The 2023 event will feature 12 of the top award-winning short films that have premiered at major festivals over the past year

Following a two-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, The ShortList Film Festival is back with its annual event that celebrates the work of up-and-coming filmmakers worldwide.

The festival offers a valuable opportunity for emerging talents to showcase their creativity and skills, with the chance to win prizes and gain industry recognition. By providing a platform for these filmmakers, the festival enables their voices to be heard and their stories to be seen by a broader audience.

All ShortList films will stream and be available for viewing from June 28 – July 16.

Are you an award winner of a short film? Submit your film to compete for industry recognition!

Past Winners

Winning a spot on the ShortList has proven to be a stepping stone for many talented filmmakers, who have gone on to receive accolades and recognition from prestigious awards.

For instance, Jim Cummings’ Thunder Road, which originally won the ShortList, later became a feature film and won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 SXSW festival. Additionally, some ShortList selections have achieved the ultimate recognition in the film industry, being nominated for or winning Academy Awards. In fact, the 2015 Audience and Jury Prize winner eventually won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, while the 2016 Jury Prize winner was honored with the Cesar Award for Best Short Film.

2020

Industry Prize: “ Ship: A Visual Poem” directed by Terrance Daye

Audience Prize: “No More Wings” directed by Abraham Adeyemi

Student Film Prize: “Welcome Back” directed by Tiffany Kontoyiannis

2019

Industry Prize: “Enforcement Hours” directed by Paloma Martinez

Audience Prize: “Departing Gesture” directed by Brian Bolster and Jonathan Napolitano

Student Film Prize: “No Sanctuary” directed by Nathan Knox

2018

Industry Prize: “The Driver is Red” directed by Randall Christoper

Audience Prize: “Magic Alps” directed by Andrea Brusa and Marco Scotuzzi

Student Film Prize: “The Peak” directed by Savannah College 

2017

Industry Prize: “The Silence” directed by Farnoosh Samadi and Ali Asgari

Audience Prize: “American Paradise” directed by American Paradise

Student Film Prize: “Fanny Pack” directed by USC student

2016

Industry Prize: “Maman(s)” directed by Maïmouna Doucouré

Audience Prize: “Slingshot” directed by David Hansen

Creators League Prize: “Thunder Road” directed by Jim Cummings

2015

Audience & Industry Prize: “Bear Story” directed by Gabriel Osorio

Creators League Prize: “1st Squad, 3rd Platoon” directed by Mike and Tim Rauch

2014

Industry Prize: “Not It” directed by Pablo Orta

Audience Prize: “Noah” directed by Patrick Cederberg and Walter Woodman

2013

Industry Prize: “Cafe Regular Cairo” directed by Ritesh Batra

Audience Prize: “Voice Over” directed by Martín Rosete

2012

Jury Prize: “Fishing Without Nets” directed by Cutter Hodierne

Audience Prize: “The Maker” directed by Christopher Kezelos

Timeline & Process

SUBMISSIONS

The ShortList Film Festival is currently accepting submissions of award-winning short films in the fiction, documentary, and animation categories, with a maximum length of 20 minutes. Among all entries, the best award-winning short films that have premiered at a major festival in the last year will be selected for screening and voting, making it the most highly-competitive film festival of its kind.

Independent filmmakers begin to submit their short films. Student entries are accepted from TheWrap’s top ten film schools 2023 esteemed list.

VOTING, SELECTION & EVENT 

Winners will be announced on July 12th followed by an in-person panel and awards ceremony with filmmakers, jury members and representatives from the entertainment industry in attendance.