How to submit a short film to festivals

Sending a short film to festivals is how most new filmmakers find their first audience, their first reviews and sometimes their next collaborators. It also costs money, and it takes months. Planning ahead makes the difference between a run that builds your career and an expensive pile of rejections.

1. Finish the film properly first

Festivals judge what they see, so send your final cut. A work-in-progress submission almost never gets selected. Before you submit, make sure you have:

a locked picture with a finished sound mix. Programmers forgive a modest image far more easily than bad sound.
music and archive rights that cover festival exhibition. “We’ll clear it later” can get a selected film pulled.
English subtitles if the film is not in English. Burned-in subtitles are fine for screeners; many festivals want a separate subtitle file for screenings.
a final running time. Many festivals cap shorts at 15, 20 or 30 minutes, and the BAFTA and Academy short categories cap them at 40 minutes including credits.

2. Prepare your submission pack

You will need the same materials again and again, so prepare them once:

A private screener link, usually on Vimeo, with a password and downloads switched off.
Synopses in three lengths: one line, about 50 words and about 150 words. See how to write a synopsis and press kit.
Stills: three to five high-resolution frames from the film. Avoid behind-the-scenes photos.
A director’s photo and bio of about 75 words.
Credits: a full list of cast and key crew.
A poster if you have one. It is not essential, but some festivals use it in their catalogue.
Technical details: running time, aspect ratio, sound format, country, year and language.

3. Choose your festivals

This is the step that matters most. Read our guide to choosing the right short film festivals before spending anything. In brief:

Start with a handful of ambitious targets: award-qualifying festivals and the big names in your genre.
Add festivals that fit the film, by genre, theme, region or format.
Include local and regional festivals where you can attend, meet people and see your film with an audience.
Check each festival’s premiere requirements. Some want a world, international or national premiere. Others don’t care. The order of your submissions matters (see step 5).

4. Use the right platforms

Most festivals take submissions through a platform:

FilmFreeway is the largest, and the one most UK and US festivals use.
Short Film Depot is widely used by European festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand.
Festhome and other regional platforms are common in Spain, Latin America and elsewhere.
Some festivals use their own forms.

Withoutabox, which many older guides mention, closed in 2019.

5. Plan your premiere strategy

If you have a strong film, submit to the festivals that require a premiere first, then wait for their decisions before you accept anything else. Accepting a small festival’s invitation early can cost you a premiere slot at a bigger one. Make a simple spreadsheet listing each festival’s deadline, fee, premiere rule and notification date. You will check it constantly.

6. Budget for fees and waivers

Fees typically run from nothing to around £50–£100 a festival, with early deadlines cheaper. Set a budget before you start. Many festivals offer waivers or reduced fees for students and first-time filmmakers. Ask politely by email; the worst answer is no.

7. After you submit

Expect rejection. Even very good shorts are turned down far more often than they are selected. Selection depends on programme balance, running time and themes, not just quality.
If you are selected, reply quickly. Send the exhibition files in the format requested (often a DCP or ProRes file), and ask about travel support and accreditation.
Go if you can. Festivals are where you meet programmers, distributors and other filmmakers, and the conversations matter as much as the screenings.
Keep a record of selections and awards for your bio, your next funding applications and your online release.

The Greenhorn festival, whose history is in our archive, was built for exactly this stage of a career: small, friendly and focused on filmmakers at the very beginning. Festivals like it still exist, and our festival directory is a good place to start looking.

Questions people ask

How many festivals should I submit my short film to?

Most first-time filmmakers do well with a focused list of 15 to 40 festivals, chosen for fit rather than fame, plus a few long shots. Submitting to hundreds rarely helps and costs a lot in fees.

Is it worth paying festival submission fees?

Sometimes. Pay for festivals that suit your film and that you would actually benefit from, such as award-qualifying festivals, festivals in your genre and festivals where you could attend. Ask for fee waivers, which many festivals give to students and filmmakers from under-represented regions.

Can I put my short film online before submitting to festivals?

Usually not, if you want festivals. Many festivals and the Academy's short film rules restrict films that have been publicly released online. Keep the film behind a private, password-protected link until your festival run is over.

Sources

festivals
submissions
distribution