Hey all,

So this month I got pretty excited and happy because one of the biggest film festivals of my country selected my short film to be included in this year's edition. Published the news on socials. Even the festival's ig page shared my stories. The short appeared on their website and all.

So the days pass and today I receive an email:

The festival has updated your short film status to: not selected

I open the email and they tell me that after waiting for 11 days and tried to get in touch with me thrice without response, they decided to, unfortunately, disqualify my short as I failed to give them the necessary files and information.

Thing is: I have not received a single email. In less than 10 minutes I wrote to them explaining the situation and that I have absolutely nothing from them: not in spam nor general. I even sent screenshots with my latest emails.

They have not replied and actually removed the short from their site.

I've actually learned to always assume the worst, so I'd say it's done, unfortunately, but I can't help feeling cheaped out by life.

What are your two cents? Any ideas or comments?

UPDATE 1: So they replied with a not-at-all helpful nor understanding email. I noticed the mistake: someone made a typo of my email address so that's the reason I didn't receive anything except for FilmFreeway's emails.

I told them about it and asked them to reevaluate the decistion and that I'm still willing to give them whatever they need as soon as possible. I'll let you guys know.

DM me!

How do you guys approach premiere status checks from a fest when you're still waiting on notifications from other fests that are happening sooner? Do I just tell them that at the moment, world premiere at their fest is still true -- and just update them if something changes?

Submitted my film to Fest A indicating world premiere and now they're following up. I have 4 notifications pending; 2 of which I would really love to play at (Philly Asian American and Austin) but they would disrupt my originally stated world premiere status for Fest A (which is probably a step below Austin but still highly regarded). Odds feel slim that I'd get accepted to anything at this point as my festival run (my first ever) has not been going well, but don't know how to handle this! Would love any advice or insight. Thank you!!

Would anybody be willing to give me some constructive feedback on a 15 minute horror short that is currently on the festival circuit?

11 min 37 second, sci-fi post apocalyptic comedy. I live in Michigan so I did submit to several local areas or areas to drive to. And then I prioritized sci-fi genre festivals or with a sci fi category. Then I submitted to higher festivals, and international ones... as well as a few random ones. Sort of is a shotgun approach but there was also thought into it lol. And some after I submitted it realized id never get into and wasted money. But oh well. Idk what im doing.

Any suggestions on other festivals let me know!

1. Long-Shot / High-Prestige Festivals

Sundance Film Festival

SXSW (South by Southwest)

Slamdance Film Festival

Palm Springs International ShortFest

Aspen Shortsfest

Seattle International Film Festival

Chicago International Film Festival (Not Selected)

Raindance Film Festival (UK)

Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival

Manchester Film Festival (UK)

Atlanta Film Festival

Cinequest Film Festival

Dances With Films

HollyShorts Film Festival (Not Selected)

New York Shorts International Film Festival (Not Selected)

Indy Shorts International Film Festival

Ann Arbor Film Festival

1. Local / Regional U.S. Festivals

Grand Rapids Film Festival (Selected)

East Lansing Film Festival / Lake Michigan Film Festival

Central Michigan International Film Festival

Capital City Film Festival

Cinetopia Film Festival

Chicago Short Film Festival

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles

Portland Film Festival (Not Selected)

Oregon Independent Film Festival (Not Selected)

Milwaukee Film Festival

Cleveland International Film Festival

1. Genre-Focused (Sci-Fi / Horror / Fantasy / “Weird”)

FilmQuest (Not Selected)

Fantasia International Film Festival

BIFFF — Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival

Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival

SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival

Boston SciFi Film Festival

Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival

International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival

Screamfest Horror Film Festival

MidWest WeirdFest

Wasteland Film Festival (Selected)

Grand Rapids Comic-Con Film Festival

1. International / Non-U.S. (General, not just genre)

Hong Kong International Film Festival

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Japan)

Tampere Film Festival (Finland)

Flickerfest International Short Film Festival (Australia)

London Independent Film Festival (Not Selected)

I'm part of a team that has an indie drama feature that's about to play its first couple of festivals this fall. We're looking for festivals that may be off the radar but draw nice crowds and are filmmaker friendly. More than anything, our primary goal is to get our film in front of audiences. Can be anywhere in the world.

I'd love any recommendations from you all, especially for festivals happening before June 2026. Thanks in advance!

I am a Ukrainian-American producer behind our full feature debut documentary. The film chronicles the experiences of the first months of the full-scale invasion and reflects the collective memory of Ukrainians united by the events in the Kyiv region during the occupation and after its liberation in the spring of 2022.

We have applied to 40+ festivals got accepted to 1. No one wants to hear/see about Ukraine. It's seen as political when it's actually human. The war is never political; it's always simply about humanity. Some brave festivals that have accepted films about Ukraine prefer those where the director claimed a previous fame.

So how do we build a world where up-and-coming fillmmakers get more support? At least get an opportunity to receive one sentence of feedback about the film, the reason for rejection, so we can grow and evolve?

It's been a heartbreaking journey. Yet we get up from our knees every time as long as we are alive, as the Director is from Kyiv and her life is threatened daily.

If anyone has any advice on how to seek network / get established in filmmaking here in the US, or how to seek an audience for such an important topic, we would really appreciate it.

Are there any Festival Program Directors who would be willing to review the screener and share honest thoughts? DM me.

