*** 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.
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).