THE BASICS

Shorts up to 30 minutes. Surprise us!

Experimental welcome. Un-released welcome.

Filmmaker-first process. Unbiased Blind-Jury review.

  ------------

P.S. We're not Hollywood. Thank the indie gods for that. 🙏

WHY SUBMIT TO SCI?

1. NO ALGORITHM

Your film is watched by humans (genuine cinephiles and filmmakers), not ranked by an algorithm. We care about what you made, not what's trending.

2. BOUNDARY-BREAKING IS THE POINT

Genre-busting? Experimental? Unclassifiable? That's exactly what we're hunting for.

3. REAL SELECTION RIGOR

Only ~10% selected. This isn't a participation trophy festival. If you make the cut, it means something.

4. YOUR IP IS SAFE

You own all exhibition rights. SCI uses only excerpts for promotion. Your full film? Never shared without your consent.

WHAT WE DO

✅ No algorithm. Just cinephiles who get experimental cinema.

✅ Only 10% selected per wave (real selections, real prestige)

✅ Experimental to narrative. Veterans to first-timers.

✅ Unreleased films welcome (if powerful, we want it)

✅ All genres, all formats, all devices (phone, DSLR, animation, doc, experimental) 

WHAT WE WON'T DO

❌ No algorithm-driven selection

❌ No gatekeeping by budget

❌ No "safe cinema" preference

❌ No arbitrary length limits

FOUNDER'S NOTE

I didn't start ShortCult Indie (SCI) to give out plastic trophies. I started it because I was tired of watching incredible, boundary-breaking shorts get rejected by 'Major' festivals because they didn't fit a safe, marketable formula.

The industry is obsessed with 'what's next for the algorithm.' At SCI, we are obsessed with what’s next for the art form. We are a blind-jury festival because your budget shouldn't be your barrier. We are online-only because the world needs to see your work, not just a room of 50 people in a specific zip code.

We select only 10% of submissions because we believe recognition should mean something. If you're tired of the 'safe' cinema loop and you’ve made something that feels a bit different, a bit weird, or entirely yours—you’ve found your cult. Let’s change the conversation.

We aren't Hollywood. We’re the cult following you haven't met yet.

Alisha Kapur
founder@shortcult.com