Updated Oct. 2, 2026
As of Friday, Oct. 2, the Early Bird deadline for FLIFF41, Oct. 1, 2026, has passed. The festival’s festivals page now lists the Regular Deadline as November 1, 2026 and the Late Deadline as December 1, 2026, with the 41st Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival set for February 19 to 27, 2027 and notification on January 17, 2027. Submissions go through FilmFreeway, which returned an access error to our check on Oct. 2, so the fees below are the figures printed in the earlier version of this story; confirm the current fee for your category at checkout before you pay.
FLIFF41 is the feature-and-doc season: nine days in February, professional competition lanes, collegiate and high-school tracks, and a Filmed In Broward feature category for work shot or posted in the county, as listed in the earlier version. Shorts programmers and Savor Cinema’s November weekend are covered in the companion story on FLIFFShorts and Made in Broward. For Broward-based filmmakers the grant side is in the SoFla Business Grants and Incentives Guide.
Early Bird was the cheapest published Standard fee on the professional feature and documentary ladders, and it closed Oct. 1. The Regular rung runs to Nov. 1, so Broward post houses, producers and sponsors can still put one shared calendar card on that date, with Late on Dec. 1 as the last published submission rung.
The deadline ladder after Early Bird
The festival’s festivals page and the FilmFreeway listing agreed on the ladder when this story first ran. As of Oct. 2, fliff.org lists the Early Bird, Regular and Late dates and the notification date below; the Opening Date and the FilmFreeway notification date come from the earlier version, because FilmFreeway could not be reached on Oct. 2.
| Milestone | Date | Status as of Oct. 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Opening Date | April 19, 2026 | Past (from the earlier version) |
| Early Bird Deadline | October 1, 2026 | Passed |
| Regular Deadline | November 1, 2026 | Next deadline |
| Late Deadline | December 1, 2026 | Last published rung |
| Notification | January 17, 2027 (fliff.org); January 16, 2027 on FilmFreeway in the earlier version | Confirm with FLIFF |
| Festival dates | February 19 to 27, 2027 | fliff.org |
Submit only through the official listing: https://filmfreeway.com/FortLauderdaleInternationalFilmFestival. Re-check fees and category labels at checkout — FilmFreeway is where the charge lands.
Which category fits your cut (operator checklist)
The earlier version of this story, citing FilmFreeway’s Categories & Fees panel for FLIFF41, listed nine submission lanes. Match the cut to the lane before you pay, and confirm the lane list at checkout:
Full Length Feature, Professional Competition — FilmFreeway description: feature-length films that have not played in South Florida.
Documentary Feature, Professional Competition — professional documentaries that have not played in South Florida.
VR/AR, Professional Competition — professional VR or AR films that have not played in Florida.
Filmed In Broward - Feature — film must have been shot or posted in Broward County (owner-aligned local lane).
Long Narrative, International Collegiate Competition — short films 20 minutes and over made by college or university students from any country; student status, school name, and school contact required with the FilmFreeway submission.
Documentary, International Collegiate Competition — documentary made by university or college students from any country; same student documentation.
Animation, International Collegiate Competition — animation by university or college students from any country; same student documentation.
VR/AR, International Collegiate Competition — collegiate VR/AR with the same student documentation pattern.
International High School Competition — film or video made by high school students from any country.
Operator rule: do not force a Broward-shot feature into Professional Feature if Filmed In Broward is the accurate claim — and do not claim Filmed In Broward without shot-or-posted-in-county proof you can defend. Collegiate and high-school lanes are documentation-heavy; FilmFreeway Rules & Terms require student status, school, city, and school contact on the submission.
Fees as listed in the earlier version (confirm at checkout)
The fees below are the figures listed in the earlier version of this story, read from FilmFreeway before Early Bird closed. FilmFreeway returned an access error to our check on Oct. 2, so they could not be re-read on Oct. 2; confirm the current fee for your category at checkout. The Earlybird columns are now historical. Standard is the public price; Student and Gold Members discounts appeared on the same panels where listed. Gold can be upgraded at checkout per FilmFreeway’s on-page note.
