In year 7 in Asbury Park, NJ it is us the "Hang on to Your Shorts" Film Festival. We are going to be back for a sixth season and this coming year 2020 we hope to be much bigger and better. The first season turned out to be a huge success with so many great films entered and shown in Asbury Park, NJ.
There have been festivals in the area in the past that have closed down or moved away. There are many other film festivals in the state of New Jersey but they are not close to the shore area in Central New Jersey. There have been past festivals that focuses mostly on feature films but what about that filmmaker who hasn't been able to make one yet. The artist who created a short film but is unable to show it or showcase their work. This is where we come in to the picture. We encourage the filmmakers who have short films of any length from 1 minute all the way up to 40 minute shorts to enter our festival.

(We have low entry fees so it could be affordable. We need to raise money for the festival so as a festival we can not waive any entry fees, so please do not ask, thank you.)

Awards & Prizes

We have over 28 awards for short films, all different categories and special guests.

Rules & Terms

The entry fee is per category. Online submissions only no more dvds
Submissions that are in any language other than English must be subtitled or dubbed.
If sending a check make checks payable to "Hang Onto Your Shorts Film Festival"

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51 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Lauren Loesberg

    I've attended this festival in the past and been an official selection several times. I LOVE screening here - super friendly and accessible to students.

    November 2019
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  • hamza zaman

    CJ and team always put on a great festival! One of my favorites by far!

    June 2019
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  • Robyn Hartman

    I had a great time in Asbury Park at the festival. My short, The Gift of the Red Fern, was in the documentary block with some very interesting and informative films. The venue was a large room in the back of Porta restaurant, across from the famous Stone Pony bar. Unfortunately it was a rainy day, otherwise a great location just across from the beach and boardwalk. Porta had delicious food with a refreshing spin on traditional dishes. It was convenient to be able to grab a bite there. The Hang on to Your Shorts staff were accommodating and nice. Regretfully I couldn't stay for the party.

    May 2019
    Helpful
  • Johanny Mota

    I loved attending this festival, the guys that run the festival are very kind and friendly and love helping other filmmakers. They were very welcoming and supportive of my film, the selection of films were outstanding there was a lot of good quality films.

    May 2019
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  • Dianne Rothenberg

    I loved the location, and so easy to find parking! I arrived early, but everyone was so kind and once it began, it was a great venue! My only regret was that, because of a personal situation, I had to leave early and could not take advantage of all the networking opportunities that continued on throughout the rest of the day into the evening.

    May 2019
    Helpful