Join us for the 12th Annual Atlanta Shortsfest held August 20 - 21, 2021.
We are one of the only live film festivals held during the 2020 pandemic.
No matter what the circumstances are, the show will go on!
Our entry fees have been deeply discounted this year, so everyone has a chance to be a part of it.

Atlanta Shortsfest showcases a diverse mix of short films by ultra-talented filmmakers from across the globe.

Traditionally, short films often do not garner the attention they deserve on the festival circuit. Atlanta Shortsfest was established to spotlight and promote excellent short films, and provide an important platform to share and discuss your work with appreciative audiences and fellow filmmakers.

The Atlanta Shortsfest showcases a variety of short films with a running time under 45 minutes. Judges program comedy, animation, documentary, experimental, horror & sci-fi, personal, erotic, fantasy, drama, thrillers, action & adventure, cult and just about any other genre you can imagine.

The Atlanta Shortsfest is held during the annual Atlanta Film Series, a showcase of independent film packed with four unique film festivals designed to spotlight every genre of cinema imaginable.

Events include:

Atlanta Shortsfest
Atlanta Underground Film Festival
Atlanta Horror Film Festival
Atlanta Docufest

Join us for all of the events at the Atlanta Film Series.

Awards & Prizes

These are just some of the Awards the festival has presented:

Best Short Film
Best Drama Short
Best Comedy Short
Best Foreign Short
Best Horror Short
Best Thriller Short
Best Sci-Fi Short
Best Student Film
Best Music Video
Best Action Short
Best Erotic Short
Best Experimental Short
Best Mini Short
Best Animated Short
Best Local Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Ensemble Cast
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Director

Rules & Terms

FORMATS​
Entries must be submitted via an online source, such as a link to vimeo.

SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION
Programming decisions are made by the festival directors and our selection committee. If accepted, we will notify filmmakers by email. After acceptance, the exhibition format will need to be in our office one week before the festival. Be sure to indicate aspect ratio of your film/video as well as any other special screening/presentation information we might need to know. We do not pay rental fees for submitted work that is programmed.
26 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Zack Burkett

    Awesome and very well put-together film festival! One of the best in Atlanta. The organizers are extremely friendly, especially Eric, and they went the extra mile to hold the 2020 festival in a safe and responsible way in light of the pandemic. Excellent programming and content. It was an honor to have our film selected and we had a great time attending!

    October 2020
    Helpful
  • Bruce Temuchin Brown

    So pleased to be part of this festival. They were professional and easy to communication with. Definitely recommend this festival for short film makers.

    September 2020
    Helpful
  • Sophie Webb

    Great festival with really nice organizers and awesome films!

    September 2020
    Helpful
  • Alex Parkinson

    In a difficult year (2020), Atlanta Shortsfest put on a great festival and managed to draw in a good number of people. The slate of films was really solid and even though we were wearing masks and keeping distant, I was impressed at some of the networking I managed to do. I'll keep submitting in future years.

    September 2020
    Helpful
  • Daniel Ballard

    Atlanta Shortsfest is a fantastic festival! Every aspect of their communication and production was excellent! I'm excited to send submissions their way for many years to come!

    September 2020
    Helpful