About NHHSSFF:

Launched in 2008 and presented by the New Hampshire Film Bureau, the New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival has become one of the marquee film festivals in the state, fostering interest in filmmaking, supporting media arts education in schools, and rewarding future members of the industry for their craft all throughout New Hampshire.

The festival screens a two-hour program of selected films. Films submitted for consideration are reviewed and scored by a festival selection committee. Originality, cinematic storytelling, and technical execution are the primary basis of the scoring. All films, regardless of type or genre, are judged on the filmmaker’s ability to effectively captivate an audience through cinematic expression. The festival places selections, beginning with the highest-ranked working downward, into the two-hour program block. The selections are cut off when the last film can begin prior to the two-hour mark.

As each film submitted to the festival will be pre-screened by the festival selection committee, we will note in our program and promotional material any films that may have mature content and subject matter, and we reserve the right to refuse to screen any film with content deemed especially gratuitous.

The festival is free to submit, but entry into the final two-hour screening is not guaranteed.

Awards:

First Place: Best of the Best

Best in Category: Fictional Narrative

Best in Category: Documentary

Best in Category: Animation/Stop Motion

Films are judged by a panel of industry professionals including videographers, editors, graphic designers, sound designers, producers, writers, filmmakers, and surrounding similar fields. Judges reserve the right to award other accolades based on submissions.

Check out our 2024 Festival Rules and Guidelines