The Short. Sweet. Film Fest. is a short film only film festival created by actual filmmakers. We found it challenging to showcase our own short films at film festivals who mainly program around feature films. In the age of streaming there are more opportunities than ever before to share your work, but we often asked ourselves, "do we really want to premiere our short film alongside silly kitten videos?" Even though we love kittens (who doesn’t?), we love short films more and want to present them in the professional setting they deserve.

With fifteen festivals under our belt, our goal for our sixteenth annual film festival is to showcase films under 40 minutes to the growing art scene in the greater Cleveland area and highlight the works of student to veteran filmmakers across the country. We look for short, sweet, original, and unique films that would often soar under the radar of most festivals. Our staff are looking for the best short films locally, nationally, and internationally. So send them our way!

Students should submit to the short student film category to receive a significant discount off of the submission fee.

Our festival will take place at Atlas Cinemas in the heart of downtown Shaker Square in Cleveland, Ohio.

Awards & Prizes

All selections are eligible to win best, outstanding, or honorable mention in their respective categories. These awards will be announced at the end of programming for each category of film and for the screenplay competition.

Films will be juried by a panel of judges. We also will have an audience choice award for each program.

Rules & Terms

GENERAL RULES
• Productions made after January 1, 2022 may be submitted.
• Do not submit works in progress.
• Do not submit industrial or instructional works.
• All films submitted must be available in .mp4 format for presentation. No exceptions.
• All films will be transferred temporarily onto a hard drive system for presentation.
• Filmmakers are strongly encouraged to send films with closed captioning if selected as they as they may be featured in additional programming.
• All entries must be submitted by Thursday, December 31st, 2026. (Early submission discounts apply until September 30th – see fee schedule.)
• 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 22nd, 2027.
• Video files for presentation must arrive no later than Monday, February 1st, 2027.
• By submitting your film to our festival you agree that, if selected, our qualified staff will review your film and upon their judgement add appropriate trigger and or content warnings on our website along with your film's description. Additionally you agree that, if necessary, an epilepsy warning will both accompany the description of your film on our website and precede the screening of your film during our festival. If you have questions about this policy please reach out to us prior to submitting your film.
• The Short. Sweet. Film Fest is dedicated to the cultivation of the best possible film and community for every individual involved in the creation of the incredible media we showcase as well as for the audiences we host. For this reason, we feel it is important for us to make clear this position: The Short. Sweet. Film Fest does not support nor condone the use of Artificial intelligence in any form or at any point of the filmmaking process and makes the important distinction separating artificial intelligence from computer-generated imagery (CGI). AI is a tool used only by the uncreative to steal from those compelled to create. There is not now nor will there ever be a place for AI at our festival, or, we hope, our industry at large. We will never knowingly show any project that utilized AI, and, if we come to find that a project we have selected has used AI, it will be immediately removed. We love our filmmakers and we will always strive to protect their art. Sincerely, SSFF Team.
198 Reviews
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  • Melina Schmidt

    We are so grateful our pilot, "Influencers Anonymous" was included and won Best Pilot/Series of the festival. The Short. Sweet. Film Fest was a wonderful experience. We appreciate the thoughtfulness of the executive organizer, Mike Suglio, and the volunteers who went above and beyond. The event was well organized, thoughtful, and fun! We hope to be back soon!

    April 2026
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  • Lyssa Samuel

    Absolutely thrilled and honored to have Rash win Best Women in Focus Film at Short. Sweet. Film Fest. 2026!

    I wish I could have attended in person, but I have to say the communication for this festival was top notch. I really appreciate being apart of such excellent program and thoroughly recommend the festival.

    March 2026
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  • Hossein Soleimani

    I am truly delighted to have participated in your wonderful Short. Sweet. Film Fest with my screenplay—an experience that will remain a cherished and memorable moment for me.
    Hossein

    March 2026
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  • Tom Van Avermaet

    I had the pleasure of attending the 2026 edition of Short.Sweet Cleveland with our film ‘Hearts of Stone’, which was fortunate to be awarded ‘Outstanding International Short Film’ by the jury and the ‘Audience Choice’ award by the audience of the ‘Best of the Fest’ screening. The festival, taking place in the Atlas Cinemas on Shaker Square in beautiful Cleveland, had a lot of lovely filmmakers attending an excellent selection and was well organised by Executive Director Mike Suglio and his team of professionals and volunteers. We were fortunate to screen two times with engaged audiences and lively q&a’s at both screenings. This was my first time at the festival and in Cleveland and I was charmed by the warm reception to me and our film by both spectators and the festival team. Hopefully I can return at some point in the future!

    March 2026
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  • Craig Renfroe

    Thank you for including our short film "Public Speaking 101" in this year's festival! Excellent communication and our editor had an amazing time at the fest!

    March 2026
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