Deadlines
About festival
Short. Sweet. Film Fest.
The Short. Sweet. Film Fest. is a short film only film festival created by actual filmmakers. We found it challenging to showcase our own short films at film festivals who mainly program around feature films. In the age of streaming there are more opportunities than ever before to share your work, but we often asked ourselves, "do we really want to premiere our short film alongside silly kitten videos?" Even though we love kittens (who doesn’t?), we love short films more and want to present them in the professional setting they deserve.
With fifteen festivals under our belt, our goal for our sixteenth annual film festival is to showcase films under 40 minutes to the growing art scene in the greater Cleveland area and highlight the works of student to veteran filmmakers across the country. We look for short, sweet, original, and unique films that would often soar under the radar of most festivals. Our staff are looking for the best short films locally, nationally, and internationally. So send them our way!
Students should submit to the short student film category to receive a significant discount off of the submission fee.
Our festival will take place at Atlas Cinemas in the heart of downtown Shaker Square.
Trailer
Festival Amenities
Accepted Content
Submission Categories
Drama
Dramatic, fictional narratives
Comedy
Comedic, fictional narratives
Documentary
Nonfiction narratives
Animation
Animated films of all genres
Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)
Speculative fictional narratives based on imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology
International
Any short film made outside of the United States (can also apply to any other corresponding category)
Student
A film that meets any listed category but produced while the filmmaker was a student
Local
A film of any category produced in Northeast, Ohio
Short Series Pilot or Episode
A film/episode that is either a pilot for a series or an episode in a series
Environmental or Nature Film
A film/episode that are centered on the environment or awareness of climate change, pollution, deforestation, etc. Also films that are centered on outdoor activities and the natural world.
Horror
Horror based, fictional narratives
LGBTQ+
A film of any category that focuses on LGBTQ+ topics
Women in Focus
A film of any category directed or produced by a woman
Experimental
A film of any category that is experimental in style
Music Video
A short film based on an existing song
Asian Cinema
A film of any category that focuses on Asian culture or directed by someone who identifies as Asian
Latin American Cinema
A film of any category that focuses on Latin American culture or directed by someone who identifies as Latin American
Action or Thriller Film
Films centered on action, physical feats, thrills, excitement, and suspense.
Vertical Film or Series
A film or series that is shot in a vertical format to typically be viewed on a phone. Submit a series as one submission.
Festival Team
Michael Suglio
Festival Director
Festival Rules
General Rules:
General Rules
Productions made after January 1, 2022 may be submitted.
Do not submit works in progress.
Terms and Conditions
By agreeing to these terms, you warrant that you have read, understood, and agreed to the regulations of the Short. Sweet. Film Fest. and that, to the best of your knowledge, the information that you have supplied is correct.
In the event of a need to move the festival online for health and safety concerns, all selected films will screen online on our website, which will require a password protected secure login to view them. Do not submit industrial or instructional works. All films submitted must be available in .mp4 format for presentation. No exceptions. All films will be transferred temporarily onto a hard drive system for presentation. Filmmakers are strongly encouraged to send films with closed captioning if selected as they as they may be featured in additional programming. All entries must be postmarked by Thursday, December 31st, 2026. (Early submission discounts apply until September 30th – see fee schedule.) Flash or Memory sticks submitted will NOT be returned. Films selected for the Short. Sweet. Film Fest. will be announced no later than Friday, January 22nd, 2027. Video files for presentation must be uploaded no later than Monday, February 1st, 2027. By submitting your film to our festival you agree that, if selected, our qualified staff will review your film and upon their judgement add appropriate trigger and or content warnings on our website along with your film's description. Additionally you agree that, if necessary, an epilepsy warning will both accompany the description of your film on our website and precede the screening of your film during our festival. If you have questions about this policy please reach out to us prior to submitting your film. The Short. Sweet. Film Fest is dedicated to the cultivation of the best possible film and community for every individual involved in the creation of the incredible media we showcase as well as for the audiences we host. For this reason, we feel it is important for us to make clear this position: The Short. Sweet. Film Fest does not support nor condone the use of Artificial intelligence in any form or at any point of the filmmaking process and makes the important distinction separating artificial intelligence from computer-generated imagery (CGI). AI is a tool used only by the uncreative to steal from those compelled to create. There is not now nor will there ever be a place for AI at our festival, or, we hope, our industry at large. We will never knowingly show any project that utilized AI, and, if we come to find that a project we have selected has used AI, it will be immediately removed. We love our filmmakers and we will always strive to protect their art. Sincerely, SSFF Team.