Professional competition
| Category | Earlybird (passed) Std / Student / Gold | Regular Std / Student / Gold | Late Std / Student / Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Length Feature, Professional | $40 / $30 / $30 | $45 / $35 / $35 | $50 / $45 / $45 |
| Documentary Feature, Professional | $40 / $30 / $30 | $45 / $35 / $35 | $50 / $40 / $40 |
Filmed In Broward
| Category | Earlybird (passed) Std / Student / Gold | Regular Std / Student / Gold | Late Std / Student / Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filmed In Broward - Feature | $20 / $20 / $15 | $30 / $30 / $25 | $40 / $40 / $36 |
Collegiate & high school
| Category | Earlybird (passed) Std / Student / Gold | Regular Std / Student / Gold | Late Std / Student / Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Narrative, International Collegiate | $25 / $25 / $22.50 | $30 / $30 / $27 | $35 / $35 / $31.50 |
| Documentary, International Collegiate | $25 / $25 / $22.50 | $30 / $30 / $27 | $35 / $35 / $31.50 |
| Animation, International Collegiate | $25 / $25 / $22.50 | $30 / $30 / $27 | $35 / $35 / $31.50 |
| VR/AR, International Collegiate | $20 / $20 / $18 | $25 / $25 / $22.50 | $30 / $30 / $27 |
| International High School | $15 / not listed / $10 | $20 / not listed / $15 | $25 / not listed / $20 |
Owner math on the professional feature and doc lanes, using the earlier version’s figures: the Early Bird Standard fee of $40 has passed. Regular Standard was listed at $45 and Late Standard at $50, a $5 step for waiting from Regular to Late, which is small relative to a festival campaign and large relative to a post house invoice you would rather spend on color or sound. For county-aligned work, Filmed In Broward Regular Standard was listed at $30, the lowest listed feature-lane Standard fee after Early Bird.
Florida premiere status — read before you click Submit
FilmFreeway Rules & Terms for this listing state, in plain language: Films must be Florida Premieres, unless they are Florida-produced films, then they only have to be South Florida Premieres. Category blurbs reinforce the geography: Professional Feature and Documentary Feature are described as work that has not played in South Florida; Professional VR/AR as work that has not played in Florida.
Operator checklist before payment:
- List every prior Florida and South Florida public screening (festivals, theatrical, ticketed specials).
- If the film is not Florida-produced, confirm you still hold a Florida premiere.
- If the film is Florida-produced, confirm you still hold at least a South Florida premiere (Miami-Dade / Broward / Palm Beach prior play can kill eligibility).
- Do not invent a workaround in the synopsis field — Rules also say incorrect, erroneous, or false information can disqualify the entry with no fee refund.
Once submitted, the Rules state a film cannot be withdrawn from consideration; if selected into the Official Program, it cannot be withdrawn by the filmmaker. Entries are not returned. Online FilmFreeway screeners are the path.
Press kit timing — prep now, ship when asked
FilmFreeway Rules & Terms: FLIFF does not require a press kit with your preview. If selected, FLIFF requests materials described under the category checklist. The Rules also note that FilmFreeway submission authorizes FLIFF to show clips on television for marketing and/or news programs, and that filmmakers who receive early acceptance in professional categories are pointed to a press-materials receipt date in the Rules text — treat that line as a Rules reminder to have assets ready, and confirm the live due date with FLIFF when you get an acceptance email (info@fliff.com, and include FilmFreeway number, competition, category, and title).
Owner prep for any rung (whether or not you are selected yet):
- Locked screener URL and password hygiene
- One-sheet synopsis and runtime
- Key art / stills at festival-ready resolution
- Director and producer bios
- Trailer cut you are willing to see on TV news wraps
- Credits list that matches what plays on screen
Do not wait until January notifications to start the kit. Submitters on any rung who are building February travel and sponsor decks need the same assets either way.
Regular and Late: when to pay
Early Bird (Oct 1) has passed. The Standard floor listed in the earlier version ($40 feature/doc Pro; $20 Filmed In Broward; $25 collegiate narrative/doc/animation; $15 high school) applied to submissions through that date.
Regular (by Nov 1) is now the next published deadline. It suits a cut that is locked, cleared and premiere-clean as well as a picture lock, legal clear or premiere-status fix that needed the extra weeks. Standard fees listed in the earlier version were $45 for feature/doc Pro and $30 for Filmed In Broward; confirm at checkout.
