*** The 2020 edition of Salute Your Shorts Film Festival will be a drive-in-theater / online hybrid ***

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), and Danny Madden (Beast Beast).

We are seeking accessible, 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 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" or "ORIGINAL SERIES" episode.

Jurors from past years included:
- TONY HALE - Emmy Winning Actor (Veep, Arrested Development)
- DAN LIN, Producer of the 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 on The Big Bang Theory
- DOUG JONES (Shape of Water, Pans Labyrinth)
- WYNN EVERETT (HBO's The Newsroom, Agent Carter)
- PAUL SLOOP (Shorts Programmer, Cleveland International Film Festival)

Rules & Terms

ELIGIBILITY:

This year, we are accepting films completed on or after January 1, 2018.

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.
15 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • 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
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  • Kate Alden

    Loved this festival! It was fun being in a more intimate setting, got great feedback on our film, hands down would submit and go again!

    August 2019
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  • Ashley Brim

    Hands down one of my favorite fests! Erin, Becky and Emma and the SYS team put so much care into this event. The quality of the films in every program was astounding and every block contained a variety of films: comedy, drama, doc, experimental, and animated which was exciting. The projection and sound is perfect and they promote it very well (including connecting filmmakers with interviews by We Are Moving Stories) and provide great graphics which makes the job of promoting your screening easy. Great opportunities to network and the blocks are well attended! Can't say enough good things. Thanks for including An Act of Terror in your amazing program this year!

    August 2019
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  • Ursula Taherian

    Great festival all around! Very well organized, excellent programming, and really cool screening venues with so many special touches! This festival clearly loves its filmmakers. Met so many great people that I've continued to stay in touch with. Thank you for including The Brownlist!

    October 2018
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Ursula! It was a pleasure to have you and The Brownlist be part of our 2nd season!