We're gearing up for the 2nd Annual Poulsbo Film Festival campaign! Filmmakers can submit their films between March 1st - July 2nd, 2023.

The mission of the Poulsbo Film Festival is to bring independent film and filmmakers to the city of Poulsbo, Washington for a weekend of celebrating diverse stories produced from all across the United States and Canada.

This three day festival will include parties, filmmaker panels, networking, awards, small town vibes, and beautiful scenery. We are excited to have you submit your film!

Submissions will be judged by local filmmakers, artists, organizers, and community members. You can learn more about them on our website!

This festival is brought to you by Kevin and Bittina Sheen with endless help from local businesses, community members, volunteers, sponsors, friends, family, and film lovers.

Thank you for considering the 2nd Annual Poulsbo Film Festival!

Awards & Prizes

Awards and prizes will distributed to the best short film in each category. Feature films will have one overall winner. There will also be a People's Choice Award presented to the top voted PFF film.

Short Films (3 - 35 minutes in length, if your film runs long or short, please email us and we can chat):

- Best Drama Short
- Best Comedy Short
- Best Horror/Thriller Short
- Best Student Short
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Animated Short
- Best Local Short (Washington State Only)
- People's Choice Award

Feature Films (75 - 110 minutes in length, all genres):

- Best Feature Film

Cash amounts TBD.

Some of these may be subject to change depending on amount and variety of film submissions. Thank you!

Rules & Terms

• FILMS MUST BE MADE BY FILMMAKERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
• Filmmakers may only submit one film
• Short Films should be 3-35 minutes in length, including credits (if your film runs long or short please email us and we can have a chat)
• Feature Films should be 75-120 minutes in length including credits
• Filmmakers must have proper license to all copyrighted music, video, and images included in the duration of their submission
• Films must be completed after January 1, 2022
• All non-English films must have English subtitles
• Submissions must be made online. DVDs and Blu-Rays will not be accepted

Submission & Acceptance:
• There is a $10 entry fee for students
• There is a $15 entry fee for all other short films
• There is a $20 entry fee for all feature length films
• Filmmakers may submit only one film
• Please submit to one category
• Notification of acceptance will be sent via email by August 2nd, 2023 (subject to change)
• Still shots and/or excerpts from selected films may be used by the Poulsbo Film Festival for publicity purposes
• All entries are final and may not be withdrawn from the festival once submitted (please email if you have questions)

By submitting an entry to the Poulsbo Film Festival, you attest that all information provided is accurate and complete, that you have the authority to submit said entry for consideration, and that you have read, understand, and agree to all terms of entry.
18 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Drew Highlands

    What an amazing festival run by Kevin Sheen and the rest of the PFF team. The communication was incredible, and everyone at PFF made me and my team feel so welcome. The lineup of films was so well-crafted, and looking forward to returning to this festival again in the future.

    November 2023
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  • Ivon Visalli

    Absolutely top notch festival! We've screened at many fests all over the place, and our screening here could be my favorite. Really cool venue with a full audience that was super engaged and a great question and answer session afterwards. Kevin and Bittina are tremendous hosts, and everyone was so nice. As an added bonus the town of Poulsbo is super cute, so try and atttend if you're fortunate enough to be selected.

    Peter Callahan - Out and About

    October 2023
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  • Megan Brotherton

    This is such a great little festival and Poulsbo is the perfect setting. What stood out to me most, besides the the passion and hard work that the founders put into it, was the enthusiasm of the audience. People really came out to see the shorts program, and they were a great audience.

    October 2023
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  • Ty Huffer

    Poulsbo Film Fest is wonderful. The festival treats the filmmakers very well. Communication and networking is great. I met a bunch of rad filmmakers and had a blast visiting the town. I will submit in the future.

    October 2023
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  • Faye Brenner

    This was one of the best curated festivals I’ve been to all year. I love Kevin and Bettina as well as the volunteers. The town is quaint and easy to get to the venues, very close to each other. My film was well received and saw some really good work all around. Only year two but I predict year 3 will be even better!

    October 2023
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