SEVEN HILLS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL | AUTUMN EDITIONS

🎬 Seven Hills Short Film Festival is an international quarterly short film festival with 5 quarterly competition that celebrates creativity and showcases the storytellers of tomorrow. Our mission is to present and support works that reveal the true potential of filmmakers and bring their vision to the world.

🎬 All five quarterly editions winners of the Seven Hills Short Film Festival, automatically qualify for our Annual Awards. In February 2027, the year’s best films will be honored at a event in Istanbul, featuring screenings, networking, and exclusive awards.

🎬 This structure ensures that every quarter not only offers recognition and visibility, but also the chance to compete for one of the most significant honors of our festival.

🌍 Founded by a passionate group of creatives, our festival was born out of a love for innovation and a desire to discover fresh sources of inspiration. We are dedicated to bringing people together and welcoming creators from all around the globe, regardless of format or style.

🌍 Our jury, composed of talented creatives, will select and reward the best works. We are excited to be part of your journey and remain committed to supporting and encouraging emerging content creators.

🌍 Diversity and Inclusion
Seven Hills Short Film Festival is looking for independent projects from all genres, particularly low or no-budget ones, as well as from all countries, especially from those traditionally underrepresented in the global film industry.

🎭 Quarterly Competitions
Each quarter season, the submitted projects are judged by a random team of invited experts from academia and film industry, against a high standard of merit. The quarterly award winners are considered for the annual nominations.

🏅 So, EVERY QUARTER, Seven Hills Short Film Awards establishes a comprehensive hierarchy of the most important films in the festival circuit, awarding a considerable number of projects in several different categories. A quarterly breakdown that allows you to be, at the same time, in a ANNUAL FESTIVAL competing for a spot among the world’s best short films of the year to be screened.

🏅 Annual Awards Event
Our annual stage, showcasing some of the best independent short films curated from around the world, with most being represented by their cast and crew, brings together in Istanbul a vibrant community of filmmakers and provides a unique opportunity for global interaction and networking.

🏆 Be a part of SEVEN HILLS SHORT FILM FEST – and bring your creativity to the spotlight!

Awards & Prizes

🏆 All Official Selections will receive Official Laurels. All Nominees & Winners will be listed on our website and on our social networks.

🏆 Quarterly & Annual Winners will also receive a customized digital Official Certificate.

🏆 BEST OF THE YEAR - ANNUAL EVENT
The biggest award at the Seven Hills Short Film Festival is given to the favorite of the year. The Grand Prize Winners receives a custom-made metal statuette.

Every submission can add additional categories (via multiple submissions). The name(s) to be credited should be included in the cover letter.

Some of the award-winning films may be screened in our venues, and their crews invited to attend and participate in special public Q&As.

For public screenings, both in the special sessions and in the Annual Awards event accept preferably DCP files. If not possible, we can also play 4K or 2K mov and mp4 files.

Some categories or levels of awards can have no winners if there are no submissions meeting the requirements, namely with no scores to make the awards' cuts.

🏆 EVENTS DATES
The event date in FilmFreeway designates the day of the announcement of the award winners of each quarterly round.

🏆 The special screenings and Q&As as well as the annual awards have a different timeline that is announced through our website and social media outlets. All submitters are always kept in loop and in advance to be able to do the preparations to attend the events.

Rules & Terms

By submitting in one of the categories of the Seven Hills Short Film Festival you unconditionally agree to the following terms:

1• Films must be 40 minutes or less in length (including credits).

2• Films in any language are accepted, but English subtitles are mandatory. Films without subtitles will not be considered.

3• Participants may submit multiple entries.

4• Films that have been screened at other festivals or have previously won awards are still eligible for submission. Projects of any type are welcome, regardless of when or where they were created.

5• If you submitted your film as a student, it is mandatory the student status evidence (e.g copy of student card included in the project).

6• The applicant must be the legal copyright holder of the film and is fully responsible for its content.

7• The festival has the rights to utilize excerpts of it (trailer, teaser, poster, stills) for promotional purposes only. We will not in any circumstances make your movie available online.

8• Submission fees are non-refundable.

9• The monthly and annual schedule, including festival dates and times, is subject to change based on the time required for jury deliberation or technical maintenance. You unreservedly accept the annual and quarterly schedule and any potential changes.

10• The number of winning categories varies each month, depending on the submissions received.

11• No work or artist will be discriminated against or favored based on their country of origin, language, age, race, education, ideology, sexual orientation, or financial resources.

12• All content, formats, and techniques will be objectively considered and analyzed in their entirety and without censorship.