First you need to register for an account on the site. Enter your contact details along with a valid email address (this will be your username for the site). You will then receive an email containing your login details and password.

Log in to the site and go to the “My Content” tab. This will show the details of any films you have already entered. Click on “Submit a New Entry”, choose the method by which you will be providing your content (see below) and enter all the required information about your film.

Once your entry is complete you will receive a confirmation email containing a reference number. You should quote this reference number in any future correspondence.

You will have to log in at least once using the password contained in your welcome email. When you are logged in, click on the “Update Details” tab. Here you can choose a new, more memorable password.

You have two options for submitting your film.

1. Our preferred method of entry is you uploading your film here. You can upload a Windows Media or quicktime file directly to our server. We recommend encoding your file with a bitrate of 1 megabit/s. Note that file sizes larger than 100MB may not be accepted. Depending on the speed of your network connection uploading the file may take some time. Don’t try and upload a full broadcast-quality copy of your film – it just needs to be good enough for viewing – if your film is shortlisted you will be asked to provide a broadcast quality copy on digital beta or HD cam...

2. You can send a physical copy of your film on DVD. Once you have completed your online submission form you can mail us your DVD. You should be sure to mark the DVD with your reference no., name of the film, contact name, email and telephone number then send it to: Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, 66 Old Compton Street W1D 4UH. Please do not put address labels or stickers on your DVD - it will disturb/ unbalance the playback ability on the DVD and may prevent us from watching the film. If you can’t write on the DVD itself, write the details on the DVD case.

Please make sure you tick the appropriate entry method box at the very beginning of the submission process as you can’t go back once you have completed the entry.

Please be sure to label your uploaded film using the film name. This helps us file your work properly. You can also add your name an a phone number e.g. MYFILMNAME_SOHOSHORTS_02074378676.mpeg

• h.264 / AVC 900Kbps CBR
• 640x480 (4x3) / 640x360 (16x9) square pixel

• AAC audio 96Kbps CBR

• mp4 container (.mp4)
• 1Mbps bitrate total
• "Web Optimized" (moov atom at beginning of file)

Your content will be screened to the judges using a secure streaming service. This encoding spec ensures that the judges will be able to view your content properly.

This depends on the size of the file you are uploading and the speed of your internet connection. It may take anything from several minutes to an hour or more to upload a file. You will see a progress bar as the upload happens. Please do not close the upload window until you see an on-screen message that the upload was successful.

Your Internet Service Provider usually quotes your download speed when referring to the speed of your internet connection - please note that your ISP may provide you with an upload speed that is considerable slower than your download speed.

1. It creates less waste i.e. plastic dvd cases/paper etc
2. It’s cheaper than posting us your DVD
3. Its easier for us to view and review (we often watch initial submissions a number of times before starting to shortlist.)
4. For the initial shortlisting, the festival office will watch absolutely everything. Once the competition selection has been made we invite our judges to watch and comment on their category. As our judges are spread across a number of different countries, digital reviewing is the quickest and most effective way for them to view the work. NB while the judges are viewing the material digitally your work is NOT available on the internet/online. Your films are kept in a secure location on our internal network and can only be accessed through our judges portal.
5. This point is best described as an example: We watch your film, like it a lot but it doesn’t make it to the final selection; we like it enough to mention it to a number of other potential film festivals and programmers – one of these contacts ask us if they can look at the work – we say yes of course – but you submited it on a DVD... where’s that DVD gone? In a filing system which we then sort through to find it. Another more immediate festival task suddenly crops up – the DVD and file are left in the ‘To Do’ tray with a multitude of other jobs. We come back a few hours later and finish off sending the DVD to the contact only in those few hours we’ve missed todays post. The DVD arrives 2 days later but the contact has asked a few other people to provide work – they’ve chosen someone else already. We miss the boat. So... If we have your work digitally – we have an immediate way of promoting you to our fellow programmers.

Once you have completed your online submission form you can mail us your DVD. You should be sure to mark the DVD with your reference no., name of the film, contact name, email and telephone number then send it to: Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, 66 Old Compton Street W1D 4UH. Please do not put address labels or stickers on your DVD - it will disturb/ unbalance the playback ability on the DVD and may prevent us from watching the film. If you can’t write on the DVD itself, write the details on the DVD case.

