CATEGORY RULES
Ninth Annual Flathead Lake International Cinemafest (FLIC) January 29 - 31, 2021.
• By submitting, the entrant/s agrees they have read and accepted all FLIC rules, terms and conditions.
• Entrants confirm they have full legal right and authority to submit for use all images, content, talent, music/sounds in their entry, and that the film will not violate any copyright, trademark, service mark, privacy right, publicity right, patent, or any other intellectual property right of any person or entity. If consent of other parties is required, all of them are also agreeing.
• Submitted films should not convey a defamation of any person or entity and not be subject to or threatened by litigation.
• Entrant grants FLIC permission to screen the entry at the FLIC festival, and agrees to hold harmless FLIC, its sponsors, entities, venues, committee members, volunteers, attorneys and advisers from any and all claims, damages, costs, losses, liabilities or attorneys’ fees that may be held against any of them in association with the film entry or the festival’s use.
• If selected, feature length films are not to exceed 10GB file size -- with the exception of DCP files, which may be larger. There are many compression codecs that permit quality film presentation in limited file size. Visit vimeo.com for compression suggestions and guidelines. Submissions may be sent via web in HD formats, or via mail on a thumb drive. (Downloads from Vimeo are common and films are also sent via WeTranfer.com, ftp, etc.) DCP files are also accepted, but not required. All video files, regardless of format, are due by December 31st.
• DVD and Bluray submissions are NOT accepted or screened. No exceptions.
• Programs may be up to 130 minutes in length. We don’t discriminate: shorts, features, documentaries, animation, and experimental—all are welcome submissions.
• If submitting your film by mail, print your name or the name of the production company (if applicable), movie title, program length, date of production, and phone number on your thumb drive or hard drive.
• ALL digital submissions must also come through FilmFreeway. No exceptions.
• In an effort to expand FLIC viewership and allow “snowbird” residents of Polson to experience FLIC and the importance of independent cinema, FLIC will run a Summer Encore Week. Not all Official Selections will screen during the Encore Week (immediately following FLIC) or the Summer Encore Week. Nominated and winning films will re-screen during both weeks, all at the Producers' discretion. By submitting your film to, and being accepted to screen at FLIC, you grant permission to FLIC to screen your film during FLIC weekend, and at the Producer’s discretion, to screen again during Encore Week and Summer Encore Week.
• Official selection filmmakers are welcome to send any film promotional materials (i.e. posters, flyers, publicity stills). At its sole discretion, FLIC will gladly display such materials as space and circumstance permit. Often, a complete FilmFreeway submission will contain all the necessary promotional materials, including photos.
• Official selection filmmakers must also submit three (3) stills/screenshots from their film to be included in promotional material and the printed screening program. FLIC reserves the right to choose from among submitted photos for publicity release, or, if none are suitable, to select our choice of screenshot to promote the film in our marketing and print products. If your FilmFreeway submission includes photos, they will most likely suffice.
• There is no screening fee compensation. No exceptions.
• Primarily G, PG, and PG-13 approximate-rating films will be reviewed for consideration. Occasional exceptions to this guideline are made on a film-by-film basis at the judges' and festival director's discretion. Hard R content will not be selected.
• FLIC is a celebration of the cinema arts, and, as such, reserves the right not to select films which in the opinion of the judges are not suitable for all age groups, or are abrasively controversial and/or politically divisive. The judging panel includes representatives of the filmmaking and business communities. To learn more about the judging panel, visit FLICPolson.com, click on the "About" tab and scroll down to "Judges." All judging is confidential; all decisions are final.
• If you prefer your official selection film screen without being judged or awarded, you may elect to do so. By default, selected films are adjudicated and eligible for awards.
• Upon notification that their film is an official selection, filmmakers have seven (7) calendar days to notify FLIC if they wish to pull their film from the festival. If FLIC does not hear otherwise, we will assume the filmmaker wants to show the film at FLIC and it will be scheduled to screen. After the aforementioned seven days, the filmmaker will not be permitted to remove the film from the festival, even if another festival requires exclusivity. This is non-negotiable. If you have any doubts about your ability to follow through and participate in screenings, please be advised of this policy. Thank you for your understanding.
• If selected, the version of the film that was submitted will be screened. FLIC does not accept changes or edits to films after official selections have been made. Work-in-progress films should not be submitted. This is non-negotiable.
• If selected, the film’s screening at FLIC must be a Mission Valley premiere. If the film is screened at another festival in the greater Mission Valley prior to FLIC, the film is ineligible to screen at FLIC.
• All submission fees go to the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.