The ShortList Film Festival, TheWrap’s short film festival, returns after a two year hiatus, streaming online from June 28 to July 12.
The ShortList Film Festival celebrates the best of the work of up-and-coming filmmakers worldwide, choosing 12 finalists among dozens of award-winning shorts submitted to the festival.
Those finalists will stream online for two weeks, eligible to be voted on by TheWrap readers for the Audience Prize, as well as be judged for the Industry Prize by an esteemed jury of movie industry professionals.
A student film winner will be chosen from among 10 student entries, each representing a top-ranked film school.
“We are incredibly excited to showcase these films and celebrate the talent and creativity of these award-winning filmmakers. We know how much this festival means to our community – and we are honored to help build the careers of these young filmmakers,” said Sharon Waxman, founder and CEO of TheWrap, and the ShortList Film Festival.
The festival offers a valuable opportunity for emerging talents to showcase their creativity and skills, with the chance to win prizes and gain industry recognition. By providing a platform for these filmmakers, the festival enables their voices to be heard and their stories to be seen by a broader audience.
Landon Zakheim, the veteran short film programmer, also returns to program the finalist films in the festival. “We’re thrilled to welcome the return of the ShortList after it’s brief hiatus,” said Zakheim. “We can’t wait to present the award winning finalists from some of the most exciting filmmakers of tomorrow fresh from obtaining prizes at some of the most prominent festivals to our eager online audience this summer.”
The ShortList Film Festival accepts submissions of award-winning short films in the fiction, documentary, and animation categories, with a maximum length of 20 minutes. Submissions for 2023 are now closed. Among all entries, the best award-winning short films that have premiered at a major festival in the last year will be selected for screening and voting, making it the most highly-competitive film festival of its kind.
Winning a spot on the ShortList has proven to be a stepping stone for many talented filmmakers, who have gone on to receive accolades and recognition from prestigious awards. “Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa,” a finalist in 2020, was shortlisted for the documentary short category at the Academy Awards in 2021. “Sister,” a finalist in 2019, was nominated for the Academy Award for best animated short in 2020. The festival went dark in 2022 in the wake of the pandemic.
ShortList selections have achieved the ultimate recognition in the film industry, being nominated for or winning Academy Awards. The 2015 Audience and Jury Prize winner won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, while the 2016 Jury Prize winner, “Maman(s),” was honored with the Cesar Award for Best Short Film.
All ShortList films will stream and be available for viewing from June 28 – July 12 on www.ShortListFilmFestival.com
Winners will be announced on July 12th followed by an in-person panel and awards ceremony with filmmakers, jury members and representatives from the entertainment industry in attendance.
The 2023 ShortList Film Festival is proud to be sponsored by Kodak, The Los Angeles Film School, Scriptation, The Camera Division, Blackmagic Design and New York Festivals.
This year’s festival winners will receive prizes valued at up to $10,000 in filmmaking equipment, software and grants.
Kodak, in particular, is providing three winners with grants for film processing, in an effort to encourage filmmakers to shoot on film and preserve this iconic medium. The Blackmagic Design sponsorship will offer winners licenses to use the powerful DaVinci Resolve Video editing software, originally authored by DaVinci Systems and developed by Blackmagic Design. Additionally, they will provide loaner cameras to the student filmmakers for the 2024 competition, based on TheWrap’s list of the top film schools named in our 2023 feature, which will be published in September.
Furthermore, winners of the New York Festivals were eligible to enter their short films into the festival, giving them even greater exposure to industry professionals and audiences alike. Scriptation will also be present at the in-person event on July 12th, providing filmmakers with the opportunity to engage with their cutting-edge scriptwriting software and streamline their creative process. Lastly, we are thrilled to welcome back The Los Angeles Film School as a returning sponsor of the SLFF, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to supporting the next generation of filmmakers.
In addition to these offerings, The Camera Division will provide the Jury Voted Winner of The ShortList Film Festival with a special “Camera Package” certificate valued at a minimum of $2,500. This certificate is an exciting opportunity for the winner to acquire essential camera equipment for their future filmmaking endeavors.
We look forward to another successful festival with the support of these esteemed sponsors.
For more information, please visit www.shortlistfilmfestival.com
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