Submissions

Enter your film in the 10th annual Longleaf Film Festival! Rolling submission dates begin August 14 for films that demonstrate a Tar Heel State connection, through the people involved in making them, their setting, or their subject (and all former Official Selection filmmakers may enter; their "OS" status is their connection). Longleaf is a free-to-attend juried festival that highlights the best of historic and contemporary stories through independent film.

Longleaf Film Festival seeks to reflect the diversity of talent and imagination that exists throughout the filmmaking world and—as a place that helps tell the stories that connect us all—we believe that the North Carolina Museum of History, our host, is in a unique position for showcasing those films. Throughout our short history, we have been grateful for the impactful stories regarding race and community that have been told in past festivals. We strongly believe that the art and craft of filmmaking help connect us and offer avenues for insight, as well as entertainment. We want to share your stories—all of your stories: animated, documentary, and narrative films, music videos, spoken word productions, and web series.

For another year, with the support of many caring people, Longleaf will be able to offer recognition to the best films made by historically underrepresented filmmakers (see the prize list, below, for details).

Plus, we recognize the talent of young filmmakers—students in middle and high school—share your films with us, too!

Longleaf Film Festival has 10 categories for entry:

Animated Film (short or feature length, between 1 and 90 minutes total running time)
Documentary Feature (between 36 and 90 minutes total running time)
Documentary Short (between 1 and 35 minutes total running time)
History⁺ Film (narrative or documentary, short or feature length, between 1 and 90 minutes total running time) See below for additional qualifications.
Middle and High School Student Film (narrative or documentary, between 1 and 20 minutes total running time) See below for additional qualifications.
Music Video (between 1 and 12 minutes total running time)
Narrative Feature (between 36 and 90 minutes total running time)
Narrative Short (between 1 and 35 minutes total running time)
Spoken Word Production (between 1 and 12 minutes total running time)
Web Series (between 5 and 30 minutes total running time) See below for additional qualifications.

To be eligible for selection and awards for Longleaf 2024, filmmakers and/or films must have a North Carolina connection and/or be a former Official Selection filmmaker. Connections include:

the film was made in North Carolina and/or
the film’s story or topic or other feature is North Carolina based and/or
the submitting filmmaker or other key production member (screenwriter, cinematographer, producer, documentary subject or lead actor) lives in North Carolina now and/or grew up in North Carolina and/or attended college or university in North Carolina and/or
the submitting filmmaker is a former Longleaf Official Selection filmmaker.

Note that visiting friends and family or regularly vacationing in North Carolina is NOT a sufficient connection to qualify for entry. We do encourage entries from out of state and around the world; however, submissions must demonstrate at least one of the North Carolina connections listed above.

Longleaf Film Festival reserves the right to refuse films depicting excessive nudity and/or gore.
Longleaf Film Festival holds no responsibility for lost films.
Longleaf Film Festival does not pay screening fees.
We accept films that have screened at other festivals and venues, however we encourage premieres!
Because we want to promote your film as a part of Longleaf Film Festival, we ask that Official Selections NOT be screened within 60 miles of Raleigh during the month between notification that you are an Official Selection and the weekend of Longleaf Film Festival.
And, of course, we expect your film to be available for screening during the festival dates of May 10 and 11, 2024.
Longleaf Film Festival and its jurists do not research authenticity of submissions which must be original works of the applicant.
You must include a valid surface-mail address on your FilmFreeway entry.
Except for middle and high school student films (see that category), films submitted for Longleaf 2024 must have been made between January 1, 2021, and March 1, 2024.
Longleaf Film Festival reserves the right to not award a prize in any category.
Longleaf Film Festival reserves the right to award prizes outside of the category of entry.
All submissions to Longleaf 2024 will be handled through Film Freeway. No manual submissions will be processed.
Once a submission is accepted as an Official Selection, a digital screening version of the film must be provided to Longleaf Film Festival in the format specified in Official Selection notification email.

All narrative festival submissions are eligible for a $750 Judges’ Choice/Narrative Film award; all documentary festival submissions are eligible for a $750 Judges’ Choice/Documentary Film award. All films entered in the Middle and High School Student Film category are eligible for a $300 Best Student Film award. Additionally, prizes are awarded for creative works of filmmakers from historically underrepresented communities: a $500 American Indian Heritage Celebration Prize for the best film by an Indigenous filmmaker, a $500 African American Cultural Celebration Prize for the best film by a Black filmmaker, and a $500 Latin American Communities Prize for the best film by a Latino filmmaker.

Other prizes may be awarded in the categories listed below.

Animated Film
Runtime: From 1 minute to 90 minutes. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2021.

One prize may be awarded in the following subcategory:

Best Overall

Documentary Feature
Runtime: From 36 minutes to 90 minutes. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2021.

One prize may be awarded in the following subcategory:

Best Overall

Documentary Short
Runtime: From 1 minute to 35 minutes. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2021.

One prize may be awarded in the following subcategory:

Best Overall

History⁺ Film
Runtime: From 1 minute to 90 minutes. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2021.
Entries must reflect or depict a topic in history from a unique perspective or insight and must be accurately interpreted or portrayed.