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FiveFest Guidelines
2026

Overview

Hlabeard Productions, in collaboration with the SATO48 Film Challenge, presents “FiveFest”—a dynamic festival dedicated to celebrating the art of short films with a maximum length of five minutes. 

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Submission Guidelines

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1. Film Duration and Content

  • Films must be exactly 5 minutes or less in length including credits. You are not allowed to upload a file that is longer than 5 minutes in duration. 

  • Non-English dialogue films must include English subtitles or be dubbed in English.

  • Do not upload works in progress. Uploaded films must be complete and theater-projection ready. 

  • The film’s genre must be one of the following: Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Horror, Music Video, Musical.

2. Technical Requirements

  • The minimum resolution is 720p. 

  • Submitted films must have clear audio quality.

  • A film Poster and any other Promotional Materials are encouraged (though not required) to be uploaded.

3. Eligibility

  • Open to all filmmakers, regardless of age, region, production date of film, or content within specified genres.

4. Submission Process

  • FilmFreeway.

 

Judging and Awards

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5. Judging Panel

  • A select group of industry professionals and esteemed members of the filmmaking community will judge the entries. 

  • Registered team members from last year’s SATO48-Challenge are automatically opted IN and therefore may participate as Academy Judges if they so elect.

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6. Prizes

Best Animation

Best Comedy

Best Documentary

Best Drama

Best Experimental Film

Best Horror

Best Music Video

Best Musical

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Venue and Event Details

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7. Festival Locations (depending on needed capacity)

  • Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Springfield, Missouri (The largest Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in the United States)

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8. FiveFest Programming

  • All films are accepted into FiveFest, as follows:

  • Accepted films will receive a FiveFest Scorecard detailing, in the aggregate, how the Academy Judges responded to their film and an exclusive month-long online screening.

  • Some films will be selected for (a) an in-theater screening at a Festival Location, and (b) acknowledged as a Nominee at October FiveFest Awards Ceremony.

  • The winning film in each genre — for whom a representative of the film is present and checked in at the October FiveFest Awards Ceremony — receives the following: 

    • Statuette

    • On-stage acceptance speech opportunity

    • Backstage interview

 

9. Notification of Your Acceptance Level

  • You are notified via email of your film’s Acceptance Level.

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10. FiveFest Dates To Save

  • The submission closing date - September 1, 2026

  • In-theater screening, if applicable to your film, takes place at a date/time to be determined by capacity of Festival Locations.

  • October FiveFest Awards Ceremony - Exact Date TBD, 2nd Week of October

  • Online viewing, applicable to all films, takes place - TBD

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Legal Terms and Conditions

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11. Film Rights

  • Entrant must own all rights to their film and its content.

  • All Entrants grant Hlabeard Productions and SATO48 the following:

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  •  In-theater screening and paywall online usage rights for the duration of SATO48-2024 FiveFest.

  • Free online usage rights within Festival Manager and promotional usage rights in perpetuity.

  • Entrant holds Hlabeard Productions, SATO48, and all other parties connected to SATO48, harmless in all respects.

 

12. Endorsement

  • Participation in FiveFest by Entrant is not an endorsement by Hlabeard Productions, nor SATO48, of the film’s content.

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13. Liability

  • Hlabeard Productions and SATO48 are not liable for any losses or damages incurred for any reason by Entrant.

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14. Cancellation & Delays

  • In case of unavoidable cancellations or delays, efforts will be made to reschedule. No liability by Hlabeard Productions nor SATO48 is assumed for losses incurred due to such cancellations.

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Accessibility and Inclusion

 

15. Accessibility

  • FiveFest venues are wheelchair accessible.

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16. Inclusion

  • FiveFest is committed to diversity and inclusion.

 

Contact Information

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17. Inquiry Handling

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