1. Films submitted to TIFF for Festival consideration under these Terms must be submitted in one of the categories set out below.
2. Films that do not meet the eligibility requirements for any of the below categories should not be submitted and will not be considered by TIFF.
3. For the purpose of the below categories, “Canadian” films are Films that were directed by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and list Canada as one of the countries of production. All other Films are considered “international” films.
4. Submission categories:

Category/Description/Preliminary Eligibility Requirements:

Canadian Features - Narrative films with run times of 60 minutes or longer (including credits). Films in this category are directed by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and list Canada as one of the countries of production. Upon submission, Films must have a World, International or North American premiere status. Films must be completed on or after September 8, 2024.

Canadian Documentary Features - Documentary films with run times of 60 minutes or longer (including credits). Films in this category are directed by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and list Canada as one of the countries of production. Upon submission, Films must have a World, International or North American premiere status. Films must be completed on or after September 8, 2024.

Canadian Shorts - Short films of all genres — including documentary — with run times of 40 minutes or less (including credits). Films in this category are directed by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada and list Canada as one of the countries of production. Upon submission, Films must have a World, International or North American premiere status. Films must be completed on or after September 8, 2024.

International Features - International narrative films with run times of 60 minutes or longer (including credits). Upon submission, Films must have a World, International or North American premiere status. Films must be completed on or after September 8, 2024.

International Documentary Features - International documentary films with run times of 60 minutes or longer (including credits). Upon submission, Films must have a World, International or North American premiere status. Films must be completed on or after September 8, 2024.

International Shorts - International films of all genres — including documentary — with run times of 40 minutes or less (including credits). Upon submission, Films must have a World, International or North American premiere status. Films must be completed on or after September 8, 2024.

Primetime - Serial content with a minimum of two chronological episodes, including the series or season premiere episode. In the case of anthologies, chronological episodes are not required. Series presented at the Festival will feature a combined run time of 60 minutes or longer. Upon submission, Series must have a World, International or North American premiere status. Series must be completed on or after September 8, 2024.

Wavelengths - Wavelengths is a tightly curated international showcase that comprises a vast array of artist film and video, including feature-length experimental narratives, innovative and essayist documentaries, lyrical shorts, and films from the contemporary art world. Submissions to this category are by invitation only. If you were not invited to submit to Wavelengths, please submit to another category for which your film is eligible.

5. The Festival is organized into a series of programmes, which are subject to change from year to year but might include, for example: Contemporary World Cinema, Gala Presentations, Midnight Madness. TIFF may slot selected films into programmes at its sole and absolute discretion.
6. Upon submission, Films must have a World, International or North American premiere status. At our discretion, TIFF reserves the right to accept submissions with only a Canadian premiere status, but the Film’s premiere status will be taken into consideration when final programming decisions are made.
7. A Film will not be eligible for consideration and should not be submitted if:

a. the Feature, Primetime or Wavelengths Film was completed prior to September 8, 2024, or the Short Film was completed prior to September 8, 2024; 

b. the Film was previously submitted to TIFF for Festival consideration (please note: we will accept a “new cut” of a film that was previously submitted to TIFF, provided that the Film still meets our eligibility requirements. We define a “new cut” as a Film that has undergone substantial changes including, but not limited to: editing, reshoots, or a new run time. 
c. the Film has been for sale on DVD/Blu-ray/VOD; or
d. the Film:
(i) had theatrical releases in North America, or
(ii) has aired on television in North America, or
(iii) has been available on a public streaming platform in North America; or
e. the Film has been publicly posted or exhibited online in North America (films that are publicly posted or exhibited online but geoblocked to a region outside of North America are still eligible for our Festival); or
f. the Film does not have, at minimum, a North American premiere status at the time of submission; or
g. the Film has had, or will have, a public presentation in Toronto and therefore will not have a premiere status prior to September 8, 2024.
TIFF reserves the right to rule, in its sole discretion, on cases and situations not foreseen by these Terms.
8. All Films must be submitted as online screeners.
9. All selected films must supply TIFF with an exhibition copy (“Exhibition Copy” or “Exhibition Copies”) of the Film by August 12, 2024, in a Theatrical Screening Format and/or Online Screening Format , as specified by TIFF upon invitation. Note that delivery requirements are different based on format.
a. Theatrical Screening Format: applicable to Theatrical Screening Copies of feature films and Primetime serial content that are scheduled for presentation in cinema.
b. Online Screening Format: applicable to Online Screening Copies of all feature films, short films in shorts programmes, and Primetime serial content presented on our online screening platform.
c. All non-English-language films will be required to provide content with English subtitles.
d. All English-language films will be required to have closed captions in English, providing a transcription of spoken dialogue and a description of audio cues.
e. Experimental and short films that contain no Dialogue are required to have closed captions provided. Silent films require a closed caption stating that there is no audio.