We will be screening all selected films in person at our venue located in Newark, NJ. Selected film filmmakers will be invited to attend. Please stay tuned to our Facebook page and website for updates. Thank You

As one of the featured events during the Newark Arts Festival, the Short Film Festival will be held October 10 - 11, 2025, at Express Newark. The Newark Short Film Awards is presented in partnership with Express Newark, and I'm So Newark.

This three-day event will be full of creativity, providing film-making workshops/panels, networking events, entertainment, and an overall support system for filmmakers, artists, actors, composers, directors, writers, and all aspects of video production.

Films may be submitted in the following categories: Short Documentary, Short Narrative, Short Comedy, and Short Student Film. This year we will feature a new category for our local filmmakers titled, Homegrown.

Our weekend lineup includes movie screenings, filmmaker panels, and a networking session that will provide an opportunity to share information and promote individual specialties within the film industry.

This event is designed for all artists interested in creating and working in and around the film-making industry and for Movie Lovers alike. The Short Film Festival prides itself on being informative, lively, entertaining, and spotlighting the filmmaker.

Passes for the Newark Short Film Awards will be on sale here on FilmFreeway. As the event approaches, you can find more information on our website and social media outlets: http://facebook.com/ShortFF.

Awards & Prizes

The winners will be awarded during the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, October 11, 2024.

Rules & Terms

The following rules are for the SHORT FILM FESTIVAL October 10-12, 2025

All film submissions must be 2-15 minutes long, including credits.
At least 20 short films will be selected from the submissions that are received online.
Selected films will be screened during the Newark Short Film Awards.

Films may be submitted at https://filmfreeway.com/ShortFF
All submissions must be received by August 24, 2025.

If your submitted film has been screened and won awards at other festivals, please indicate which festivals and the awards given.

All Entries should include a mini press pack with a one-paragraph synopsis, a short staff biography, and a photo of the director and producer for promotional use.

All Entries should include a cast list, including high-quality photos for promotional use. Submission fees are non-refundable.

Student Submissions
(Must Be a Registered Student. High School, College, University, Trade, Art School)
There are no age restrictions for filmmakers, but the submitter must be at least 18 years of age.

______________________________________________________________________

SUBMISSION RULES
1. Films must be between 2-15 minutes, including credits.

2. Films must be submitted online with download capabilities enabled.

3. Filmmakers may make multiple submissions, but you must submit projects separately and are required to pay entry fees for each film submitted.

4. Entries must include contact information, including an email address and phone number, on all submission materials.

5. The Short Film Festival reserves the right to screen any film projects submitted to the Newark Short Film Awards.

6. To receive your Award at our Awards Show, you must thoroughly supply us with your contact information. (Name /Phone / Email/ Address)

7. The Short Film Festival has the right to post selected films to our website or use clips for promotional purposes unless the filmmaker opts out by contacting the Short Film Festival Matt@ImSoNewark.com when submitting your film.

8. All Newark Short Film Festival decisions are final and at our discretion.

9. Foreign language entries must have English language subtitles.

10. Films must have been produced in the past three years.
29 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Pat Battistini

    A big thanks to Matt and his entire team for the opportunity to screen our film! We hope to be back!

    October 2025
    Helpful
  • Wendell Moore

    Amazing experience. Shout out to Newark Short Film Festival for selecting my film Juvey-D and Ant as a finalist. Totally enjoyed the whole vibe.

    October 2023
    Helpful
  • Bear Kosik

    I was fortunate to be able to attend parts of the festival, including most of the screenings. Everyone was friendly, welcoming, and pleased to meet one of the filmmakers whose work was selected. I saw all but six of the films. They chose amazing, varied, professional, entertaining work. I am honored to have my film in that mix. The talkbacks were informative and clearly showed that the organizers put the filmmaker first, with the audience a close second. The venues are outstanding. Meeting students from the NJIT program was a bonus. The only glitch was that I didn't hear anything about the awards ceremony mentioned on FilmFreeway. I would have enjoyed that whether my film received an award or not.

    October 2023
    Helpful
  • Harry Waldman

    Thanks for selecting "Enter the Room" into your festival. I wasn't able to attend the event in person, but the communication was clear and concise and I had a good experience overall. II will definitely consider submitting future projects to Short Film Festival.

    October 2023
    Helpful
  • David Ambrose

    Such a well run festival for independent filmmakers! The venue is great to see your work and others on the big screen. Highly recommend for anyone looking to submit!

    December 2022
    Helpful