entries now open!
AniMate Online Festival - Season 5
Submit your film
Are you the producer of a short or feature animated film? We would love to see your work!
Submit your film today for a chance to be selected and screened at Animate - Australia Animation Film Festival!
We keep submission fees low and affordable, plus you receive discounts if you join our Membership Program. It is a great opportunity to have your film out in the crowd.
We receive animated films from all over the World; any genre and lengths are welcome. Your film will be viewed and assessed; if short-listed, it could be nominated to the Animate Film Festival program. Once nominated, you will receive a Laurel to promote your film.
DEFINITIONS
To be considered, at least 50% of your film's total length must be animated;
We consider Short films those with a maximum duration of 40 minutes in total, credits included.
Films longer than 40 minutes are considered Feature Films.
Any genre, short and feature Animation films are welcome. We do particularly value content that is challenging and bold, new and original, representing Indigenous voices and diversity, including experimental.
CATEGORIES
This year Categories are listed on our FilmFreeway submission page.
You can submit your film into different categories. If a category is not finalised, your film will be included in the General or a different category.
OUT OF COMPETITION is a category where submission fees are normally lower than other categories. By submitting to this category your film will still be assessed like any other films, can be screened, can receive a Laurel, and can possibly receive a Special Mention. They would not, however, run for the competition and therefore cannot be winners. AniMate sponsors, partners, in some case volunteers and those in other ways supporting AniMate (except for Members), are invited to submit to this category to avoid possible conflicts of interest. An entire Category may go out of competition due to unforeseen logistic or any other constrains.
LAURELS AND AWARDS
As our submission platform FilmFreeway gives a very short timeframe to assign the Status of each films, we may not have finalised the latest stages of our selection process by the deadline. For this reason we will assign the most luckily Status by the required deadline; however, your film may still move up in its position by the end of the assessment process. For example, if your film has been assessed as Semi-Finalist, it may still become Finalist by the end of the assessment process. Films cannot go backward in their Status: for example, if your film has been assessed as Finalist, it cannot become Semi-Finalist or Quarter-Finalist by the end of the process. The assigned Status is however the most luckily Status your film will retain by the end of the process.
Semi-Finalist, Finalist, Official Selection and Award Winners will receive a Laurel. At our screening events, the attending audience will vote for the winners of the Audience Awards.
Quarter-Finalist: your film passed the first stage of our selection process. You will receive a Laurel. Quarter-Finalist films may still become Semi-Finalist.
Semi-Finalist: your film made it to one of the final stages of the selection process. You will receive a Laurel. Semi-Finalist films may still become Finalist.
Finalist: your film is only steps away from being possibly chosen for public screenings, and therefore being voted for Awards. You will receive a Laurel. Finalist films may still become part of the Official Selection.
Official Selection: your film made it to the final steps of the process, and it will be publicly screened. You will receive a Laurel. At our screening events, the members of the audiences will vote for the Audience Awards.
Winner: Congratulations! Our audience have voted for the best films of the year and yours was chosen as the winning film in the Category. You will receive a "Winner" Laurel.
In Season 1 we have received 583 Films and 189 Laurels have been sent to Film Makers (Official Selection, Winners).
In Season 2 we have received 878 Films and 672 Laurels have been sent to Film Makers (Quarter Finalists, Semi Finalists, Finalists, Offical Selection, Winners).
DEADLINES
Deadlines are listed in our Film Freeway submission page. Click blue icon in this page to view the updated deadlines list.
SUBMISSION FEES
We keep our fees low to support emerging film-makers.
For the latest updates on entry fees, click on "Submit your film". You will be redirected to Film Freeway.
