The Atlanta Short Film Festival is an event that screens all genres of short films under 30 minutes. Screenplays and teleplays of all genres that are 60 pages or less are also eligible for awards. The event also features an awards program for films, series episodes and screenplays. We also have a Georgia Film Industry Networking Event that is free and open to the public.

The Atlanta Short Film Festival recognizes up to 5 award nominations and one winner for each of these categories:

Best Action Film Award
Best Animated Film Award
Best Comedy Film Award
Best Comedy Screenplay Award
Best Comedy Series Episode Award
Best Dark Comedy Film Award
Best Dark Comedy Screenplay Award
Best Dark Drama Film Award
Best Dark Drama Screenplay Award
Best Dark Fantasy Film Award
Best Dark Science Fiction Film Award
Best Dark Science Fiction Screenplay Award
Best Documentary Film Award
Best Drama Film Award
Best Drama Micro Film Award
Best Drama Screenplay Award
Best Experimental Film Award
Best Fantasy Film Award
Best Fantasy Screenplay Award
Best Horror Comedy Film Award
Best Horror Comedy Screenplay Award
Best Horror Film Award
Best Horror Screenplay Award
Best Mockumentary Film Award
Best Music Video Award
Best Relationship Drama Film Award
Best Relationship Drama Screenplay Award
Best Romantic Comedy Film Award
Best Romantic Comedy Screenplay Award
Best Science Fiction Screenplay Award
Best Suspense Thriller Film Award

All films are eligible, regardless if they have distribution or not. All films are eligible even if they have been accepted to other film festivals. All films and videos are eligible, regardless of when or where they were produced. Even if your film or documentary series is publicly available on YouTube or Vimeo, it is still eligible for submission.

The submission fee does not include an event ticket fee if selected. Submission fees and event ticket fees are separate. There are no filmmaker passes.

The judges read and rate scripts for this specific competition only. Submitting to this film festival does not affect the ownership or copyright of your screenplay or teleplay.

DCP Screening Format and Requirements (for film and video submissions, not screenplays)

Our film festival screens films in a commercial theater that requires the DCP (Digital Cinema Package) format. Please note:

DCP is not required for submission or evaluation. You can submit your film in any standard video format for review.
DCP is only required if your film is selected for screening. If selected, you must provide a working DCP file to ensure smooth playback in the theater.

To handle DCP files efficiently and reliably, we partner with AutoDCP.com for quality control and delivery. Here's how it works for selected filmmakers:

We will provide you with a Dropbox link to upload your DCP file directly to AutoDCP.com.
AutoDCP.com collects the files, checks them for integrity (to confirm they're complete and error-free), and tests playability.
They also generate a projection report that includes key details like frame rate, file size, runtime, and other relevant information to support the screening.

Costs and Trial
AutoDCP.com charges a fee of $10 for their e-delivery service.
First-time users get a 7-day free trial, which you can cancel after your file is delivered.

Why We Use This Process
Sending DCP files via email, shared links, or other methods often leads to issues like incomplete downloads, untested files that may not play correctly, or other workflow problems. Using AutoDCP.com ensures everything is verified and ready for the theater, avoiding last-minute surprises.

Encoding Your DCP
You do not need to use AutoDCP.com for encoding your film into DCP format, only for e-delivery and quality checks.
Free or built-in options for DCP encoding include:
DCP-o-matic (free software available at https://dcpomatic.com/).
Adobe Premiere Pro.
DaVinci Resolve Studio.
Converting your video to DCP is your responsibility as the filmmaker, and any associated costs are not covered by the festival.

If you are not comfortable with these requirements, including providing a working DCP if selected and using AutoDCP.com for e-delivery, please do not submit your film to this event. We want to ensure a positive experience for everyone involved. By submitting, you acknowledge that you understand and accept these conditions.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Thank you so much to the Atlant Short Film Festival team for your support of our film and also for putting on such a wonderful film festival! It was also very thrilling to win the Best Documentary award! We’re excited to join this community; we were able to meet and talk to so many of the amazing filmmakers and writers at the Winter 2026 Atlanta Short Film Festival; definitely will stay connected with our new colleagues going forward to follow their work!

    April 2026
  • Excellent festival experience with awesome communications!

    November 2025
  • The Atlanta Short Film Festival was amazing! Great opportunity to showcase my film, network, etc. 10/10 film festival!

    April 2025
  • Anthony Culanag

    It is an honor and a surprise the short film screenplay "Out of the Past" won for Best Fantasy Short Screenplay. Well worth the submission to see how the screenplay is judged with other screenwriter's work in the festival. Thank you!

    September 2024
  • Vittorio Caratozzolo

    Great satisfaction and honor to receive two official selections for my screenplays. Thanks a lot !

    September 2024