SUBMIT YOUR FILM

Still image from Ropes in Brown Hands - Grand Prize Winner Best Short Film 2022

FILM SUBMISSION

Enter your film in the 2024 Better Cities Film Festival!

Submissions open December 1, 2023.
All genres and lengths are acceptable.

To make submissions easy, we use the industry standard Film Freeway platform.

Submit film

At the Detroit Festival. we offer awards and prizes for the top films in various categories:

Community, Environment, Technology & Innovation, Economies for All, Planning & Design, Architecture, Transportation, Civic Story, Architecture, Bicycles, Housing, Student Film.

Even better, we offer highly engaged audiences and the opportunity for your film to challenge, inspire, and motivate communities around the world.  

Past screenings have included films on a wide range of topics, including:

New Urbanism, Bicycles, Architecture, Downtown Revitalization, Urban Farming, Racial Equity, Creative Placemaking, Tactical Urbanism, Walkability, Main Street Revival, Historic Preservation and Restoration, Urban Revitalization, Transportation, Regional Planning, Urban Design, Smart Growth, Mixed Use, Complete Streets, Suburban Sprawl and Sprawl Repair, Transit-Oriented Development, Beer-Oriented Development, Sustainability, Street Art, Public Art & Murals, Community Development, Civic Pride, Ecology / Environment, Mass Transit / Passenger Rail, and Incremental Development, People and Place, Sense of Place, Placebranding, Incremental Development, Neighborhoods, Civic History, Localism.

 FAQs

 

FOR FILMMAKERS:

  • Yes. We accept all films regardless of date filmed, completed, distributed.

  • Yes. And please let us know if you’ve won any awards!

  • You can submit individual episodes as short film entries, or you can submit the entire series as a feature. If you submit as a feature, we’ll watch the whole series and consider it as a feature and also consider individual episodes as short films in the relevant categories.

  • Yes. However, each film must be submitted with their own individual entry form and fee.

  • We cannot waive fees, but we do offer discounted entry fees for early submissions.

  • Our production staff is responsible for selecting and programming the festival.

    Our judges view and rank the films for the awards and prizes. Read about our panel of judges.

  • Yes. Please note that the film must be in English or have English subtitles.

  • Yes, but the final version must be uploaded before our final late deadline. We try to make accommodations for updated versions, but make no guarantees.

  • We will notify you by email. And we’ll send you a series of further instructions and information about the screening. The FilmFreeway.com website will also send a notification but will not provide information or instructions regarding screenings.

  • We announce the winners on the final night of the festival. If you are not present, follow our social media accounts for updates on the festival, including award winners.

  • Yes, but a parent or guardian will need to complete the submission process for you.

  • Yes, we offer limited discounts for students, volunteers, previous years’ winners, CNU members, and members of sponsoring organizations. Email us for details.

Contact us

Reach out to us and let us know if there is anything we can do for you