Established in 2012 as a quarterly screening series in Toronto, Canada, Shorts Not Pants is now a festival weekend held each November.

We've screened more than 700 films from more than 40 countries so far, and we're looking for more undiscovered gems to show our shorts-savvy Toronto audiences. Members of our programming team have experience working for some of the biggest and best festivals in the world (TIFF, Sundance, Hot Docs) and travel to festivals around the world seeking out the best films and the brightest filmmakers to support.

Your submission will be evaluated by our team and if chosen, will screen at our festival in November 2026. We have more than a decade of great programming experience behind us, with lots of audience momentum.

See some of the nice things filmmakers have said about us here: http://www.shortsnotpants.com/testimonials/

Awards & Prizes

Awards for Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animated Short, Best Canadian Short as well an Audience Award. Each award comes with a cash prize of US$250.

Important note: a film can only compete in the category in which it is submitted (ie. Narrative, Documentary, or Animated).

Rules & Terms

We are currently accepting submissions of short films up to 20 minutes in length. All genres are welcome, and we don't disqualify films that are already available online, though we do look favourably on films that want to premiere with us.

Our festival is dedicated to human creativity. While recognizing that technology is always evolving, filmmakers MUST disclose whether any elements of their film were generated by AI tools. Failure to disclose this information may lead to disqualification from the competition, the festival, or both. AI-assisted films may or may not be eligible for participation in the festival. The programming team will decide on a case-by-case basis. Submission to our festival is an acknowledgment and acceptance of these terms.

We screen from digital files ONLY. Films not in English must contain English subtitles. Films with open captions are welcome (and encouraged!).
22 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Lindsay Nyman

    Wonderful festival experience! James was communicative and thoughtful throughout the entire process and it was a joy to be a part of this festival. Thank you for selecting us and honoring us with the best documentary short award. I will definitely submit again next year!

    January 2025
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks so much, Lindsay! It's looking likely that we'll be taking a pause in 2025 but keep following us on social media. We'll be back!

  • Leah Doz

    Excellent, friendly, and communicative festival screening international shorts in Toronto! James is so kind to the filmmakers whose works he's programmed. Gracious and supportive. So glad we got to be a part of it.

    November 2024
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  • Liam Thrush

    What a great toronto film festival. it was so welcoming and nice and the whole team was super friendly. I would certainly submit to this festival again

    November 2023
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  • Jeffrey Ulrich

    Really well curated short film festival! It was a privilege to show my film alongside such talented creatives. Kudos to James and the entire Shorts Not Pants team for putting on an exceptional weekend.

    March 2023
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  • Luis Puente

    It's a very well curated festival. I got to premiere a short there that later played Sundance with another short that played at Shorts Not Pants! We established a great connection with Canadian Filmmakers because of this festival.

    March 2023
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