It's time again for What The Fest short-film festival. WTF is a chance for small, new, independent, or established filmmakers to showcase their work to a live audience with other like-minded and supportive individuals in the entertainment business. WTF is a mini screening fest that’s going to be a little different, much like its hosts, Weresquirrel Productions and The Pocket Sandwich Theatre.

We’re looking for weird, wild, different, and original flicks 1-16 minutes in length. Any genre is welcome from drama and comedy to genres like science fiction, fantasy, and horror. But, we want to see what others would consider “not normal”, “unique”, “different”, “weird”, you know the kind of things that would make you think WTF?!

The fest will be over two nights in Dallas, Texas. The screenings will be short and sweet. We’re looking at a total of about 2 hours each night. We like to keep our scope relatively small, think of it as home-movie night, but with production value!

If you’re anything like us, we want new people to see our work, not just our family and friends. This is your chance to show-off, so let’s do this!

Each judge selection will receive a certificate of award and a commemorative piece of barware.

It would be great if we could screen all submitted films, but the time constraints of our event will prevent us from doing so. See below for the full list of rules:

Films must be one (1) to sixteen (16) minutes in length, including any titles or credits. If a film is over twenty (20) minutes, it will be reviewed by our panel, but could be disqualified if too long.

Filmmakers are responsible for obtaining all necessary rights and releases for the public screening of their work. This includes copyright clearance to all images and music.

All non-English language films must have English language subtitles.

Films must be submitted during the submission period (April 5, 2019 to September 30, 2019) through FilmFreeway in order to be considered for selection.

What The Fest and its organizer, Weresquirrel Productions, maintains the right to make the final determination as to which entries are eligible and accepted. Weresquirrel Productions maintains the right to deny acceptance to any film for any reason.

If selected, filmmakers grant the What The Fest the right to:
Use clips and images from the selected film for promotional purposes.

FAQ!
Q: Do we acquire the rights to your film?
A: No. You retain all rights to your film, but allow us to upload your entry across our social media & reproduce footage for publicity purposes; non-exclusive exhibition rights.

Q: Can I post my film(s) before the premiere or will I be disqualified?
A: Absolutely! Anytime, anywhere, plug WTF!

Q: Is there a limit on how many entries I can submit?
A: Submit as many as you’d like! Each entry will be considered.

Q: The deadline is September 30th at 11:59pm CST. Can I submit on October 1st or is that the last chance?
A: You can still submit on October 1st – October 20th 11:59pm CST, however, you will pay a $5 late-entry fee!

Q: Can I include titles and credits?
A: Yes you can, but it must be inside your 1-16 minute clip. Credits are not required. If an entry is barraged with credits, you may be asked to re-enter a new cut.

Q: Is there a limit on explicit content?
A: We decline explicit sexual-violence and material malicious by nature; racist, sexist, hateful etc.

Q: When will I be notified if my submission was selected to be screened?
A: We will email you the official selection notice by October 22nd.

Q: Can I submit a film I produced in the past?
A: You can submit a film you made anytime.

Q: Can I re-cut a scene from a previous film of mine?
A: Yes, but please make sure it’s a full story.

Q: Will there be awards given?
A: Yes, we will have judges awards and 1 audience selection award.

Q: Can anyone attend the screening?
A: Yes you may, however we must insist that you consider this event an R rated event. No one under the age of 16 will be allowed admittance to the venue without being accompanied by an adult.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Alison Loeb

    Fun festival, thanks so much for including us!

    November 2018
  • I wasn't able to attend, but communication was great! And, they seemed genuinely excited about accepting my short, TELLTALE SIGNS. If you have something strange, a little different or very different, take a chance on submitting to this fest. TELLTALE SIGNS is a comedy, but it's bizarre and a little meta in its premise/concept. It found a good home with WTF.

    November 2018
  • Jeff Smith

    This was a lot of fun, and well-run for a first-year festival. The projection system was quite good (definitely better than a couple other low-budget festivals I could name), and the films looked great. A very loose and friendly atmosphere, looking forward to next year!

    October 2017
  • Pierre GAFFIÉ

    Communication with us was quite good. The festival is lead with passion and enthousiasm.

    October 2017
  • Daniel White

    This was a very well-done festival! Weresquirrel is a great bunch to work with. Everyone was supportive, the movies were all enjoyable, and there was a fun variety. I hope they do it again!

    October 2017