Calling New Hampshire Independent Filmmakers

The PBS Short Film Festival is calling, and this year, it's your chance to share your cinematic magic with audiences nationwide. PBS wants your stories, your voice, your unique vision from the Granite State. Don't miss this opportunity to illuminate the national stage – dive into the submission details below and let your filmmaking talent shine. 

This year, film submissions must be submitted through the new platform called FilmFreeway — please upload your film(s) and fill out the additional information at this link. S&P paperwork should be sent to filmfestival@pbs.org. If you have issues or questions, email filmfestival@pbs.org.

Submission requirements below:

Submissions must include the following to be considered for the film festival. 

· Funding Grid (Complete) and Special Thanks / In-Kind form 

Only the Excel form is acceptable; see attached template 

· Production Credits 

Only a Word document is acceptable. 

In addition to the film upload and S&P documents, please also upload a document containing: 

• Title and Brief description of the film (90 characters or less) 
• URL to screen the film 
• Notes of any suggestive language or scenes 

Please note that edits might be required to meet S&P standards in order for the film to be deemed acceptable for PBS distribution. Please do not submit these forms as PDFs. 

 All required S&P documents are attached to this email. 

NOTE: When submitting, please title all film submissions and funder documents similarly. I.E., PARTNER NAME-FILM NAME-SCREENER or PARTNER NAME-FILM NAME-FUNDER 

Looking Ahead
The PBS team will screen all submissions and will notify partners of accepted films by early March 2024. All final deliverables for accepted films will be due to PBS by mid-April/ We will send you details about our required specs for all deliverables and specific deadlines with the official acceptance notification at the end of March. 

More Festival Information:

OBJECTIVE 
The 2024 PBS Short Film Festival aims to promote great independent short films coming from local stations and our public media partners. By leveraging all our digital and social platforms, PBS aims to win over new audiences while promoting short films that traditionally have not had a space on television. Like last year, this year’s People’s Choice winner will be measured by social media engagement.  

TARGET AUDIENCE 
As this is a digital first film festival with a strong social media element, we aim to attract younger audiences, while still appealing to our traditional demographic. In the long run, we hope the increased number of cord-cutting Americans will recognize the value of PBS and become PBS station members.  

IDEA SUPPORT
With films coming from our minority consortia and stations across the country, this festival offers unique and diverse perspectives and stories that one rarely sees on broadcast or cable television. We also aim to help all our filmmakers with national promotion. 

PERSONALITY & TONE
Our films are irreverent, introspective, challenge the status quo, and highlight underrepresented people and issues facing our country.  

EXECUTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
The 2024 festival continues to grow in relevance in the short film festival space. Because of this, it is imperative that all partners meet asset delivery deadlines, are responsive with communications, follow our promotional calendar, and are active participants in promoting not just their station’s films, but the Film Festival as a whole on social media and other communications channels. Looking forward to working with you all on another great film festival! 

 
All entries in the PBS Short Film Festival must comply with the PBS Funding Standards and the PBS Editorial Standards. You are required to read both policies. Additional resources on best practices for implementing those policies are available at www.pbs.org/standards. You should also be sure to take the self-paced PBS Standards training course, which is available here.

The following materials must all be submitted together to PBS, using the templates and forms distributed in the welcome message, in order to verify your compliance with the policies:

PBS Short Film Festival Checklist

• 1. Film Link
  • Provide link to short film along with all other materials listed in this checklist.

• 2. Standards Grid
  • Make sure you complete all 4 tabs of the Excel template.
  • Tab #1 – General Info
    • Provide the actual total cost of production (not an Excel function that adds up all of the contributions).
  • Tab #2 – Funding Sources
    • List the full legal name for all entities and individuals that provided financial contributions toward production of the film (not toward other activities, such as promotion or outreach).
    • Do not include any in-kind donations of products or services.
  • Tab #3 – Editorial Firewall
    • These questions only pertain to funders that are not bona fide producers.
  • Tab #4 – Special Thanks & In-Kind Form
    • List all individuals and organizations that provided in-kind contributions or donated any products or services.
    • Refer to the Product Placement memo to ensure that your film includes no product placement and properly discloses any in-kind donors with a “furnished” credit.
    • Do not include the following in Special Thanks:
      • Anyone who provided a financial contribution;
      • Anyone who was paid market value for their products or services; and
      • Anyone who is credited elsewhere in the production credits.

• 3. Production Credits
  • Submit a Word document of the film’s full production credits.
  • Do not use the terms “sponsorship” or “support” in the production credits.
  • List all third-party funders in the production credits as “Original Production Funding
    Provided by” (per the Closing Credits memo).

Pressroom Contact

Carla Gordon Russell
Director of Communications
crussell@nhpbs.org
(603) 868-4339