🎞🎞 Check out the pictures of our latest 2022 sold out event! 🎞🎞

We enjoyed more than 🌟100🌟 international films, networking cocktails, masterclasses, panels and Q&A's.📽.

Welcome to IMDb qualifying NEW YORK INDIE SHORTS AWARDS, TOP 50 most popular and 100 best reviewed festivals.

Our main goal is to find talented filmmakers from all around the world who stand out for having something to communicate through art and help them promote their work.
Some of our former contestants include Iggy Pop, Pauline Chalamet, Julie Pacino, Kevin Bacon, Oscar nominees Jude Law, Brenda Blethyn, Golden Globe winner Kyra Sedgwick and a new wave of talented directors like Student Academy Award Winners Akanksha Cruczynski, De’Onna “Tree” Young, Curry Sicong Tian, Pilar Garcia-Fernandezesma, Kristen Hwang, Murad Abu Eisheh, Simon Denda, Tribeca winning award director Peter Sluszka and so many more.

You can submit your film in any of the Main Competitions and automatically your film will be considered for all Technical & Performance Categories with no extra cost and participate for Cash Prizes up to USD 6000 per year.
You don’t need to pay any additional category fee! Just submit your film in any of the Main Competitions where you feel your project fits better.

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Once you submit your film, our international screeners team will watch and review your project. Quarterly, the highest scored films will become finalists and automatically will join the Official Selection with +100 films to be screened at our live event.
The entire Official Selection films will receive the festival laurel. At the end of the live event we will announce all Main Competitions and Technical & Performance winners chosen by our industry jury.
Winners will receive the corresponding Certificate of Achievement and Laurel.
Moreover, we will announce the winner of the AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD who will receive a cash prize.

SEMIFINALISTS
In addition, each quarter the festival will distinguish a selection of films as semifinalists. All semifinalist projects will be invited to be part of our online event and will receive the corresponding laurel.
All films at our Online Event will participate for cash prizes and 3 Wild Card Invitations to the Live Event at the Cinema Village in New York.

Awards & Prizes

COMPETITIONS:

NARRATIVE SHORT
FOREIGN SHORT
DOCUMENTARY SHORT
ANIMATION SHORT
NEW FILMMAKERS SHORT
EXPERIMENTAL SHORT
STUDENT SHORT
HORROR SHORT
MUSIC VIDEO
COMEDY SHORT

TECHNICAL & PERFORMANCES CATEGORIES:

All these categories are complimentary. When you submit a film in a MAIN COMPETITION, it is automatically considered in all Technical & Performance Categories. Tick all the free categories you want to be considered and add the names of the artists for that specific category in the Custom Form.
BEST PRODUCER
BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR
BEST MALE DIRECTOR
BEST FEMALE STUDENT DIRECTOR
BEST MALE STUDENT DIRECTOR
BEST ACTRESS
BEST ACTOR
BEST NEW ACTRESS/ACTOR
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST EDITING
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
BEST SOUND DESIGN
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST SCREENWRITING

Rules & Terms

1- In order to submit a film, you must own the rights or have permission from the owner.
2- All fees are non-refundable.
3- Any Foreign film that is not in English must have English subtitles.
4- The Festival relationship will exclusively be related to the film submitter.
5- NEW YORK INDIE SHORTS AWARDS will not be responsible for damaged copies.
6- A DCP of the film is required for the Live Event.
7- Students must present a valid Student ID in order to receive our student discount.
8- Not all the submissions are selected for the Official Selection. Our Judges are free to make their own choices and no answers will be given about not selected films.
9- NEW YORK INDIE SHORTS AWARDS can consider any film to be disqualified if the festival considers the content inappropriate. If you have any question regarding this decision you can contact us at our email address: nyc@indieshortsawards.com
10- A fee is required for all the Main Competitions. All Technical & Performances Categories are free of charge and are included by submitting your film in any Main Competition. For payment structure visit Filmfreeway website.
11- The applicants (submitters) must accept NEW YORK INDIE SHORTS AWARDS Rules and Terms.
12- When you submit your movie in a Main Competition, you can choose your film to be considered in any Technical & Performances Categories you want. Please select all free categories you want to be considered and add the names of the artists in the Custom Form.
13- By submitting your movie, you authorize NEW YORK INDIE SHORTS AWARDS to use, distribute and share the film poster, trailer, synopsis and movie stills in our social media.
14- Maximum length allowed is 40 minutes.
97 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Marta de la Fuente

    I feel honoured my film "Your watch is telling 8:42" raised interest in such a well-curated festival. Gracias!

    March 2023
    Helpful
  • Massimo Soto

    New York INDIE SHORTS was an all around amazing festival. It was super well run. The moderator of our Q&A panel was incredibly thoughtful in her research and engagement of the filmmakers. I learned so much from everyone there and it was a terrific opportunity for networking. Reece and I are so honored to be included and have Wind River: Full Court Peace screened in this festival.

    November 2022
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  • Sa'ed Arouri

    Success Film Festival, We hope the best for them

    October 2022
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  • Hornet Press

    An excellent festival held at a great venue run by a team who is truly passionate about film and wants the filmmakers to have a great experience. Our favorite part was the diversity and thoughtfulness of the curation and how our project, a stop-motion animated satire (Hardboiled) was screened with films that weren't obviously similar but shared a humorously skewed perspective.

    October 2022
    Helpful
  • James Ivor

    Great festival. Thank you to all involved at New York Indie Shorts Awards.

    September 2022
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