Only films by directors and producers residing in Turkey, Turkish citizens living abroad, as well as those making films about Turkey will be accepted.

This short film competition is an annual competition has been kicked off by STFF - Seattle Turkish Film Festival in 2014. The STFF is a non-profit, volunteer-driven event, committed to bringing the best of Turkish films to Seattle in an effort to provide an international platform for talented filmmakers (long form or short) to showcase their work.

For the 6th short film competition STFF is collaborating with VTFF - Vancouver Turkish Film Festival to create bigger value for the film makers who are participating to the competition.

The Short Film Competition is a celebration of shorts of all genres, accepting films by directors and producers residing in Turkey, Turkish citizens living abroad, as well as those making films about Turkey. The jury is comprised of distinguished voices in the Seattle and Vancouver arts community.

During STFF and VTFF each year, the Short Film Session brings together a curated selection of shorts made in and about Turkey, offering international exposure to outstanding filmmakers and uniting them with Northwest audiences. The first place competition winner is flown to and hosted in Seattle during the festival.

Awards & Prizes

The first place competition winner is flown to and hosted in Seattle/Vancouver during the festival. The winner film will also get $300 prize.

Seattle Audience Award - During the STFF, the audience will pick the film for the $250 Audience Award.

Vancouver Audience Award - During the VTFF, the audience will pick the film for the $250 Audience Award.

Rules & Terms

The festival jury will select the top three films from among the competing films. The winner will be invited as a guest during the festival (STFF - November 21-24, 2019) and/or (VTFF - November 15-17, 2019), and their Istanbul-Seattle round trip flight and accommodation in Seattle and Vancouver will be funded by the competition.
There is no application fee.
The production date of the film should should not be any older than 2018.
Each participant may submit only one film.
The top three films will receive a Certificate of Award indicating their placement.
The application deadline is July 1, 2019.
The producer or director of the film may apply to participate in the competition.
The applicant must be a Turkish citizen living in Turkey or a Turkish citizen living abroad with a film regarding Turkey to be eligible for the competition.
The applicant is liable with securing rights and paying royalties for all content and copyrighted material featured in the short films. The applicant will be legally responsible for any claims and/or legal action arising regarding the film.
The film may not exceed 15 minutes in length.
There are no topic or genre restrictions.
The film must have English subtitles if not dubbed in English.
The film must have standard image and sound quality. Films with corrupted images and/or sound will be withdrawn from the competition without warning.
The application form must be completed by an individual who is the legal owner of the film. Regardless of the number of people involved in the production of the film, the award will be presented only to the individual filing the application. The applicant is responsible for the truth and accuracy of all information submitted in the application. The applicant assumes legal responsibility for any claims and/or legal action arising out of the information contained in the application
All the films submitted to the competition will be archived and will not be returned under any circumstances nor conditions.
By submitting a film, the applicant grants STFF the rights to screen the film at all STFF events.
Application must include a copy of the film ready forscreening, a photograph of the director, the film poster, and a few high-resolution stills from the film for the festival catalog.
Applications will only be accepted via https://filmfreeway.com/festival/STFFShorts.
Please direct all questions to shorts@stff.org