In today’s film climate it is hard to showcase short films. Many festivals only care about features and it seems like this art is dwindling to silly videos about kittens on the internet. Even though we love kittens (who doesn’t?) here at the Short. Sweet. Film Fest., we love short films (heck, short is even in our title).

With seven festivals under our belt, our goal for our eighth annual film festival is to showcase films under 30 minutes to the growing art scene in the greater Cleveland area and highlight the works of student filmmakers across the country. We are looking for the best short films locally, nationally, and internationally. So send them our way!

Our festival will take place in the Alex Theater at the Metropolitan at the 9 hotel in the heart of downtown Cleveland. Filmmakers and patrons can stay at the hotel at a discounted rate and enjoy food and beverages throughout the festival.

Rules & Terms

GENERAL RULES
• Productions made after January 1, 2010 may be submitted.
• Do not submit works in progress.
• Do not submit industrial or instructional works.
• All films must be submitted on a flash or memory stick in a .mov or .mpg4 format or WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.
• All films submitted must be available in .mov or .mpg4 format for presentation.
• A majority of films in digital video formats will be transferred temporarily onto a hard drive system for presentation.
• All entries must be postmarked by Monday, December 31st, 2018. (Early submission discounts apply until September 30th – see fee schedule.)
• A completed entry form must accompany each entry if not submitted through FilmFreeway.
• All entries must be sent to the Short. Sweet. Film Fest. prepaid and, for your own protection, should be insured.
• Flash or Memory sticks submitted will NOT be returned.
• Films selected for the Short. Sweet. Film Fest. will be announced no later than Friday, January 18th, 2019.
• Prints or videos for presentation must arrive no later than Friday, February 1st, 2019.
18 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • John Maslowski

    The Short. Sweet. Film Fest was great last year but it was even better this last year. They made some changes to the format which worked really well. The networking opportunities were fantastic. I met a filmmaker and now were are collaborating on a project. I will be back next year.

    March 2019
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  • Obediya Jones-Darrell

    I highly recommend this festival! An amazing venue to watch films and network with other people in the industry. I also was very impressed with the table read section of the festival as well. Such a pleasant experience, I can't wait to submit a new film next year!

    March 2019
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  • Mason McCabe

    This is one groovy festival.

    March 2019
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  • Larry Ziegelman

    The festival took place at a very nice hotel. The screening room held around 100 people on those big leather lounge chairs. The films that were picked were of very high quality. I was honored to be a part of it. The area that could be improved would be the parties. Maybe having free beer or wine for the filmmakers would help turnout and networking? All in all, a fun festival to see great films.

    March 2019
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  • Manuel Trotta

    Short. Sweet. Film Fest is a wonderful film festival for filmmakers of short films. Everything from the festival director, the staff's professionalism, and venue chosen, to the films selected is terrific. There are films in every genre from all over the world, and the quality of the films is fantastic. I had the pleasure of acceptance into this festival in the past and got so much out of it personally and professionally that I will be submitting every single one of my shorts in the future as long as i make film. I HIGHLY recommend it if you love shorts and want to attend a great shorts festival.

    March 2019
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