Fortnight Film Contest 2025
Hey all you filmmakers and storytellers! Our annual Fortnight Film Contest is open for registration.
This is your opportunity to put together a short film for a chance at winning one of multiple cash prizes totaling $5,000!
Make a movie
We want to encourage you to create a film that you’re excited about. Whether it’s assembling your go-to crew of creatives, or telling a personal narrative by yourself, we can’t wait to see and hear what you put together.
All the films that meet the submission requirements will be judged by a panel of professional filmmakers and film lovers. The top entries will be screened as part of the 2025 Capital City Film Festival lineup. Prizes will total $5,000+ in cash and include 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places.
Dates
The contest will begin on March 6, 2025 and final edited entries are due by 7 pm on March 20, 2025. Required elements will be distributed by email to teams on March 6 at 7 pm to officially begin the contest. The entirety of your film must be produced within this 14 day window.
Judging & Prizes
All Fortnight Film Contest submissions will be initially reviewed by a panel of judges including festival staff and industry professionals. This panel will determine which films advance to the second stage of judging. Verification that films contain the required elements will also take place at this stage.
The initial review allows CCFF to refine the selection, ensuring that the full judging panel can dedicate their focus and time to a thoughtfully curated slate. This process highlights films that best illustrate the technical and creative excellence the Fortnight Film Contest is intended to inspire, allowing for a more engaging and attentive evaluation.
A selection of qualifying Fortnight films will move on to a second and final judging round where a panel of 30+ individuals will watch the films in a high-quality theatrical environment and rate them on a numeric scale. The highest average scores will determine the first, second, and third place winners.
The highest-ranked films will be showcased during the festival. Depending on scheduling and the total runtime of selections, an additional block featuring the next highest-ranked films may also screen during the festival. The exact number of films screened in each block will be determined by the total runtime of the submissions and the ratings from the wider judging panel. Immediately following the screenings, an Audience Choice Award will be determined through a voting method detailed at the event.