Sending your short film to a festival: a practical checklist
Samer
Subtitles, a clean screener and a one-paragraph synopsis: what programmers in the region ask for before they press play.
Every season, regional festivals receive far more short films than they can screen. Most rejections have nothing to do with talent.
Get the basics right
Send a private screening link that does not expire, with English subtitles for any Arabic dialogue. Programmers often watch on laptops, so check your sound mix on headphones too.
Write a short synopsis
Three or four sentences: who the film follows, what they want and what stands in their way. Keep the director's statement for its own field.
Read the rules
Check running-time limits, premiere status and deadlines. Many festivals in the Gulf and the Levant ask for a regional premiere, so plan the order of your submissions before you send the film anywhere.
Keep a spreadsheet
Track where you applied, the fees, the dates and the answers. It stops you paying twice and shows which festivals respond to your kind of work.