Mpumalanga International Film Festival South Africa (5)

Festival start: 02 August 2027      Festival end: 10 August 2027

2027 OFFICIAL COMPETITION CATEGORIES

MIFF welcomes established filmmakers, independent producers, emerging filmmakers, students and new voices from South Africa, Africa and around the world.

Films may be submitted for consideration in the following categories:

1. BEST FEATURE FILM

Narrative feature-length films demonstrating outstanding storytelling, direction, performance and cinematic execution.

2. BEST SHORT FILM

Short-form narrative filmmaking showcasing powerful, original and memorable storytelling.

3. BEST DOCUMENTARY

Feature and short documentaries exploring real people, communities, environments, histories, ideas and contemporary issues.

4. BEST STUDENT FILM

Films created by students currently studying or produced as part of a recognized educational or training programme.

5. BEST ANIMATION

Animated storytelling across traditional, digital, stop-motion, experimental and hybrid forms.

6. BEST AFRICAN FILM

A celebration of filmmaking from across the African continent and African storytellers presenting stories rooted in African experiences, perspectives and imagination.

7. BEST MPUMALANGA FILM

Dedicated to films and filmmakers connected to Mpumalanga and stories that reflect the province's people, communities, landscapes, languages, heritage, contemporary experiences and creative talent.

8. BEST WILDLIFE, ENVIRONMENT & CONSERVATION FILM

Films exploring wildlife, biodiversity, conservation, climate, landscapes, indigenous knowledge and humanity's relationship with the natural world.

MIFF reserves the right to consider eligible films for additional special mentions, jury recognition or programme strands where appropriate.

NEW: MPPLUS PREMIERE & STREAMING OPTIONS

The 2027 Call introduces an additional opportunity beyond the competition categories.

Cash Prizes: 2,500€

MIFFSA 2027 – PRIZES & AWARDS
YOUR FILM DESERVES MORE THAN A TROPHY.

MIFFSA 2027 is bringing filmmakers real opportunities beyond the festival screen.

US$3,500 CASH PRIZE POOL
Five major winning categories will each receive US$700.

But winning at MIFFSA goes beyond cash.

Selected winners may also receive:

Official MIFFSA 2027 Award & Recognition
MPPLUS Licensing Opportunities for selected films
Streaming & Digital Distribution Deals on MPPLUS
Future MPPLUS Original & Development Consideration
Two-Night Skukuza Experience for selected winner(s)
Two Return Travel Experiences with Lime Time Shuttle into and out of Mpumalanga
Festival Screenings & Audience Exposure
Industry Networking & Filmmaker Opportunities

THE FESTIVAL ENDS. YOUR FILM'S JOURNEY SHOULDN'T.

At MIFFSA, we don't only want to award great films — we want to create an afterlife for them.

MIFFSA 2027 | BEYOND THE SCREEN
Your Story Deserves an Afterlife.

Submit. Get Discovered. Get Awarded. Keep Streaming.

MIFFSA 2027 – SUBMISSION CONDITIONS & MPPLUS OPPORTUNITY

By submitting a film to the Mpumalanga International Film Festival South Africa (MIFFSA), the submitting filmmaker, producer or rights holder confirms that they have the legal authority to submit the work and accept the festival conditions.

1. FILMMAKER OWNERSHIP

Filmmakers retain ownership and copyright of their films.

Submission to MIFFSA does not transfer ownership, copyright or permanent distribution rights to MIFFSA or MPPLUS.

The person submitting the film must have authority to grant MIFFSA permission to screen the work during the festival.

2. FESTIVAL SCREENING RIGHTS

If officially selected, the filmmaker grants MIFFSA a limited, non-exclusive right to screen the film as part of MIFFSA 2027 and approved festival-related activities.

MIFFSA may use the film title, poster, trailer, approved stills, synopsis, filmmaker information and short promotional extracts for festival marketing, publicity, press and programme promotion.

3. INTRODUCING MPPLUS

MIFFSA 2027 aims to give films an opportunity to continue reaching audiences after their festival screenings.

For this reason, filmmakers will have the option to indicate whether they would like their film to be considered for MPPLUS, a digital streaming platform connected to MIFFSA's wider audience-development strategy.

MPPLUS is intended to create an additional pathway for selected films to reach audiences beyond the physical festival.

4. MPPLUS IS OPTIONAL

Submitting to MIFFSA does not automatically place a film on MPPLUS.

Filmmakers will be asked to select:

A. MIFFSA Festival Consideration Only

or

B. MIFFSA + MPPLUS Consideration

Selecting MPPLUS consideration means the filmmaker gives MIFFSA permission to evaluate the film for a possible streaming opportunity.

It does not automatically grant MPPLUS streaming rights.

5. SEPARATE MPPLUS AGREEMENT

Where MPPLUS wishes to acquire a selected film, the filmmaker or authorised rights holder will receive a separate agreement before the film is published on the platform.

