The Fifteen Minute Film Festival presented by Planet 23 Studios will take place on July 18, 2020, at 6:00PM at the beautiful Towngate Theatre in Wheeling, West Virginia. Our mission is to celebrate the art of the short film in all genres. Our low entry fee (always $5.00, $4.00 for FilmFreeway Gold members, and $3.00 for students) allows you to spend more on your own film's budget. All winning submissions will be shown on a screen in a real theater filled with short film enthusiasts, fans, friends, and other filmmakers. The Towngate Theatre is located in the heart of Wheeling's Historic Centre Market and is close to local breweries, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife. Over 20% of the films submitted last year were given recognition of some sort, or an award. That means your film has about a 1 in 5 chance of being honored in some way.

Awards & Prizes

Just confirmed: Cash Prizes added! 1st Place - $100! 2nd - $75. 3rd $50, and 4th - $25. Funding provided in part by Wheeling Heritage. From all entries, fifteen films will be selected to be shown at the Festival. Student entries will be judged alongside of all other entries. From those fifteen, four will have been selected as the first through fourth place winners, and there will be an audience choice winner selected the day of the Festival. A number of Honorable Mention Awards may also be given. All fifteen selected submissions will receive "Official Selection" laurels upon notification of acceptance, and the first through fourth place winners will receive additional laurels, as will the Audience Choice winner, and any Honorable Mention winners. More prizes, including cash, may be added depending on attendance. Attending filmmakers from each of the fifteen selected films will receive two (2) free passes to the Festival.

Rules & Terms

All films must be complete upon submission. No works in progress will be accepted. Films made after 2017 are preferred, but it is not a requirement. Short films up to fifteen minutes in length including credits qualify. The Festival will not post your film anywhere online, but we may list a title/screen shot on our website of accepted entries, and we can post a link to your website if you would like. You may be asked to send a digital file of a poster for your film. By submitting, you agree that you own all copyrights and intellectual properties to your work. Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all music, images, and content in the entry. Any violations of that agreement will result in immediate disqualification from the Festival, and The Fifteen Minute Film Festival, its coordinators, vendors, directors, or exhibitors are not to be held responsible.
The Fifteen Minute Film Festival reserves the right to use any part of your submission for promotional purposes regarding the Festival itself. This includes social media, advertising, and other related outlets to promote the Festival. We will let you know if we do this.
Submitting does not guarantee selection. We reserve the right to disqualify anyone based on violation of our rules, objectionable content, or any other reason. Films not submitted in English must be subtitled. Please, no pornography or animal cruelty.
All entries must be submitted by the final deadline, which is June 26, 2020. As a bonus, $1 from each submission entered by December 31, 2019, will be donated to a local charity, The Friends of Towngate, which is a theatre and cinema supporter.
All winners will be notified of acceptance by June 30, 2020. All decisions made by the judges, programmers, and organizers will be final, with no refund of entry fees. FilmFreeway is the only platform to be used to submit your entry to the Festival. There is no limit on the number of films you can submit, but each entry requires its own fee/submission. There will be no waivers given, so please don't ask. I mean c'mon, it's only $5.00!
The submitters of each of the fifteen films selected for the Festival will be asked to authorize the Festival to download a digital copy once notified of acceptance into the Festival. If permission to download is not granted by July 7, 2020, your film will be disqualified and another will be selected to take its place. Thanks, and good luck!
8 Reviews
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  • Edit Jakab

    It was a great festival! And I feel honored to have won the Audience Choice Award.

    July 2019
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  • Brian Wallace

    We weren't able to attend in person due to a conflicting shooting schedule. But if we are lucky enough to be selected again, this is one festival at which we would make showing up a top priority. Sounded like a rewarding evening and a lot of fun.

    It was our first selection outside of L.A., and the organizers were friendly, supportive, and prompt. No question lingered or went unanswered, and the festival engages with your project across all social media platforms. They attract films from all over the world, so it's a boon to be showcased among such an eclectic selection.

    They were even kind enough to let us know how the event went and how our film was received by the audience. They seem to have a growing and enthusiastic base of fans. If you want your movie presented in front of true-blue movie lovers, this one should be on your short list.

    July 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much, Brian! your film "The Briefcase" was quite a hit at the Festival. We thank you for your interest in our event, and truly look forward to seeing whatever it is that you and your team come up with next!

  • Adam Thomas Wright

    Very sad I couldn't attend, but very pleased to have been a part of this year's festival. Great communication and I hope to be able to make it in the future.

    July 2019
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    Response from festival:

    We also wish you had been there especially since your film, “The Drive,” was awarded the First Place Award by our judges! Thanks so much for your kind words, and we look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.

  • Antoine Matuttis

    Sadly I could not attend the festival, when my film was selected last year. But the communication with the festival was great. Jeff is very friendly and informed me about everything I needed to know and beyond. In addition to that I wanna thank the team for selecting my film last year.

    January 2019
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  • Kat Garrido

    Sadly, I did not get to attend the festival, but saw nothing but good things on social media. Fantastic communication and was happy that my film received an honorable mention. Would submit again!

    August 2018
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    Response from festival:

    Kat,
    I think you would’ve enjoyed seeing our audience react to your film! Thanks for the kind words. We strive to make our Festival a great experience for the artists who honor us by submitting their work.