Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 2025 festival dates?

The 20th Annual Durango Independent Film Festival takes place March 5 – March 9, 2025 in downtown Durango theaters – utilizing three screens. Films featured in our REEL Learning school program will be made available to teachers to share films in their classrooms or virtually.

Where is Durango, Colorado?

Durango is located in southwest Colorado near the four corners region of the Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah borders. It is nestled in the Animas River Valley surrounded by the San Juan Mountains at an elevation of 6,523 feet or 1988 meters. It is a 3 ½ hour drive north of Albuquerque, New Mexico and a six hour drive south of Denver, Colorado, and the closest airport is the La Plata County Airport. Durango is an outdoor activity paradise – Hiking, mountain biking, road biking, backpacking, rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, fly fishing, kayaking, rafting and golfing – to name just a few. Oh, with the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad as an annual sponsor, train vouchers will be provided to filmmakers wishing to ride the train.

Where are the films screened?

Films will screen at two downtown venues (3 screens) within very easy walking distance to restaurants, shops, and lodging. Festival venues include the Durango Arts Center and the Gaslight Twin Cinemas.

What is the best way to submit my film?

We offer one online source for film submissions; FilmFreeway. Submit your film now through FilmFreeway.

How many times will my film screen during the festival?

Each film is screened at least twice during the festival by the general public, and may be screened additional times by the jurors since this is a competitive film festival. From time to time, we may show a single special screening. Each filmmaker will receive a screening schedule so you know the times and venue of your film’s screening. As stated elsewhere, we are not planning any festival virtual presentations in 2025 unless the Durango school district is unable to provide an auditorium for students participating in our REEL Learning school program. Films selections will be made by and at the discretion of the DIFF programmers.

How do you select films for the festival?

Screening teams vote on which films they feel make the best selections for the festival. The programming teams then make the final decisions on which films are accepted into the festival, and determine when and where those films will screen.

Does my film have to be a World Premiere to get accepted?

No, it does not have to be a World Premiere. However, we may not consider a film that has already screened theatrically in Durango 120 days prior to the start of our festival.

What kind of film programs do you have at your festival?

Programs Include the Following Categories:
Feature-Length Narrative Films
Short and Feature-Length Documentaries
Short Subject Films
Animated Films
Native Cinema
Music
Comedy
Nature
LGBTQ Films
Family Films
Adventure Films

Please submit to ONE category in Film Freeway as the platform now charges filmmakers for each category selected. We do not offer refunds if a filmmaker chooses to submit to more than one category. Please submit to the category where your film fits the best. The programming teams make every effort to share films if, in their opinion, a film would fit better in a different category.

Can I submit my film if it has already played on YouTube or any other online source?

We have no premiere status requirements and, given the circumstances over the past few years, we will consider the exposure your film has received on a case by case basis. Therefore, if your film has been available on YouTube or other online viewing platform for a long period, the programming team will take that into consideration when they make their selections. But we are welcoming Content Creators for the first time in our 20 year history!

Can I submit a rough cut or an incomplete version of my film?

You may, but please be aware that your film may be disqualified if the festival does not receive the final cut by our extended deadline date of October 31, 2024.

What is the Reel Learning School Program?

Each year we curate a collection of short films that highlight different aspects of films, whether it is the aesthetic of films or the art of filmmaking. Area students – depending on the age appropriateness of the content – are invited to participate in the program for free. The schools districts that currently participate in REEL are Durango 9-R and Ignacio School Districts, grades K-12. Charter Schools are also invited to attend the screenings. In 2024, we reached over 1900 students!

Please note that all family films will also be screened by the Reel Learning programmers so we have combined the categories and will be in consideration for either program. However, the festival reserves the right to decide which program your film is most appropriate for presentation.

Can I advertise my film in your festival souvenir program?

Yes, please contact us at info@durangofilm.org for advertising options. If selected, please send content as soon as possible to Durango Film 835 Main Ave. Suite 208 Durango, CO 81301 so that we can advertise your film’s screening times during Snowdown, Durango’s winter celebration in late January.

Can you waive my submission fee?

We are not able to wave any submission fees to the Durango Independent Film Festival.

How many films do you select?

The number of films selected for each category varies drastically each year, therefore we honestly do not know what your “odds” of getting in are but we believe there are huge bragging rights earned if your film is selected. Typically total number of films screened in each festival range from 85 to 115.

