** Sand Dance International Film Festival is pleased to offer FLAT $2 USD submission fees on all submissions**
Happy submitting!

We, at Sand Dance Film Festival, believe that cinema is beautiful and storytelling is diversely serene. We believe that it is time that new-age experimental storytellers and artists are given their rightfully deserved audience. Our aim through this festival is to reignite the love for cinema which has somewhere been blurred due to the commerce of the trade.

The festival aims to travel across borders to develop a spirit of friendship and cooperation with international festivals and filmmakers from all over the world. Jaisalmer, the golden city is an emblem of bygone aristocracy in itself.
Sand Dance screens short films that tell stories of people around the world. This is an independent film competition with a quarterly physical screening. Sand Dance Film Festival is open to all organizations/agencies/Independent /Producers/Directors aiming to inspire, motivate and award the truly innovative and artistic geniuses of our time. Every independent artist hopes to one day emerge from the underground scene and share their talents with the masses. Hopefully, the showcase platform we provide will help facilitate that dream. We’re excited to display a wide range of works from all genres that will have industry pros, filmmakers and filmgoers buzzing.
Our mission is to promote the films of low-budget filmmakers that dissent radically in form or content from the mainstream, challenging the boundaries of commercial distribution, and presenting imaginative works that dare to spark heated discussions and transcend audience expectations.

The officially selected project in each season receives the SDIFF laurel and certificate. All seasonal Award Winners receive laurels and customized certificates.

The awards are given in the following categories:

Narrative Feature (Above 40 minutes)
Short Film (Less than 30 minutes)
Experimental Film (Any length)
Student Film (Any length)
Best Director (Any length)
Horror/Science Fiction/Genre Feature Film (Above 40 minutes)
Best Actor (Any Length)
Best Actress
Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR) and 360° Video (Any Length)
Drone Film (Any Length)
Web and New Media (Any Length)
Mobile Film (Any Length)
Women's Film (Any Length)
LGBT Film (Any Length)
Health emergencies
Better health and well-being
Animated Films (Any Length)
Educational Films (Any Length)
Film on Nature/Environment/Wildlife (Any Length)
One Minute Film
Television/Pilot Program or Series (Any Length)
Commercial/Advertisement
Music Video (Any Length)
Film Poster
Photography
Short Script
Feature Script

Besides the CATEGORY AWARDS, there are also OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS.

Please read these Rules & Terms carefully before you submit your film. By submitting your film to competition in the Sand Dance International Film Festival (SDIFF) you expressly acknowledge and agree that you shall be bound by the terms of these Rules & Terms.
SDIFF is open to any film completed after January 1, 2000, regardless of content, subject, or origin. Submitting your film to the SDIFF is not a guarantee of selection. All the official selections, nominees, and winners will be listed on our website permanently. All the winning films will receive a trophy, award, or certificate. Please note that we do not offer application fee waivers. We treat every filmmaker equally.
1. Submissions must be accompanied by the applicable submission fee PER ENTRY and a completed online entry form. All films must be in English or have English subtitles at the time submitted.
2. Films must be submitted as an online streaming video via a participating submission platform (WFCN), a password-protected streaming URL (please test before sending).
3. In the event of a password change or link change after submitting, you must email the Festival immediately with that change so we may update your record. If the Festival is not notified of the change and the link is found to be inactive or the password is incorrect, the submission may be deemed ineligible.
4. The festival has no obligation (other than as stated in these rules or on our website) to disclose any of the following information: i) identities of screeners or judges; ii) notes, feedback, or information relating to the submitted project; and/or iii) details regarding the submission review or selection process.
5. The film submitted to the SDIFF for a particular month can be re-submitted at any time for a second chance, considering that we have different judges' panels for each season.
6. A director/producer may submit more than one film in a category and more than one category at a time.
7. A nominee will be privately screened for the SDIFF judging panel, and will not be screened initially to the public.
8. “Best” films of each category will receive a laurel & certificate.
9. A filmmaker’s submission fee will not be reimbursed if they decide to withdraw their submission. All entry fees are non-refundable.
10. We require an official trailer or poster, a synopsis, and a link to your film. Please select the correct category while submitting to avoid disqualification. We reserve the right to re-assign films to the appropriate category.
11. Filmmakers who are not Iranian yet submitting in the Iranian category, their films will be disqualified.