​Welcome, Judges!

THANK YOU SO MUCH for being part of the PAIFF '26 and RS '25 selection committee. Your insights and careful attention help us highlight films and filmmakers that deserve recognition and support. Please follow the guidelines below when reviewing submissions.

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Log into your FilmFreeway account through the email access sent to you. You should be able to toggle between festivals in the upper right corner of the page (once you've accepted both invites). Once you've logged in, your browser should remember you each time you visit FilmFreeway and you shouldn't have to pull up the email link every time. 

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Also, your participation is kept anonymous unless you wish for us to post it publicly on our website. For the time being though, we are keeping our judges anonymous and this way you won't be hassled, pitched, or influenced. By participating, you hereby agree to keep all information regarding the films, the ratings, comments by other judges etc. confidential and agree to not publicly share the internal scores and communication outside of the FilmFreeway platform.

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The deadlines for judging doesn't really end until 1 week prior to the festival as we will be selecting specific awards all the way up until then. But if you want to have influence on the selection process, then follow the announcement deadlines accordingly:

Selections Public Announcement Schedule:

• First 5 (Summer Early Bird Winners): Monday, July 23rd, 2025

• Second 5 (Fall Early Bird Winners): Monday, September 8th, 2025

• Third 5 (Winter Early Bird Winners): Monday, November 10th, 2025

• Regular Deadline Selections: Monday, December 29th, 2025

• Late Deadline Selections: Tuesday, January 20th, 2026

• Final Selections and All Considerations Announced: Monday, February 2nd, 2026

• Awards chosen by: Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 **publicly announced on March 29th at PAIFF**

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General Guidelines for rating films

• Select ANY project you wish to watch, you can re-order the columns (I highly recommend using this feature) by order of submission date, project title, runtime, current ratings, etc; select the column heading to re-order

• Watch the project(s) in full

• Be constructive, candid, yet professional

• Use the 1–5 rating scale for each category:

      Score Meaning / Scale

        5 = Excellent!

        4 = Above Average / Impressive

        3 = Average / Satisfactory / Unsure

        2 = Below Average / Needs work

        1 = Poor / Not good

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Adapt the following questions to your interpretation of the 1–5 scoring scale.

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Film/Video Categories:

Originality / Creativity

Does the film offer a fresh perspective, unique concept, or inventive approach to storytelling?

Direction
Is the director’s vision clear and effective? Does the film feel cohesive in tone, performance, and pacing?

Writing / Dialogue
Is the script strong? Are the characters believable and the dialogue natural or compelling?

Cinematography
How does the film look visually? Are the composition, lighting, and camera movement purposeful and engaging?

Performances
Are the actors/characters convincing in their roles? Do the performances draw you in?

Production Value
How professional does the film look overall? Consider sets, costumes, props, and technical execution.

​​Pacing / Editing
Is the film well-paced? Does the editing flow smoothly and help tell the story effectively?

Structure / Story Arc
Does the film follow a clear arc? Is the beginning, middle, and end satisfying or well-developed?

Sound Quality + Music
Is the audio clean and well-mixed? Is music, foley, and sound effects used effectively to support mood or storytelling?

Marketability / Audience Appeal
Does this film have potential to reach and resonate with a public (mostly family friendly) audience? Consider the international audiences in Puerto Aventuras, and respectively Roswell, New Mexico.

Emotional Connection
Did the film move you emotionally or leave a lasting impression?

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Final Tips

• Take your time. Each film reflects significant creative effort—please give it your full attention

• Score thoughtfully

• Consider reading the overview, synopsis, director biography, and technical specs—I find it very helpful to know if this is a first time director and if the filmmaker is excited to attend in person should they be selected

• Use the full 1–5 scale to accurately reflect your evaluation in each category

• Rewatch if needed. If you're uncertain about a particular score, it's okay to revisit the film as much as you like

• Include a constructive written comment. While filmmakers won’t see your feedback, a short overall impression or note can help the committee during final deliberations

• Trust your instincts

• Finally, select your overall recommendation as to whether or not this film should be an OFFICIAL SELECTION, as in shown at the festival. SELECT: "Pass" "Recommend" "Award Worthy" "Maybe?" and/or "Ambivalent"

• Oh, and I almost forgot, IGNORE the Overall Rating box. It will override the average category scoring–UNLESS, you simply want to just give it an overall rating without individually critiquing the elements, which is your choice, but less fun. )

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And if you've really got some time to kill, consider reading some of the scripts!

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Screenplay Judging Categories

Concept / Originality
Is the story idea fresh, creative, or thought-provoking?

Structure
Does the screenplay follow a clear three-act (or intentional alternative) structure that supports the story?

Plot
Is the sequence of events engaging, coherent, and well-developed?

Pacing
Does the story move at an appropriate rhythm, holding interest throughout?

Characters
Are the characters multidimensional, believable, and compelling?

Dialogue
Is the dialogue natural, purposeful, and reflective of character voice?

Theme / Message
Does the screenplay convey a meaningful message or theme with clarity and depth?

Technical Proficiency
Is the script professionally formatted, free of distracting grammar or spelling errors?

Marketability / Audience Appeal
Does the script have commercial or festival potential, and would it resonate with an audience?

Visual Imagery / Description
Do the scene descriptions paint a vivid picture and support cinematic storytelling?

Emotional Connection
Does the story evoke feeling or leave a lasting impression?

Authenticity (AI vs. human)

Looking specifically for signs of AI authorship versus human-authored authenticity – score higher for human authenticity.