HIFF31: Submissions

Submissions for the 2023 Hamptons International Film Festival are now closed

The 31st Annual Hamptons International Film Festival (October 5-12, 2023) is now accepting submissions online through FilmFreeway. Once again named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee!

Official Deadlines:

  • Earlybird Deadline | March 15, 2023
  • Regular Deadline | April 4, 2023
  • Late Deadline | April 25, 2023
  • Extended Deadline | May 16, 2023

The Hamptons International Film Festival takes place annually in October, with a number of additional events held year round in New York City and the Hamptons.

With four competitive categories in narrative feature, documentary feature, narrative short film, documentary short film, and programs in seven non-competitive categories, the Hamptons International Film Festival seeks diverse films made by filmmakers who traverse the globe in order to tell their stories through different cultural styles and experiences.

Also named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World, HIFF is the premier film event on New York State’s East End, and an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema.

In a recent article about HIFF, Variety noted, “The Festival has grown a reputation for being able to read the Academy voting tea leaves and routinely promotes Oscar race front-runners, but has also become the place to see emerging talent before they become marquee names.” Films featured at the 2022 Festival received 38 Academy Award nominations, and overall, films in the last 14 editions have received a total of 527 Oscar nominations.

The Festival hosts multiple competitions focused specifically on early-career filmmakers, in the hopes of bolstering their work at an important juncture and helping develop a discussion around their films, both within the film community and beyond. With prizes of cash and in-kind goods and services valued at more than $130,000, HIFF continues to support the artists who create some of the best films each year.

The festival also features four signature programs: Films of Conflict & Resolution; Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights; Air, Land & Sea; and Views From Long Island. The winners of two of HIFF’s short film competition programs—Best Narrative Short and Best Documentary Short—will automatically qualify for the Academy Awards® without a standard theatrical run, provided they meet all other Academy requirements.

For all the fine print, including awards eligibility, technical specs, full deadline schedule, HIFF history, and more, please visit FilmFreeway and read carefully.


For submissions questions, please email programming@hamptonsfilmfest.org.

Please follow HamptonsFilm on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for regular updates about the Festival.


ABOUT HamptonsFilm

HamptonsFilm was founded in 1992 to celebrate the art of film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences with an annual film festival each October. A non-profit organization with year-round screenings of global narrative and documentary films, a Screenwriters Lab, and extensive educational initiatives, HamptonsFilm offers programs that enlighten, educate, and provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers, while also providing the East End of Long Island with an educational and cultural experience that enriches the lives of its citizens and contributes to the local economy.

The annual film festival, the premier film event on New York State’s East End, recently referred to by Variety as “one of America’s most glamorous displays of the best in cutting-edge cinema,” is an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema from around the world.

Read more on FilmFreeway.