Submitting to Festivals: The Short Film Conundrum

For a recent short film I mixed, we debated heavily about the submission strategy to film festivals, specifically concerning duration. We had a 'director's cut' at 18 minutes and a 'festival cut' at 12 minutes. The director was adamant about the longer version, feeling it served the narrative best. I, having seen countless festival programs and knowing the preference for shorter runtimes in the shorts blocks, advocated for the 12-minute version to maximize acceptance chances.

What worked, surprisingly, was submitting both versions where festivals allowed it, noting the preferred version but providing the alternative. Several festivals took the 12-minute cut, citing programming flexibility, which validated my initial gut feeling. What didn't work was trying to force the 18-minute cut on festivals that clearly stated a preference or hard stop at 15 minutes; those submissions were consistently overlooked. Ultimately, having options, even if it means a slightly compromised artistic vision for a wider audience, seemed to be the key.

My question is: for those who have direct experience, at what point does narrative integrity trump festival playability, especially for emerging filmmakers?