SUBMITTING YOUR FILM
Entries are submitted via the FilmFreeway portal by clicking the button below:
Submissions are sent via FilmFreeway. You will be redirected to the AniMate page of the FilmFreeway website.
terms and conditions
By submitting your film to AniMate, you accept all the terms and conditions. You certify that you are the right holder of the submitted film, you have the sole and exclusive ownership of all rights related to the film you submit as well as having full authority for submitting it to AniMate. You also declare that your film's rights have been fully cleared. Your film could be selected and included into the AniMate Film Festival program. Your film may be publicly screened with the primary location been Sydney (Australia); this includes films that have been withdrawn after the latest submitting deadline in the Season. AniMate may use part of submitted films, stills and other submitted materials for exhibition at the Festival, promotions, classification, archive and other purposes. No payment or compensation of any sort is given to the submitter/film maker for the use of any materials, including those used for publicity, or for the screening of their film. These conditions also apply if a film is at any point withdrawn. Any submitted film may be screened more than once, at different locations, including through partner Organisations and Festivals, both in Australia and Overseas.
AniMate assumes that the submitting party or the producer has insured the exhibition copy for damage and loss, and I will not hold AntiMate liable for any damage or loss during shipping, preview, or screening.
By submitting, you give AniMate the rights to screen your film. Selections are primarily made by the Festival Director; ad hoc juries will be formed for Nominations and Awards.
The film submitted must be downloadable in high definition through the link (and password) that you have to provide. You must upload the highest definition exhibition version. At any stage, including after notifications are sent, changes in categories and films progressions and selections may change, including for programming needs, materials availability and unforeseen reasons. Film Makers will be notified of the final selection once the programme is published.
AniMate actively tries to promote film-makers and their films; we may discuss and share details, including contact details and your film with different entities, including media organisations, businesses and professionals at different levels for the purpose of promoting and supporting film-makers and their work.
When we refer to AniMate, either on this website or in any other form, we are referring the the registered company Old Gumtree Australia Pty Ltd trading as AniMate Australia Animation Film Festival. Submitter's and attendee's emails will be automatically added to the newsletter and promotions emails databases except if otherwise indicated; anyone can unsubscribe or ask for their email be deleted at any time. Old Gumtree Australia Pty Ltd will not share contacts with third entities in accordance to Australian Privacy laws.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Submissions are to be made via FilmFreeway, using the link provided in this page.
If the film is not in English, it needs to include embedded English subtitles. If in English, a captioned copy would be preferred to enable people with hearing impairments access the content. Only exception to the embedded subtitles requirement are films submitted in the Music-Video category, where films without subtitles can be accepted but those with embedded subtitles will still be preferred. DCP copy will be required for feature films.
Terms and conditions may vary at any time without notice.
THE FILM FESTIVAL
Any submitted film could be screened. The Festival Director, possibly with advisors and/or committees who may assist in the process, will select a range of films eligible to the Competition and those to enter the Festival Program for public screening. Those selected for the competition will be referred as Official Selection, and will then passed on to the Jury of experts for assessment, rating and final voting.
ONLINE FESTIVAL
Films submitted to the Online Festival Categories can be selected and published on our Online Festival portal. Film-Makers will receive a Laurel like for any other Category. Occasional competitions will run for the Online Festival: in these occasions the conditions will be published on the website and can vary each time. Once films are selected and published on the Online Festival portal, submitters and film-makers can no longer require their film to be unpublished as the collections may remain online for short or long period of times, depending on programming requirements.
PITCHING COMPETITION
Animated Film Makers worldwide can now submit their animation project pitch to AniMate. Submissions are to be made via our FilmFreeway page by choosing the Category:
- Pitching Competition.
More details on our page Pitch Your Project.
THE AWARDS
During our screening events, the attending audience will vote for the Audience Awards. Audience Awards winner will receive a Laurel once vote counting is completed and winners announced.
Please note: any materials mailed to us will not be returned, except if previously agreed.
DONATIONS AND REFUND POLICY
AniMate - Australia Animation Film Festival is the trading name of Old Gumtree Australia Pty Ltd, ABN 50667189371, ACN 667189371 Based in Wentworth Point NSW 2127. If you are using our website to either make a donation or a payment, that payment will go to the registered Company Old Gumtree Australia Pty Ltd t/as AniMate – Australia Animation Film Festival.
PRIVACY POLICY: Your personal details will be kept confidential and not disclosed or shared with third parties. You can request a full refund within 48 hours from your payment. You can contact us at +61415535815 (phone or WhatsApp), Email: info@animate-australia.com.