FF Short Film Challenge Summer 2024

Join the challenge!

Our mission is to push filmmakers to get out there and make movies – no matter what. We all have excuses about why we aren't filming, but we don't want to hear them! Ready to join the Frugal Films Challenges of 2024?!

When the time comes, we send out the Challenge Kit to each team leader. You will get 1 week to complete your film. It's a lot like a 48 Hour short film challenge except we send you the script and we give you a little more time to perfect your movie.

How the Frugal Film Short Film Challenge works

1. Anyone* can join, just sign up.
2. You get sent a script to adapt and film.
3. You get 1 week to plan, film, edit, and submit.
4. You get a chance at amazing prizes for the top 3 films.
5. You get to show off your new short film to the world!

*Anyone 13 or older can join unless legally prohibited by your home country. If you're younger than 13 you will need permission of a parent or guardian.

The script

Yes, each team leader is sent a script to adapt and film. This is what makes the Frugal Film Challenge stand out. One of the big hurdles for many filmmakers is figuring out what to make a movie about. We eliminate that detail. Everyone gets the same script for the current season. It's a lot of fun to see how everyone interprets and adapts the same source material!

The prizes

Each season we have a bunch of different prizes for the top 3 jury prize winners. It can fluctuate season to season what the prizes are, but we always aim to have awesome and useful prizes to help you on your frugal filmmaking journey!

In the past this has included subscriptions to software, music licensing, filmmaking books, subscriptions to streaming services, and a top prize of having your short film screened at an international film festival somewhere in the world.

Frugal Filmmaking

Frugal filmmaking means something a bit different for everyone. And that's okay! We design our stories to be filmed anywhere in the world with any equipment. If you have a camera or can borrow one (even just a mobile phone) you can join in! Use what you have available to you: beg, borrow, scrounge, adapt, innovate! (please don't steal).

Registration is now live for our Summer 2024 short film challenge. The start date is coming August 9, 2024, but register your team now by using the form below and make sure you're ready!

Registration is open!

Here are a few details about registering:

1. Signing up costs $5 USD per team. This helps us cover some costs and keep the challenges going. But we don't want money to be a reason a person can't join, so if for any reason you feel you can't afford the entry fee, please email us or contact us on X and let us know and we can wave the fee.
2. You're the team leader. Regardless of your role in making the movie, if you're the one registering here, you're the team leader. You will need to be at least 13 years old or have the permission of a parent or guardian.
3. You're responsible. It's up to you to make sure you and your team follow the laws and regulations of where you are when taking part in this challenge.
4. Reach out to us. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to us! We'd be happy to hear from you. You can email us or connect on X.

The link below will take you to a Stripe checkout page. We do not process or store any credit card information ourselves. Stripe uses your billing address to verify the payment. We use the shipping address to ship prizes to those teams that win***.

*Refund policy: After registration is complete there are no refunds.

**We don't want money to be a reason a person can't join, so if for any reason you feel you can't afford the entry fee, please email us or contact us on X and let us know and we can wave the fee.

**Shipping prizes: Some countries have restrictions on shipping physical prizes. If that ends up being the case for you, we will do our best to get you the prizes another way or resort to only digital prizes.