That agreement may address:

licence period;
territories;
exclusive or non-exclusive rights;
availability period;
revenue or payment structure;
advertising or subscription exploitation;
promotional rights;
permitted platforms and devices;
reporting arrangements where applicable;
renewal;
termination; and
removal of the film.

No commercial streaming rights are granted merely by entering MIFFSA.

6. HOW FILMMAKERS MAY BENEFIT

MPPLUS is designed to help address one of the challenges filmmakers face after completing the festival circuit: what happens to the film after the screenings end?

Depending on the final licensing agreement, selected filmmakers may benefit through:

Extended Audience Reach – films can remain discoverable beyond the physical festival.

Digital Distribution – selected projects may receive an additional streaming pathway.

Revenue Opportunities – qualifying MPPLUS agreements may provide filmmakers with an agreed licensing, revenue-sharing or other commercial model.

Audience Data & Performance Insights – where available and permitted, filmmakers may receive useful information about how audiences are engaging with their work.

Promotion – selected films may be promoted through MIFFSA and MPPLUS campaigns.

Industry Discovery – the platform may provide an additional space for producers, filmmakers and creative talent to be discovered.

Future Opportunities – strong-performing filmmakers may be considered for future development, commissioning, acquisition or MPPLUS Original opportunities. Such opportunities are not guaranteed.

7. FESTIVAL-TO-STREAMING WINDOW

MIFFSA may give selected filmmakers the opportunity to move from:

Festival Selection → Festival Premiere/Screening → Audience Engagement → MPPLUS Consideration → Digital Release

This allows the festival screening to become the beginning of a longer audience journey rather than the end of the film's life.

8. PREMIERE STATUS

Filmmakers are responsible for informing MIFFSA of any existing agreements or premiere restrictions affecting their films.

MIFFSA will not knowingly interfere with existing distribution, broadcaster, streaming, sales-agent or festival agreements disclosed by the filmmaker.

Filmmakers considering MPPLUS must ensure that they control or have permission to license the relevant digital/streaming rights.

9. RIGHTS CLEARANCE

The filmmaker confirms that all necessary rights have been cleared, including where applicable:

music;
performances;
scripts;
archive footage;
photographs;
trademarks;
third-party footage;
underlying works; and
other copyrighted material.

The filmmaker remains responsible for the accuracy of this declaration.

10. MPPLUS SELECTION IS NOT GUARANTEED

Official selection at MIFFSA does not guarantee selection for MPPLUS.

Likewise, indicating interest in MPPLUS does not guarantee acquisition or streaming.

MPPLUS may consider factors including:

storytelling quality, production quality, audience potential, genre, technical quality, rights availability, language, duration, platform suitability and programming requirements.

11. VERTICAL DRAMA & MPPLUS

MIFFSA's new Vertical Drama category is particularly suited to mobile and digital audiences.

Selected Vertical Drama projects may therefore be considered for dedicated MPPLUS vertical programming.

However, Vertical Drama filmmakers retain the same rights protections and must separately agree to MPPLUS streaming terms before their work can be commercially distributed through the platform.

12. PROMOTIONAL USE

Selected filmmakers permit MIFFSA to use approved promotional materials supplied with their submission to promote the festival and their participation.

MIFFSA may identify a film as:

Official Selection – MIFFSA 2027

Nominee – MIFFSA 2027

Winner – MIFFSA 2027

or other applicable official designation.

Where separately licensed for MPPLUS, appropriate MPPLUS branding may also be used.

13. TECHNICAL DELIVERY

Officially selected filmmakers may be required to provide appropriate exhibition materials, including high-resolution masters, subtitles, captions, posters, trailers, stills, metadata and other reasonable delivery materials.

MPPLUS-selected films may have additional technical delivery requirements communicated separately.

14. WITHDRAWAL

Once a film has been officially selected and publicly announced by MIFFSA, withdrawal should only occur under exceptional circumstances.

Any MPPLUS withdrawal, termination or removal rights will be governed by the separate MPPLUS agreement.

15. NO GUARANTEE OF COMMERCIAL SUCCESS

MIFFSA and MPPLUS cannot guarantee audience numbers, sales, revenue, distribution deals, awards, investment or future employment resulting from participation.

The purpose of the programme is to create additional opportunities for discovery, exhibition, audience development and potential distribution.

16. MIFFSA'S 2027 COMMITMENT

MIFFSA believes that festivals must become more than temporary exhibition spaces.

Our objective is to build an ecosystem connecting:

FILMMAKERS → FESTIVAL → AUDIENCES → INDUSTRY → MPPLUS → OPPORTUNITY

MIFFSA wants filmmakers to leave the festival with more than a screening.

We want filmmakers to have an opportunity to build audiences, create visibility and explore pathways that can extend the commercial and cultural life of their work.

MIFFSA 2027

BEYOND THE SCREEN – YOUR STORY DESERVES AN AFTERLIFE.