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SUBMISSION DEADLINE: APRIL 30, 2015 FESTIVAL: SEPTEMBER 10–20, 2015
RIL 30, 2015 FESTIVAL: SEPTEMBER 10–20, 2015
The festival has been named as the “Coolest Short Film Festival” by MovieMaker Magazine, and is a three-time winner of the Washington City Paper’s “Coolest Short Film Festival” contest/award.
The 11-day event (September 10–20, 2015) will include film screenings, Q&As, filmmaker workshops and parties in locations throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area, as well as online, through the DC Shorts Online Film Festival
Founded in 2003, the DC Shorts Film Festival was created by DC-based filmmaker, Jon Gann, in response to the dozens of festivals he attended the previous year with his award-winning film, Cyberslut. Frustrated that many festivals were focused on money and sponsors and not films and filmmakers, he decided to start his own event, focusing on the form he loves — shorts.
In 2006, the DC Film Alliance, a non-profit arts organization, was created to present the DC Shorts Film Festival, and offer other programs and resources for Washington, D.C.-based filmmakers. The Alliance helped to bridge the gap between other area film organizations, foster a community for regional film festival directors, and sponsored monthly Salons to educate filmmakers of all levels.
In response to the needs of the industry, DC Shorts has recently rebranded many DC Film Alliance activities, re-tooled others, and now hosts year-round programming, which includes:
- DC Shorts Film Festival & Screenwriting Competitions (September)
- Online resources for regional filmmakers
- Online films for audience development
- DC Shorts WINS: award-winning film (February)
- Regional Film Festival Conference (March)
- DC Shorts MENTORS: Weekend courses on all aspects of short filmmaking (March)
- DC Shorts LAUGHS: comedy films and live stand-up comics (January)
- Pasties & Popcorn: sexy films and live burlesque and sideshow acts (May)
- Internship opportunities for college-age students
12th Annual DC Shorts Film Festival
September 10-20, 2015
- Our main judging criteria is STORY. Do you have an interesting, original story about developed, well-written characters? If so, then you are a good fit for us.
- We screen all genres and styles of films.
- We screen films from :30 seconds to 20 minutes. Longer films may be considered, but are generally difficult to program. We will not consider any film over 30 minutes.
- All entrants receive written feedback from the selection panel. This information has been invaluable to thousands of past entrants – it is the reason we have been a top pick of Moviemaker Magazine year after year.
- Films that screened at past DC Shorts Film Festivals have gone on win countless other competitions, including the Academy Awards.
- Washington, DC has some of the most sophisticated audiences in the world. In a city with over 70 film festivals a year, DC Shorts continues to be a dominant force for film distribution in the region.
- The DC Shorts Film Festival is the largest short film event on the east coast of the United States.
- DC Shorts just topped the list as Moviemaker Magazine’s Coolest Short Film Festival – an honor we are thrilled about, and has been listed as a “Festival Worth the Submission Fee” — again.
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9th Annual DC Shorts Screenplay Competition
Friday, September 18, 2015
Six finalists are invited to attend DC Shorts and, with the assistance of local directors and agents, cast a live table reading of the script from a bank of actors. The readings are performed in front of an audience, who vote on their favorites. These votes, along with the scores of the readers, determine a competition winner.
- The DC Shorts Screenplay Competition awards up to $2,000 to a winning script, and guaranteed acceptance into the 2016 DC Shorts Film Festival.
- We consider screenplays in every genre and subject matter. However, because the finalists are read in front of a live audience, the judging committee looks for material that can be successfully conveyed to a general audience in a table reading.
- Scripts must be under 15 pages (not including a cover page).
- Scripts must not be in production. The purpose of the competition and award money is to foster the creation and successful completion of an independent short film. All film/video shooting must take place after the award presentation.
- DC Shorts has been named by MovieMaker Magazine year after year as one of 25 festivals worth the entry fee for our unique feedback system in which EVERY writer is able to review their scores and receive readers’ comments.
- The 2014 script winner, BREAKIN(G) by David Feehan, is currently in production, and will premiere at the 2015 DC Shorts Film Festival. We are very proud to be one of the project’s producers.
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