RE DVD case/holder: It’s best to use a simple, thin plastic or paper sleeve not larger A5 sized plastic DVD cases. Why? We’ll happily show you the boxes of DVD cases we’re still trying to recycle from last year! This is why we also prefer uploaded content as it greatly reduces all waste created through the submission process.

If your film is selected for a screening at the festival, we will need marketing material for the festival catalogue and our website. We ask you to provide this information as early as the submission process to make sure that everything is ready on time for the magazine to go to print.

You can log back in to the site at any time and see a list of the films you have submitted, and enter another film if you want.
Your film will be viewed by the Rushes Soho Shorts team and a selection of films will be shortlisted. If your film is shortlisted you will be required to provide a copy on Digital Beta or HD Cam.

Make sure you keep your login details in a safe place. With these details, you can log back onto the entry site and view your submissions. The ‘Edit Entry Details’ tab will allow you to change and/or add information to your form.

When you’ve finished submitting your film you’ll receive an email with a link to PayPal with details of how to pay. If you are not able to pay via paypal, please contact info@sohoshorts.com.

When we receive confirmation of your entry your film will be automatically entered into the short –listing process. We view all films; those receiving the highest scores are short-listed and viewed again. This process is repeated a number of times until we have 2 hours of content remaining in the category that the film has been entered into.
During the short-listing process we may ask a filmmaker to supply the film on a Digi Beta or HD Cam. While this does indicate that the film is doing well in the short-listing process it does not indicate that the filmmaker is in the final selection.
The final selection for all categories is announced on 1st June 2012.

If you are a student, just give the name of your school/college/university. If you are independent, just say that you are independent.

When you submit your film we give you the chance to opt out of any online screenings. You just have to un-tick the box for that particular question. If you are happy to screen your work online and we have an opportunity to screen your work online, we’ll always let you know. It’s in our interests to have you promoting and endorsing that programme.
PLEASE SPEAK TO YOUR SALES AGENT OR DISTRIBUTOR IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THIS. If you don’t yet have a distributor or sales agent the feel free to ask our advice: info@sohoshorts.com

We often curate and programme screenings of work once the festival has finished in July. These events will take place at Ad Agencies and Commercial Production companies, where we hope to secure filmmakers future work. The events will also take place at other festivals and seasonal screenings, when we believe there is an opportunity to promote the film and filmmakers. Should your film be selected for such a programme we will always let you know.

No. We don’t require your film to be a world, UK or regional premiere. But if it is, please let us know! It helps with the publicity.

Yes. If it is longer than 15 minutes it could also be eligible for the Long Form Category, which considers live action, fictional work up to 30 minutes in length. We will notify you if there is a problem.

Yes but please provide subtitles in English.

Yes, we do consider work in progress. So please send us your film even if it isn’t completed before the submission deadline. Please note, if your film is selected, we MUST receive the final version of your work no later than the 4th of May. If we haven’t received a final version by this date, we will screen the latest version we have.

Yes, you can submit more than one film. But each film may only be submitted to one category.

We will announce the officially selected films, chosen to compete in competition, on 1st June 2012.

Yes. You may notice on the entry form there is an option to tick boxes classified as 'Other'. These are for out of competition programmes that may yet be identified. If your work doesn’t fit any of the competition categories it doesn’t mean we don’t want to see it! Please feel free to enter you work in the ‘Other’ category.

On top of awards in each category in competition, we also have the audience award. Each film screening in competition will also be in competition for the audience award.

By submitting your film to Rushes Soho Shorts Festival, you can choose to have your work also considered for the Cannes In A Van and the Van d’Or programme. Cannes In A Van is the world’s smallest mobile film festival. Now in its 5th year, Cannes In A Van screens and promotes independent film from the back of a Van at the Cannes Film Festival as well as other festivals. The first Van d’Or Awards Ceremony celebrates the best work screened by the Cannes In A Van team. Their first Award Ceremony was held in 2011. More info at www.cannesinavan.com