Shorts Showcase
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation Shorts Showcase is a two-day, bi-coastal celebration of short-form storytelling, created by and for the SAG-AFTRA community, to be held in September 2026.
The Shorts Showcase includes two evenings of screenings at the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists is Los Angeles and the Robin Williams Center in New York, featuring the Official Selections, chosen by a jury of SAG-AFTRA members. All short films must be made under SAG-AFTRA contract.
In 2026, the Shorts Showcase will introduce an independent grand jury which will recognize two Official Selections for Excellence in Creativity and Excellence in Performance. Each will receive a cash prize.
Leading up to the showcase, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation will present free educational panels and classes around short filmmaking, to provide SAG-AFTRA performers with requisite knowledge and a toolkit to get started as short-form creators.
How to Submit
Submissions are accepted via FilmFreeway.
Click the link below to read more and to submit your project.
Selection Process
SAG-AFTRA member judges select a slate of exceptional short films as the Official Selection of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Shorts Showcase. These exceptional works will screen over two evenings, followed by in-depth moderated conversations with the filmmakers and performers. These conversations will be published on the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s YouTube channel.
The Shorts Showcase culminates in a live presentation in Los Angeles where an independent grand jury will present top honors to two shorts for excellence in creativity and performance.
Honors
Excellence in Creativity recognizes a film made under the SAG-AFTRA Micro-budget Agreement, with a budget of less than $20,000, distinguished by its ingenuity, innovation and creativity.
Excellence in Performance recognizes a film with a resonant and standout performance by an individual or cast.
Each honor comes with a $4,000 cash prize.
Rules & Fees
Short films must be no longer than 30 minutes including credits.
Submission is $50 per entry with SAG-AFTRA members receiving a 50% discounted rate of $25 per entry.
All projects must have been made under a SAG-AFTRA contract and must provide proof of an agreement.
All films submitted must be completed between January 1, 2025 – June 22, 2026 to be considered. Works in progress may be submitted, but they must be fully completed by the notification date of July 31, 2026.
The deadline for all submissions is June 22, 2026.
SAG-AFTRA Foundation and SAG-AFTRA staff members are ineligible to receive official recognition in the Showcase for Shorts.
Rules for the Showcase are subject to change, please check FilmFreeway for any updated rules.
Past Selections
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation Shorts Showcase is an annual event that evolved out of the Foundation’s Short Film Showcase, which originated in New York and Los Angeles in 2009.
Excellence in Performance
2025
Buscando Alma
Directed by Melissa Fisher
Starring Carolina Gutierrez, Neher Jacqueline Briceño, Marc Anthony Samuel
CLAUD_IA
Directed by Gabriel Furman*
Starring Naiya Ortiz, Scott McCord, Kathleen Simmonds
George
Directed by Aaron Craig, Alex Craig
Starring Adrian Martinez, Angela Sarafyan
Mildred 4 a Million
Directed by Kim ‘Kimmie P’ Callaway
Starring Marla Gibbs, Brie Eley, Obriella Genesis Witron
Neo Dome
Directed by Bonnie Discepolo*
Starring Anna Camp, Michael Mosely, Nicholas Kowalzyk
Excellence in Filmmaking
2025
Darcine’s Day
Directed by Aaron Goffman
Starring Kyla Diane Kennedy, Brent Huff, Elizabeth Lamboy-Wilson
Dig Deeper
Directed by Girault Seger
Starring Victor Williams, Lee Wilkof, Grant Moore
Once More, Like Rain Man
Directed by Sue Ann Pien*
Starring Bella Zoe Martinez, Matt Jones, Joe Mantegna
This is Jan
Directed by Robert Larriviere*
Starring Lyle Brocato, James Dumont, Laura Flannery
The Woman From Hamburg
Directed by Michael Masarof
Starring Jenette Goldstein, Einat Holland, Casey Killoran
