled out and signed and sent with all direct submissions, either printed included in your package, or as an attachment with your downloadable link.

SHIPPING
The entrant is responsible for the cost of shipping the entries to our office. Due to the volume of entries we CANNOT return preview discs. Unless otherwise requested, all submissions will become part of the UNAFF archive available for research and educational purposes only. Works submitted will be returned only if accompanied by insured self-addressed return packaging.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

• Early Deadline – May 2, 2020*
• Regular Deadline – May 12, 2020*
• Late deadline – May 20, 2020*
(*Postmarked)

Filmmakers will be notified about the status of their submission by August 2.

WAIVER
Entries will be handled with the utmost care, but UNAFF cannot assume responsibility for damage or loss of any film submitted to the festival.

AUTHORIZATION
As the producer's authorized representative, I accept the conditions described on this entry form. If this film is selected, I grant UNAFF the rights to publicly display it during UNAFF 2020 and in the UNAFF Traveling Film Festival and its programs internationally and in the US, as well as the permission to use any footage from the film and its publicity materials for UNAFF promotional purposes. UNAFF will not accept new versions of a selected film less than 10 days before the festival unless requested by the programming staff.