#MakeMicros, join our community and enjoy a variety of year-round opportunities to reach new audicences & inspire self-representation through visual storytelling from the grassroots up.

MicroMania® (channel) and MicroMania® Film Fest 2023 celebrate the skill & art of films up to 5 minutes long (not including credits).**

Officially accepted films includes year-round opportunities to build your audience via the MicroMania® channel, in festival screening for finalist films and opportunities to share your experiences as a filmmaker and visual storyteller. Our free festival events are located in neighborhoods easily accessible by foot or transportation to ensure maximum access.

We're constantly dreaming up new ways to celebrate your work and get you valuable media to promote it - like invitations to join an online panel, be a guest blogger, or have your film reviewed (in the works). We've also referred films to other festivals!

MicroMania® channel has attracted over 1.2 Million views for our filmmakers since its launch in late March 2020!

Once a MicroMania® filmmaker, always a MicroMania® filmmaker. We love hearing about our filmmakers' new projects, acceptances, and awards. The more they tag us, the more we share across our social networks. We win together.

**If your film is over 5 minutes due to credits - enter your runtime as 5 min.

SELECTION PROCESS, JUDGES AND SPONSORS

Filmmakers are notified of official selection and invited to stream on our channel on a rolling basis. Official selection does not guarantee participation in MicroMania Film Festival 2023 events.

Officially selected films advance to our finalist round in July 2023 which determines which films will screen and compete during our 2023 festival event.

Check out former MicroMania Film Fest 2019-2022 officially selected films, festival winners and virtual events at: www.micromaniafilmfest.com

IRANIAN FILMMAKERS - HOW TO REQUEST AND OBTAIN A CODE
1. Scan evidence of nationality (photo id - passport or driver's license) showing your name and address 2. Scan a postmarked and dated bill or another official document that shows your current place of residence 3. Send both via email to micromania@sparkfilmmakers.org 4. Once we confirm that you are eligible, we will send you a code. 5. Once you have received your unique code from us you may submit via this category and you must upload your documents to the docs section of your application. I request per submitter per year.

JUDGING

Officially selected films receive a laurel, the option to join the MicroMania® channel and advance to our finalist round which determines what films will screen during our annual festival event series.

Our judging panel reflects all members of a society so brilliant work isn't passed over due to unconscious prejudice or bias.

Films are juried by artists, industry professionals, film lovers, media academics, and previous year MicroMania award winners. Films are rated on a scale from 1-10 based on impact first and production quality second.

Festival Finalist films screen live during our festival and compete for prizes. Finalist notification date TBD but no later than July 30, 2023.

2022 Judges:

Ayana Harper - Director, Winner MMFF 2021 Best Micro-Comedy
Molly Smith - Filmmaker, Winner MMFF 2021 Best Micro-Freestyle
Colm Scully- Director-Winner Best Micro Animation 2021
Lukia Costello - Filmmaker, Executive Director, Spark Filmmakers Collaborative
Shayna Strype - Filmmaker/Director, Winner MMFF 2020 Best Micro-Experimental
Ada Defriez- Filmmaker/Director, Winner MMFF 2020 Best Micro-Experimental
John Massier Curator/Director, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center)
Meg Knowles Documentary Filmmaker and Associate Professor of Media Production

2021 JUDGES:

Adam Gaudreault- Director, Winner MMFF 2020 Best Micro-Horror
Debbie Rudman - Community TV Programming Director & Producer
Lukia Costello - Filmmaker, Executive Director, Spark Filmmakers Collaborative
Kathy Spillman - Director, Community Outreach, Journey's End Refugee Services
Christopher Gallant - Filmmaker and Professor of Communications
Roxana Walker-Canton - Filmmaker and University Professor
Seaton Kay-Smith - Writer/Actor/Producer - 2020 Comedy in Micro filmmaker panelist
Paul Longley - Writer, Actor & Filmmaker
Jo Lane - Writer/Director
Tammy Mcgovern - Artist
Danielle Thomas - Critic
Léwuga Benson - Critic
Danielle Thomas - Critic

2020 JUDGES:

Carl Lee (Professor of Media Studies)
Nick Bigtower (Bigtower Pictures)
Killer Horror Critic
MJ Micheaux Film Club
Christa Avampato (blogger - Curating a Creative Life)
Black Girls Film Club
Tweed (Artistic Director Native Spirit Film Festival)
Richard Smith (Unexplained Podcast)
Kazuya Ashizawa (Filmmaker, MMFF 2019 Best Micro-Documentary winner)
Nick Brannigan (Real World Films)
MiMi Q. Atkins (Mystic Road Films)
Tilke Hill (Actor, Producer/Director and Festival Director - Buffalo International Film Festival 2017-2019)
Joanna White-Oldham (Writer/Director/Owner JWO Media)
Aaron Leventman (Actor, Playwright, Instructor)
Ed Cardoni (Director, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center)
John Massier (Curator, Director, Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center)
Neil Weschler(Playwright/ Filmmaker/ Mixed Media Artist)
Tweed (Native Spirit Film Festival)

SPONSORS

Money isn't everything. MicroMania® takes care to only select sponsors and partners with a track record of inclusion and a sensitivity to undue financial barriers that impede diverse perspectives.

2022 Sponsors: Buffalo City Council North District, Native Spirit Film Festival UK, Torn Jersey Media (Haudenosaunee Micro-Short Film Program), Micro Budget Indie Filmmakers Podcast, CaraMax Studio, Buffalo Music Club, Spark Filmmakers Collaborative, Arts Services Inc. of Buffalo & New York State Council on the Arts.

