Short Film Competition


Short film entries should be a narrative, animation or documentary film that has a maximum running time of twenty minutes. Non-English films featuring dialogue must include subtitles.


The Nacogdoches Film Festival has a firm policy of NOT waiving entry fees. All entries MUST be submitted through FilmFreeway.

This is the ninth year for the Short Film Competition.

Fee Schedule for Short Films

  • Early-bird — $20 USD
  • Regular — $25 USD


Dates & Deadlines

  • Opening Date — August 1, 2019
  • Early-bird Deadline — October 1, 2019
  • Regular Deadline — January 1, 2020
  • Notification Date — February 1, 2020
  • Festival Dates — February 20-22, 2020


Rules & Terms
The Nacogdoches Film Festival will be considering entries in the categories of short film, independent feature length, music video, and high school short film submissions.


  • SHORT FILMS are restricted to a maximum running time of twenty (20) minutes to be considered.
  • FEATURE LENGTH FILMS must have a minimum running time of at least forty (40) minutes and a maximum running time of one hundred (100) minutes to be considered.
  • DOCUMENTARY FILMS must have a minimum running time of at least forty (40) minutes and a maximum running time of one hundred (100) minutes to be considered.
  • MUSIC VIDEOS are restricted to a maximum running time of five (5) minutes to be considered.
  • HIGH SCHOOL SHORT FILMS are restricted to a maximum running time of fifteen (15) minutes to be considered.


The Nacogdoches Film Festival is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose revenues go toward scholarships for film students at Stephen F. Austin State University. We have a firm policy of NOT  WAIVING entry fees.

All entries must be submitted through FilmFreeway.


Awards & Prizes
The winner of the SHORT FILM competition will receive a cash prize of $300 and a commemorative plaque, in addition to having your film shown at the 2020 film festival. The winning filmmaker will also receive two (2) VIP ALL-ACCESS Passes to the 2020 NacFilmFest.

How to Submit an Entry
The Nacogdoches Film Festival proudly accepts entries via FilmFreeway.com, the world's best online submission platform. FilmFreeway offers free HD online screeners, unlimited video storage, digital press kits, and more.




Click to submit through FilmFreeway



Competition Index



Short Film Competition 2018 Nacogdoches Film Festival