SHORTS: What is the SXSW premiere and eligibility policy for short films?

These are the Shorts eligibility requirements for SXSW:

Eligible — To be eligible for SXSW 2025, your project must have been completed in 2023, 2024 or be on track for completion in early 2025.

While premiere status is an important factor in our final decision-making, if we really connect to and love a short film and it hasn't received a huge amount of attention, we will try to share it with our audience.

These are the SXSW Short Film Premiere Status Definitions:

 

World Premiere - Your project has:

  1. not screened theatrically in any country prior to SXSW, whether at a film festival or other ticketed, public theatrical exhibition
  2. not been broadcast or streamed on television in any country prior to SXSW 
  3. not been available for any period of time prior to SXSW on the Internet
  4. not been released via any home video or other public distribution platform (Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) in any country prior to SXSW

International Premiere - Your project has:

  1. not screened theatrically outside of its country or countries of origin prior to SXSW, whether at a film festival or other ticketed, public theatrical exhibition
  2. not been broadcast or streamed on television in any country prior to SXSW 
  3. not been available via the Internet for any period of time prior to SXSW 
  4. not been released via any home video or other public distribution platform (Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) in any country prior to SXSW

North American Premiere - Your project has: 

  1. not screened theatrically in the U.S., Canada, Mexico or any other North American territory prior to SXSW, whether at a film festival or other ticketed, public theatrical exhibition
  2. not been broadcast or streamed on television in any country prior to SXSW 
  3. not been available via the Internet for any period of time prior to SXSW 
  4. not been released via any home video or other public distribution platform (Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) in any country prior to SXSW

U.S. Premiere - Your project has:

  1. not screened theatrically in the U.S. prior to SXSW, whether at a film festival or other ticketed, public theatrical exhibition
  2. not been broadcast or streamed on television in any country prior to SXSW 
  3. not been available via the Internet for any period of time prior to SXSW 
  4. not been released via any home video or other public distribution platform (Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) in any country prior to SXSW

Texas Premiere - Your project has:

  1. not screened theatrically in Texas prior to SXSW, whether at a film festival or other ticketed, public theatrical exhibition
  2. not been broadcast or streamed on television in any country prior to SXSW 
  3. not been available via the Internet for any period of time prior to SXSW 
  4. not been released via any home video or other public distribution platform (Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) in any country prior to SXSW

Austin Premiere - Your project has:

  1. not screened theatrically in Austin prior to SXSW, whether at a film festival or other ticketed, public theatrical exhibition
  2. not been broadcast or streamed on television in any country prior to SXSW 
  3. not been available via the Internet for any period of time prior to SXSW 
  4. not been released via any home video or other public distribution platform (Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, VOD, etc.) in any country prior to SXSW

Not a Premiere - Your project has either: 

  1. screened theatrically in Austin at a film festival prior to SXSW
  2. been released in a country other than the U.S. via television broadcast or theatrical screening before SXSW
  3. been broadcast or streamed on television
  4. been made available publicly via the Internet

 

If you'd like to submit your Short Film to SXSW, click here.

 

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