DC Shorts Film Festival 2024

A highly competitive festival, DC Shorts receives 1,300+ submissions from over 100 countries around the globe, projected to an audience of 80,000 both in-person and online, internationally, making it a perfect platform to share your art.

During the 5-Day Festival - each day will have a collection of mixed themed screenings with a live element: filmmaker Q&A, awards dinner, live podcast interviews, parties, a directors table, red carpet night and more! A collection of esteemed judges, all professionals in the filmmaking industry, will vote and select winners for seven awards. Audience members will have a chance to vote for their favorites as well!

Rules & Terms

Please read this agreement carefully before you submit your film. By submitting your film for consideration for the 21st Annual DC Shorts Film Festival, you expressly acknowledge and agree that you shall be bound by the terms of this agreement. All films will screen on DCP unless otherwise mentioned.

PREMIERE STATUS:

• We feel strongly that DC Shorts is a platform for all independent filmmakers to showcase their work, therefore, there are no restrictions on premiere status.

ENTRY FORM AND PREVIEW MATERIALS FOR ALL FILMS:

• All films must be submitted and paid for through FilmFreeway.
• Materials received after the appropriate deadline will be discarded without notice or refund.

ONLINE SCREENERS:

• All films must be submitted using the FilmFreeway Secure Online Screener System, via a Vimeo link entered directly on the submission application.
• We do NOT accept links via e-mail or streaming links other than Vimeo.
• If you choose to provide a Vimeo link on your submission application, please ensure that you select “Anywhere” under the “Where can this video be embedded” section of your video’s privacy settings.
• Due to the volume of submissions we receive we are unable to contact each applicant individually if we are unable to access your film due to privacy settings or broken link.
• It is YOUR responsibility to ensure that your online screener is working before the selected deadline.
• Submissions may NOT be withdrawn from the Festival once they have been entered, except at the sole discretion of the Festival directors.

REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

All entries are automatically included in the general DC Shorts Film Competition. DC Shorts will review films in their entirety. Films will be watched and reviewed by members of the Screening Committee. After the final submission deadline, the Selection Committee will review the total scores of all the films in competition and select final films from a group of the top scorers. In addition to the top scoring films, final screening decisions will be influenced by the time constraints of showcases (each showcase runs for approximately 90-minutes, with an average of eight short films featured in each showcase).

AWARD INFORMATION

Jury Awards will be presented in the following categories selected by a panel jury: Outstanding First-Time Director; Outstanding US Narrative Short; Outstanding International Narrative Short; Outstanding Animated Short; Outstanding Documentary Short; and Outstanding Local Film. All awards will be announced at the final Filmmaker Brunch. In addition, audience members in each screening will vote on Audience Favorites. Awards are subject to change before the event, with an updated list to be posted online.

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE

Letters of inclusion or non-inclusion, will be sent to the email address provided on the entry form by July 8 , 2024. DC Shorts does not send physical mail — please ensure that your email address is accurate on your application. DC Shorts is not liable for emails delayed by spam filters, server rejections, or outdated email addresses.

SCREENING FORMATS:

• DC Shorts REQUIRE TWO FILES FOR PROJECTION: a professionally converted DCP (24fps only) and an AppleTV formatted .mp4 file.
• Films with incomplete materials by the deadline will forfeit their ability to screen in the festival. DC Shorts, its members, directors, employees, and volunteers are not responsible for lost, misplaced, and undelivered film and media.

FILMMAKER AND WRITER ATTENDANCE: DC Shorts encourages filmmakers to attend the festival. To this end, we will assist every filmmaker (and one guest) who wishes to attend by helping to secure complimentary housing in a volunteer’s private home as available, discounted hotel rooms, passes for public transportation where available, invitations to all parties, tours and events, and passes for all film screenings. DC Shorts is unable to provide financial compensation for travel expenses or additional expenses incurred during the Festival week.

COMMUNICATIONS: DC Shorts does not send physical mail — please make sure the email address in your entry form is accurate. DC Shorts is not liable for emails delayed by spam filters, server rejections, outdated email addresses or any other technical or human error. DC Shorts staff can be reached by email at info@dcshorts.com.

PUBLICITY AND MARKETING: All selected films and scripts may be excerpted for publicity purposes. DC Shorts reserves the right to promote ANY film or script to print, broadcast or internet media as required to market the Festival or our parent organization.

THEATRICAL SCREENINGS

By accepting inclusion in DC Shorts, the filmmaker grants non-exclusive rights to showcase their film during the festival week (September 4-8, 2024) in as many screenings as required. This includes the competition screenings and the “Best Of” showcase which will play after competition ends. In addition, DC Shorts has non-exclusive rights to repeat the showcases through December 31, 2025 for fundraising or community outreach purposes. All ticket sales are property of DC Shorts.

Dates & Deadlines

• October 31, 2023: Opening Date
• January 1, 2024: Earlybird Deadline
• May 24, 2024: Regular Deadline
• June 14, 2024: Extended Deadline
• July 8, 2024: Notification Date
• eptember 4 – 8, 2024: Event Date