North Bay Film Festival 2026 | November 13-15

Dates & Deadlines:

Register your team for only $25 by Friday, October 16, 2026.

There will be an in-person kickoff meeting at the Near North Makerspace (108 Main Street East, North Bay, ON, P1B 1A8) on Friday, October 23 at 6:00 p.m.

Teams will meet to review the rules, receive the three required elements and ask questions. The official 48-hour competition will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Contestants are welcome to remain in the Near North Makerspace until 9:00 p.m. to begin pre-production with their teams.

The official deadline for all submissions is Sunday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. Films submitted after the deadline will not be eligible for prizes or ranking in the competition.

The jury panel will consider the following criteria:

Creative storytelling and script development; the level of entertainment your film offers; the direction; acting performances; the overall production quality of the project.

Every filmmaking team should aspire to create a short film that can shine independently, separate from the competition, while still adhering to all the challenge guidelines and staying on theme.

Official Rules:

• If you registered as a team, the person registering will be considered the team leader.
• Films must follow the 2026 theme, “The Grand Reveal,” and incorporate all three required elements announced at the kickoff meeting.
• All elements of film creation must be done in the 48-hour period only, including but not limited to: writing, rehearsing, costume/set design, shooting, sound work, editing, exporting, and uploading.
• The only work that may begin prior to the launch: organizing cast and crew, securing equipment, scouting/securing locations.
• All footage must be shot within the 48-hour time period of the project (no stock footage or footage created at any other time is permitted).
• Animation and special effects are permitted but must be created during the 48-hour time period.
• Only original music, Creative Commons music, or music with documented granted permission can be used.
• Completed films must be submitted by 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
• Completed film exports must follow the technical requirements provided to contestants by email.
• Films must be a minimum of 2 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes long.
• If needed, participants may use equipment from N2M2L free of charge, subject to availability.

*Any violation of these rules will result in immediate disqualification from the competition*

Prizes:

🏆 1ST PLACE

• $500 Cash Prize
• $300 Screening Fee for presentation at NBFF and on the NBFF website
• $1,000 Lighting and Grip Rental courtesy of Sunbelt Rentals, Sudbury
• N2M2L Artist Producer Subscription for one year
• $150 N2M2L Equipment Rental Credit, to be used within one year
• One-month Near North Makerspace Membership

🏆 2ND PLACE

• $100 Website Presentation Fee
  N2M2L Artist Producer Subscription for one year
• $100 N2M2L Equipment Rental Credit, to be used within one year
• One-month Near North Makerspace Membership

🏆 3RD PLACE

• $100 Website Presentation Fee
  N2M2L Artist Producer Subscription for one year
• $50 N2M2L Equipment Rental Credit, to be used within one year
• One-month Near North Makerspace Membership

✨ PLUS ✨

• North Bay Film Festival Passes for each winning team, up to five passes per team

The 2026 48-Hour Film Competition is made possible with support from Vanish Entertainment and Sunbelt Rentals, Sudbury.

Submission Requirements:

Camera:

Any type of camera can be used for this project. There is no limit to the amount of cameras that can be used on your shoot.

Export:

File naming convention as follows:

• Title_TeamName_NBFF48_Date.mov
• Full Resolution H264 QuickTime .mov*
• Audio peaks should not exceed -2db

Slating:

Before your film begins there should be

• 5 seconds of black
• A title card reading “This film was made for the 2025 NBFF 48hr Film Competition”
• 2 seconds of black
• A title card with the film’s title and date

Credits:

Credits may run no longer than 45 seconds. The length of the credits will be considered additional to the length of the film.

Contact Us:

Have a question? Send us an email at [email protected] and we’ll be glad to help answer any questions you might have.

2025 Competition Winners:

Check out all the thrilling films from this year’s 48-Hour Film Challenge on our YouTube channel! See our official winners announcement HERE.