*** Traditionally, Salute Your Shorts Film Festival has taken place in the historic Assistance League Theater in Hollywood. In 2020, we pivoted to a drive-in theater/ online festival hybrid. We are closely monitoring the covid-19 pandemic and are working to bring our audiences (and filmmakers) a safe physical event in August 2021. ***

Beloved by filmmakers and alumni, Salute Your Shorts curates a collection of the best short films from around the world in every genre. showcasing them to a community of artists seeking inspiration and conversation. Selected films will enjoy an audience of working entertainment industry professionals and compete for a cash prize. Notable alumni include Jim Cummings (Thunder Road), Maggie Levin (Labyrinth), David Fried (True Colors), and Danny Madden (Beast Beast).

We are seeking thought-provoking, conversation-starting stories that align with our mantra: Films with an Aftertaste. Whether they are shot on the iPhone or the Alexa, we love films of every genre and seek to program a slate of films that represents the diverse and distinct voices in our world today.

Awards & Prizes

We grant a $500 cash prize to our juried BEST OF FEST, $250 for our Programmer's Choice winner, and award $250 to our AUDIENCE FAVORITE.

Additionally, "Best in Category" awards are determined by jurors. We recognize WINNERS, RUNNER-UPS, and HONORABLE MENTIONS in the following categories:

- DRAMATIC SHORT
- DOCUMENTARY SHORT
- EXPERIMENTAL SHORT
- COMEDY SHORT
- GENRE SHORT
- ANIMATED SHORT
- STUDENT SHORT
- SUPER SHORT FILM (UNDER 5 MINUTES)**
- FEMALE DIRECTED SHORT

We also award one "BEST PILOT" episode.

Jurors from past years included:
- TONY HALE - Emmy Winning Actor (Veep, Arrested Development)
- DAN LIN, Producer (Lego Movie Franchise)
- EMILY BEST, Founder and CEO of Seed&Spark
- JACKIE TOHN (Glow)
- TROIAN BELLISARIO - actress/director (Pretty Little Liars)
- KABIR AKHTAR - director (Grownish, Crazy Ex Girlfriend)
- JEREMY HOWE, writer/producer (The Big Bang Theory)
- DOUG JONES (Shape of Water, Pans Labyrinth)
- INA PIRA (curator at Vimeo)
- MATT FAGERHOLM (film critic, Rodgerebert.com)
- PAUL SLOOP (Shorts Programmer, Cleveland International Film Festival)
- GREG SORVIG (Artistic director, Heartland Film Festival; Associate Programmer, Tribeca Film Festival)

Interactive PANELISTS have included Jenni Konnor (HBO's Girls) and Darious Britt (D4Darious).

Rules & Terms

We do not require premiere status and will consider shorts which have been made available for online viewing.

Every submitted film will be viewed in its entirely by member(s) of our selection team.

** Shorts vying for the "best super short film" must have credits rolling by 4:59. If your credits sequence pushes your film past 5:00, please submit it in it's appropriate category (i.e., animation, comedy, drama, etc...). It will still be considered for the super short award.

Students are welcome and should include school information in their cover letter.

All submitted material must be the original work of the author(s) aside from copyrighted music (which we accept).

Music videos, screen-dance, and experimentally constructed films should be submitted under the experimental category. Music videos may be spec.

We accept material from anywhere in the world. All submitted material must be in English or with english subtitles.

Entry fees are non-refundable. No refunds will be issued for any reason.

Contest applicants must accept without reservations the decisions rendered by the competition.

We do not provide screening fees.

Festival cannot provide lodging or travel stipends, but we will put traveling filmmakers in touch with affordable options.

Upon invitation, participants will be contacted via email by the Print Traffic Coordinator with format confirmation, exhibition details, and delivery instructions.

This year, we are accepting films completed on or after January 1, 2019.

18 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Emil Gallardo

    This is a really special festival and one I would 100% submit to again. Erin, Lauren, Becky and their whole team are so devoted to the filmmakers and worked tirelessly to pull this off. They were friendly, communicative and unbelievably supportive throughout. I can't recommend Salute Your Shorts strongly enough!

    September 2020
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  • Talia Shea Levin

    A wonderful festival that adapted so well to the challenges of COVID-19! I felt so supported as a filmmaker and can't wait to see what work SYS brings together in future years.

    September 2020
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  • Allyson Rice

    I loved this festival! Everyone involved with running it was absolutely great. And the caliber of films I saw was very high. I couldn't really give a 5 networking score (all of my other scores were 5), because (as with all festivals this year) in-person events weren't happening due to Covid, which does affect networking. But, in spite of that, they tried to make it a really fun festival. I was excited to be part of their big opening night Drive-In Movie Event, which was great. Seriously, I highly recommend this festival!

    September 2020
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  • leslie murphy

    I truly loved being a part of this festival! The coordinators were helpful, gracious, and they added a real personal touch to every detail of the event. I also got to see some of the best shorts I've seen at any festival before or since, so the whole experience was a really inspiring one that I would definitely recommend to any other filmmaker.

    September 2019
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  • Monique Sorgen

    This festival separates itself from other L.A. festivals by being intimate and having great programming, featuring some of the top films on the festival circuit this year. The screenings take place is a beautiful theater in East Hollywood that feels like a hidden lair, and the organizers are sweet and get their whole families involved.

    August 2019
    Helpful