BSFF believes in short films! Recognizing the important role shorts have in cinema, storytelling, and culture, BSFF wants to help empower the next generation of artists. The Boston Short Film Festival is an annual event showcasing shorts films with an edge. The BSFF focuses on the unconventional, the unusual, the underground, the intuitive, the innovative, the minimalistic and the true artists of our time. Based in Boston (MA, US) the festival aims to screen up to 100 short films. All screenings will take place at the historic Capitol Theatre in Arlington.
FEAST YOUR EYES
The festival discovers, supports and develops new talent in filmmaking, providing a platform for emerging and established filmmakers from around the world, and an unique focus on Boston based filmmakers. Connecting industry and audiences, the festival celebrates the creativity, diversity and impact of short film. There will be unmissable evening screenings where audiences can watch the best new short films from the hottest new talent, and opportunities to network with the industry. So whether you are a filmmaker looking to launch or develop your career, an Industry professional wanting to stay ahead of the game or a film lover wanting to soak up the festival atmosphere by watching great films, come along and feast your eyes.
HIDDEN GEMS
Boston Short Film Festival takes pride in its astute selection process. It is known for discovering hidden gems that later go on to successfully thrive at A-list festivals, with some films even catching the eye of the Academy Awards. In 2021 for example, Boston Short Film Festival selected and awarded 'Ala Kachuu – Take and Run', directed by Maria Brendle, which was nominated in 2022 for an Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category.
Boston Short Film Festival is
- Named as one of the Top 50 Film Festivals worldwide by Final Cut Magazine
- An IMDB qualifying film festival
- A Producer's Night Los Angeles qualifying film festival
- A Cannes International Film Week qualifying film festival
‘OFF ON’ SELECTION
Next to our physical screenings we’ll also be screening online with the special OFF ON SELECTION. The OFF ON Selection will go online one week prior to the opening of the physical part of the festival and will stay online until the last day of the festival. Viewers will be able to watch, but not download your film. If needed we can geo-block your film to our region.
We’re open to any genre (narrative, web series, made for tv, documentary, experimental …) and especially any duration (which is always an issue for the physical part of the festival). Selected filmmakers will receive all official selection perks (The Tarkovski Grant, The Producer’s Night nomination, …) and are in the running for any of the award titles. When you submit your film for consideration to both a physical section and the Off On Selection it is possible to be selected for both, but this is of course not guaranteed.
Filmmakers that submit their film only to any of the other sections (so any other than the Off On Selection) will not be selected for an online screening.
PROUD PARTNER OF THE BIGGER SCREEN
BSFF is supported by The Bigger Screen, an organization that aims to make film as an art form more accessible and more inclusive. A short overview of their projects:
- SUPPORTING FILM FESTIVALS: Film festivals are not only a place to share films, but they are a safe haven for film makers to connect, share, and learn. The Bigger Screens supports and engages with over 25 respected international film festivals from mainstays like the 61st Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Brussels Independent Film Festival to emerging events such as the Venice Film Week and The Producer’s Night Los Angeles. These events bring filmmakers and filmgoers together, providing that place to connect and engage in a comfortable setting, away from Hollywood glitz and glamour.
- CONNECTING CULTURES PROGRAM: Each year, The Bigger Screen selects at least ten countries and grants filmmakers from those areas the ability to submit their work free of charge to partner festivals all over the world. This opens the door of film exposure to those who may not otherwise be able to enter. As we support inclusivity and shareable films, this program exemplifies our mission. Check out https://www.connectingculturesprogram.com to see if your country is included in this year’s program and submit your work for free.
- LOCAL FILMMAKERS PROGRAM: To encourage rising talent, we lowered the festival submission fee to local talent and even made it for free when submitted before the Extreme Early Bird Deadline. This provides a great opportunity for local filmmakers to enter the international film scene. Think global, act local, right?
- INCLUSIVE AUDIENCE PROGRAM: Our screenings are always low or even free of charge to provide opportunity for interested film goers to view up and coming, challenging, and inspiring pieces of art, encouraging students, seniors, and those in underprivileged environments to share the experience of film and cinema. We welcome film goers, regardless of income and financial status.
- THE TARKOVSKI GRANT: All selected filmmakers will receive The Tarkovski Grant, a film festival submission fee waiver package with an average value of about $500. This not only saves you a lot of money, but it also recognizes your work as something to watch for during the selection procedure, making a selection with another partner film festival more likely - but of course, never guaranteed. The Tarkovski Grant supports hundreds of filmmakers each year in their challenging journeys as independent filmmakers, by promoting existing films, no matter the genre, style or length.
Each edition, the festival will also give out awards in the following categories:
Best Narrative Short Film
Best Documentary Short Film
Best Animated Short Film
Best Underground short Film
Best Experimental short Film
Best Boston Film
Best Actor (F/M/X)
Best LGBTQ+ Film
THE TARKOVSKI GRANT
All selected filmmakers will receive The Tarkovski Grant, a film festival submission fee waiver package with an average value of about $500. This not only saves you a lot of money, but it also recognizes your work as something to watch for during the selection procedure, making a selection with another partner film festival more likely - but of course, never guaranteed. The Tarkovski Grant supports hundreds of filmmakers each year in their challenging journeys as independent filmmakers, by promoting existing films, no matter the genre, style or length. The Tarkovski Grant is supported by film festivals from all over the world. Find out more here: www.thetarkovskigrant.org.
DISTRIBUTION OPPORTUNITY
You'll have the opportunity to have your film included in the main collection of our streaming partner www.whush.com for a period of one year. Whush.com is available worldwide, on desktop, mobile, tablet and smart TV. There’s no rights fee provided, but in return you’ll receive a free subscription to the service for the period of one year. You keep the right to cancel the agreement at any time. As it’s a non-exclusive deal you keep all the rights to your film and are able to make similar distribution agreements with other companies. As an added bonus, every month Whush.com gives away 500 USD to the filmmaker whose film was the most popular!
FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO VIDEOMAKER
In an added effort to support new and emerging filmmakers, our festival will offer a free year of access to Videomaker's digital magazine to all filmmakers submitting their work. More information: www.videomaker.com.
FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO WHUSH.COM
All selected filmmakers will receive a free subscription to Whush.com for 3 months. Whush.com is a streaming service that has teamed up with over 20 film festivals worldwide, exclusively streaming official selections during the festival period. More information: www.whush.com.
EXPOSURE
One of the biggest hurdles in an independent filmmaker's journey, is getting noticed. With thousands filmmakers out there trying to get exposure it's hard to stand out. Share your story with Final Cut Magazine, whether it be a press release on a new selection, project, winning an award, a one-on-one interview, ...