News

ALFF 2020 Submissions Now Open!

April 30, 2019

Submissions for the 2020 Available Light Film Festival are now open. Early bird deadline: July 31, 2019 11:59 PST. REGULAR DEADLINE: October 1, 2019

Taking place Jan 31 to Feb 9, the 18th annual Available Light Film Festival (ALFF) will feature 50+ screenings of contemporary International and Canadian cinema in Whitehorse, Yukon. ALFF programming includes a special focus on cinema and screen content from Northern Canada and Indigenous filmmakers from around the globe.

The early bird fee to submit to ALFF (until July 31, 2019 at 11:59PM) is $30 CDN. The regular fee to submit is $40, beginning August 1.
ALFF accepts works over 29 minutes and shorter than 160 minutes.
We do not accept short films from filmmakers outside of Northern Canada.

The Available Light Film Festival audience choice awards for 'Best Feature Film', ‘Best Canadian Documentary’ and ‘Best Canadian Fiction Film’ will be announced on the closing night of the festival. ALFF is presented by the Yukon Film Society. 80+ films will be presented: shorts from Northern Canada, feature and medium-length films from Canada and around the world. Canadian and International filmmakers are invited to submit their work.

Please submit your film through Zone Festival. Filmmakers based in Yukon, NWT and Nunavut should contact the festival office for the waiver code. YFS accepts short films ONLY from filmmakers based in one of the three Canadian Northern Territories. ELIGIBILITY All submissions: must have been completed after January 1, 2018 must be at minimum Yukon premieres (i.e. cannot have been screened publicly in Yukon prior to the 2020 Festival, including broadcast versions of any length) must not be available online in any form (this includes DVDs for purchase in any region) must be in English, subtitled in English or English versioned (non-English language films may be submitted with an English transcript; however, if selected for ALFF, it must be subtitled or dubbed into English at the applicant’s expense) may not have submitted to the Festival previously in any stage of completion (i.e. films that were submitted as rough cuts will not be reconsidered) Available Light Film Festival accepts Canadian and international films of medium or feature lengths and subject matter.

ALFF accepts short films ONLY from filmmakers based in Nunavut, Yukon or Northwest Territories. All ALFF screening programs are curated and all submissions will be fully considered by the ALFF programming team. Works selected for presentation at ALFF will be paid a screening fee (based on IMAA recommended rates) or fee set by a distributor. In some cases, the Festival may request fees be waived if the Festival is providing airfare travel support to filmmakers. For the purposes of eligibility and awards consideration, ALFF uses the following definitions: Film Length Feature-Length: 60 minutes or longer Mid-Length: 30 to 59 minutes Short: under 30 minutes Country of Production and Submission Categories Submissions to the Festival are divided into three categories: Canadian Submissions: All films produced in Canada or directed by Canadian filmmakers Northern Canada Submissions: All films produced in the Canadian North or directed by a resident of one of the Territories. International Submissions: All films produced outside of Canada and directed by non-Canadians Country of Production The origin of the majority of the film’s financing and/or the film’s key crew members, which can also include the location of significant production support. Rough Cuts/Fine Cuts Rough/Fine Cuts: The Festival will only accept one cut of each film for programming consideration. If needed, ALFF will request an updated version and will contact those applicants directly.

PROGRAMMING DECISIONS Applicants will be notified of programming decisions via email by the end of December 2019. Final programming, categorization and slotting of films will be determined by the Festival programming team. Their decision is final. Successful applicants will receive this information in their official invitation. No screeners or application materials will be returned. Do not send film prints, master tapes or other originals.