Shore Scripts Short Film Fund
Enter Now
About
The 2025 Spring Season of the Shore Scripts Short Film Fund will award a $15,000 cash production grant to one short script and $4,000 cash in finishing funds to one short film in post-production.
The Short Film Fund provides an opportunity for emerging writers and filmmakers to receive much-needed financial support to get their work produced and seen. Our partnerships with ARRI Rental, Oscar-nominated producer Maria Gracia Turgeon, and Tribeca short film programmer Kimberley Browning elevate the films that come through our Fund through free camera equipment, mentorship, and film festival strategy.
Many of our 22 previously funded short films have screened at some of the top film festivals in the world including Sundance, Tribeca, BFI London, Austin, Cannes, Encounters, and Palm Springs. One even won a BAFTA! Several of those writers and writer/directors have gone on to gain representation, sell screenplays, get staffed on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, & BBC shows, and develop their shorts into features and TV shows.
Summary of Benefits:
- The Grand Prize Winner will receive a cash production grant of $15,000, free camera equipment rental from ARRI Rental for the duration of production, and support from Shore Scripts from development to distribution.
- The Finishing Funds Winner will receive a cash grant of $4,000 in finishing funds for a short film currently in post-production, and support from Shore Scripts through post-production and distribution.
- Both Winners will connect with two-time Oscar-nominated producer MARIA GRACIA TURGEON for project and career guidance, receive a film festival strategy package from Tribeca programmer KIMBERLEY BROWNING, and have the opportunity to have their completed films circulated to select members of our Industry Roster.
- Top 5 Finalists (unproduced scripts) will receive feedback on their script from one of our esteemed Judges.
- Top 15 Finalists (unproduced scripts) will have the opportunity to have their scripts circulated to select members of our Industry Roster and Directors.
- Finalists (finishing funds) will receive feedback on the rough cut of their film from one of our esteemed Judges.
The Short Film Fund accepts submissions from writers, directors, and producers from around the world for narrative short films (live-action & animation), web series pilots, and proof-of-concept shorts for TV series and features.
Projects submitting for the Production Grant must submit a screenplay written in English; however, the production can be filmed in any country and in any language (English subtitles in the finished film are required). We are open to working with writer/directors and directors already attached to the project, including first-time directors. If you are a standalone writer, we can assist in attaching a director and team to the project, if needed.
Projects submitting for Finishing Funds must submit a link to a rough cut, scene assembly, dailies, and/or trailer. For non-English language films, please provide English-language subtitles. You will also be asked to submit a screenplay of the project.
We do not seek to obtain any rights over your script or the finished film at any time. For those who take the funding, we ask for a production company credit and access to promotional material for the short film to promote the project and Fund in the future.
Plus, everyone who enters will receive our FREE 18-page booklet on HOW TO GET YOUR SCREENPLAY PRODUCED straight to their inbox.
READ MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE SHORT FILM FUND: https://www.shorescripts.com/historyoftheshortfilmfund/
“Winning the Short Film Fund has brought so many gifts, the least of all being the financial support you provided. I can’t say how grateful I am for all of you and what you do for emerging filmmakers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” -Alexandra Qin (THIRSTYGIRL, Fall 2022 2nd Place Winner, Sundance 2024 Official Selection)
Prices & Deadlines
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Feb 28th
Early
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Apr 2nd
Regular
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May 2nd
Final
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2025 SFF1 Standard Entry for Production Grant
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$39.00
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$49.00
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$59.00
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2025 SFF1 Standard Entry for Finishing Funds
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$39.00
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$49.00
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$59.00
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2025 SFF1 Standard Entry for Production Grant + 3-Page Coverage
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$129.00
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$139.00
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$149.00
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2025 SFF1 Standard Entry for Production Grant + 6-Page Coverage
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$189.00
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$199.00
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$209.00
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Benefits
Grand Prize Winner: Cash production grant of $15,000, free camera equipment rental from ARRI Rental for the duration of production (some restrictions may apply), mentorship with two-time Oscar-nominated producer MARIA GRACIA TURGEON, a Film Festival Strategy Package from Tribeca programmer KIMBERLEY BROWNING, the opportunity to circulate the finished film to select members of our Industry Roster of producers, agents, and managers, and support from the Shore Scripts team from development through distribution.
Finishing Funds Winner: Cash grant of $4,000 in finishing funds, mentorship with two-time Oscar-nominated producer MARIA GRACIA TURGEON, film festival strategy package from Tribeca programmer KIMBERLEY BROWNING, the opportunity to circulate the finished film to select members of our Industry Roster of producers, agents, and managers, and support from the Shore Scripts team through post-production and distribution.
