Lowell, Massachusetts is gearing up for the annual international short film festival, "DARE TO IMAG9NE." Set to take place on September 18th & 19th, at the Richard and Nancy Donahue Family Academic Arts Center, the festival is set to showcase a wide range of films from around the world and have panels from experienced professionals in the industry.
Attendees will be able to enjoy a variety of short films across different genres, ranging from drama and comedy to documentary, animation, and much more.
In addition to the film screenings, the festival will also feature a number of other events and activities, including Q&A sessions with filmmakers. Top selected films will feature Q & A’s from the film’s creators. This will provide attendees with a unique opportunity to gain insights into the creative process behind the films that they have seen.

For the premiere film categories there will be individual winners who will have the opportunity to have a Q & A session with a live audience and they will be recognized with DARE awards.

Short Film Festival Rules:

Film Length: The maximum duration for a short film submission is 30 minutes, including credits. Any film exceeding this time limit will be disqualified.

Film Categories: Contestants must submit their films to specific categories listed by the festival. These categories may include genres such as drama, comedy, animation, documentary, sci-fi, and others. Each film must be submitted to at least one category.

Original Content: All submitted films must be original work. Plagiarism or unauthorized use of copyrighted material will result in disqualification.

Completion Date: Films submitted to the festival must have been completed after 2022. This rule ensures that the submitted films are recent productions.

Language and Subtitles: Films in languages other than English must have English subtitles. This allows a wider audience to understand and appreciate the films.

Technical Requirements: Films should be submitted in a specified format, such as MPEG, AVI, or MOV, with high-quality video and audio. The festival may provide guidelines for the preferred resolution and aspect ratio.

Entry Fee: A nominal entry fee may be required for each submitted film. This fee helps cover administrative costs and supports the festival's operations. The fee amount and payment method will be outlined by the festival organizers.

Multiple Entries: Contestants are allowed to submit multiple films to the festival, but each film must be submitted separately and accompanied by its own entry fee.

Copyright and Permissions: Contestants are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions, releases, and clearances for their films. This includes music rights, talent releases, and any other copyrighted material used in the film. Failure to obtain appropriate permissions may result in disqualification.

Judging Criteria: The festival will have a panel of judges who will evaluate the films based on various criteria, including but not limited to storytelling, creativity, technical execution, acting, and overall impact. The judging process and criteria may be subjective and at the discretion of the festival organizers.

Award Categories: The festival will be giving out awards for the best films of each category.

Notification and Publicity: Contestants will be notified of the selection results via email or other designated communication channels. Selected films may be promoted by the festival for publicity purposes through various media platforms, including social media, press releases, and the festival's website.

Rights and Ownership: Contestants retain the rights to their films. However, by submitting a film to the festival, contestants grant the festival organizers the right to screen the film during the festival and use clips or images from the film for promotional purposes.

Disqualification: The festival organizers reserve the right to disqualify any film that violates the festival rules or is deemed inappropriate, offensive, or harmful.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Suffolk University

    Such a great local festival! The Lowell film scene is on the rise due to the group behind this festival and I'm excited to see the event continue to grow!

    - Kely Maloney (director of Keytar Bear, winner of Best Documentary for the 2025 festival)

    September 2025
  • Mckenzie Alexander

    So grateful to have been selected, it’s truly a blessing for our work to be recognised. Thank you so much!

    September 2025
  • Viola The Film

    This was a wonderful festival! It was very organized. Plenty of time was allowed for Q&A. The audience was engaged. And, all the films chosen were terrific. I'm glad we got yo participate in this festival. Bravo!

    October 2024
  • We were unable to attend, but the festival did a good job documenting everything in real time on their instagram story, which we loved getting to keep up with.

    Great communication, will definitely submit again!

    October 2024
  • Wonderful festival. Impressive what they accomplished their first time out! I hope it continues for many years to come, and hope they include more Q&A for all the filmmakers in each block! Thanks for having me <3

    September 2023