If my film is selected, do you pay for my travel?

Currently, we do not offer any free flights into Durango, CO. We may offer filmmakers one or two night’s lodging that have to be booked through the Festival and there are heavily-discounted rates for additional nights (contact Greg at hospitality@durangofilm.org to reserve your hotel rooms). If selected and you decide to attend the festival, we promise we will take great care of you!

I have received an email letting me know my film has been accepted by DIFF, but how does my film get into the theater?

DIFF acceptance emails are sent in early December and venue scheduling is completed in early January. Once scheduling is completed, DIFF staff will let you know in which venue(s) your film will be shown and the required film file format.

Depending on your film program, your film may be shown in one or several spaces: 1) the Durango Arts Center (DAC), 2) Gaslight Theaters, 3) local schools, and 4) online.

Films shown in the DAC can be in either 1080p mp4 or mov format. Audio at the Durango Arts Center is stereo.

Films shown in the Gaslight Theaters will need to be in 2K Digital Cinema Package (DCP) format. Gaslight DCP audio is 5.1. We also need a 1080p mp4 or mov format copy of your film as backup for the DCP. If you do not have a DCP copy of your film, DIFF staff will be glad to make one from your mp4 or mov film file.

Films shown in schools can be in either 1080p mp4 or mov format. Audio in schools is stereo.

Films shown online need to be in 1080p mp4 format. Online platform audio is stereo.

When to deliver film files? Regardless of venue, all filmmakers will need to provide either an mp4 or mov version of their film, so those files can be delivered to DIFF starting in December. If you are notified that a DCP version of your film is required, please provide those film files by the end of January. All film files need to be delivered to DIFF by the end of January.

Film files can be delivered 1) by download link or 2) on an external drive (flash/hard/CRU). DIFF will return-ship drives to US addresses for free. Filmmakers must pay postage to return-ship a drive outside the US. We strongly encourage all international filmmakers to provide their film files via download link. Download links should be sent to Print Traffic staff at durangofilm@gmail.com. External drives should be sent to Durango Film | Attn: Print Traffic Coordinator | 835 Main Avenue #208 | Durango, CO 81301.

For electronic transfers, filmmakers are welcome to use any common file transfer/share apps (FTP, WeTransfer, OneDrive, Dropbox, MediaShuttle, MyAirBridge, etc) or the DIFF File Transfer System:

DIFF File Transfer System:

Click on this link to upload your film file to DIFF: https://durangofilm.filemail.com

That link will open a web browser page that looks like an email interface

Instructions:

In the From (email) line, enter your email address

In the Subject line, enter the name of your film

In the Write a message text box, enter Hi Jim or anything you want to mention (you must write something in this box for the application to work)

To upload .mov and .mp4 files, click on the Add Files button and select the file(s) you want to upload

To upload a DCP folder, click on the Add Folder button and select the folder you want to upload

You can upload multiple film files and DCP folders at the same time

When you are ready to upload files/folders, click on the Send button

Do not close the browser window until the upload is complete

Depending on your upload bandwidth and files/folders size, upload time could be a few minutes or a few hours

The application will notify me when the upload is complete and I will notify you when I've received the files/folders

Formatting Guidelines:

Mp4/Mov:
• 1080p
• Audio: Stereo
• Framerate: 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97, 30 fps
• Bitrate: animation: 5-50 Mbit/s, live action: 20-200 Mbit/s
• Maximum film file size: 50 GB

DCP:
• 2K Flat (1.85:1) or Scope (2.39:1)
• Audio: 5.1
• Framerate: 24, 25, 30 fps
• Bit Rate: animation: 5-50 Mbit/s, live action: 20-200 Mbit/s

Note: DCP maximum bit rate is 250 Mbit/s (using JPEG 2000 compression). But DCP bitrates are variable so if a filmmaker provides a 250 Mbit/s DCP, most likely there will be frames of the film with bitrate in excess of 250 Mbit/s. In the past this has created playback problems on our Doremi DCP servers. To avoid bitrate clipping problems, please do not exceed 200 Mbit/s DCP bitrate.

Standard: SMPTE preferred but Interop is acceptable

Maximum DCP Folder Size: Please try to keep DCP folder size under 100 GB, but we realize for feature length films that may not be practical.