Top 5 Finalists (unproduced scripts): Feedback on their scripts from one of our esteemed Judges, the opportunity to have their scripts circulated to select members of our Industry Roster and Directors, and a PDF of the Shore Scripts Film Festival Guidebook.
Top 15 Finalists (unproduced scripts): The opportunity to have their scripts circulated to select members of our Industry Roster and Directors.
Finalists (finishing funds): Feedback on their rough cuts from one of our esteemed Judges and a PDF of the Shore Scripts Film Festival Guidebook.
Semi-Finalists: A PDF of the Shore Scripts Film Festival Guidebook.
Industry Judges
Farah Nabulsi
Writer, Producer, Director
Farah Nabulsi is an Academy Award Nominated and BAFTA Award Winning Palestinian-British filmmaker. She has been writing and producing short fiction films since 2016. Farah’s directorial debut THE PRESENT (2020), distributed on Canal+ and Netflix Worldwide, won over 50 International Film Festival Jury and Audience Awards, a BAFTA Award, and an Oscar Nomination. Her multi-award-winning directorial feature-length film debut, THE TEACHER, which she wrote, directed, and co-produced, had its World Premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival in Official Selection (September 2023). Farah is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Kimberley Browning
Tribeca Short Film Programmer, Producer
Kimberley is a Short Film Programmer at the Tribeca Festival and the Program Advisor for Tribeca’s AT&T UNTOLD STORIES feature film grant program. Her recent production credits include UPROOTED (HBO MAX) and BEING MICHELLE. She is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Short Film and Animation branch.
Corin Taylor
Executive Producer
Blink Productions
Corin Taylor is an Executive Producer at Blink Productions. A graduate from the London Film School, Corin started working within the Blink family as Head of Production at Colonel Blimp in 2014. During his time there, he produced award-winning music videos for the likes of Tame Impala, Royal Blood and Rag N’ Bone Man. Helping diversify Colonel Blimp from being purely a music video company, Corin also produced TV commercials, branded content and short films for a number of up-and-coming directors along with more established names such as Dougal Wilson, David Wilson and Fred Rowson. Since Blimp and Blink combined in 2017, Corin has produced internationally recognised commercials with Blink, which have gone on to win awards at the British Arrows, Cannes Lions and Ciclope. Corin is currently building a slate of long-form projects at Blink which includes a film with internationally renowned director Ira Sachs that is now in post-production.
Libby Peterson
Head of Development
Caviar
Libby Peterson is the Head of Development at Caviar, the production company whose critically acclaimed, award-winning films include SOUND OF METAL, WAR PONY and THE RIDER, among others. Libby is responsible for sourcing, curating, and managing a diverse slate of film and television projects that usher in fresh stories from exciting filmmakers. An extremely proud lefty she grew up in a town called Fallbrook, the Avocado Capital Of The World. She currently lives in Los Angeles and sometimes Italy. Long story.
Oliver Shuster
Writer
Oliver Shuster is a screenwriter based in London. He studied medicine and then trained as an illustrator before finding his way into film. He has written and co-written a number of feature and short screenplays including ‘What’s Up With Fred?’, ‘The Place Behind Her Eyes’ (winner NYU’s Purple List), ‘Aamir’ (BAFTA nominated), and ‘Truth Serum’ as well as the upcoming ‘What the F@t’ and ‘The Reunion.’ He co-founded AnfanTerrible Productions with Vika Evdokimenko.
Lucy Hay
Script Editor, Producer
Bang2Write
Lucy is an author and script editor. She is the associate producer of Brit Thrillers DEVIATION and ASSASSIN. In addition to script reading and writing her own novels, Lucy also blogs about the screenwriting process through her internationally renowned website Bang2Write.
Brendan Beachman
Writer, Director
Brendan Beachman is a multi-award-winning writer and director. Having won our 2022 Short Film Fund with his script A WEDDING DAY the film was produced and is currently enjoying a successful run on the festival circuit. Brendan was also a Best Horror Winner in 2021 with his feature screenplay THE LOOKOUT, co-written with Justin Boyes. THE LOOKOUT was optioned by Steak and Rosé Films and is now in development. Brendan cut his teeth writing/directing/producing/editing/sound designing, and hundreds of advertisements & is now a full-time commercial director with worldwide representation.
