5 short film festivals worth submitting to
Showcasing events where shorts aren’t filler between features but the entire focal point.
HollyShorts Film Festival
Hollywood, California
HollyShorts is now in its 22nd edition and the Oscar-qualifying festival has rapidly become one of the most recognized short film festivals globally. Founders Daniel Sol and Theo Dumont started HollyShorts because they wanted to shed light on short films in Hollywood which were rarely done before. Held annually in August at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood, over 7,000 shorts are submitted with 400 selected. The festival has since expanded to markets like London and Dubai, and runs a dedicated comedy shorts film festival each May.
Indy Shorts International Film Festival
Indianapolis, Indiana
Recently added to The Circuit, Indy Shorts is the largest short film festival in the Midwest. Presented by Heartland Film, this six-day festival held annually each July is Oscar-qualifying in all three short film categories and also qualifies for BAFTAs. The grand prize winners of this festival don’t just get a cash prize, but they automatically qualify for the Oscars the following year without requiring a theatrical run.
LA Shorts International Film Festival
Los Angeles, California
With seven Academy Award-qualifying categories, LA Shorts offers more paths to Oscar consideration than any other festival in the world. LA’s longest-running short film festival is now in its 30th year and draws 10,000 attendees to downtown Los Angeles every July. 69 LA Shorts filmmakers have earned Academy Award nominations, with 18 taking home the Oscar.
Aspen Shortsfest
Aspen, Colorado
This Oscar-qualifying festival has a long track record of catching major filmmakers early. Held each April, the most recent 2026 edition received over 3,000 film submissions, selecting 61 films to showcase. Past award winners include Taika Waititi, who won Best Drama in 2004.
McMinnville Short Film Festival
McMinnville, Oregon
Now in its 15th year, McMinnville Short Film Festival screens over 100 films from over 15 countries, including world, US, and Pacific Northwest premieres. Named by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the 20 great film festivals in Vacation Destinations, this festival takes place every February and exists because of a UFO festival. The founders were asked to contribute a short film contest to the city’s annual UFO event and it was transformed into a full international short film festival.
—————————————————————————————————————
If you’re figuring out which festivals are the suitable fit for your film, The Circuit is where you should start. Built to help independent filmmakers seamlessly find the festivals that make sense for their work, we’ve partnered with shorts festivals across the country.
Once your screener is ready to share with collaborators, programmers, or press, upload it to KNOWN. KNOWN gives filmmakers real-time data on who’s watching and where they stopped, turning every watch into useful information, not just a Vimeo link you send and never hear back about.
