Submit Your Film

The Spark Micro-Short Film Fest and the MicroMania^® Channel screen and stream micro-short films (5 minutes and under in duration, before credits).

Our goal is to grow short-film fandom, spread cultural awareness, and inspire new voices to filmmaking.

• We don’t care when films are made, only that they are 5 minutes or under before the credits roll. If credits take your film over 5 minutes, no problem. Just enter your runtime as 5:00 when you submit on FilmFreeway.
• High fees and premiere requirements are needless barriers to inclusivity. Micros aren’t festival ticket drivers and don’t compete for distribution deals the way longer form work does. Our fees stay low, never topping $18.
• We promote. We don’t impede. If your film is already growing its audience online, no problem. We want your film to get as many views as it can, wherever it can.

Submissions for our 2024 Micro-Short Film Fest open August 1, 2023, on FilmFreeway.

Submission waivers are available to Indigenous Filmmakers by referral and Iranian filmmakers by request (see instructions below).

Our Selection Process

We have a multi-round selection with deadlines in late September, late December, Late March and mid April. Our final, late deadline is May 19th. Filmmakers are notified of selection status within a month of the deadline under which they submitted. Filmmakers are notified of finalist status on or before June 17th, 2022.

Officially Selected 2023 films:

• Advance to our juried finalist round in June to determine which films will screen during our 2023 festival events.
• Are invited to stream their film *MicroMania Channel that has topped 1.4M views since it’s launch in 2020. We’ve discovered that micro-short films attract more views together than alone.
• Become eligible for referrals to other festivals
• Become eligible to: join panel discussions, be interviewed, screen their films during Spark year-round events which include a screening fee if we can swing it.

Only finalist films screen and compete for awards during at Spark Micro-Short Film Festival in September 2023.

Films are screened, evaluated, and rated by industry professionals, bloggers, critics, academics, multi-disciplinary artists and film fest programmers. Our Micro-Experimental category is judged by professionals familiar with the form. Our judges rate based on impact and production quality. Technical imperfection is not grounds for exclusion, as long as it doesn’t distract from overall impact.

Official Selections

2024 films will be judged and selected on a rolling basis.

All officially selected films:

• Receive laurels and advance to the Finalists’ Round
• Get invited to stream on the MicroMania Channel and have your film promoted across our social media networks
• Get opportunities to expand their audience via year-round encore presentations and other screening opportunities
• Are eligible to participate in filmmaker panels by invitation
• 1:1 project mentoring opportunities

(NOTE: Official selection does not guarantee Spark Micro-Short Film Fest 2024 event series inclusion.)

Finalists Round

Officially select films advance to the finalist round. Finalist films are then rated on a scale of 1-10, weighing impact first. Top-rated films and advance to the finalist round as festival programmer selections.

Finalist status notification will occur on or before June 21, 2024.

Finalist films:

• Enjoy all of the benefits of official selections
• Screen during Spark Micro-Short Film Fest events in 2024
• Compete for awards, prizes, and other opportunities

We take great care to make sure that our judges reflect all members of a society. It’s the only way to ensure that brilliance isn’t passed over because of unconscious prejudice or bias.

Film Submission Categories

• Mini-Micro (2 minutes or under)
• Micro-Narrative (comedy, drama, horror, action)
• Micro-Experimental
• Micro-Documentary
• Micro-Freestyle (non-linear, non-experimental, music videos, PSAs)

Awards

• Best Mini-Micro (overall winner)
• Best-Micro (overall festival winner)
• Best Micro-Narrative
• Best Micro-Experimental
• Best Micro-Documentary
• Best-Micro Freestyle (non-experimental, non narrative)

Each award winner receives a $50 USD cash award and award laurels.

Iranian Filmmaker Waiver Request

If you are an Iranian filmmaker that would like to submit your film to the 2024 Spark Micro-Short Film Fest:

• Scan evidence of your nationality (e.g., passport, driver’s license) showing your name and address
• Scan a postmarked and dated bill or another official document that shows your current place of residence
• Email both scanned documents to filmfest@sparkfilmmakers.org

Once we confirm your eligibility, we will send you a code. Once you have received your unique code from us, you may submit to any category you like at FilmFreeway!

