A feature is defined as any film with a runtime over 40 minutes.
As an Oscar-qualifying festival for Animated, Narrative, and Documentary Short Films, SXSW follows the same guidelines as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They define a short film as any film that has a runtime of 40 minutes or less, including all credits. The majority of the shorts we screen are programmed into 90-minute blocks meaning that screen time is limited. Keep in mind that the tighter your short is, the easier it is to fit into a program, and that the longer it is, the more outstanding and unique it has to be.
There are no time restrictions on TV submissions.
Music Video submissions must be under 10 minutes in length.
There are no time restrictions on XR Experience project submissions.