Program Overview

Launched in 2008 and presented by the New Hampshire Film Bureau, the annual 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, and rewarding future members of the industry for their craft.

Contest Structure

The festival screens a two-hour program of selected films. Films submitted for consideration are previewed 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.

Awards

The New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival awards the following:

• One (1) Jury Award (Best In Show)
• One (1) Jury Award Runner-Up (2nd Place)
• Three (3) Jury Award Finalists
• One (1) Public Service Announcement (PSA) Award
• Additional “special merit” awards may also be given.

Rewards and Incentives

• Jury Award winner’s representing school gets to host our handsome, handcrafted festival trophy, with the winner and school’s name engraved, for the following year. Read more about the trophy here.
• The Jury Award and Runner-Up are both automatically screened at the New Hampshire Film Festival in Portsmouth in October and the Somewhat North of Boston (SNOB) Film Festival in Concord in November.