The Film Draft Short Film Festival is dedicated to celebrating creative filmmakers at every stage of their journey. Whether if you’re just starting or already a seasoned pro, we welcome submissions from raw footage to polished final cuts. Our goal is to showcase as many short film drafts as possible. Whether it’s your first, a work-in-progress, or a final draft.

We strive to provide constructive feedback for each submission we receive to help you grow as a filmmaker. By doing so, we ensure that every filmmaker feels welcomed into this community and has the opportunity to learn, share, and connect with other filmmakers. Our mission is to amplify emerging voices to share their work. At FilmDraft, we celebrate the filmmaking process itself, valuing creativity in all its stages. That is why, regardless of whether you submit to FilmDraft or not, our event is completely free to enter. The only thing you are required to do is to ensure that you reserve your ticket when it goes on sale. Follow us on are Instagram to stay in the loop of all festival updates.

With the launch of our festival, we aim to showcase a diverse range of individual and collaborative projects while building a creative community that supports filmmakers at every stage of their journey. Most importantly, the festival itself is completely free to attend. All you need to do is reserve your ticket once they become available.

Awards & Prizes

Best Draft

Best Student Draft

Evaluation of submissions & laurels
Each submission, whether it is selected or not, will receive constructive feedback from the programming team, and all Selections will receive Laurels

Rules & Terms

By submitting a film to FilmDraft Film Festival, you agree to the following terms and conditions:

To submit a film to the FilmDraft Film Festival, the individual must be the director, producer, or creator of the submitted work. The submitter must also have all necessary rights and permissions to authorize the screening and use of the film and its contents. It is the sole responsibility of the submitter to ensure they are legally permitted to use all included materials. FilmDraft will not be held liable for any legal issues arising from a lack of proper rights or permissions. Furthermore, no refunds will be provided regardless of the outcome of the submission, unless submission protection has been purchased through FilmFreeway and the circumstances meet FilmFreeway’s coverage requirements.

Only films created on or after January 1, 2023, are eligible for submission. Films produced prior to this date will be automatically disqualified. Short films must not exceed a PG-13 rating and must have a total runtime of no more than 30 minutes, including credits. All individuals credited in the film must be identifiable, especially in cases where the project is selected for jury review. Additionally, the required formats for exhibition are MP4 and .mov files. All non-English films must include English subtitles for evaluation, and if selected for screening, English subtitles are mandatory. While not required for English-language films, subtitles are strongly recommended.

For student submissions, proof of eligibility is required. Acceptable forms of verification include a student email address, a valid student ID, or any additional documentation requested by the festival.

FilmDraft reserves the right to disqualify any submission containing inappropriate content, including but not limited to racist, discriminatory, or pornographic material. The programming team’s decisions regarding film selections, finalists, and awards are final and non-negotiable. Any questions, concerns, or grievances may be directed to the festival via the provided contact information.

If a film is selected as a nominee, each nominated project will receive two reserved tickets to the event. By submitting a film, the submitter grants FilmDraft and its staff permission to use the film’s press kits, posters, promotional materials, and distribution assets, and to screen the film at the specified location and time. The submitter also consents to being contacted by FilmDraft regarding their submission, including for promotional opportunities related to the film or the festival itself.
All submissions will receive feedback based on the overall scoring and comments provided by our programming team. To ensure fairness and protect the privacy of our team, all feedback will remain anonymous. Filmmakers will receive compiled notes, delivered by the Festival Director, which reflect the collective input of the programming staff. This policy is in place as a safety measure to protect our staff while still providing filmmakers with valuable and constructive feedback.

3 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Oana Martisca

    The organizers at Film Draft are the real deal — professional, generous with their time, and willing to give detailed, substantive feedback on my work. Two of my shorts screened, one took home a win, and throughout the process the team made me feel genuinely seen as a filmmaker. My only regret is not making it in person. Their investment in the festival and its community they are building really shows.

    May 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for you kind words, we all loved your films that screened and we can't wait to see what you do next.

  • John Carguello

    Excellent event! The films were very interesting and the ones that won awards more than deserved it! I thought the use of multiple displays for each film was innovative and made it easy to keep eyes on the films while walking around the venue!

    May 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for attending and Participating in our 2026 festival, we are glad to hear you had a good time.

  • GERARDO GOUVERNEUR

    Many thanks to the FILMDRAFT FILM FESTIVAL for awarding the BEST DRAFT prize to the Venezuelan short film *Anything for Her*. The entire film crew is thrilled, deeply honored, and very proud to receive this significant recognition. Participating in this festival has been an excellent experience, as it is exceptionally well-organized, demonstrates a high level of professionalism, and shows great respect for filmmakers. Thank you very much once again.

    April 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for your kind words as we appreciate you and all of the films that we were able to watch and screen this year.