NOTE WELL: the 2017 SPARTA Film Challenge screening event will take place on May 28, 2017, at the Imagine Cinemas (St. Laurent Mall), Ottawa, at 5 pm.

In the last four years the SPARTA Film Challenge has distributed over $20,000 in awards. This narrative short film competition screens selected submissions in an Ottawa movie theatre. Each participating filmmaker will receive judges notes for their submission.

Filmmakers have eighty (80) days to create a short film of five (5) minutes or less in running time which implements a CATCH provided to filmmakers at the start of the 80 day production window. A panel of judges assess all of the submissions and select the short films screened at the movie theatre.

Selected films will be included in a compilation anthology. Revenue generated by the distribution of this anthology will be distributed among the respective filmmakers.

SCREEN WRITERS may submit scripts for the Screen Play competition.

Awards & Prizes

2017 SPARTA Film Challenge Awards

First Place : Mind Games
Second Place : Unlucky
Third Place : Adventures of Blip Blork

Best Visual Content : Mind Games
Best Sound Track : Mind Games
Best Catch Implementation : Unlucky
Best Story : Mind Games
Best Acting : Mind Games
Best Actor : Heidi Ellen (Mind Games)

SPARTA Film Challenge Screenplay Award
"Roommates" by David Martin

We offer awards for the following categories:

NOTE WELL: past editions of the SPARTA Film Challenge have awarded more than $1000 US in cash awards. HOWEVER, these cash awards are DEPENDENT upon ticket sales at the screening event and the registration fees of participating filmmakers.

Rules & Terms

*** NOTE WELL ***
To register you need to submit an EMPTY project as per the following guide: http://spartafilmchallenge.com/FilmFreeway.html

Filmmakers must submit their short film prior to the published deadline and meet the stated requirements to have their movie assessed by the judges.

Maximum running time of 5 minutes (not one frame more).
Catch must be appropriately implemented within the short film.
Submission before the published deadline.

SCRIPTS shall be less than 6 pages in length.

CATCH Release will be January 20, 2017 at 7 pm (Ottawa, Ontario)
SUBMIT DEADLINE will be April 10, 2017 at 7 pm (Ottawa, Ontario)
SUBMISSIONS will be accepted ONLINE.
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THE CATCH for the Winter 2017 SPARTA Film Challenge:

Theme : Justifiable Homicide
Dialogue : elemental reference (such as an element on the periodic table ...)
Prop (Hidden) : three (3) instances of the number 150 shall appear unobtrusively in your movie.

As mentioned above : maximum run time is 5:00 minutes (300 seconds) and not one frame more. You may place credits in a totally SEPARATE 30 seconds.