Deadlines & Entry Fees

Submission fees pay for a fraction of the operational costs related to this fest. The majority of our work is done for free.

They also help cover cash awards, and  stipends for filmmaker panel participants and hosts. Entry fees are non-refundable and are required for each distinct category submission. If a film is duplicated in more than one category, and is accepted, the duplicate will be disqualified.

• Early Deadline: September 30, 2023
• Fall/Winter Deadline: December 21, 2023
• Late Winter Deadline: February 21, 2024
• Regular Deadline: April 21st, 2024
• Late Deadline: May 26, 2024

Official Selection Notification: up to 1 month after each deadline above.
Finalist Notification: on or before June 21, 2024.

Entry fees are posted at FilmFreeway.com.

Rules

Spark Micro-Short Film Fest is open to micro-short content up to 5 minutes long (before credits) from all countries. *Submissions are currently not accepted from the Russian Federation due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its crisis.

• Mini-Micro: a film with a runtime of 2 minutes before credits.
• Micro: a film with a runtime of 5 minutes before credits.

All non-English language films must be subtitled in English. We also ask that English language films include a caption file so that everyone can enjoy your film.

The use of copyright-protected music unless you can produce written permission or proof of a usage agreement. We ask.

No pornography and NO HATE.

Spark Micro-Short Film Fest reserves the right to remove any category for which a minimum of 8 films have not been selected due to low submissions or acceptance. Accepted films within a category that has been eliminated will be shifted to ‘Micro-Freestyle’ or the closest thematic category related to the content.

We’re happy to furnish a detailed accounting before or after the event upon request.

Filmmaker Responsiveness

Accepted filmmakers are expected to respond fully to requests for assets (film files, still images, descriptive text, and contact information) by stated deadlines. All assets must be delivered by the method requested. However, we will work with you if you have accessibility issues.

We do understand that life happens. We don’t mind following up—to a point. Lack of responsiveness after 2 attempts will result in disqualification.

Entry Fee

Entry fees pay for operational costs (website, marketing, venue, promotional costs), filmmaker cash awards, and stipends for filmmaker panelists (if a surplus remains and/or we can find sponsors to cover them).
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Entry fees are non-refundable and required for each distinct category submission.

One fee per entry. If a film is duplicated in more than one category, and is accepted, the duplicate will be disqualified.

Terms & Conditions

All entrants agree with the terms and conditions below to be featured as ‘Officially Selected’ and to qualify as a finalist/winner.

Delivery of “Officially Selected” films will be accepted by digital means only via WeTransfer. We will make accommodation if technical difficulties exist.

All films must be delivered in HD with credits to the specifications requested in the acceptance email notification. Filmmakers will also be required to send promotional stills and may be asked for descriptive text to aid our promotional efforts.

Accepted filmmakers must ad our festival email to their safe list and respond promptly. We understand that times are crazy and that we have no idea what anyone is facing at any given moment. We will do our best to work with you.

Spark Micro-Short Film Fest reserves the right to remove an accepted film from its programming schedule due to low resolution, poor quality, disrespectful behavior on the filmmaker’s part, lack of timely response, etc.

Promotional Rights

Spark Micro-Short Film Fest is hereby granted the right to utilize still images and submission descriptions provided by accepted filmmakers for exhibition on the MicroMania channel (opt-in) during Spark Micro-Short Film Fest 2023 (mandatory) l and for promotional purposes leading up to the event (required) and any encore events (opt-in).

Filmmakers that opt into MicroMania Channel inclusion – grant the right for Spark Micro-Short Film Fest to stream their films until a removal request has been sent and acknowledged by Spark Filmmakers Collaborative. We honor your requests and do our best to comply quickly.

Entry Liability

The filmmaker holds the Spark Micro-Short Film Fest, its management, juries, subsidiaries, agents, sponsors, affiliates, etc., harmless from any claims of liability resulting from entry. The filmmaker certifies to have full rights. The producer will indemnify the organizers of the Festival against all claims, demands, costs, damages, expenses (including legal fees), proceedings, and losses resulting from the screening of the film at the Festival or from claims by any third parties.

Cash Awards

Category award winners will be notified by September 30, 2024.

Winners must respond by October 15, 2024, to claim their award. We will work with awardees to deliver their prize but prefer digital delivery via Paypal or check.