Since 2006, Directors Notes has been the home of independent short film — a BIFA-qualifying film festival platform sharing the production stories behind the world's best independent filmmaking with a global audience of industry professionals, festival programmers and dedicated film fans. Eclectic by design, DN champions the most cutting-edge work regardless of genre, length or technique.

You don't have to wait until the end of your festival run to submit. We work with films at every stage of their journey — fresh from the edit, mid-festival circuit, or already online — and we regularly feature films not yet ready for an online release, running the trailer alongside your interview now and releasing the full film with us later.

Every accepted filmmaker receives a Deep Dive Interview on directorsnotes.com exploring the craft and creative decisions behind the work — a permanent feature in our twenty-year archive. Selected films also have the opportunity to be featured on the DN YouTube channel — a 2.6 million-strong monthly audience across 175+ countries, where our strongest shorts pass a million views. Films on the channel are monetised on a 50/50 AdSense revenue share. Every selection is cross-promoted across our Instagram and weekly industry newsletter, and every film we feature is automatically eligible for our annual WeAreDN Awards — with a live ceremony, nine categories and bespoke physical awards.

We're not looking for "content." We're looking for cinema.

Awards & Prizes

All featured films are automatically considered for the annual WeAreDN Awards across 9 categories: Drama, Comedy, Animation, Documentary, Music Video, Dance, Buckle Up, New Talent and British — with no additional fee. Winners are screened in front of a live audience at our annual ceremony and presented with custom notebooks by our awards partner Leuchtturm1917.

Rules & Terms

What type of films do you feature?
Directors Notes has always been eclectic in our tastes, featuring a broad spectrum of films across all genres and forms, and so the best way to gauge what we’re looking for is to take a look at the work we feature.

Do you accept both shorts & feature submissions?
Yes we do. We consider anything under 40 minutes a short and over that length a feature.

How long until I hear back?
No waiting months for a decision. Once submitted, the Directors Notes curation team will respond to your submission within 7 working days.

What if my film is already online?
Not a problem. Directors Notes doesn’t require exclusivity or premiere status to feature your film, although we do give priority to our premiere releases.

Can I submit my unreleased film?
Of course, be sure to include the password in the submissions form so we can watch it.

My film is still on its festival run and not ready for an online release yet, do I have to wait until it is to submit?
Not at all. We regularly feature films still on the festival circuit and not yet available online — running the trailer alongside your interview now, then premiering the full film with us when you're ready.

Are featured films eligible for any awards?
Yes — automatically and at no extra cost. Every film we feature on Directors Notes is entered into the annual WeAreDN Awards with no additional submission required. Celebrated during a live ceremony, recognising winners across nine DN categories:

- Best British
- Best New Talent
- Best Music Video
- Best Documentary
- Best Comedy
- Best Drama
- Best Animation
- Best Dance
- Best Buckle Up

Winners receive bespoke physical awards, and the shortlist is competitive and growing year on year. For a film that makes it onto DN, the WeAreDN Awards offer an additional moment of recognition — and one that costs you nothing extra to be part of.

Will my film be on the Directors Notes YouTube channel?
Our YouTube channel is an optional extra we offer selected films at our discretion. It reaches a 2.6 million-strong monthly audience across 175+ countries, with our strongest shorts passing a million — reach that far outstrips traditional festival screenings. Films added to the channel are monetised under a 50/50 AdSense revenue share.

Do filmmakers earn from their films on the YouTube channel?
Yes. DN operates a 50/50 AdSense revenue share for films on the channel — any advertising revenue your film generates is split equally between you and Directors Notes.

Can I get a refund?
The submission fee covers the process of the Directors Notes curation team assessing your film and is therefore non-refundable.

Will you definitely feature my film?
Of the hundreds of films submitted to Directors Notes, only a small percentage make it to our pages. We’re very selective about the work we choose to feature – it’s what makes DN what it is – and so submission in no way guarantees coverage.

If selected, when will my film be featured?
Once selected, we will work with you to find the best date to feature your film on Directors Notes. We have a very busy editorial calendar here at DN so if you have a particular date in mind the more notice you can provide, the higher the likelihood of that publication date being available.

What copyright clearances do you require?
By submitting your film to Directors Notes you attest that the work in question is not in breach of any copyright and that all required intellectual property rights have been adhered to.

How will Directors Notes promote my work?
As well as being published on Directors Notes, selected films have the opportunity to be featured on our YouTube channel — a 2.6 million-strong monthly audience across 175+ countries — and are shared across our social media and featured in our weekly newsletter. We also suggest you do the same across your own accounts and get cast, crew, friends and family to help spread the word.

Can I get feedback?
Sorry, at this point in time Directors Notes does not offer a feedback service for submissions.

Do you grant fee waivers?
No, we do not offer submission fee waivers. Really, we mean this, so any email/DM requests for waivers will be ignored.
329 Reviews
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  • Eoin Duffy

    Director's Notes has been such a wonderful supporter of my work over the years. Huge thanks to Rob for taking the time to ask thoughtful questions and write such a great piece about my film. It's always a pleasure linking up with DN, and I really appreciate their support of independent filmmakers. Colossal thanks!!!!

    July 2026
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  • Camila de Ilhéus

    I love Directors Notes! I grew up reading the interviews and watching the films premiering on there so I was so excited to have SOFIA selected! I had the pleasure of working with Veronica and Sarah and they were nothing short of FANTASTIC. I highly recommend submitting your film - they get back to you within seven days, are very thorough, do their research, and are super nice, too!! The questions were so specific to the project and the short was treated with so much love and respect. The publication had so much reach as well. I will be submitting again in the future 🧡✨.

    July 2026
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  • Julian Doan

    I've always loved the curation and the interviews on Directors Notes, so was honored to get to share my latest short LONG'S LONG LOST & MINI MART on the site.

    Dianora and Sarah were super communicative through the process, leading through a fluid multi-step process to get the interview together for the site, along with images. They were amenable to changes and updates and my shifting schedule and release date (I apologize for so much fluidity on this!)

    The in depth questions they asked gave way to a lot of the things I wanted to share about the film, and when it went live the whole article is super high quality, pairing the interview with choice BTS and stills from the film, something I'm proud to put out there. I'm looking forward to hopefully having another film on here!

    A must at the top of the list for places to premiere/platform your work when its ready to go online!

    July 2026
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  • Tony Farfalla

    Director's Notes is a truly special platform that really honors filmmaking. Premiering "The Space Between Us" with them opened our film up to a much larger audience than we could have reached on our own. What really stood out was how thoughtful and genuine their interview process was — it felt like they took real time to understand the film and what we were trying to say with it, rather than running through generic questions. The whole team was professional, communicative, and clearly cares about giving filmmakers a real platform. Grateful for the support and exposure they gave us. Thanks Sarah and Dianora!

    July 2026
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  • Jacob Hopewell

    Submitting MEAT to Directors Notes was one of the best decisions of our festival run. Rather than a form response, we got real engagement with the film, and the interview that followed was thoughtful, rigorous and genuinely interested in the craft behind the work. The team are quick, warm and personal in their communication, and they clearly care deeply about short film as a form. For any filmmaker making something with an ambition beyond the obvious, DN is exactly the kind of platform you want in your corner. Huge thanks to Sarah and everyone there.

    July 2026
    Helpful