The StarLite Film Festival is a juried exhibition for micro budget narrative features and student shorts that take a closer look at untold stories, investigate fresh perspectives, and magnify unfamiliar faces. Completion budgets for features cannot exceed the equivalent of $200,000 USD or $10,000 for student shorts.

The StarLite Film Festival endeavors to become the number one global destination for micro budget filmmakers, a networking hub for the international community of cinema artists and enthusiasts who wish to develop and support micro budget features, and a platform for educating the next generation of entrepreneurial filmmakers.

Situated around the historic Garden Theatre in picturesque downtown Winter Garden, Florida, the StarLite Film Festival welcomes global innovation with small-town charm and hospitality. Our festival is filmmaker-centered and focused on offering a prominent platform to unique voices. Some festival are more interested in partying with celebrities than with with helping new filmmakers reach a larger audience. We treat every director like a celebrity and strive to offer every film the largest audience possible.

Jury Prize, Best Domestic Feature

Jury Prize, Best International Feature

Jury Prize, Best Domestic College Short

Jury Prize, Best International College Short

Jury prize, Best Domestic Student Short (Pre-College Level)

Jury prize, Best International Student Short (Pre-College Level)

Audience Choice Award for Best Feature

Audience Choice Award for Best Student Short

Spirit of StarLite Award — chosen by the Garden Theatre Board of Directors to honor the feature film that best represents the festival's mission.

StarLite Legends Award — chosen by the Garden Theatre Board of Directors to honor a filmmaker whose contribution to microbudget cinema warrants special recognition.

All entries must submit an online screener. Physical copies will not be accepted. Online screeners may be submitted via FilmFreeway or via an unlisted Youtube or secure Vimeo link.

Feature Competition Guidelines:

• Premiere Status Requirement: films must be a Central Florida Premiere. For the purposes of the StarLite Film Festival, Central Florida will be defined as the entire region within a 90 minute drive of Winter Garden, FL. This includes Daytona, Tampa, and Gainesville.
• Entries must be Non-Documentary Narrative features. Documentary films will not be accepted, but films that blur the line between reality and fiction may be considered.
• Entries must have at least 51% U.S. funding to be considered a U.S. Domestic submission.
• Entries must have at least 51% funding from outside the U.S. to be considered an International submission.
• Entries must have a completion budget of $200,000 USD or less (pre-distribution budget).
• Total running time (including credits) for feature film submissions must be between 70 and 120 minutes. Longer films will not be considered.
• Selected films must be made available as ProRes digital files.
• Films produced, financed or initiated by major motion picture studios are not eligible
for competition. However, any film conforming to the above guidelines and purchased
by a studio after completion and submission to the StarLite Film Festival is eligible.
• Entries in a foreign language must be subtitled in English.

Student/College Short Competition Guidelines:

• Premiere Status Requirement: none.
• To be considered a student short film, the director of the entry must have been enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited educational institution at the time of production. Acceptable institutions include any elementary, middle, or high schools (or international equivalents), or any college or university. A film directed by a student enrolled in a youth summer camp or after-school program will also be considered eligible.
• Total running time (including credits) for short film submissions must not exceed 10 minutes. Longer films will not be considered.
• Entries must be Non-Documentary Narrative shorts. Documentary films will not be accepted, but films that blur the line between reality and fiction may be considered.
• Entries must have at least 51% U.S. funding to be considered a U.S. Domestic submission.
• Entries must have at least 51% funding from outside the U.S. to be considered an International submission.
• Entries must have a completion budget of $5,000 USD or less (pre-distribution budget) for college and $500 USD or less (pre-distribution budget) for pre-college.
• Selected films must be made available as ProRes digital files.
• Entries in a foreign language must be subtitled in English.