News

Submissions for the 2021 Available Light Film Festival are now open!

June 30, 2020

Early bird deadline: August 15th, 2020 23:59 PDT. 
REGULAR SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: October 15, 2020 23:59 PDT 

Taking place February 5 to 14, 2021, the 19th annual Available Light Film Festival (ALFF) will feature screenings of contemporary International and Canadian cinema in Whitehorse, Yukon.

ALFF programming includes a special focus on cinema and screen content from Indigenous filmmakers, films from Northern Canada, Alaska, and other circumpolar regions, and Canadian content. The festival presents filmmaking and digital media artists for an intimate program of screenings, live multi-disciplinary performances, artist talks and workshops.

Adjacent to the festival is the ALFF Industry conference: an industry summit organized to address the ever-changing landscape of filmmaking in the digital age.

The Available Light Film Festival awards three film accolades: Audience choice awards for ‘Best Canadian Documentary,' ‘Best Canadian Fiction Film’ and 'Best Overall Film.' Available Light Film Festival is a qualifying festival for the Canadian Screen Awards.

Please submit your film through http://form.zonefestival.com/?k=alff_f1

Northern Films on Screen: There is no submission fee for filmmakers based in Yukon, NWT, Nunavut and Nunavik. Contact the festival office (alffproducer@yukonfilmsociety.com) for the waiver code. Short films are ONLY accepted from filmmakers based in these Canadian Northern Territories.

COVID-19 Relief: Out of compassion for the impact COVID-19 has had on the creative industries, we are offering filmmakers submitting their work the option to opt out of paying the submission fee. Filmmakers in delicate financial situations should contact the festival office (alffproducer@yukonfilmsociety.com) for the waiver code.

WITH REGARD TO COVID-19: The Yukon Film Society takes the health and well-being of our community seriously. ALFF is closely following recommendations from the Yukon Chief Medical Officer of Health (YCMOH). In this stage of planning, we anticipate that our festival will be a mixture of in-person, reduced-capacity events and online events. This is subject to change as new recommendations for events and gatherings are made by the YCMOH.

If you have any questions or concerns about this, please email alffproducer@yukonfilmsociety.com

ELIGIBILITY

All submissions:

• must have been completed after January 1, 2019
• 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
• 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, they must be subtitled or dubbed into English at the applicant’s expense0
• 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 reconsidered0

Available Light Film Festival accepts Canadian and international films of medium or feature length.

Short films are ONLY accepted if they are produced in Nunavut, Yukon, Nunavik or Northwest Territories or have been directed by a resident of Nunavut, Yukon, Nunavik 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/streaming 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

Submissions to the Festival are divided into three categories:

• Canadian Submissions: All films produced in Canada or directed by Canadian filmmakers
• Northern Canadian Submissions: All films produced in the Canadian North or directed by a resident of one of the Territories or Nunavik.
• International Submissions: All films produced outside of Canada and directed by non-Canadians. Country of Production definition: 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

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 2020. 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.