The Seven Cities Showcase is a one-night celebration of fantastic films made right here in Virginia!

Join us for an exciting evening of community and creativity as selected shorts are screened and compete for a variety of awards and accolades!

Meet your fellow filmmakers, walk the red carpet, grab a drink, and experience some of the best filmmaking talent VA has to offer!

The big night is Saturday, March 28th, 2026 at Zeiders American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach, VA

Schedule
7:00 PM – Doors Open
7:30 PM – Film Showcase
9:30 PM – Awards Ceremony
10:00 PM – After Party

This program may feature material not suitable for children.

This is a not-for-profit, volunteer-run event. Thank you for your support!

Awards & Prizes

1st Place Jury Award
2nd Place Jury Award
3rd Place Jury Award

Best Directed
Best Writing
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Performer
Best Vertical Film
Best Student Film
Best Music Video
Audience Award

*Awards may be removed or added to reflect this years entries

**All films selected for screening will receive graded feedback from our judges.

Rules & Terms

As a celebration of VA filmmaking, we accept films that are the creation of Virginia residents OR have been shot primarily in Virginia.

We also welcome filmmakers from across the East Coast to share their work with us as well! Films entering as East Coast Films will be judged in their own category and will only be considered for screening if they have at least one member attending the festival.

We reserve the right to reject any films. Please take care not to submit films with gratuitous gore, nudity, or other factors that would make it inappropriate for even an "R" audience.

Trailer entries will be screened during reception/seating.

You may submit as many films as you like however, only one film per Director will be selected for the showcase.

ALL GENRES are welcome!

Films must be 10 minutes or less including credits.

Films are NOT required to be premiere screeners. GenreBlast? 48hr? Bring it on!

Students may be asked to provide proof of full-time status.

All films must have been completed after January 2022.
9 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Jack Wareing

    Seven Cities Showcase is a pretty cool little film festival, plus they are from my local city/State area, so I like them even more. I look forward to screening more projects with them again in the near future.

    April 2026
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  • Riede Dervay

    Had an absolute blast at this festival. It was so incredible to see the talent in my hometown. I thought the festival was incredibly well organized, pulled out all of the stops, and super fun.

    March 2026
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  • Jesse Womack

    Great one night fest specifically for Virginia filmmaking talent. Really enjoyed the other filmmaker’s work, and I thank the audience and jury for all the love ‘The Litterbug’ got!

    April 2025
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  • Kyle Johnson

    Seven Cities was great! Communication leading up to and after the even were top tier. The event itself was fantastic with a great venue and plenty of staff to facilitate everything.

    There were plenty of awards, raffle prizes, concessions, and they had a great professional photographer.

    After the fest, they even sent us the judges scoring and feedback, which is a HUGE plus for submitting to this festival. If you're on the edge thinking about submitting, I can't recommend Seven Cities enough. We will definitely be submitting for years to come.

    January 2023
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  • John Leviege

    Seven Cities has a very impartial process in regards to film judging. Seamless & professional process for creators & filmmakers.

    December 2020
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