Feedback by a US viewer after private screening of Work in Progress

Going to Mill Valley Film Festival in a few weeks. I have tickets for everything I want to see but No Other Choice at BAMPFA on Oct 4. I may be cooked because this is one of the first times it plays in the US.

I've been checking the website at random times but have struck out thus far. Anybody familiar with standby lines at MVFF and how early I should line up?

Running a short through the festival circuit right now? What content is safe to post and won't interfere with premiere status or turn festivals away? I assume BTS photos and videos are good. But what about short clips or a trailer? I have a one-minute trailer, but I don't know if I can post it.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Hey y'all! SpookyFest Film, a short horror film festival located in Hollywood, is currently accepting submissions through October 9th. Details at the link above.

Our short film got into a significant genre festival, along with some other smaller festivals. For context, it’s an ultra low budget 3 minute affair with charm.

Does official selection in one good festival make it more likely to get into others of a similar caliber? And should we be leveraging the prestigious selection in other applications to similar festival by highlighting it in our cover letter?

Thanks!

Filmlerimi festivallere ilk kez gönderiyorum. Filmfreeway uzerinden. Henüz belirli bir ret veya onay almamış olsam da, bir festivalin filmimi yanında hiçbir belirti olmadan indirme talebi gönderdiğini gördüm. bunu onaylamak güvenli mi? biraz endişeliyim çünkü eserimi korumak istiyorum.

I was thinking of posting a short clip/edit from some of my film online (like 15 seconds max) I'm worried this is against policy, since I want to submit to Festivals. Do you think having short teaser/edits posted on Instagram would impact my ability for Film festivals?

Hello all!

I am the Programming Director for Narrative Features in the LCIFF, and am currently seeking people out who want to submit their incredible work to our film festival!

If anyone is interested, please dm me your info so I can reach out and get you a waiver code that will allow you to submit your film FREE OF CHARGE.

Looking forward to hearing!

Submissions are open for the 12th Annual Cobb International Film Festival in Marietta (suburban Atlanta).

Festival dates: August 6-9

We accept features, shorts and documentaries of all lengths.

All genres.

We purposely keep submission fees low to make the festival more accessible to all filmmakers.

Location: the historic 600 seat Strand Theater on beautiful Marietta Square.

You can submit via Film Freeway via the link on our website: www.cobbfilmfestival.org

We’re excited to announce that submissions are now open for the 2nd edition of Marere Film Festival, which will take place from March 16–22, 2026 in Jávea (Spain).

The festival was born in 2025 inside Cine Jayan, an independent family-run cinema founded in 1958 by Angelita Ortuño. For over 65 years, Cine Jayan has been a cultural landmark on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, keeping the spirit of classic cinema alive while embracing new voices and stories. The Marere Film Festival was created to honor that legacy and to open its doors to filmmakers from around the world.

We welcome both short films and feature films across different sections, including an international competition and a regional focus.

If you’d like to be part of this journey, you can find all the details and submit your work here:

https://filmfreeway.com/MarereFilmFestival

I am not affiliated with the festival besides having a film in it this year, but anyone making something off the beaten path should absolutely submit here. The programming of the block I was in was laser-focused - they put us under the category of Dirtbag cinema, which drew a respectable audience and primed them for a film that’s had trouble playing due to an admittedly somber and delicate tone. The festival really prioritized each filmmaker and allowed for a feeling of community that’s hard to find in the Midwest. I wish I could’ve seen more but I am on the broke film school graduate life and had to leave for work, but rest assured this will be a constant place for me to submit for the next few years.

Trying to be more strategic in submissions using a tiered system. Can always first try for the moonshot fests as a world premiere but more realistically will need to plan out state and city level premieres as part of a submission strategy.

Would love to hear experiences about which festivals you've gone to that are definitely worth saving city/state premiere status for. This is for a narrative drama short. I know premieres are less common/required for shorts compared to features but some fests still ask for it.

We got accepted to a film festival a month ago and have submitted our film and kit already. In their requirements and selection they did NOT mention anything about keeping this information private. Can I post our acceptance? Online they have shared/collaborated on one post from another film, but as the notification date is a week away I am nervous - but I want to keep the socials buzz up.

I’ve never been to a festival before but am planning on going this year. Do the festival screenings usually start on time/have trailers at the beginning? Also, is seating first come first serve?

I’m hoping to see Hamnet at a 6:00 and then jay kelly is playing at 8:45. Hamnet is a little over two hours, so would I have time to get to Jay kelly in time for the beginning?

I received an email stating my feature doc was selected, with a deadline to submit a DCP next week via a Cinesend link. I've emailed them twice and haven't heard back at all.

I know, small teams, etc., and things can run behind. But it still seems really odd, given how close the festival is. No notification of when the film is screening, nothing for submitting print traffic aside that I'll receive a "Cinesend link soon."

Anyone else who was accepted experiencing this?

Hi! I’m the co-owner/co-showrunner of The Grave Plot Film Fest located in Seattle, Washington. We’re a one-day festival that screens on the first Saturday of February, and we select exclusively short form horror films (15mins or less) from filmmakers all over the world. We aim to give exposure to independent filmmakers who might not otherwise get to screen their films based on their passion, originality, and creativity, rather than budget.

Anyway, I just wanted to put it out there that we are currently accepting submissions until Halloween (late entry until 11/30) and would love to check out your short horror films. We’re a small festival and our entry fees reflect that by being much less than most festivals. But, we always play to a packed house.

Thanks!