Utah International Film Festival (UIFF)

Overview

The Utah International Film Festival (UIFF) is a five-day independent film festival held annually in Taylorsville, Utah, at the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center. The 15th edition ran January 1 through 5, 2026. The 16th edition is scheduled for January 25 through 29, 2027, returning to the same venue.

UIFF is an open-call festival with a transparent, merit-based selection process. The festival does not pre-curate, solicit, or invite films outside of its submission process. Every official selection is chosen through the same submission and review pathway via FilmFreeway. The festival received over 1,500 submissions internationally for its 2026 edition.

The festival is built on three programming pillars: Inspire, Create, and Innovate. It has a particular emphasis on short-form cinema, though it programs features as well. UIFF offers reduced submission fees for underrepresented filmmakers and for filmmakers working in regions with limited economic resources. A promo code "UFFWebDeal" provides 50% off all categories and can be combined with a FilmFreeway Gold membership for additional savings.

Submission Details

UIFF accepts submissions through FilmFreeway. The 2026 submission window closed November 2, 2025. Works-in-progress were not accepted for the 2026 edition. The 2027 submission window will open in 2026.

Categories

• Narrative Feature Film - fiction features
• Narrative Short Film - fiction shorts
• Documentary Feature Film - nonfiction features
• Documentary Short Film - nonfiction shorts
• Animated Film - animation of any length
• Episodic Series (TV/Streaming) - pilot or episode submissions
• Music Video - music video submissions
• Experimental Film - experimental and avant-garde work
• Student Film - films from elementary, secondary, and university students
• LGBTQ+ Filmmaker - films by LGBTQ+ filmmakers
• Women Filmmaker - films by women filmmakers
• BIPOC Filmmaker - films by BIPOC filmmakers
• Screenplay - short and feature screenplay categories

Specific submission fees are tiered by deadline and category. The festival offers reduced fees for underrepresented filmmakers and filmmakers from regions with limited economic resources. The "UFFWebDeal" promo code provides 50% off all categories at any deadline.

Key Sections

• Narrative Competition - feature and short narrative films
• Documentary Competition - feature and short documentaries
• Student Film Competition - elementary, secondary, and university divisions
• Screenplay Competition - short and feature screenplay categories
• Genre Programming - sci-fi, thriller, horror, comedy, fantasy, and other genre categories
• Identity-Focused Categories - LGBTQ+ Filmmaker, Women Filmmaker, BIPOC Filmmaker
• Episodic Series - TV and streaming pilots
• Music Video - music video competition
• Experimental Film - experimental and avant-garde work

Awards

UIFF presents awards across all major categories. The 2026 award categories included:

• Feature Narrative - jury prize
• Short Narrative - jury prize
• Documentary Feature - jury prize
• Documentary Short - jury prize
• University Narrative - jury prize
• University Documentary - jury prize
• Secondary Student Film - jury prize
• Elementary Student Film - jury prize
• Sci-Fi - jury prize
• Thriller - jury prize
• Ensemble Cast - jury prize
• Short Screenplay - jury prize
• Feature Screenplay - jury prize
• Audience Choice Award - voted by festival attendees
• Creative Award - recognizing creative achievement
• Innovate Award - recognizing innovation in filmmaking
• Impact Award - recognizing social impact

What Filmmakers Should Know

UIFF is an open-call festival that does not solicit or pre-curate films. Every film submitted through FilmFreeway goes through the same review process. This is different from many festivals that invite a portion of their programming. For filmmakers without industry connections or agent representation, this levels the playing field.

The festival's selection data is publicly available. Over the past 15 years, roughly one in four films selected at UIFF is a drama. Drama has a 42.42% selection rate from submitted films. Horror has a 30.68% selection rate, fantasy 34.09%, and sci-fi 25.64%. Comedy is the most submitted genre at 21% of total submissions but has a 15.98% selection rate. War films have historically had a 0% selection rate. This data is published on the festival's website to help filmmakers make informed submission decisions.

Short films have higher selection rates than features. Films 0 to 5 minutes long have a 24.78% selection rate. Films 11 to 15 minutes have a 22.51% selection rate. Films 6 to 10 minutes have a 21.02% selection rate. The festival programs features as well, but getting a feature into UIFF is significantly harder than getting a short in.

The festival does not accept works-in-progress. If your film needs additional editing, the festival recommends waiting until the next submission cycle. This is a firm rule, not a guideline.

UIFF alumni have gone on to earn major industry recognition, including Academy Award nominations and a win for "I'm Not a Robot" (Best Live Action Short Film). The festival has also featured guests including Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Danny Trejo, Danny Glover, and Margaret Cho.

The festival is volunteer-run and operates year-round to prepare for the annual event. The 2027 edition (16th annual) runs January 25 through 29 at the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center, 2525 Taylorsville Blvd, Taylorsville, UT 84129.

Festival History

UIFF was founded in 2010 and has been run by the same leadership for 15 years. The festival began as a one-day event and expanded over the years into a five-day celebration. Previous editions have been held in American Fork, Vineyard, and other Utah venues before settling at the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center in Taylorsville. The festival is not affiliated with Sundance and operates independently from the Park City film ecosystem. Festival Director Dora Workman has led the organization through its growth from a small local event to an international festival receiving 1,500+ submissions annually.

See Also

For Sundance, see Sundance Film Festival. For US western festivals, see Film Festival Strategy. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator to evaluate whether submitting to UIFF fits your festival budget.