Weird Short Films Rules

KEY DATES & TIMELINE

  • Registration Opens: Lock in your spot on FilmFreeway today!

  • Challenge Kick-Off: Friday, January 8, 2027, at 7:00 PM EST. Prompts, required dialogue line, required sound effect, and sponsor details drop.

  • Submission Deadline: Sunday, January 10, 2027, at 7:00 PM EST. Your finished film must be uploaded to FilmFreeway by this time.

  • NYC Live Screening (21+): Saturday, February 6, 2027. The Top 20 films take the screen in NYC!

ELIGIBILITY & AGE REQUIREMENTS

  • Age Limit: Due to the cannabis nature of our sponsor partnerships and venue regulations, all Team Leaders and attendees must be 21+.

  • Global Access: Open to filmmakers worldwide!

GENRES & CREATIVE BOUNDARIES

When registering on FilmFreeway, you must select one of our four accepted genres. We do not accept any genres outside of these four:

  • Horror

  • B-Horror

  • Psychological Thriller

  • Dark Comedy

THE 3 MANDATORY CHALLENGE ELEMENTS

At 7:00 PM EST on Friday, January 8, 2027, all registered teams will receive the official weekend brief containing three mandatory elements that must be woven into your film:

  1. Sponsor Integration:

    • Local NYC Teams: A physical product/prop provided by an official sponsor must be picked up in Manhattan by a designated team member at kickoff.

    • Out-of-State / International Teams: A digital sponsor asset (provided via download at kickoff) must be incorporated into your edit.

    • Note: This is not a commercial! Seamlessly integrate the prop or digital asset into your story's world.

  2. Required Line of Dialogue: Must be spoken clearly on screen.

  3. Mandatory Sound Effect: Must be distinctly mixed into your film's audio track.

PRODUCTION & RUNTIME RULES

  • Runtime: Must be between 2 minutes minimum and 4 minutes and 20 seconds maximum (including credits). Films over 4:20 will be automatically disqualified.

  • 100% Original Shoot: All footage must be shot during the 48-hour challenge window.

  • Strictly Prohibited: No stock footage, no AI-generated video content, and no old or repurposed footage shot prior to the kickoff time are permitted.

TEAM REGISTRATION LOGISTICS

  • Only one Team Leader is required to register and secure your spot on FilmFreeway.

  • You do not need your full cast and crew finalized at the time of registration. Assembling or adding crew members after signing up is completely normal!

SCREENINGS, SHOWCASES & RIGHTS

  • The NYC Live Event: The Top 20 juried entries will screen live in New York City, compete for festival awards, and participate in red-carpet filmmaker interviews.

  • The Online Showcase: Every eligible film completed and submitted on time will be judged and featured in our official digital showcase streaming on the @WeirdShortFilms YouTube channel.

  • Ownership & Streaming Rights: You retain 100% ownership and copyright of your film. Weird Short Films claims zero ownership. To maximize the premiere impact of the festival and YouTube showcase, we kindly ask all participating teams to hold off on uploading or streaming their completed films publicly until after the official festival debut.