Submissions are now open for MoPOP’s 19th Annual Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival (SFFSFF or “siff-siff”).

Created in collaboration with the Seattle International Film Festival, SFFSFF celebrates out-of-this-world short cinema and the daring filmmakers who make it happen. Films screened at SFFSFF have gone on to be nominated for Academy Awards, featured in museum exhibitions, internationally distributed, and more.

Enter your film today for a chance to see it shine on the big screen at our June 2024 festival!

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FEE WAIVERS
MoPOP recognizes the importance of representation and accessibility both behind and in front of the camera. We continue to learn and grow every year, working to ensure our festival reflects the vast diversity of science fiction and fantasy creators and fans, especially those who have been historically excluded.

As part of this commitment, we can offer partial and full entry fee waivers to filmmakers who would otherwise be unable to submit their film to the festival, with priority given to creators identifying as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and low income.

Please fill out this short form if you’d like to request a waiver code: https://forms.office.com/r/A2ZPtRwzq6. Got questions? Contact Maddy Szmidt – maddys@mopop.org.

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YOUTH TRACK
Young filmmaker aged 24 or under? SFFSFF’s Youth Track program is for you! Top films in this category will be screened in an exclusive Youth Track showcase, and the winner—selected by MoPOP’s Youth Advisory Board—will go on to show their film as part of the main festival programming.

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IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES
• August 4 –August 31: $20 Early Bird Entry
• September 1–October 31: $25 Regular Entry
• November 1–December 1: $35 Late Entry
• December 2–January 15: $40 Extended Entry
• March 8, 2024: Notification of Acceptance
• March 29, 2024: Film Files Due
• June 8 & 9 2024: Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival

Grand Prize
Second Place
Third Place
Audience Award
Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Special Effects

COMPLETION DATE
Films must have been completed no earlier than January 2020.

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FILM LENGTH, GENRE, & QUALITIES
• Films must be no longer than 15 minutes. *
*Films that exceed 15 minutes may still be considered for festival programming but will not be eligible for awards.
*Films over 18 minutes will not be accepted for submission
• Films are selected on the basis of originality, innovation within the short film format, purposeful vision, contribution to science fiction and fantasy genres, and representation of diversity behind and in front of the camera
• Animated or live action
• Must be science fiction or fantasy genre (examples: futuristic stories, space adventure, technological speculation, social experiments, utopia and dystopia, sword and sorcery, folklore, urban fantasy, magic, mythic adventure)
• At MoPOP & SIFF we seek to create an inclusive space, open to all ages, genders, races, cultures, religions, abilities, and the full expression of self. In support of all marginalized peoples in our communities, films that promote institutional oppression are not welcome at our festival and will be disqualified from selection.

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FILM FILES
Selected films must be made available for presentation as high-resolution digital files (2k or 1080p resolution [.mov file encoded using Apple ProRes 422 or equivalent pro codec] or hi-res mpeg-4 file).

For captions (required for exhibition)– we accept burned in (on video file) captions, or separate caption files (.srt or .vtt). If you do not have captions, we will work with you to get them created for your film.

Accepted films must arrive as high-resolution digital files. Failure to provide the film in the specified format will result in the film being dropped from the festival. To ensure the wide variance of frame rates and resolutions conform properly to our system we convert the high-quality files to DCP in house. Please do not send us a DCP version of your film!

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LANGUAGE
Foreign language films must be made available with the original language soundtrack and English subtitles.

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THE FINE PRINT
Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize any excerpt from any film selected for exhibition at the festival for promotional purposes. The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered. By signing your name below, you authorize that you have read and understood and hereby agree to the general festival rules.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Emily Maya Mills

    I feel so fortunate I was able to make it in person. This mighty little one-day fest has built a passionate following of SciFi film lovers with their impeccable programming and vibe curation. Packed house. Huge laughs. Could have lived forever on the viewing experience alone but then our film, Boo Hag or Shadow Man, won the Audience Award and now we're never gonna die! Still vibrating. What. A. Blast.

    June 2023
  • A great honour of having our short film, Backroom Blues, selected to this amazing showcase of genre films. While I couldn't attend in person, a few audience members reached out on social media and told me how great the screening was. Can't wait to submit again in the future.

    June 2023
  • Lynn Kristmanson

    What a wonderful experience! The organizers are passionate and professional! The team organized a tour of the Museum of Pop Culture which was thrilling! The festival had a warm and supportive vibe! I am so honoured to have been a part of this event!

    June 2023
  • Adetinpo Thomas

    Really excited to have won third place in this festival!! Can't wait to attend next time.

    July 2022
  • sam dawes

    I really enjoyed this festival. It was obviously a strange year with having to join in remotely, but it was organised very well. It was very tidy and easy to follow, and the films were all of a great quality. Would definitely recommend entering this festival!

    March 2021