SleuthFest Film is Hollywood's mystery-themed short film festival open to mystery lovers everywhere. Filmmakers of All backgrounds. All producing levels. All welcome to investigate.

Curation is light. The only rules: keep it in the greater Mystery genre, and keep it under 20 minutes. That's it. No additional clues needed to solve this case.

But let's be clear about what "sleuth" means to us, because we're not just talking Sherlock. We want whodoneits, howcatchems, noir thrillers, tales of suspense, true crime stories, action tales, and everything in between.

- A noir-style detective short shot entirely in your garage? Perfect.
- A mockumentary about a neighborhood watch that takes itself way too seriously? Delightful.
- A found-footage mystery where the biggest question is "who deleted Scene 47"? Scintillating.
- A slapstick murder-comedy in the vein of a popular board game? Color us intrigued.

Whatever you bring us, SleuthFest is a celebration of every twist, every red herring, and every "Eureka!" moment.

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SleuthFest Film is the Dr. Watson to Sherlock Holmes' SleuthFest - a film-based Trusted Companion event running inside Hollywood's Mystery Theatre Festival.

SleuthFest Film will screen one night only: Tuesday, February 23rd at The Hobgoblin Playhouse in Hollywood.

Our judges will hand-pick ten standout films from our pool of submissions. Doors open at 6:30. Screening begins at 7pm.

Voting for the Audience Choice award and the announcement of the Judge's Selection award happen live immediately after the screening.

Want the full picture? The live performance lineup and everything else festival-related lives at SleuthFestLA.com.

Awards & Prizes

Audience Choice
Judges Selection

Rules & Terms

- SleuthFest is open to entries from the United States and internationally.

- Entries must fit within the greater Mystery genre.

- Our judges will select ten films for screening.

- Multiple entries are accepted.

- Entry fees are non-refundable.

- Films must be under 20 minutes in runtime.

- Non-English language entries must include English subtitles.

- All entries must include submitter contact information, including an email address and, where possible, a phone number.

- No physical submissions. Digital only, please.

- Selected films must be delivered in MP4 or MOV format at 1920x1080 resolution, with audio between stereo and 7.1 surround. Films should be delivered via direct download through FilmFreeway. Files that do not meet these specifications may be excluded from screening.

- The submitter warrants that they own or have obtained all necessary rights, licenses, and clearances (including music, footage, and performance rights) to submit and exhibit the film, and agrees to indemnify SleuthFest against any third-party claims arising from the screening.

- SleuthFest reserves the right to screen any film or project submitted to the festival.

- SleuthFest reserves the right to decline or remove any submission that includes content it deems inappropriate, unlawful, or in violation of these guidelines, at its sole discretion.

- By submitting, entrants grant SleuthFest the right to use film stills, trailers, and promotional excerpts of up to 60 seconds for festival marketing, press, and social media purposes.

- All decisions made by the festival are final.