Dam Short Film Festival Is Now Accepting Short Film Submissions for 17th Annual Event

Returning for its 17^th year, the Nevada-based Dam Short Film Festival is proud to announce film submissions are now open for screening consideration for its 2021 Festival. Held in the historic town of Boulder City, Nevada, home to the Hoover Dam, the Festival will take place from February 11-15, 2021. 

One of the Top 100 Best Reviewed Film Festivals worldwide on FilmFreeway, the Dam Short Film Festival welcomes submissions of short films of all themes that have a total runtime of 40 minutes or less. There is no premiere requirement and films from any year of production are accepted. 

Though content is at the filmmaker’s discretion, submission categories include: Drama, Comedy, Documentary, Animation, Sci-Fi/Horror, Music Video, Nevada Filmmaker, and Student. A “Best of” accolade will be awarded to one film from each category, based on audience votes, as well as an overall “Audience Favorite” award and two board-chosen awards, the Leslie Paige Award for Excellence in Short Filmmaking and the Best Screenplay award.  

The final deadline to submit films is October 1, 2020, with a late submission deadline of November 1, 2020. Full details on submission requirements and prices can be found at damshortfilmm.org/submit. Being conscious of COVID-19, the Dam Short Film Festival is offering a discounted COVID-19 rate, until September 1, 2020. 

As the pandemic is top of mind for many, the Festival’s Executive Director, Tsvetelina Stefanova, has said, “Dedicated to staying true to the Festival’s mission of seeking out original, unusual, and entertaining short films from around the world and making them available to the general public, the Dam Short Film Festival is proudly continuing full steam ahead into its 17th Annual Festival, while being cognizant of and sensitive to the ever-changing COVID-19 pandemic.

Though planning for the best-case scenario, we are executing extreme caution and creating alternative arrangements that will ensure the curtain rises from February 11-15th. No matter what comes our way, preparing for the unknown is the least we can do for our incredible filmmakers, audience, volunteers, and our community partners, without whom, we would not have this iconic festival.” 

About The Dam Short Film Festival

Dam Short Film Festival has become a traditional Southern Nevada cultural event that attracts thousands of visitors to Boulder City each February. The Festival has welcomed scores of filmmakers from all over the world and has screened several thousand unique independent short films during its history. Sponsors include the Railroad Pass Hotel & Casino, Beauty Kitchen Boutique, 174 Power Global and Boulder City Magazine. Funding to support our organization has been provided by Nevada Humanities through Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the CARES Act economic stabilization plan of 2020, as well as is supported in part by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and the state of Nevada. For more information visit damshortfilm.org; like on Facebook @damshortfilm; and follow on Twitter @damshortfilm and Instagram @damshortfilm.