To submit your film for consideration, please complete this form. 

Because of the volume of entries, we respond only to submissions that may be a fit for the series. If there are time constraints or deadlines for your submission, please highlight the urgency. 

If your film is a potential fit for the series, our team will reach out to you to discuss our process, standards and policies in more detail. 

If we are interested in your film, there are different paths to publication: 

1. We select your film and publish it as is, without edits.
2. We request a few minor edits and publish it.
3. We provide detailed written notes and significant editorial support to shape and publish the film for our platform. 

We prefer to provide editorial feedback when a film is at or close to the rough-cut stage, but we may also suggest edits to completed films if we feel the film is not a fit for the series in its current form but could be with edits. Our feedback typically addresses pacing and run-time concerns, factual or standards issues and structural and story concerns. Please note that while Op-Docs offers written notes and guidance, filmmakers are responsible for the actual editing. 

Op-Docs is required to uphold the journalistic standards of The New York Times. In our process, each Op-Docs film is fact-checked and reviewed for standards and transparency issues before publishing. The film team will need to share annotated references listing relevant sources for any factual assertions in the film. We will work to verify the facts in your video, but as the contributor, you bear the ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of your work.

In order to get a sense of what we publish, we recommend visiting our series page.

The ideal time for us to begin collaborating on a film is at the rough-cut stage. This allows us to see a film’s potential and to offer filmmakers guidance and editorial support as they shape and edit the film. We also consider completed short films, written pitches that include links to representative footage and pieces adapted from longer works. 

We do not accept written pitches without representative footage. We do not watch films over 30 minutes. 

If you are pitching a short that is an adaptation of a feature-length documentary, please include a detailed story outline, proposed run time and time codes of relevant sections or scenes for a standalone short. Pitches derived from a feature may include sections of the feature but should not be just an edited-down version of the full film. We are unable to watch feature-length films because of time constraints. 

What topics, themes or styles are you most interested in? Do you consider international and non-English-language films?

Our Op-Docs team prioritizes storytelling, creativity and impact over specific topics or formats. Our series spans a range of styles, including observational/vérité, animated, essay, single- or multivoice interview, archival/historical, political/topical, experimental and hybrid. We love bringing international films to our global audience, and we frequently publish films in languages other than English. 

Political arguments and perspectives are welcome, but we value nuanced perspectives over advocacy pieces that center on a particular party line or policy. Similarly, although the work of a renowned artist, musician or humanitarian may be important or interesting, please consider carefully whether a film about that person provides the story, conflict or emotion that will challenge and engage our audience.

Does my film have to be new to be considered?

We consider films up to three years old, as long as the material and style still feel relevant, compelling and up-to-date.

We prefer to publish films that are under 20 minutes. However, we do watch films up to 30 minutes in length and work with filmmakers to create a shorter version of the film that is the appropriate length for our digital platform and global audience.

We encourage filmmakers to submit to festivals, and our team supports the full life cycle of a film inside and outside The Times’s ecosystem. If your film is selected for Op-Docs, we will take your festival timeline and other timing considerations into account when setting an online publishing date with you, and we happily assist with festival strategy and submissions. 

We generally do not accept films that are already online. However, if your film has had a linear broadcast release in the United States or a geoblocked broadcast or digital release abroad before its submission to Op-Docs, it may still be eligible for consideration.

We require an exclusive 30-day worldwide digital premiere on nytimes.com, after which the film will remain on the Times site but on a nonexclusive basis (e.g., it may be licensed to third parties other than The Times’s direct competitors in the news space). 

We sometimes co-release films with U.S. public broadcasters or other platforms. We consider co-releases and previously distributed films on a case-by-case basis. 

Please be aware that we license all of our films in perpetuity; the reason for this is that The Times does not take down or retract any published story, including videos. We recommend that you keep this requirement in mind if you are licensing any third-party archival material or music. 

We are primarily a distribution platform and pay a licensing fee for the projects we publish, but we do not fund production. For projects requiring more support, we can sometimes assist in locating and supporting grant opportunities. We add all text, graphics, subtitles and credits at The New York Times and can provide access to our archives and music library. We can also help cover the cost of festival and award submissions.

The Times is one of the most visited news websites in the world and has over 10 million paid subscribers. Upon publication, our films are promoted on the home page of nytimes.com, as well as through social media accounts, mobile alerts and newsletters, which collectively reach tens of millions of people. 

All of our films remain available via our Op-Docs column page, where they appear with a short written statement from the director, as well as on our video collection page, which is available free for viewers worldwide. We also publish some of our films on the New York Times YouTube channel, which has over four million followers. 

To contact Op-Docs, email opdocs@nytimes.com