2021 Sponsors: Buffalo City Council North District, Native Spirit Film Festival UK, Torn Jersey Media (Haudenosaunee Micro-Short Film Program), Micro Budget Indie Filmmakers Podcast, Argle Bargle, CaraMax Studio, Buffalo Music Club and Spark Filmmakers Collaborative

2020 Sponsors: The New Hotness Media Institute, IndieVice, FREE AGENT, Argle Bargle: The Game Where you Insult Your Friends, Black Girl Film Club, CaraMax Studio, Mystic Road Films and Alycia Ripley.

Awards & Prizes

MicroMania Film Fest 2023 Finalists compete for the following titles and a minimum of $50 USD cash award.

AWARDS

Best Micro 2023
Best Mini-Micro 2023
Best Micro-Narrative 2023
Micro-Documentary 2023
Best Micro-Freestyle 2023
Best Micro-Experimental 2023

Rules & Terms

Rules & Terms
MicroMania Film Festival is open to micro-short content up to 5min long (before credits) from all countries.

Mini-Micro - a film with a runtime of 2 minutes prior to credits.
Micro - a film with a runtime of 5 minutes prior to credits

All non-English language films must be subtitled in English.
We also ask that English language films include a caption file so that everyone can enjoy your film.

The use of copyright protected music unless you can produce written permission or proof of a usage agreement. We ask.

No pornography and NO HATE.

MicroMania Film Festival reserves the right to remove any category for which a minimum of 8 films have not been selected due to low submissions or low acceptance. Accepted films within a category that has been eliminated will be shifted to 'Micro-Freestyle' or the closest thematic category related to the content.

We're happy to furnish a detailed accounting before or after the event, upon request.

RESPONSIVENESS

Accepted filmmakers are expected to respond fully to requests for assets (film files, still images, descriptive text and contact information) by stated deadlines. All assets must be delivered by method requested however, we will work with you if you have accessibility issues.

We do understand that life happens. We don't mind following up - to a point.
Lack of responsiveness after 2 attempts will result in disqualification.

ENTRY FEE

Entry fees pay for operational costs (website, marketing, venue, promotional costs), filmmaker cash awards and stipends for filmmaker panelists (if a surplus remains and/or we are able to find sponsors to cover them).
.
Entry fees are non-refundable and required for each distinct category submission.

One fee per entry. If a film is duplicated in more than one category, and is accepted, the duplicate will be disqualified.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

All entrants agree with the terms and conditions below to be featured as 'Officially Selected' and to qualify as a finalist/winner.

Delivery of 'Officially Selected' films will be accepted by digital means only via WeTransfer. We will make accommodation if technical difficulties exist.

All films must be delivered in HD with credits to specifications requested in acceptance email notification. Filmmakers will also be required to send promotional stills and may be asked for descriptive text in aid of our promotional efforts.

Accepted filmmakers must ad our festival email to their safe list and respond in a timely manner. We understand that times are crazy and that we have no idea what anyone is facing at any given moment. We will do our best to work with you.

MicroMania Film Festival reserves the right to remove an accepted film from its programming schedule due to low resolution, poor quality, disrespect behavior on the part of the filmmaker or lack of timely response on the part of accepted filmmakers.

PROMOTIONAL RIGHTS

MicroMania Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize still images and submission descriptions, provided by accepted filmmakers for exhibition on the MicroMania channel (opt-in) during MicroMania Film Fest 2021 (mandatory) l and for promotional purposes leading up to the event (mandatory) and any encore events (opt-in).

Filmmakers that opt in to MicroMania Channel inclusion - grant the right for MicroMania Film Fest to stream their films until a request for removal has been sent and acknowledged by MicroMania. We honor your requests and do our best to comply as quickly as possible.

ENTRY LIABILITY
The filmmaker holds the MicroMania Film Festival, its management, juries, subsidiaries, agents, sponsors, affiliates, and etc. harmless from any and all claims of liability resulting from entry. The filmmaker certifies to have full rights. Producer will indemnify the organizers of the Festival against all claims, demands, costs, damages, expenses (including legal fees), proceedings and losses resulting from the screening of the film at the Festival or from claims by any third parties.

CASH AWARDS:
We are a small organization with limited funds but, we're growing. At present, even if a film wins multiple awards, we are only able to pay one award per film. If/when we are submissions increase or we obtain sponsors this will change.

Category award winners will be notified by September 30th, 2023.

Winners must respond by October 15th 2023 to claim their award. We will work with awardees to deliver their prize but prefer digital delivery via Paypal, Venmo, TrasferWise or Western Union.
33 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Maïza Dubhé

    I recommend submitting to Micromania! The communication and workshops offered were particularly interesting, thanks so much to Lukia and the festival's team for selecting my film ''8x8'' and creating a very personal experience.

    October 2021
    Helpful
  • Ewa Maria Wolska

    It's one of the nicest festivals I have ever participeted in! Thank you so much Lukia for the great communication, passion in what you do and all that creativity! I'm really grateful to be part of the festival.

    September 2021
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Ewa. We're so happy to hear that. We work hard to offer filmmakers more than a single screening. We can't wait to see what you make next!

  • Sorin Pavelesco

    Such a great little festival, Lukia and her team are passionate about film and put their hearts into everything they do. This is the small engine that could! Delighted with my experience, I shall return!

    September 2021
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Sorin! We can't wait to see more of your work in the future and we hope you're doing well.

  • Anthony Carey

    I really enjoyed participating in this event. From start to finish communication was excellent. Kudos to Lukia for the personal attention.

    September 2021
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Anthony. It's such a pleasure to do this every year. We hope to see more of your work in the future!

  • Caren Messing

    Micromania is a wonderful festival— professional, enthusiastic and creatively curated! Thank you Lukia and Company
    Caren Messing
    “Swimming Upstream”

    September 2021
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Caren. We couldn't do it without wonderful and talented filmmakers like yourself. Thank you for taking a chance us.