CURRENTLY ACCEPTING FILMS FOR FILMGATE FESTIVAL 2025 + SEEKING FEATURE FILM FELLOWS FOR 2025

FilmGate Festival is the longest-running monthly short film series in Florida, created to celebrate local culture, diversity and regional creativity. Every month, FilmGate Miami highlights Florida's community of actors, filmmakers, and video + audio production studios. We accept short films, documentaries, music videos and web series from Florida or made by a Florida citizen, 20 minutes or less.

This Festival will be takes place at the Silverspot Cinema in Downtown Miami located at 300 SE 3rd St #100, Miami, FL 33131.

THE RULES:
- For Florida Filmmakers only or Florida-based short films (at least for now)
- 20 minutes or less
- Free submissions/waivers for Filmgate Miami members and students, email info@film-gate.org for a waver
- Florida producer or Director needs to be present at the screening of their film and for the Q&A

The screening takes place on the last Wednesday of each month (unless noted otherwise).

OFFICIAL FESTIVAL DATES (2025):
FilmGate Free-For-All Festival - January 29
FilmGate Untold Stories Festival (formerly Social Justice) - February 26 Deadline: January 31
FilmGate Femme Directors Festival - March 26 Deadline: February 28
FilmGate Comedy Festival - April 30 Deadline: April 4
FilmGate Documentary Festival - May 28 Deadline: May 2
FilmGate Free-For-All Festival - June 25 Deadline: May 30
FilmGate Films With Subtitles Festival - July 30 Deadline: July 4
FilmGate Free-For-All Festival - August 27 Deadline: August 1
FilmGate Music Videos Festival - September 24 Deadline: August 29
FilmGate Horror Festival - October 29 Deadline: October 3
FilmGate Best-of-Fest - November 26

FILM COMMUNITY NETWORKER B4 AND AFTER

Enjoy meeting other creatives and film geeks during our film community networker before the screening. Grab some drinks, some grub, and start mingling!

We will also have networking at the end of the event so feel free to gush about the cool films afterwards too.

PERCOLATOR
Starting off the night, we have our Percolator. Sign up and tell the audience your skills or if you are looking for a professional in particular! You will have 1 minute to pitch. You can meet Florida's film scene face-to-face and pitch your film ideas to the broad community of talent!

FILMMAKER Q & A
After the screening, as our jury judges discuss the night's award-winning film, we will invite our featured filmmakers for a Q&A session about their creative process and inspirations in creating their films.

AWARDS CEREMONY
At the end of the screening, we will present the jury's choice in the best film of the night! Our jury is a team of industry professionals that use their expertise to judge the techincal and artistic qualities of each film screened.

Submit your short film, documentary, music video, pilot, or web series today and see your work on the biggest screen in Miami.

Please note that we select our films as they arrive, to allow us more time to promote this festival. Submit your films as early as possible to improve your chances of being selected. If your film has not been accepted for the month you submitted for, it stands the chance to be programmed for another month.

If you have any trouble with entering your film or using a waiver code, please contact us at michi@film-gate.org or info@film-gate.org

FILMGATE FELLOWSHIP 2025

FilmGate Miami is excited to launch the FilmGate Fellowship 2025, a transformative 5-month program aimed at supporting emerging Florida filmmakers in developing and refining their feature film projects.

Participants: Up to 10 Film Fellows will be selected.

Program Features:
- Mentorship from industry professionals.
- Hands-on training and intensive bootcamps.
- Access to FilmGate membership and production insurance during the required shooting period.
- Culmination: A live pitch event where fellows will present their projects to a panel of executive producers, distributors, and financiers.
- Awards: Two fellows will receive film grants to support their productions.

Requirements:
Applicants must:
- Be Florida residents.
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Submit projects that will shoot at least 50% of their production days in Downtown Miami, Brickell, Edgewater, AND Miami Beach.
- Ensure a minimum of 3 shooting days in Miami Beach city limits.

Submission Materials:
- A feature-length script (60–130 pages, final draft or near finish).
- If the script is in Spanish, Creole, Portuguese, or Spanglish, an English translation is required.
- A mood board.
- A pitch deck, including a business plan.
- Shooting dates must fall between November 2025 and November 2026 (failure to meet these dates will result in forfeiting the grant).

Program Timeline:
- Orientation Day: Selected fellows will participate in an extensive one-day orientation at DMC.

- Application Deadline: February 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

Selection Process:
Applicants will undergo an initial interview with the FilmGate team before final selections are made.

Submission of an application does not guarantee a fellowship spot.

For more information, email michi@film-gate.org.

Monthly Awards include Best Film Award (which is a 1 year FilmGate membership) and Best Audience Award!

Occasionally, jurors bring awards as well (i.e. equipment rental or sound stage rental)

We also have our FilmGate Staff Awards which include:
-Best Actor
-Best Screenplay
-Best Sound Edit
-Best Edit
-Best Photography
-Best Director

Best Film Winner will automatically go into November's Best of Competition!!!
Grand winner will be taking the Crystal Kraken Award!