Emilio Vazquez Reyes
Writer, Producer, Director
Emilio Vazquez Reyes is a Mexican-American film director based in Frisco, Texas. At 16, his directorial debut short film HONEYBEE won the Grand Jury Award for Texas High School Shorts at the 2022 SXSW film festival and the Golden Gate Award for the Youthworks category Academy-Award Qualifying San Francisco International Film Festival. Shortly afterward, he co-founded his arthouse independent film production company, Goretti Pictures LLC. As of late, they are currently working on producing larger-budget films while expanding their team, influence, and presence.
Amir Ovadia Steklov
Writer, Director
Amir Ovadia Steklov is a Berlin-based Israeli filmmaker. His films are dealing with topics of Racism, LGBTQIA, and immigration within a sex-positive framework. Amir graduated from Sam-Spiegel Film School in 2013 and has worked as an independent film editor and animator since then. He is also part of a growing movement of queer activists-filmmakers in Berlin Germany. Amir is best known for his award-winning films DON’T BE A DICK and BI THE WAY.
Katherine Propper
Writer, Director
Katherine Propper is an Austin-based director and writer. Her latest short film BIRDS was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at AFI Fest ’22 and received special jury recognition at SXSW ‘22 and in the International Competition at Clermont-Ferrand ’22. Her prior short film STREET FLAME screened at the Tribeca Film Festival ’19 before winning awards at numerous regional festivals. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she has since moved to Texas, experimenting with her creative process, and drawing from non-fiction filmmaking and experiences such as working as an editor for director Terrence Malick.
Elena Ruscombe-King
Writer
Elena is an award-winning screenwriter known for co-writing A LOVE STORY which won the BAFTA for British Short Animation, the Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Award, the Cilect Student Animation award; among others. Her first feature, HITCHHIKERS, in development with Bridgeway Films, is due to shoot later this year.
Sam Baron
Writer, Director
Sam Baron is a writer and director based in London. A former 2017 Shore Scripts Short Film Fund winner, his short films have been viewed 6 million times online. He also won the Academy’s Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship and has been on the Brit List twice. He has written for the TV shows CHLOE (BBC/Amazon), LOCKWOOD & CO (Netflix) and THE UNDERTOW (Netflix); has developed original TV projects with Netflix, BBC and Sky; and has written feature scripts for directors James Marsh, Scott Z. Burns and Alice Seabright.
Nora Kirkpatrick
Writer, Director
Nora Kirkpatrick is a writer/director living in Los Angeles. She has created and/or written series for CBS, Hulu, Amazon, and Comedy Central, among others. She was a founding member and accordion player for the GRAMMY-winning band, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and is currently a staff writer on the new Amazon series, DAISY JONES AND THE SIX. She also directed an episode of THE GOLDBERGS (ABC).
Phumi Morare
Writer, Director
Phumi Morare is a writer/director from South Africa who is passionate about redeeming the African and feminine identity in cinema. Her short film LAKUTSHON’ ILANGA (When The Sun Sets) was shortlisted for the 94th Academy Awards, won an NAACP Image Award, and was acquired by WarnerMedia OneFifty. She is a Tribeca Chanel Through Her Lens Women’s Filmmaker Program alumnus and a Film Independent Screenwriting Lab Fellow. She completed her MFA in Film Directing at Chapman University and has a background in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and management consulting at McKinsey & Company.
Jones
Director
Jones is the filmmaking project of Michael Woodward and Max Barron, based in London and Mexico City. Their film and advertising work has received numerous awards and nominations worldwide, including European Young Director of the year at Cannes, a CICAE Art Cinema Award, Edinburgh’s Michael Powell Award, best TV drama series at Monte Carlo, and a BIFA. Their work has been screened at New York’s Rochester Museum of Fine Art, and their music videos have been viewed more than 50 million times online. Their latest piece, the satirical short film Three Meetings Of The Extraordinary Committee, was nominated for BAFTA in 2022.
Gaia Meucci-Astley
Programmer, Script Consultant
Gaia is a film programmer, script reader, and film project assessor, with 10 years of experience working in new and emerging talent. She has been the Short Film Programmer of the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Encounters Festival in Bristol. Her festival positions also include the London Film Festival and the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival. Currently, she is focusing on her work in talent development, collaborating as a reader and assessor with organizations including the BFI Network, Serial Eyes, and Less Is More.
Writer Success
Announcements
Rules
* We accept scripts for narrative short films (live action & animation), web series pilots, and proof-of-concept shorts for features and TV series.
* Scripts should be within 2-30 pages. Writers can exceed the recommended limits by up to 15 pages (for a total of 45 pages maximum) for an additional fee of $1 per page. Scripts will need to be uploaded as a PDF. Scripts should be properly formatted according to industry standards at size 12-point Courier. Please only include the script’s title on the cover page.
