Entry Rules
• Films must have been produced after January 1, 2023.
• Films must have a running time no longer than 20 minutes. Films longer than 20 minutes will not be considered for competition.
• Categories—science fiction, fantasy, horror, superhero or comic book, pop culture, animation, music video, and documentary. Documentary films must have topics in the previously stated categories (in other words, must be related to science fiction, fantasy, horror, superheroes, comic books, pop culture, animation, or music videos).
• Films may contain “R-rated” content, but no pornography.
• It is permissible to enter films that have screened at other film festivals, but not commercially distributed.
• Films cannot have been previously screened at Pensacon.
• Filmmakers must retain the rights to characters, stories, and music. Fan films (i.e. fan-made versions of established properties) are not allowed and WILL BE DISQUALIFIED WITHOUT REIMBURSEMENT OF ENTRY FEE.
• Pensacon Short Film Festival is UNABLE TO OFFER FEE WAIVERS.
• Filmmakers musts disclose on the submission form if Artificial Intelligence was used in the production of the film (see our A.I. usage policy below).
• Entry fees are paid for the purpose of being judged for participation in the Pensacon Short Film Festival and will not be refunded in the case of films not accepted, withdrawn, or disqualified from selection.
• Filmmakers give permission for the Pensacon Short Film Festival to use elements of selected films for marketing and promotion of the film festival, including names of films and key filmmakers (directors, writers, producers, actors), clips of films, trailers, and posters.
OUR POLICY REGARDING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE USAGE:
The means to create images and video through artificial intelligence (Generative A.I.) is ever-evolving, as is the public perception regarding its artistic merit, its effects on human-created art, and ecological impacts. It is the current policy of the Pensacon Short Film Festival to NOT ACCEPT FOR SUBMISSION films that have used Generative A.I. using apps such as ChatGPT, Sora, Runway, etc., in the creation of their narrative, characters, audio, visual effects, animation, or other main elements of storytelling. This does not apply to the usage of tools built into normal editing programs that manipulates existing footage created by the filmmaker, such as Adobe Premiere’s ability to extend a video clip or create subtitles. If you have a question regarding what would be acceptable, please reach out to us at filmfest@pensacon.com before submitting.
Selection Process
• Official Selections will be determined by Pensacon staff based on a number of factors, including but not limited to genre, content, quality of filmmaking, time allotment, and copyright ownership. All decisions are final.
• Pensacon staff and their families are ineligible to enter for competition, though may be considered for out of competition screenings.
• All Official Selections will be announced via email to the filmmakers and on the Pensacon website and social media on December 14, 2027.
• Entry fees will be charged to all submissions, but do not guarantee acceptance into the film festival. Entry fees will not be reimbursed for films not selected, withdrawn, or disqualified.
• Pensacon reserves the right to change the category for submissions as deemed appropriate.
Additional Info
• It is recommended to upload the best quality of your film upon submission. However, an updated screener copy will be accepted until January 15, 2027. Resolution should be a minimum of 1920x1080 with an audio bit depth of 16 bits.
• We recommend making the video file available to download, either through FilmFreeway or Vimeo (with password is fine). Otherwise, you will need to provide means for us to download the film such as through Dropbox or OneDrive no later than January 16, 2026.
• Publicity material such as stills and a movie poster are optional, but must be submitted no later than January 15, 2027.
• Non-English language films must be subtitled in English.
• All Official Selections of the Pensacon Short Film Festival will be shown as an official event of Pensacon during the weekend of February 19-21, 2027.
• Each Official Selection will be provided with two free weekend passes to Pensacon (travel and lodging not included) to attend the screening, and filmmakers may be invited to participate in a Q&A session about their films immediately following the screening.
• Admission to the screening will be free to anyone with a Pensacon weekend pass or day pass on the date of the screening.
• Due to the possible content of the films, anyone under the age of 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• Posted schedule is subject to change.
