Nassau Film Festival

URGENT (June 30,2020 updated) Due to the COVID-19 virus, the Nassau Film Festival originally scheduled for May 16-17 has been postponed. The tentative new dates will be Nov.14-15. Please watch the nassaufilmfestival.org website for updates and more information. As such, we will continue to accept filmmaker submissions until Sept. 15. If we are unable to show the festival in the Princeton Garden Theatre due to health concerns, we will have a virtual on-line festival at a date to be determined for 2020.

In 2020, the Nassau Film Festival (NFF) was voted the best solely short film festival in New Jersey in the People's Choice Awards. In 2019, the Nassau Film Festival was rated by filmmakers as one of the top 100 short film festivals worldwide. In 2018, the Nassau Film Festival was named the number one comprehensive short film festival in the New Jersey/New York/Pennsylvania tri-state region and one of the best comprehensive short film festivals in the United States.

The Nassau Film Festival (NFF) screens only short films (30 seconds to 20 Minutes) in the following categories: fiction, documentary, animation, student fiction, music videos, trailers, horror and episodic. The historic Princeton Garden Theatre on Nassau Street in Princeton, NJ across the street from Princeton University will once again host the 2020 festival which will be held on Saturday November 14 and Sunday May 15, 2020. Last year the festival screened films from filmmakers whose countries represent all six populated continents.

Best of Festival awards are given in each of the categories and attendees have a chance to network with filmmakers, actors, actresses, directors and directors of photography at a special festival event. Audience members will also have the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with filmmakers whose films are selected to screen at the Festival.

In keeping with Festival tradition, we donate funds collected from sponsors and patrons to a non profit organization. In past years, we have supported Homefront, Make-A-Wish Foundation, the American Cancer Society, Womenspace and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK).

Filmmakers will be notified as to whether or not they are finalists after a review of all films by a panel of judges. Those filmmakers notified that their film is of finalist status will then be judged again and narrowed down by category to determine which films which will be screened at the festival. Those filmmakers whose films are selected for screening at the festival will receive an official selection notice.

Award winners will be notified after the conclusion of the festival.
The Best of Fest awards are voted upon by the audience who attend the Fest in each of the categories. Best of Fest award recipients receive a trophy and laurel recognizing their achievements.
The Princeton Tiger Award is a judges award given to films which conveyed the message of their film in a superior manner. Recipients of this special award will also be able to access a laurel after the Fest on FilmFreeway.

There will be panel discussions during each day of the festival in which directors are expected to attend to discuss their films with festival goers and/or may bring or send a representative(s) on their behalf.

Final schedule of films that will be screened showing time and date will be posted on or around the last week in October/first week of November.

For laurel information:
https://filmfreeway.com/laurels/14436/NassauFilmFestival