* Finishing funds submissions should have an expected total runtime of 40 minutes or less. We accept rough cuts, scene assemblies, dailies, and trailers for review. If submitting dailies, please limit the total runtime of the footage provided to 20 minutes. Videos need to be submitted via a link that does not require a download (i.e. Vimeo, YouTube, frame.io, etc.). Please note that we do not offer coverage reports on rough cuts, footage, or finished films.
* We welcome submissions from all countries. All scripts must be written in English. The winning short(s) can be filmed anywhere in the world.
* We accept foreign language films (as long as the script is in English). The finished film will need to have English language subtitles.
* You do not need to be a screenwriter to enter, however, whoever enters the script must have the prior approval and agreement to do so from the writer(s).
* Submissions in which the writer wishes to direct their own script, including first-time directors, will be considered. A previous portfolio of work will help in making this decision, which may be requested if the script advances to the Semi-Finalist round or above.
* All ages may enter; however, the funds would need to be transferred to a legal adult’s account or business account if won.
* All submitted screenplays must be the writer’s original work or they own the copyright. If a writing team enters, both/all writers must consent.
* Previous Short Film Fund applicants may apply, including Finalists. Grand Prize, 2nd Place Winners, and Finishing Funds Winners are ineligible. Proof of concept shorts for scripts that previously won our Feature and/or TV contests are also ineligible.
* Each writer, or writing team, may not have earned more than $50,000 in screenwriting fees in the preceding 18 months. This clause is in place to help us support emerging talent. (Contest and Fellowship awards and writing fees received outside of fiction screenwriting do not count toward this total).
* Shore Scripts staff, associates, and Short Film Fund Judges are ineligible to enter the Fund.
* You may enter a script that has been previously submitted to the Fund.
* You may enter as many scripts as you wish. Each submission requires a separate submission fee. Discounts are available for multiple submissions. Further information on our multiple submissions discounts can be found here.
* You may enter a newer draft of an already submitted script. There will be a small fee involved. You may re-enter your script through the Resubmissions page.
* Our Award-Winning Judges including filmmakers, festival programmers, and former Fund winners will decide this season’s Grand Prize Winner. The Finishing Funds Winner will be chosen by members of the Shore Scripts team.
* The decision of Shore Scripts is final. By applying to the Fund each participant agrees to hold Shore Scripts, our judges, and sponsors immune from any competition disputes, claims, liabilities, and expenses.
* The Winners consent to Shore Scripts using their name, script title, and any other relevant information for promotional purposes. This will be used to inform other contestants and the media of the results. The Winners agree to cut a trailer and provide a poster of the film for Shore Scripts to use on our website, social media, and other promotional platforms. We will also be unrestricted in how and where we promote the finished film once it is officially released.
* Shore Scripts will be listed as one of the ‘Production Companies’ on the project and also receive an ‘Executive Producer’ credit. The Shore Scripts logo will need to be added to the end credits.
* Winners who take advantage of the ARRI Rental camera package should also add the ARRI Rental logo to their film’s end credits.
* The Winner’s filmmaking team will have the final call on cast, crew, and edit. Shore Scripts will ask to see the audition tapes of the lead character(s) before they are cast.
* The funds can be transferred to a freelance producer or production company attached to the project, or the winning writer or writer/director.
* Shore Scripts is flexible as to the production dates of the winning project(s). However, if said projects haven’t been filmed within 12 months of our winners’ announcement, Shore Scripts has the discretion to transfer the funds to another submitted project. If the project has been filmed but not completed within 18 months of our winner’s announcement, Shore Scripts has the discretion to take over and complete the project internally or be refunded the awarded funds.
* The winning script or film may have obtained or may obtain funding from other sources and/or have co-production agreements with other companies. However, the terms of those other agreements must allow for the Winner to fulfill Shore Scripts’ terms as stated above.
* Please note that our sponsor ARRI may not be able to supply equipment if the project is to be filmed in a country where they do not operate. Production will also need to cover any logistics and costs of transporting camera equipment to set.
* If Shore Scripts helps a writer gain representation, option, sell, or have their screenplay produced, then we are entitled to state this on our website and any other platforms whenever we see fit.
* By entering a Shore Scripts fund or contest, you authorize us to use any trusted third-party online, cloud-based, and email services and databases for hosting, managing, and/or sending/transmitting your submission file(s).
Please contact us at shortfilmfund@shorescripts.com if you have any questions.
ALL THE INFO: https://www.shorescripts.com/shortfilmfund/