Late (by Dec 1) is the last published submission rung before programmers move toward January notifications. Standard Late was listed at $50 for Professional Feature and Documentary Feature in the earlier version. Do not treat Late as a strategy; treat it as a last-chance fee.
FLIFF Rules: entries must be received, not postmarked, by the dates outlined to qualify for fees and/or acceptance. Leave time for encoding and payment before each date, including Nov. 1.
Broward networking ladder: FLIFFShorts / Savor Cinema → FLIFF41 February
FLIFF’s year is a ladder, not a single weekend. The festivals page puts FLIFFShorts November 5–8, 2026 (Savor Cinema corridor) ahead of FLIFF41 February 19–27, 2027. Owners who already worked Shorts — or who will be in the room at 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale in November — should treat that weekend as rehearsal for February: meet programmers, sponsors, hospitality partners, and other Broward crews while the Late rung (Dec. 1) is still open for features and docs.
The Gazette twin on Shorts (FLIFFShorts Sept 2026 deadline map) is the shorts job. This story is the features and docs job. Use both without collapsing them: different FilmFreeway listings, different categories, different festival dates.
Box office / general information published across FLIFF pages: 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 · 954-525-FILM · info@fliff.org.
Sponsor tiers if you are pitching a brand (live fliff.org)
If you are an owner pitching a brand into FLIFF41 — or a brand pitching itself — the live Sponsor FLIFF page is the controlling public ladder for main-festival sponsorship. Contact published there: Lisa Grigorian at [lisa@fliff.org](mailto:lisa@fliff.org). The live Our Sponsors thank-you page also invites sponsor / donor / member interest via Hal at [Hal@FLIFF.com](mailto:Hal@FLIFF.com). Use the contact that matches your ask (main-festival sponsorship deck vs. general sponsor/donor/member), and confirm inventory for February 19–27.
Live published levels on fliff.org/sponsor (FLIFF notes it can customize a level or advertising plan):
Platinum Sponsor — $25,000
Catalog logo on the cover plus a full-page ad; logo on step & repeat, festival poster, print & digital ads, e-newsletter, screen, website (link & logo), and social posts; sponsor video to precede all films; 80 film ticket vouchers; 25 Opening and Closing Night tickets; 10 Oscar Party tickets; 10 Kentucky Derby tickets.
Gold Sponsor — $10,000
Catalog cover logo plus full-page ad; step & repeat, poster, print & digital, e-newsletter, website, social, movie-screen logo; 60 film ticket vouchers; 10 Opening and Closing Night tickets; 4 Oscar Party tickets; 4 Kentucky Derby Party tickets.
Silver Sponsor — $5,000
Catalog 1/2-page ad; step & repeat, poster, print & digital, e-newsletter, website, social; 40 film ticket vouchers; 4 Opening and Closing Night tickets; 2 Oscar Party tickets; 2 Kentucky Derby Party tickets.
Bronze Sponsor — $2,500
Catalog 1/4-page ad; step & repeat, festival poster, e-newsletter, website link & logo; 20 film ticket vouchers.
Movie Sponsor — $1,000
Catalog logo on the movie page; logo on FLIFF e-newsletter during the week of your film; website link & logo; 20 film ticket vouchers; logo on the movie screen prior to your film.
Owner pitch move: a $1,000 Movie Sponsor is the lowest published main-festival rung for attaching a logo to a specific screening week — useful for post houses, camera houses, law firms, restaurants, and civic partners who want February visibility without a five-figure Platinum. Email lisa@fliff.org with logo files, preferred tier, and whether you want a movie, bronze-plus, or customized plan. For Shorts-weekend sponsorship adjacency in November, use the Shorts Gazette twin and Hal’s Shorts lane rather than rewriting that ladder here.
Owner playbook through Nov. 1
Feature / doc producers
Confirm Florida or South Florida premiere status against FilmFreeway Rules. Choose Professional Feature, Professional Documentary, or Filmed In Broward. Pay on FilmFreeway at the fee shown at checkout, by Nov. 1 for the Regular rung (listed at $45 / $45 / $30 in the earlier version). Save the confirmation email.
Broward-shot or Broward-posted features
Prefer Filmed In Broward - Feature when the shot-or-posted claim is true. Regular Standard was listed at $30 in the earlier version; confirm at checkout. Keep location logs or post-house invoices ready if asked.
