The Hang on to Your Shorts Film Festival is entering its 13th year of bringing great short films and art to the iconic Jersey Shore. In May of 2027, the Hang Onto Your Shorts Film Festival will be held in the great city of Red Bank, New Jersey.

Your art deserves a real movie theater. Accordingly, our 2027 event will be held at Basie Center Cinema House, 36 White Street, Red Bank, NJ.

New Jersey is the home of a lot of great film festivals. The Hang Onto Your Shorts Film Festival is unique because it is an intimate and inviting affair, without pretense. We celebrate your art, and we celebrate you! Hang Onto Your Shorts strives to create connections among filmmakers and actors, and these connections often result in collaborations that screen the very next year.

In celebration of the spirit of the Jersey Shore's musical history, we recently added a "Music Video" category to the awards. We also aim to promote the arts with future creators and collaborators. Accordingly, we have special STUDENT film rates.

We look forward to sharing our creative universe with you, and we look forward to meeting you! Join us in our pages (Facebook, Instagram).

Awards & Prizes

We have over 30 awards for short films, all different categories.
**NEW CATEGORY ALERT: MUSIC VIDEOS, and BEST LONG SHORT (back by popular demand) **

Rules & Terms

Online submissions only via FilmFreeway.
Submissions that are in any language other than English should be subtitled or dubbed.

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117 Reviews
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  • Tracii McGregor

    Hang On To Your Shorts was a wonderful festival experience from start to finish. The Basie Center Cinema was a quaint, beautiful old-school theater, and it felt especially meaningful to screen my film How Do I Do This? in Monmouth County, not far from the Jersey Shore where it was shot.

    Ironically, my car broke down just as I arrived in town, only about a block from the theater, causing me to miss my own screening. The organizers could not have been kinder or more accommodating during a stressful moment. They comforted me, helped me regroup, and generously screened my film again in the following block so I could experience it with an engaged audience.

    The programming was thoughtfully curated, and the entire event had a genuine sense of community and care. A heartfelt thank you to Hiram and the entire team for being so gracious. I will absolutely submit work here again in the future.

    May 2026
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  • Cristopher Colicchio

    I was so honored for my very first film ("It Just Occurred To Me") as a composer and director to be officially selected for the festival. Thank you so much to Hiram and BK for running such an enjoyable show filled with entertaining and meaningful films. I also loved the venue that accommodated its viewers with comfortable seating and a very organized presentation. I look forward to submitting my next film to HOTYS next year! Thanks again!

    May 2026
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  • Stephen Lanza

    It was an honor to be a part of such a fun festival. Thank you for giving Rocco and the Space Potato a place to shine.

    May 2026
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  • Dave McGrath

    This was a really wonderful festival and the guys that ran it were excellent. They stepped up to every question and concern that anyone had and were friendly as if we, the filmmakers knew them for years. I can't say enough about this great experience!

    May 2026
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  • mauricio zapata

    HOTYS film festival provides the filmmaking community a thtr venue which already sets it apart from other film festival . They understand that detail and celebrate the filmmakers and their art . Though I was nonstop able to attend ( allergies got the best of me) ; that will not deter me from recommending it to other filmmakers and submitting again .
    Keep pushing forward !!!

    May 2026
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