Submissions are now open! Submit by November 28th @ 11:59pm.
The Fall 2025 DFF will be held on December 5th
*Please note that these dates are tentative and may change in the future.
Steps to Submission
1. Have your video file ready (follow these guidelines for exporting your video)
2.Make sure your film audio levels are to the standard of -12db for dialogue.
3. You will need to submit by uploading your MP4 to Swisstransfer. To do so, enter your email address and choose “Link” as the send option.
Press “Transfer” and confirm your email address. After the transfer is completed, copy the link on the confirmation page. You’ll need this to submit your film.
3. Submit your film by filling out this Google Form
Fall 2025
The event will be held on December 5th at the Dawson Theatre. The submission deadline is November 28th at 11:59pm!
What is the Dawson Film Festival (formerly Media Night)
For all of you who aren’t familiar with Dawson Film Festival (DFF), it’s a chance to have the film you have created showcased in the Dawson Theater. DFF is a public event at the Dawson Theater that showcases films and other media-related projects made by students in the Cinema + Communications Profile and ALC program in a public event held at the end of term. Parents, teachers, colleagues and friends attend the event. The projects are judged by media experts and awarded prizes such as best sound design, best documentary, etc. The selected films will not only be seen by your fellow classmates, but by qualified judges who will determine if your film is worthy of an award. Whether you submit a film or not, come on down with a friend to support the CinCom community!
Guidelines
– The director of the film must be an enrolled Dawson student at the time of submission.
– The film must be no longer than 4 minutes in length.
– Films must not contain any copyrighted music
Technical Assistance
Use the video below to export and submit your movie.
Make sure your film audio levels are to the standard of -12db for dialogue. You don’t want your film to be too loud or too quiet.
Award Categories (Fall 2025
Best Sound
Best Editing
Best Visuals
Best Concept
Best First-Year Film
Coup de Coeur
Screening
Dawson Film Festival will be held in the 180 seat Dawson Theatre located on the campus at 2000 Atwater Ave, Montreal, Quebec, H3Z 1A4. Please arrive up to 30 minutes in advance.
Fall 2024 Winners
- Best Fiction: Listen! (Marcello Sgro)
- Best Animation: Altra Mors (Max Riessen)
- Best Experimental: The Itch (Isabella Villalba)
- Best Documentary: Beyond Boundaries (Anne Primeau)
- Best Writing: Tiguidou (Mateus O. Borges, Stefan Cursaru)
- Best Editing: Over / Under (Luka Ferraro)
- Best Cinematography: Over / Under
- Best Direction: Smoke Chase Tale (Naiomi Daoust)
- Best Sound: Mariposa (Linnea Edwards, Libby Tsabary)
- Humanitarian: Tiguidou
- Best 1st Year: For Me, To You (Desmond Dyson)