Student filmmakers (collegiate / high school)
Attach student status, school name/city, and school contact on the FilmFreeway form. Budget the Regular Standard fee as listed in the earlier version: $30 (narrative/doc/animation collegiate), $25 (VR/AR collegiate) or $20 (high school); confirm at checkout.
Sponsors / brands
Email [lisa@fliff.org](mailto:lisa@fliff.org) for FLIFF41 main-festival tiers ($1,000–$25,000 published). Copy [Hal@FLIFF.com](mailto:Hal@FLIFF.com) when the ask is broader sponsor/donor/member support per the Our Sponsors page. Ask what inventory remains for February 19–27, 2027.
Hospitality / downtown Fort Lauderdale operators
Hold February 19–27 for festival-week covers near Savor Cinema and FLIFF’s published venues corridor. November 5–8 Shorts is the warm-up week; February is the nine-day feature/doc room.
Adjacent Broward / SoFlo film tools (light links only)
These are parallel owner tools — different programs, different rules — linked only where live:
- FLIFFShorts Sept 2026 / Savor Cinema — shorts job, Nov 5–8
- Broward Emerging Filmmakers Grant — October 2026 — grant timing adjacency
- Film Lauderdale Emerging Filmmakers Grant reopen map — Oct 1 stack awareness
- Broward County film incentives / Film Lauderdale — production support posture
- Florida entertainment industry sales-tax exemption — statewide exemption path
- Film Florida Week / West Palm owners — association / conference logistics
- Boca Dewey Film Festival Florida shorts map — Palm Beach shorts calendar adjacency
- Miami Media Festival Art Week deadline — Art Week shorts adjacency
- 48 Hour Film Project Miami / Savor premiere — production-sprint adjacency
None of those replace a FLIFF41 FilmFreeway submission.
Sources to keep open while you submit
- Festivals calendar: https://fliff.org/festivals/
- Submit: https://filmfreeway.com/FortLauderdaleInternationalFilmFestival
- Main-festival sponsorship: https://fliff.org/sponsor — Lisa Grigorian, lisa@fliff.org
- Our Sponsors / Hal contact: https://fliff.org/oursponsors/ — Hal@FLIFF.com
- Status inquiries after submit: info@fliff.com (include FilmFreeway #, competition, category, title)
- Box office: 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 · 954-525-FILM
Early Bird closed Oct. 1. Regular closes Nov. 1, Late closes Dec. 1, and February 19 to 27 is the room. Owners who treat those as one continuous checklist (category, premiere, fee rung, press assets, sponsor email) get the opportunity. Owners who wait for Late may pay more for the same FilmFreeway form.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
What are the FLIFF41 deadlines?
As of Oct. 2, 2026, the Early Bird deadline of Oct. 1 has passed. The festival lists Regular on Nov. 1 and Late on Dec. 1. Notification is Jan. 17, 2027 on fliff.org, though an earlier FilmFreeway listing showed Jan. 16, so confirm. The 41st festival runs Feb. 19 to 27, 2027 in Fort Lauderdale.
Which categories does FLIFF41 list?
FilmFreeway listed nine lanes: professional Full Length Feature, Documentary Feature and VR/AR; Filmed In Broward Feature; four International Collegiate Competition lanes (long narrative, documentary, animation and VR/AR); and an International High School Competition. Confirm the current lane list at checkout, because FilmFreeway is where fees and categories are set.
What does Filmed In Broward - Feature mean?
It is a feature category for films shot or posted in Broward County. The article advises not to claim it without proof you can defend, and not to force a Broward-shot feature into the Professional Feature lane if Filmed In Broward is the accurate description of the film.
What do collegiate and high school entries need?
Student status, school name, city and a school contact are required with the FilmFreeway submission. Collegiate lanes cover films made by university or college students from any country, and the high school lane covers film or video made by high school students from any country.
Where do I submit?
Submit only through the official FilmFreeway listing for the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. Re-check fees and category labels at checkout, since that is where the charge lands. Sundaze's companion FLIFFShorts guide covers the separate shorts festival, which takes place at Savor Cinema in November, and the hub lists other Florida deadlines.
Related: see our Florida film incentives guide for the state, county and federal programs around festival season.
