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.

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

The NHHSSFF holds technical skills important but emphasizes story overall and encourages students to try and come up with original and creative plot lines and characters.

Awards:

First Place: Best of the Best

1st Runner-Up

2nd Runner-Up

3rd Runner-Up

4th Runner-Up

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.

Industry judges use a category system to rate films. Judges rate films 1-5 for each category: Cinematography, Editing, Audio, and Story and the cumulative average of all categories determines the final rating of the film. 1 being the worst and 5 being the best.  If there is a tie and an award up for grabs, judges determine which film has the best story and they are determined the winner over the competing film that tied (given technical execution is a tie as well).

Check out our 2025 Festival Rules page for full rules.

Link to our FilmFreeway page.