The Hang on to Your Shorts Film Festival is entering its 11th year of bringing great short films and art to the iconic Jersey Shore. In 2023 we returned to our traditional, in-person roots of beautiful Asbury Park, at the Jersey Shore. In April of 2024, 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 2024 event will be held at Basie Center Cinemas, 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).

We have over 28 awards for short films, all different categories and special guests.
**NEW CATEGORY ALERT: MUSIC VIDEOS**

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

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Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • A sincere thank you to the entire festival team for selecting our short Desert Sky to this amazing festival! We were sadly unable to attend but everyone involved was so awesome! Definitely submit to this fest!

    May 2023
  • Reel Genius Media

    Very happy to have been a part of this awesome festival!

    May 2023
  • Asher Anantham

    The High School category provides a great opportunity for young filmmakers to have their work seen.

    May 2023
  • Jack Foley

    "Hang On To Your Shorts" is one of the top festivals in the state of New Jersey. Hiram Ortiz and his staff run a first rate operation and go out of their way to make filmmakers feel at home. I was proud to have been invited to appear on their podcast and get a chance to talk about our film "Holly Hill" before a wide audience. The screenings were held in a nice theater in front of a receptive crowd. We look forward to returning to this fun festival in the future.

    May 2023
  • Dave Musolf

    This is a great Festival. A first class operation. Hiram Ortiz and his team do a wonderful job. Very happy to have our "The Man From Granada" screened here.

    May 2023