Filmmakers FAQ

How do you pronounce NFFTY? 
“Nifty,” as in excellent, substantial, attractively smart.

Who produces NFFTY? 
NFFTY is a program of The Talented Youth, a socially responsible 501c3 nonprofit developed in 2007 by three young filmmakers who decided to create an organization that would develop networking and promotional opportunities for young filmmakers.

Who are all these people I’ve been getting emails and phone calls from? 
We produce NFFTY with a very small but dedicated team of staff and interns:

Dan Hudson – Executive Director
Amy Williams – Program Director & Lead Programmer
Sydney Jarol – Marketing and Operations Manager
Avery Ducey – Lead Programming Intern
Jessica Stossel – Virtual Programming Intern
Chloe Rankin – Assistant Virtual Programming Intern

How do I get a Filmmaker Pass? 
In your acceptance email you will find a link and code provided for you to redeem your free pass. You can use this same link to purchase additional passes for other primary filmmakers (up to three additional).

How many Filmmaker Passes do I get? 
One free pass per film or NFFTY filmmaker, whichever is less. Filmmaker Passes are only for NFFTY filmmakers and they bring you special recognition and perks – access to all screenings, workshops and parties, including exclusive filmmaker-only events. Filmmaker Passes are not transferable, which means that if you have more than one film in NFFTY, you cannot give your “extra” Filmmaker Pass to someone else. Additional Filmmaker Passes (up to three additional) may be purchased for $45 each. This is the most affordable pass option available for NFFTY 2020, and our lowest price ever for Filmmaker Passes! We know it’s been a rough year for everyone, and we want as many people as possible to be able to participate in NFFTY.

What if I have more than four filmmakers on my project, and we all want to attend?
Not to worry, you can all still attend! We have an All-Access Youth Pass available for anyone 24 and under. If you purchase this pass before September 15, you can take advantage of our Early Bird pricing and get it for only $50!

Where does NFFTY take place? 
NFFTY is entirely virtual this year! You can access all of the events and films on our Eventive platform starting on October 23rd!

How do I participate in the festival this year?

Watch Films
We will have over 35 hours of mind-blowing films from other talented young filmmakers for you to stream at any time during the festival.

Join Virtual Watch Parties and Other Live Events
There will be many opportunities for you to engage in real time with other filmmakers and festival attendees, including scheduled Watch Parties, filmmaker-exclusive sessions, and even some dance parties! All you have to do is log in to the virtual festival platform at the scheduled time.

Q&A Sessions
One of the most important parts of NFFTY is the chance for you to talk about your film! Even in a virtual space you will still have this opportunity, either in a pre-recorded Q&A roundtable or in a livestreamed Q&A following a Watch Party event. We will contact you with further Q&A details in the coming weeks!

Participate in Filmmaking Panels and Workshops
Our best piece of advice: attend every panel, workshop and keynote you can, and take advantage of these excellent learning and networking opportunities! This year we have some terrific industry talent joining us, so be sure to tune in.

Network with Fellow Filmmakers
We will have filmmaker exclusive networking opportunities throughout the festival, so be sure to take advantage. Don’t be shy; everyone at NFFTY is a filmmaker or a film-lover!

What should I wear for the Opening Night Gala? 
Whatever you want! We encourage you to be as creative as you like, and to dress up or down as much as your heart desires. Here are a few of our stand-out looks from last year’s Gala, for inspiration:

Are there awards or prizes? 
There are Jury awards for each film category, Audience Awards for each screening, and New Talent Awards for three age categories - plus some unannounced awards that you’ll have to show up to Closing Night to find out about! All winners receive a plaque, with some awards also containing cash prizes or gear.

What are the file requirements for uploading my film to Eventive?

Video File Requirements: H.264 @ 1080p / 10Mbps - Recommend under 10GB (90 minute film is approximately 5GB). The file requirements for projecting in theaters are typically much higher than what is needed for streaming online.

Audio Channels: two-channel stereo with Matrix embedded surround (Pro Logic or similar)

Subtitle/Captions: .srt or .vtt files

I don’t have Closed Captioning on my film. What should I do?
To make our festival more accessible to everyone, we do require that all films have closed captioning this year. But don’t panic if your film doesn’t have them just yet - Rev.com is an affordable and easy to use service that will help you create and add captions within 24 hours.

Will playing in a virtual festival affect the premiere status of my film?
NFFTY is one of over 225 organizations who have signed the Film Festival Survival Pledge, which protects filmmakers participating in virtual film festivals while the COVID-19 pandemic has severely limited or eliminated the ability to host physical gatherings.

NFFTY respects filmmaker’s individual decisions about their festival strategy, and cannot guarantee that all other festivals will make changes to their submission processes given the current moment. Generally speaking, because NFFTY 2020 is a time-restricted & paywalled event, it will not affect your changes to premiere status. On our end, NFFTY’s ongoing policy is to not require geographic exclusivity or that your film has not premiered publicly online, so the freedom to do what is best for your film is in your court.

How safe is my film when it’s streaming on NFFTY Online?
All content is protected with the same Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology used by Disney+, iTunes, and Netflix. DRM prevents users from downloading, copying, redistributing, or converting content to ensure that streams only play on trusted devices with a valid session.

You will upload your movie file directly into our video partner's secure cloud storage, where it is transcoded and encrypted with DRM. The source file is then deleted immediately afterwards. Only authorized pass and ticket holders are granted access to view the content, and all activity is logged.

You can find full security protocols and information here.

How can people access the festival and watch my film?
We have All-Access Passes available for purchase on our website. These are our simplest and and most cost-effective option, and give the pass-holder access to everything NFFTY has to offer this year. We will also have individual tickets available for screenings and events, which will be available on our virtual platform once the festival is live. These tickets are “Pay What You Can” and start at $5, making our festival and films more accessible than ever before!

Where can I find NFFTY official selection laurels for my film?
Right here! White & Black versions available.

Who do I contact with additional questions?
filmmakers@nffty.org. Please try to limit phone calls to our office to critical questions or emergencies, and we promise we will get back to you via email promptly.