An Intimate Short Film Festival, the San Diego Short Film Festival celebrates the art of storytelling through short films, showcasing the work of talented filmmakers from around the world. From thought-provoking dramas to captivating animations, the festival presents a rich tapestry of storytelling, offering a platform for emerging and established filmmakers to showcase their craft for fellow film enthusiasts.

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Awards & Prizes

ONLY ONE film will be named the QUARTERLY BEST FILM OF THE FESTIVAL regardless of genre category. Quarterly Best films of Festival are automatically submitted for the annual festival. ONLY ONE film annually will be awarded the GRAND PRIX and named BEST FILM OF THE YEAR.

Each of our genre categories will award one BEST FILM plus various technical filmmaker awards. All selected films will receive the official SDSFF festival laurel. Finalists and Honorable Mention will also receive an award certificate PDF via email. Winners will receive an award certificate via mail. The annual Grand Prix winner will receive a trophy! (The Grand Prix Winner must be present at festival screening to receive trophy or must pay shipping & handling cost). All other winners are eligible to purchase a trophy from our website.

Rules & Terms

All films submitted will be watched and selected or not selected for inclusion in the festival. Not all selections will be screened at the festival.

NOT SELECTED - We thank you for submitting but your film was not selected at this time.

SELECTED - Your film was chosen by our selection judges but is not eligible for screening or an award. You are authorized use of the SDSFF Selected laurel.

NOMINEE - Your film was chosen for inclusion and is eligible for an award(s) but will not be screened at the festival. You are authorized use of the SDSFF Nominee laurel.

HONORABLE MENTION - Your film was chosen for inclusion and scored among the top films without winning an award and will not be screened at the festival. You will receive an Honorable Mention certificate (PDF) and authorized use of the SDSFF Honorable Mention laurel.

FINALIST - Your film has not won an award but MAY be screened at the festival. You will receive a Finalist certificate (PDF) and authorized use of the SDSFF finalist laurel.

WINNER - Your film has won an award and will be screened at our festival. You will receive a Winner certificate (via U.S. post) and authorized use of the SDSFF winner laurel.

Winners will be announced via live stream the day following the screening. (Live Stream times TBD)

SDSFF accepts Short Films: up to 60 minutes in length. 

There may not be a winner or even a selection for any particular category. The decisions of our judges are final and unappealable --So DO NOT ASK!

Any film genre category submission, includes 2 free technical category submissions (your choice) per filmmaker, if desired. To submit, email your desired selections to the SDSFF after your genre category submission fees are paid. Additional technical categories may be selected for regular submission fees.

Pornographic entries will be disqualified without return of submission fees.

All entries MUST have an online screener via the FilmFreeway platform. FilmFreeway is the ONLY way to submit your film. If selected for screening, it will be required for the filmmaker to submit a DCP for exhibition purposes.

All entries must be in English or have English subtitles.