2026 Fortnight Film Contest

Rules & Other Stuff

Rules & Other Stuff

• Contest will begin on March 13 and final edited entries are due by 7 pm on March 27. Required elements will be distributed by email to teams on March 13 at 7pm to officially begin the contest.

• After the contest begins, registration fees are non-refundable.

• Contest is open to all Michigan filmmakers. The entire team does NOT have to be made up of Michigan people as long as at least one of the following key creative positions is a Michigan resident: Writer, Director, Cinematographer, Editor.

• Anyone who is part of the core CCFF planning team cannot be a Director, Producer, Writer, or Editor on a Fortnight Film Contest team.

• Entries must be shot and edited during the contest Fortnight. That means you must shoot and edit your film only between the dates of March 13-27, 2026.

• Entries must have a maximum total running time of 10 minutes including credits. Minimum total running time is 31.4 seconds. All entries should be submitted as a digital movie file exported as an h.264 MOV, h.264 MP4, or a ProRes LT MOV video file with a stereo audio mix. Entries MUST include the film title in the file name. Full technical specifications will be distributed to registered teams.

• All entries must be returned in person to the Lansing Public Media Center or sent via digital download link to production@capitalcityfilmfest.com. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND submitting your entry in person or contacting us after digital submission in order to ensure that the file has been received and plays properly. If you upload a file that is corrupt, will not play back properly, or your physical or digital submission is not received by the submission deadline, your entry will be disqualified.

• All music used must be royalty-free, licensed by participants, or an original work by participants.

• If generative A.I. is used to the extent that it removes a potential filmmaker from your team, we ask that you credit the role appropriately in your film. The use of A.I. is not prohibited, but the Fortnight contest aims to encourage collaboration and skill building among filmmakers with a connection to Michigan.

• There will be required elements distributed by email on March 13. Films must include those elements, as well as abide by any new requirements announced at that time, or they will be disqualified. (Genre will not be one of the required elements – that is entirely up to the individual teams.)

• Any film that is not submitted by the deadline will be disqualified from the competition. NO EXCEPTIONS.