FILMGATE FEATURE FILM FELLOWSHIP 2025
- 10 fellows will be selected for the program and after live-pitching, 2 fellows will receive film grants to assist in producing their feature film

- Films must be less than 20 minutes
- Films may only be submitted by directors living in Florida or based in Florida
- Filmmakers MUST attend the event in person, or send an above-the-line representative who can participate in a Q&A
- Filmmakers must submit their social media handles and tag @filmgatemiami
- Filmmakers get FREE ENTRY - family & friends are able to get a DISCOUNT CODE (code limit 3)
- Stay to network. Local film studios and local investors make it monthly to our events to meet emerging talent.

***FOR FILMS WITH AI CATEGORY RULES***
- Films must be less than 10 minutes
- Films may only be submitted by filmmakers living in Florida or based in Florida
- Films must state the AI tech used in credits and in submission form
- State the likeness of actors and include signed permission/consent by actors
- Filmmakers MUST attend the event in person, or send a representative who can participate in a Q&A
- Filmmakers must submit their social media handles and tag @filmgatemiami
- Filmmakers get FREE ENTRY - family & friends are able to get a DISCOUNT CODE (code limit 3)

FILMGATE FELLOWSHIP 2025

FilmGate Miami is proud to announce the launch of its Feature Film Fellowship 2025, a transformative program designed to support emerging filmmakers in Florida as they develop and refine their feature film projects.

This fellowship will select up to 10 Film Fellows, who will participate in a rigorous 5-month program featuring mentorship, hands-on training, and intensive bootcamps. The fellowship will culminate in a live pitch event, where participants will present their projects to a panel of industry professionals, including executive producers, distributors, and financiers. From these pitches, two fellows will be awarded film grants to support their productions.

As of now all 10 will receive FILMGATE membership and production insurance during the required shooting period.

Please Note: Feature Film Fellowship grant has a requirement of minimum 3 day shoot in Miami Beach city limits.

Selected FILMGATE Fellows will have a one day extensive orientation day at DMC.

Application Deadline: February 28, 2025 @ 11:59 PM

Requirements:
- Applicants must be Florida residents.
- Films must shoot at least 50% of their production days in Downtown Miami, Brickell, Edgewater, AND Miami Beach.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
- Submission materials include:
- A feature-length script (60–130 pages)*
*if the script is another language, ie Spanish, Creole, Portuguese, need to submit an English version as well - Spanglish scripts will be permissible but English translations for readers is required
- A mood board
- A pitch deck (including business plan)
- Shooting dates must fall between November 2025 and November 2026 (failure to meet these dates will result in forfeiting the grant).
- Selected applicants will undergo an initial round of interviews with the FilmGate team before final selections are made.

Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee a fellowship spot.

For more information regarding the FilmGate Feature Film Fellowship 2025, email michi@film-gate.org.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • FilmGate is by far one of the best festival experience I’ve had so far as a Florida Filmmaker. They do such an amazing job of curating such a diverse lineup of films that are made by people of all skill levels. If you are a Florida filmmaker then FilmGate is a festival that you must submit to. You will not be disappointed.

    February 2025
  • The festival presents a fantastic opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their work on the big screen, and I truly appreciate their commitment to supporting the indie community by hosting events every month. The venue is excellent, adding to the overall experience!

    However, I did have a few expectations that weren’t fully met. For instance, it seemed like the event was running behind schedule, which made things feel a bit longer than necessary. Greater punctuality would improve the flow of the event.

    One significant area for improvement would be the award ceremony. Announcing the audience award winner while voting was still ongoing felt premature. Additionally, it was surprising to hear judges share their personal opinions on some of the projects before announcing the winner—especially when one judge mentioned that the winner wasn’t in her top three films. This approach seemed a bit unprofessional and could be better handled. Perhaps they could keep feedback and opinions private to maintain a positive atmosphere for both filmmakers and the audience.

    I look forward to seeing how they continue to grow and enhance the experience for everyone involved!

    November 2024
  • The wonderful people in charge of filmgate are warm, inviting, and welcoming. The community is open to people from all walks of life with different skill sets. The love of film and art is eminent in this festival. I would gladly be a part of any of their events again.

    October 2024
  • Thank you for showcasing our short film and for having us at this incredible event! Everything about Filmgate and this event was very professional and put together. The teams communication was great, and the event was so much fun! It was a blast being able to meet everyone and see all the incredible work!

    September 2024
  • What a great experience! They are really kind and welcoming people. They give you a lot of exposure on social media in the weeks coming up to the event. The theater where it's held is very nice, the screen is huge. They give you free popcorn! It's a short but packed experience, and networking flows easily. So much fun, and I made many connections! I would definitely recommend submitting and attending.

    August 2024