The Edmonton Short Film Festival (ESFF) is dedicated to the elevation of Independent short film. The ESFF gala event showcases Alberta filmmakers and our Long Shorts program screens both Alberta and Beyond short films considered outside of the “normal” festival market. We feature diverse projects (newly created or “dusted off” favourites) including trailers, music videos, web series, commercials, and any genre short film. The Alberta gala is for films to a maximum of 15 minutes. The Long Shorts is for films to a maximum of 60 minutes, any creation date, from anywhere in the world.

ALBERTA FILMMAKERS:
The Edmonton Short Film Festival partners with other cultural events to showcase Alberta short films. For only $8 CAD, you will be able to have your film entered for consideration at one or more of these FAMILY events. ALL of these events will pay screening fees for films that are selected. NOTE: To be considered for the gala, Alberta filmmakers still need to submit their films under the appropriate genre category in addition to choosing this add-on bonus.

NEW CATEGORY: Films that address social concerns and injustices may be submitted to the Social Justice category. Alberta films under 15 minutes submitted to this category will be considered for screening at the Red Carpet Gala and are eligible for this new award.

FREE WORKSHOP - Filmmakers will be invited to attend the Filmmaker Skills Workshop AT NO COST. Watch for a special email with information about this opportunity!

FILM LOVERS:
The audience plays a huge role in the success of the evening by choosing their favourite film. Tickets will be available through FilmFreeway for 2021. We will be offering the festival as a limited capacity live event as well as opportunities to watch the films online.

Awards & Prizes

ALL films screened will receive a screening fee
AWARDS will be presented in genre categories
PEOPLE"S Choice Award voted by a live audience of peers ($250)

Rules & Terms

GALA EVENT: The Edmonton Short Film Festival welcomes ALL short film projects that are 15 minutes or less as long AS YOU (Director, Producer) ARE AN ALBERTA FILMMAKER.

Our goal is to support and promote independent film, so we will screen almost ANYTHING (we reserve the right to determine what may be considered as extreme violence, hatred, pornographic or copyrighted material). You don’t have something new? That’s okay! Drag out something from your archives … maybe you have a fabulous film that you would love to show again. You’re working on a feature? Send us your trailer to promote the project! Of course, we also accept the “usual” – short dramatic or comedic narratives, horror, music videos, web series, documentaries and animations, etc. We would even love to see your amazing commercial!

The ESFF jury selects independently-created films based on the technical excellence and entertainment value of the film.

If your film is selected for screening you will need to provide:
A. 1920 x 1080 downloadable version of your film in a .mov format or .mp4 format
B. A high res still photo from your film or poster in 300 DPI resolution
C. Director's bio and photo
D. Contact email and mailing address
E. Confirmation of who is to receive the screening fee (paid by cheque for Canadian filmmakers and by PayPal for International filmmakers)
18 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Gabe Laz

    Always a top notch gala affair. Great Festival!

    November 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks Gabe! Glad you enjoyed it and hope to see you again next year.

  • Esker Foundation

    They did a great job of putting on the Red Carpet Gala during Covid! Bravo!

    November 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you! It definitely was a challenging year! We were very pleased to host a small in-person event for our awards and screening of the Alberta selected films and an on-line event for the screening of all the selected films.

  • Tara Mitrovic

    Wonderful festival! Friendly , fun, professional ! Perfect first time festival experience. :)
    Will resubmit next year ! :)

    November 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Tara! So glad your experience was enjoyable! We look forward to receiving a submission from you for 2021!

  • Nauzanin Knight

    Attending the ESFF is always a lovely experience. Many thanks to the festival team

    October 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Nauzanin! We were so pleased to have you as a part of our 2020 Festival!

  • Simon Longmore

    Fantastic Film Festival. Have no hesitation recommending this festival. Was really on point and great team working here. Is there a button for 6 stars? They deserve it.

    October 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Simon! We were so pleased to have screened your film for our 2020 festival!