Weird Short Films: Submission Guidelines

Weird Short Films is a curated YouTube channel featuring short films, music videos, trailers, and bi-monthly film challenges. We will also be hosting live in person screenings of selected films.

Accepted Genres: Horror, psychological thriller, dark comedy, found footage, animation, music videos.

Not Accepted: Straight dramas, rom-coms, or documentaries (unless weird or surreal in some way).

Submissions must align with our weird, surreal, or dark aesthetic.

1. Film Challenges

Our bi-monthly challenge invites filmmakers to create a short film based on a specific theme or creative outline.

Length: 2–20 minutes
Requirements:

• Must be a new, original film created during the challenge window (not previously completed work).

• Must be an exclusive premiere for Weird Short Films (cannot be shown publicly on any platform—including Vimeo—until 2 months after release on our channel).

• No resubmissions or revisions after the challenge ends.

Each challenge comes with a unique prompt and deadline—check our website or socials for details.

2. Short Films

Length: 2–40 minutes

• Proof-of-concept shorts or short pilots are accepted.

• Your film must not be live or public on YouTube at the time of submission and if accepted must not be live or public on any other YouTube channel but can be on other platforms.

• A trailer for your short film may be included but not mandatory.

3. Music Videos

We accept visually or conceptually weird music videos.
Length: 2–20 minutes

• Narrative, experimental, or abstract approaches encouraged.

• Straight performance videos without a weird twist will likely not be accepted.

4. Feature-Length Films

• Your feature film will be displayed in one of our playlists on our YouTube channel.

We accept submissions from filmmakers or distributors who want to promote a feature-length film through Weird Short Films.

Purpose:
This is a unique opportunity to use our platform to bring more traffic directly to your feature film’s official distributor or streaming YouTube channel.

Requirements:

• You must have the rights or permission to promote the feature film.

• Your feature film must already be available on a distributor’s YouTube channel or another public platform with a direct link.

• Submitting a feature film does not mean we will host or stream the full film on Weird Short Films. Instead, we will feature your film in a dedicated Feature Film playlist with a direct clickable link to your distributor’s YouTube page where the full feature can be viewed.

• Your feature film does not need to be exclusive to Weird Short Films.

5. Feature Film Trailers

This category is for filmmakers who want to promote a feature film on our platform via trailer.

Length: Up to 3 minutes
Requirements:

• You must own the rights or have proper permission to submit.

• If accepted, your trailer will appear on our “Trailer” playlist, with a direct link to your distributor’s YouTube channel.

• Public YouTube visibility is allowed for trailers only.

General Rules (Apply to All Categories Unless Noted)

Note: Select entries from the bi-monthly Film Challenges—and occasionally from short film submissions—may also be considered for future in-person screening events. Details to be announced as venues are confirmed.

• Film length: 2–20 minutes.

• Must be a completed film (no rough cuts or early drafts).

• Submit via a downloadable Vimeo link only.

• Must be in English or have English subtitles.

• No AI-generated video or imagery.

• Your film does not need to be recent or exclusive — unless it’s a film challenge submission, which must be new and exclusive.

• Do not make your submission public on YouTube unless you’re submitting under the Feature Film Trailer category.

• You must hold all legal rights and clearances for public exhibition, including music, images, and performances.

• Test your media before submitting to ensure everything plays correctly and is not corrupted.

• Keep all screener links and passwords up-to-date, and notify us if anything changes before the review period ends.

• No refunds for submissions; no guarantee of selection.

• We do not provide feedback or accept scripts.

• You’ll be notified before your film goes live on our platform.

• You may request that your film be removed after 6 months.

• Resubmissions are allowed if significant changes have been made — except for film challenge entries, which cannot be revised or resubmitted once submitted.

• We reserve the right to use images or stills from accepted films for festival marketing and promotion.

Q: Can I submit a film I made years ago?
A: Yes! We accept films from any year, as long as they meet our content and technical guidelines.

Q: Does my film have to be exclusive to Weird Short Films?
A: No. Your film can appear on other platforms, it doesn’t need to be exclusive unless it’s part of a Film Challenge. However, we do not accept short films/music videos that are actively publicly displayed on another YouTube channel.

Q: What if I pay to enter a Film Challenge but don’t finish my film in time?
A: Sorry, no refunds. All participants must adhere to the rules and deadlines. That’s part of the challenge.

Q: If I participate in a Film Challenge, will my film automatically be shown?
A: No. Submission doesn’t guarantee selection. This goes for any and all submissions.

Q: Can I submit more than one film?
A: Yes — but each film must be submitted separately and meet all the requirements and requires separate submission fees.

Q: Why would I want to submit a link to my feature film if it’s already on YouTube?
A: Exposure. If accepted, we’ll place your film on one of our playlists (Weird Short Films channel) so you’ll reach a larger audience. This is to drive more traffic to your direct link to your distributor’s YouTube channel.

Q: What counts as a “weird” documentary or drama?
A: If your film includes surreal, unconventional, or genre-bending elements — like a mockumentary, experimental structure, or dark satire — it might qualify. Use your best judgment and make sure it aligns with our aesthetic before submitting.

Q: Can I use copyrighted music if I’m not monetizing my film?
A: No. You must have the legal rights to all music in your film, including soundtrack and background audio.

Q: What happens if my film violates YouTube’s rules?
A: It will not be accepted. All films must follow YouTube’s community guidelines — no excessive violence, hate speech, copyright infringement, or misleading metadata.

Q: What if I don’t want my film to stay up forever?
A: You may request removal after 6 months. Just email us, and we’ll take it down within a reasonable timeframe.

Q: Will you promote my film individually?
A: We promote the platform as a whole — including curated playlists, social media posts, and email updates. While we can’t guarantee individual promotion, we do our best to give every accepted film visibility.

Q: What if I want to change my film after it’s accepted?
A: Once your film is accepted and live on our channel, we can not swap it.

Q: What if I don’t understand the film challenge but want to participate?
A: We lay out the rules as clearly as possible but if you have any questions reach out to us WeirdShortFilms@gmail.com

Q: If I want to participate in the film challenge, do I pay to submit my film or do I pay to participate ?
A: That’s up to you. If you pay to submit but haven’t shot your film yet and using that as motivation, just make sure you submit your film by the due date.