TAGSFF 2026

THANE ART GUILD SHORT FILM FESTIVAL- 2026

(National Short Film Competition)

  Rules & Regulations

This Short Film Festival (TAGSFF) is organized by Thane Art Guild (TAG/ Organisers), Thane, Maharashtra. TAG is dedicatedly working in social, cultural and literary fields in Thane region of Maharashtra.

Objective of organising this festival is to present the films of great merit from India to the audiences and to appreciate the cinematic works through means of awards, felicitations, seminars, etc. and to create an awareness and understanding of cinematic experience through film screenings and dialogue.

1.      Eligibility to participate in the Short Film Competition  

a)    short fiction films produced and completed after 1st July 2024

b)    should be made by director(s) and producer(s) who are residents of India

c)    Producer/ Director of the film must be an adult (above 18 years) on the date of submission

d)    Theme and content must not contain:

Ø  Hate speech

Ø  Obscene or pornographic material

Ø  Defamatory or libelous content

Ø  Promotion of illegal activities

TAGSFF Committee reserves the sole discretion to determine whether submitted content is suitable for public screening.

Any violation of the above will lead to immediate disqualification.

         Submission Guidelines 

a)    The short film must be original. Films submitted in the last competition (TAGSFF-2025) will not be considered.

b)    Duration: The duration of the film should not exceed 30 minutes including opening and end credits.

c)    Language: Films can be in any Indian language but must include English subtitles.

d)    A Production House (Producer) can submit only one entry.

e)    The online entry form to submit the short film in this competition is available on our website: www.thaneartguild.com

f)     The online film entry form shall be filled-in with all the requisite details by the applicant who is either producer or director of the film or the person authorized by producer of the film. Entry to be submitted online by visiting our wesbite along with non-refundable fee of Rs.2000/- or Rs.1000/- as applicable under Clause 2 of these Rules.

g)    The last date for submission of entry is 31^st August 2026.

h)    Applicant must submit detailed documentation including synopsis of the film, biography of the director, selective stills from the film and a list of artistic and technical credits. This information should be sent along with entry form. If any information is missing, the entry will be considered ineligible.

i)      Applicant must submit Google Drive link for preview in entry form. This online link must have download option. No other format (DVD / Blu Ray / USB Drive etc.) will be accepted for the selection preview. 

Requirement	Specification
Format	MP4 or MOV
Resolution	720p or 1080p
Audio	Stereo, Mono, 2.0 or 5.1
Maximum Size	2 GB
Download Enabled	Mandatory

j)      Final screening material of selected films shall be checked properly by the filmmaker / applicant for all technical aspects before submitting. TAGSFF Committee shall not bear responsibility for any technical problem during screening.

2.     Entry Fee 

Film submission will be considered valid on receipt of fully filled Entry form available on our website www. thaneartguild.com and on the confirmation of payment of Rs.2000/-as entry fee. For participating students’ concessional entry fee is Rs.1000/- only. Students seeking concessional entry fees must provide a valid student identity card issued by a recognized educational institution.  Entry fee is applicable for each submitted film and is non- refundable.

 3.    Judging and Prizes

a)    TAGSFF Committee members shall select the films for final competition screening and shall submit the same to the Jury of experts for their review.

b)    Jury of experts consists of panel of industry experts.

c)    Evaluation criteria shall include creativity, storytelling, direction, technical execution, artistic merit and overall impact.

d)    Selected films cannot be withdrawn by the applicant.

e)    Best Film award for selected three films shall consist of trophy, certificate and cash prize. The amount of the cash prize shall be announced separately.

f)     Winners will be announced in the last week of September 2026. The judges’ decision is final, irrevocable and binding.

g)    Winners receiving cash prizes are solely responsible for payment of all applicable local, State taxes, if any.

4.    Festival Programme: Rights and Usage

a)    By submitting a film, the applicant grants TAGSFF a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to screen the film during the festival and for festival-related promotional activities.

b)    Official Festival logo must be included in all promotional and publicity material of the selected films. Requests for suitable festival logo can be sent by email to tagshortfilmfestival@gmail.com

c)     Proper credit will be given to the filmmakers in all promotional usage.

d)    Films will be screened in any digital format.

e)    Decision for selecting a film for competition is at the sole discretion of TAGSFF Committee.

5.    Disqualification

• The Organisers reserve the right to disqualify any entry that does not meet the guidelines or is found to involve plagiarism, copyright infringement, or misrepresentation.

• If any participant is found tampering with the entry process or acting in violation of these terms, their entry will be void.

6.    Limitation of Liability and Other terms

a)    The Organisers shall not be liable for any technical failures, submission delays, or any loss or damage arising from participation in this competition.

b)    Applicants/Participants are solely responsible for ensuring their work does not infringe any third-party rights. By entering this competition, applicant represents that he has secured all necessary rights.

c)     The Organisers have no obligation (other than as stated in these rules or on TAG website) to disclose any of the following information: i) identities of screeners or judges; ii) notes, feedback, or information relating to the submitted project; and/or iii) details regarding the submission review or selection process.

d)    TAG explicitly disclaims any liability or responsibility for any comments, notes, or opinions expressed about a submission, whether by the Committee members or by its volunteers or Judges

e)    If there is any damage to or loss of the screening material of the film sent for screening in the Competition, the Organisers shall not be responsible for the restoration or repair of such damaged material.

f)      The organisers reserve the right to reschedule, cancel or modify the competition at any time without prior notice.

g)    The Organisers shall not be liable for cancellation, postponement or modification arising from events beyond their reasonable control, including natural disasters, governmental restrictions, public health emergencies, technical failures or other force majeure events.

7.    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

• These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of India.

• Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Mumbai/Thane, Maharashtra.

8.    Acceptance

The applicant agrees to have read and accepted all the rules & regulations of the abovementioned ‘Thane Art Guild Short Film Festival 2026’. The applicant confirms that he / she has the requisite authority or has obtained the requisite authority from the producer / right holder to submit this film in the Short Film Competition and makes available all the requisite material for the festival upon selection.