Open — cutoff time / timezone to confirm

WAIFF LA USA 2027

The US edition of WAIFF. Entry eligibility, Cannes advancement and the extensive licence terms need separate checks.

Deadline20 Jan 2027; closing time and time zone not published

FeeCurrent Regular: non-feature $45 standard / $25 student or ages 13–18; Feature adds $5. Late: $60 / $35, plus $5 for…

EligibilityAge 13+; under-18 entrants need guardian consent. US ties are required for Cannes advancement and the US Grand Prix, not all local entries.

Key restrictionThe official terms impose no premiere or completion-date restriction; prior online, streaming and festival releases are allowed.

Edition	First US edition, 2027
Location	Los Angeles, United States
Deadline	20 Jan 2027; closing time and time zone not published Regular: 30 November 2026; Late: 20 January 2027. The site says late March; FilmFreeway lists 29–30 March 2027.
Fee	Current Regular: non-feature $45 standard / $25 student or ages 13–18; Feature adds $5. Late: $60 / $35, plus $5 for Feature. The $ currency is unconfirmed; each category is charged separately.
Eligibility	Age 13+; under-18 entrants need guardian consent. US ties are required for Cannes advancement and the US Grand Prix, not all local entries.
Runtime / category	Live-action/animated shorts 3–40 min; features 40+; documentary 5–120; vertical 30 sec–3 min; music video 1–10; advertising 15 sec–3 min; XR/gameplay demonstrations 3–10.
AI policy	AI use in production is required, with a Production Journal identifying tools. No common AI-percentage threshold was established.
Premiere / public release	The official terms impose no premiere or completion-date restriction; prior online, streaming and festival releases are allowed.
Disclosure	A Production Journal identifying AI tools is mandatory. C2PA is encouraged, not required.
Rights / licence	Submission grants five-year non-exclusive worldwide festival screening/promotion of whole films or excerpts and specified sublicensing, plus perpetual non-commercial archive/education/research uses. Accepting a Tier 1 award adds perpetual catalog uses. Specific commercial compilations have a thirty-day written opt-out after notice; each commercial channel needs prior written approval. Withdrawal does not automatically end perpetual grants. Retained copyright is not a one-screening limit; read sections 4 and 6.
Source review	Partial source review 2026-10-26; full verification incomplete

Fee breakdown by category and stage

Three stages and category/reduced-fee groups were read. The $ currency and final checkout total remain unconfirmed.

Eight categories excluding Feature Film · Early Bird · Standard	30 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2026-07-31. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Eight categories excluding Feature Film · Early Bird · Student / ages 13–18	15 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2026-07-31. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Eight categories excluding Feature Film · Regular · Standard	45 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2026-11-30. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Eight categories excluding Feature Film · Regular · Student / ages 13–18	25 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2026-11-30. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Eight categories excluding Feature Film · Late · Standard	60 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2027-01-20. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Eight categories excluding Feature Film · Late · Student / ages 13–18	35 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2027-01-20. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Feature Film · Early Bird · Standard	35 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2026-07-31. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Feature Film · Early Bird · Student / ages 13–18	20 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2026-07-31. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Feature Film · Regular · Standard	50 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2026-11-30. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Feature Film · Regular · Student / ages 13–18	30 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2026-11-30. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Feature Film · Late · Standard	65 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2027-01-20. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.
Feature Film · Late · Student / ages 13–18	40 (currency unconfirmed) Deadline 2027-01-20. Each category is a separate paid entry; verify reduced-fee eligibility.

Regular is current; Early Bird has passed.
The eight non-feature categories are live-action short, animated short, documentary, vertical, music video, advertising, XR and gaming.

Other costs

Separate payment for each category; checkout, payment and conversion extras were not tested.

Refunds: Entry fees are non-refundable, including withdrawal or disqualification.

Fee details checked 2026-10-26. Confirm the live category, round and currency at checkout.

What to prepare

Use the official FilmFreeway route and the actual medium: live-action/animated shorts 3–40 minutes, features 40+, documentary 5–120, vertical 30 seconds–3 minutes, music video 1–10 minutes, advertising 15 seconds–3 minutes, XR 3–10 minutes, gaming a 3–10-minute gameplay demonstration. XR needs a screen-captured walkthrough; cinematics-only gaming work should check Animated Short.
Entrants must be at least 13; under-18s need guardian consent at submission. Eligible current students or ages 13–18 may claim reduced fees and verify status at the finalist stage. Every entered category has its own requirements and fee. Student/youth awards are cross-category flags, not separate competition categories.
Submit MP4/MOV at HD 1920×1080 minimum; 4K is preferred rather than universally compulsory. Attach one representative still at least 1920×1080, a synopsis of no more than 150 words, a director/creative-lead biography of no more than 100 words and full credits.
Non-English work requires English subtitles, burned in or soft. Every entry needs a Production Journal identifying AI tools; missing journals are not reviewed. C2PA is encouraged, not compulsory. Finalists may later need DCP/ProRes; it is not a confirmed initial expense for every entrant.
AI must be incorporated in production, with a named director/creative lead taking responsibility. Document consent for identifiable faces/voices and clear music, footage and other assets. Do not import an AI percentage or compulsory tool brand from another WAIFF edition.
Prior online, streaming and festival releases are allowed, with no premiere or completion-date restriction. Submission accepts the current terms, including screening, whole-work/excerpt promotion and relevant partner sublicensing, plus separate perpetual non-commercial archive/research uses.

Source review and remaining questions

Partial source review 2026-10-26; full verification incomplete.

Rechecked current official rules, categories, fees and public entry information for partial questionnaire checks and a standalone public preparation checklist. No sign-in, payment, submission or receipt was tested.

Exact clocks/time zones for the final and fee-round deadlines, explicit dollar currency, payment extras and a real checkout receipt.
Title/credit timing, the 40-minute overlap, actual reclassification and how vertical work meets the general HD specification. Questionnaire answers cannot establish these details.
Exact age and under-18 consent, enrolled-student/13–18 discounts and flag-award status still need evidence; the questionnaire is not proof.
General terms require AI in making, while the Documentary category also accepts work about AI impact or using AI tools. Ask whether theme-only non-AI-production documentaries qualify instead of using that sentence to bypass the general rule.
Personal acceptance and co-rightsholder authority for five-year/perpetual uses, award-catalog conditions, specific-compilation opt-out, channel approvals and surviving withdrawal. No live contractual operation was tested.
Cannes needs US ties and Headquarters category eligibility, potentially a separate agreement. Final venue/programme, organiser delivery, signed-in forms and receipt were not verified.

Official sources

This is an English summary, not the official rules. The organiser’s latest rules and written answers prevail. Inclusion is not an endorsement or a guarantee of selection.

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