Spark Micro-Short Film Festival (formerly MicroMania Film Fest) builds cultural awareness and connects hearts with impactful micro-short films.
** Please note, our event date will be April 2025 (scroll down for details). Notifications may
We select films that expand perspectives and inspire new folks to share their voices and vision in film and video.
Diverse filmmakers play to diverse audiences at our free events that span a weekend in April 2025 - our events screen 1.5 hours of content at venues accessible to anyone and everyone.
OUR PROCESS IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT
We select films seasonally, making new opportunities for filmmakers available long before submissions close.
Officially selected films:
- can stream on the MicroMania Channel (2.3M+ views since 2020)
- are eligible for opportunities to screen outside of festival events, at times compensated with a screening fee
- move to our finalist round in which our programmer selects the films that will screen at our festival in 2025 and compete for awards.
We have a multi-round selection with deadlines. Filmmakers are notified of the selection status within a month of the deadline under which they submit.
Please check your junk and spam mail folder if you have not heard from us.
If that produces nothing, please log in to your FilmFreeway account as we have also left a note.
CRUCIAL COMMUNICATION INFO
We notify through FilmFreeway. If your film is selected we message you with instructions by posting notes to your FilmFreeway project page. Please ensure that FilmFreeway.com is on your contact list, or you may miss our notification.
If we don't don't hear from you, we will mark your film as 'incomplete' and reach out again.
If we never hear from you, your film will be disqualified.
*2024/2025 SMSFF Officially Selected films:
1. Advance to our juried finalist round in June to determine which films will screen during our 2024 festival events and award winners. Our program runs on several days at a variety of locations and includes 1.5 hours of content which limits how many films can be selected as finalists.
2. Are invited to stream their film *MicroMania Channel, which has topped 2.3M views since its launch in 2020. We've discovered that micro-short films attract more views together than alone.
3. Sometimes, get referrals to other festivals and invitations to have their films, join panel discussions, be guest bloggers, be interviewed, and have options to screen during Spark year-round events - some that may even pay a screening fee.
Only finalist films - screen and compete for awards during our 2025 festival event.
**If your film is over 5 minutes due to credits - enter your runtime as 5 min.
SELECTION PROCESS, JUDGES, AND SPONSORS
Films are selected on a seasonal basis by our programmer, receive a laurel, the option to join the MicroMania® channel and advance to our finalist round, which determines what films will screen during our annual festival event series.
Filmmakers are notified of the official selection and invited to stream on our channel on a rolling basis. Official selection does not guarantee participation in Spark Micro-Short Film Festival 2024 events.
Officially selected films advance to our finalist round in July 2024, determining which films screen and compete during our 2024 festival event. Films are selected for finalist status based on impact and how they fit into the allotted time of our programs, which run between 1.5 and two hours long.
Check out former MicroMania Film Fest 2019-2023 Officially Selected films at micromaniafilms.com
IRANIAN FILMMAKERS - HOW TO REQUEST AND OBTAIN A CODE
1. Scan evidence of nationality (photo id - passport, or driver's license) showing your name and address 2. Scan a postmarked and dated bill or another official document showing your current residence place 3. Send both via email to micromania@sparkfilmmakers.org 4. Once we confirm your eligibility, we will send you a code. 5. Once you have received your unique code from us, you may submit via this category and upload your documents to the docs section of your application. I request per submitter per year.
EVALUATION
Submissions are evaluated on a combined basis of impact, uniqueness of vision, and production quality, with a weight placed on impact.
Films are also evaluated compared to other recently submitted films and previous season official selections and award winners.
MicroMania Channel offers a good basis to acquaint you with the kinds of films that have been accepted previously. www.micromaniafilms.com
Filmmakers whose films have not been selected are welcome to request feedback. Please note, our team is very small so it may take a while for us to get back to you.
AWARD JUDGING
Films are selected on a seasonal basis by our programmer, receive a laurel, the option to join the MicroMania® channel and advance to our finalist round, which determines what films will screen during our annual festival event series.
Our judging panel reflects all members of a society so brilliant work isn't passed over due to unconscious prejudice or bias. We've shifted to a public judging model that includes official judges from the film industry and film/media academia.
Films are rated on a scale from 1-5 based on impact first and production quality second. Category winners are those who have the highest average score in their category. Best Micro and Best Mini-Micro award winners have the highest average ratings overall.
Festival Finalist films screen live during our festival and compete for prizes—finalist notification date TBD but no later than July 30, 2024.
2023 Official Judges
Lukia Costello - Filmmaker, Executive Director, Spark Filmmakers Collaborative
Dorothea Braemer - Winner Best Micro Experimental 2021, Documentary Filmmaker, and Associate Professor of Media Production
For a complete list of judges from previous seasons visit: https://sparkfilmmakers.org/film-festivals/micro-short-film-fest/
SPONSORS
Money isn't everything. MicroMania® cares for only select sponsors and partners with a track record of inclusion and sensitivity to undue financial barriers that impede diverse perspectives.
2023 Sponsors: Buffalo City Council North District, Torn Jersey Media (Haudenosaunee Micro-Short Film Program), Micro-Budget Indie Filmmakers Podcast, CarMax Studio, Buffalo Music Club, Spark Filmmakers Collaborative, the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Arts Services Inc.
2022 Sponsors: Buffalo City Council North District, Native Spirit Film Festival UK, Torn Jersey Media (Haudenosaunee Micro-Short Film Program), Micro-Budget Indie Filmmakers Podcast, CarMax Studio, Buffalo Music Club, Spark Filmmakers Collaborative, Rezultz Marketing, Solar Ingram, Amy's Place Restaurant and the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Arts Services Inc.
MMFF22 was supported by a New York State Regrant and the office of the Governor of the State of New York as administered by Arts Services Inc. Additional support was provided by Buffalo Common Council Ellicott and Niagara District.
2021 Sponsors: Buffalo City Council North District, Native Spirit Film Festival UK, Torn Jersey Media (Haudenosaunee Micro-Short Film Program), Micro-Budget Indie Filmmakers Podcast, Argle Bargle, CaraMax Studio, Buffalo Music Club and Spark Filmmakers Collaborative
2020 Sponsors: The New Hotness Media Institute, IndieVice, FREE AGENT, Argle Bargle: The Game Where you Insult Your Friends, Black Girl Film Club, CaraMax Studio, Mystic Road Films and Alycia Ripley.
**submission fees don't cover our expenses. Our sponsors do not provide cash support.
This New York State Council on the arts grant we usually get to cover these costs was cancelled for this year.
We will be applying for coverage but the money does. not become available until 2025. Because of this, we've decided to move our events to April 2025.
Our listing shows a January event date because FF's system would not allow us to list later.
Spark Micro-Short Film Fest 2025Finalists compete for the following titles and a minimum of $50 USD cash award.
AWARDS
Best Micro 2025
Best Mini-Micro 2025
Best Micro-Narrative 2025
Micro-Documentary 2025
Best Micro-Freestyle 2025
Best Micro-Experimental 2025