By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and use of cookies and similar technologies. We store cookies and similar technologies on your computer or device to provide you with a great experience and help our website run effectively.
18th Annual Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival
Now accepting submissions
Submissions are now open for MoPOP’s Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival (SFFSFF or “siff-siff”). Enter your film for a chance to have your work screened at our 2023 festival.
Festivals like SFFSFF celebrate out-of-this-world cinema and the daring filmmakers that make it possible. Films screened at SFFSFF have gone on to be nominated for Academy Awards, featured in museum exhibitions, received international distribution, and more.
We can’t wait to see your brilliant work on the big screen.
Early bird entry by August 31, 2022 | Deadline: January 16, 2023
MoPOP knows the importance of diversity in representation, especially in the film community. We continue to learn and grow every year, making sure that our festival reflects the values and breadth of communities that haven’t been seen or heard.
To keep that promise, we offer a “pay-what-you-can” submission fee model for BIPOC-identifying and disabled filmmakers. For more information, please email Kasi (KasiG@MoPOP.org) and we can provide you with a waiver for 5–100 percent off the entry fee.
SFFSFF Youth Track is now in its third year, highlighting filmmakers ages 24 and under. The top films will be screened in a Youth Track showcase, and the winner — chosen by our Youth Advisory Board — will have their film screened in the main festival programming. The winning filmmaker will participate in a Q+A session, meet industry professionals, and receive a free masterclass of their choosing.
All films entering the festival must have been completed no earlier than January 2018 and should be no longer than 15 minutes in length. Films that exceed 15 minutes may still be considered for the festival but will not be eligible for awards.
Films will be accepted from August 1–January 16 according to the following schedule:
August 1–August 31: $20 Early Bird Entry
September 1–October 31: $25 Regular Entry
November 1–December 1: $35 Late Entry
December 2–January 16: $40 Extended Entry
February 2023: Notification of Acceptance
March 2023: Film Print Due
April 2023: Prize Winners Notified
May 2023: Screenings
A Look Back at SFFSFF 2022
2022 Winners
Grand Prize - Other Half
Directed by Lina Kalcheva (United Kingdom, 13:20)
As an Individual Being in a world comprised of Merged Couples, Ren longs to find their other half and become complete.
Second Place - Jettison
Directed by JJ Pollack (USA, 11:13)
A restless young woman ships off to fight an interstellar war, only to struggle with the effects of being cut off from her home by both time and space.
Third Place - Clean Slate
Directed by Olubajo Sonubi (USA, 12:28)
After a botched proposal, an apprehensive Jay agrees to try AI counseling in hopes of healing her faltering relationship.
Audience Award - Celebritas Ex Machina
Directed by Joe Nicolosi (USA, 12:30)
Rosa makes robots. Living within the robots’ cold metal bodies are the souls and personalities of her favorite fictional characters from the worlds of film and television. Rosa believes this perfect life can continue forever, some of the robots have other ideas. The short features some cameos.
Douglas Trumbull Award for Best Visual Effects + Youth Showcase Award - El Camino
Directed by Jamie Jasso, Fernando Campos (Mexico, 14:49)
In order to sustain his family a troubled pilot accepts one last crooked deal to transport a dangerous cargo inside his spaceship.
