London Vaporetto Shorts Film Festival

Submission and Selection Process

Submission Process

From June to April, filmmakers are invited to submit their films online. The date of submission does not influence a decision on selection, but early submissions benefit from a discounted entry fee. This system is in place to incentivise filmmakers to submit earlier, as to facilitate the workload of the programmers, and it does not influence decisions on selection or exclusion from the festival.

We accept submissions through a number of platforms including FilmFreeway, Festhome and Miralot. All submissions are assessed identically regardless of which platform they have been submitted through and entry fees are constant across all platforms.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the London Vaporetto Shorts Film Festival, a film must comply with the following:

• All films must be narrative fiction films (live action or animation).
• Submitted films may originate from any country and be of any genre.
• Films must have a maximum running time of 20 minutes, including credits. 
• Films must have been completed within two years of the festival date.
• Films in a language other than English must include English subtitles.
• The submitter must have obtained all necessary rights, licences and permissions for the use of any copyrighted material included in the film.
• We do not require a premiere status.
• Work-in-progress versions are not eligible. Only completed films will be considered.
• Fully AI-generated films are not eligible. Any minor use of AI in the film must be disclosed.
• Films submitted to previous editions are not eligible unless they are substantially re-edited.
• The festival reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any submission and to refuse entries that do not comply with these requirements.

Fees and Deadlines

The London Vaporetto Shorts Film Festival is committed to making submissions accessible to all filmmakers. As we focus particularly on emerging filmmakers, we strive to remove financial barriers. For the 2027 edition of the festival, the submission fees are as follows:

• Super Earlybird Deadline (until August 31^st) = £7
• Earlybird Deadline (until October 31^st) = £9
• Regular Deadline (until February 28^th) = £11
• Final Deadline (until April 20^th) = £13

Waivers and Discounts

As part of our effort to make the festival accessible to all filmmakers, the London Vaporetto Shorts Film Festival has a fee waivers and discounts policy. Where possible, the festival provides discounted submission opportunities through selected partnerships, promotional campaigns and filmmaker initiatives.

Discounts may include:

• Student discounts.
• Discounts for filmmakers from low income.
•  Discounts for filmmakers from underrepresented communities.
• Alumni discounts for previously selected filmmakers.
• Partner organisation discounts (such as our annual partnership with the Womxn Who Make Funny Films Collective).

The festival also maintains a limited fee waiver programme to support filmmakers who may otherwise be unable to submit due to financial hardship or other barriers to participation. Waiver requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and may be granted to:

• Filmmakers experiencing financial hardship.
• Filmmakers from low-income or underrepresented communities.
• Refugee and displaced filmmakers.
• Filmmakers from countries with significant economic barriers to participation.

Discount and Waiver applications are reviewed fairly and confidentially by the festival directors. The festival seeks to balance accessibility with the financial realities of operating an independent film festival and therefore cannot guarantee that all requests will be approved. The granting or refusal of a fee waiver has no impact on the evaluation of a submitted film.

Selection Process

The festival has outlined a 5-stage process for selecting films.

Stage 1: Eligibility Review (ongoing)

Films are checked to ensure they comply with the regulations established (runtime, completion date, etc). 

Stage 2: Pre-Selection Review (ongoing from August-April)

Films are reviewed by a team of pre-selectors. All eligible films are viewed in full and by at least 2 pre-selectors that follow a standard scorecard. This stage is ongoing from August-April as films are received and until submissions close. Pre-selectors must have no conflict of interest on any given submitted film and must assess the films fairly using the same criteria. Where assessment scores of the 2 pre-selectors differ significantly, the Head of Programming may assign an additional reviewer before programming discussions.

Stage 3: Programming Discussion

Once submissions close and all received films have been viewed by at least 2 pre-selectors, the pre-selected films are viewed by programmers who also use a scorecard to make an initial assessment of each film. Then, in collaboration with the head of programming, a draft programme is put together, taking in consideration both the different scorecards, but also taking in consideration the year’s thematic strands, screening times, and screening blocks.

Stage 4: Final programme and filmmaker notifications

The proposed festival programme is reviewed by the festival directors and approved. The selected filmmakers are contacted and asked to confirm their film’s participation in the festival and send the required materials, before the official notification deadline to all submitters. 

Stage 5: Adjustments (if necessary)

If for whatever reason a selected filmmaker decides not to include their film in the festival, the head of programming will offer that opportunity to another film from the pool of pre-selected submissions. Filmmakers that didn’t have their film included initially may be offered the opportunity to become part of the festival.

Assessment criteria

At the London Vaporetto Shorts Film Festival, submitted films are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Audience Engagement.
• Originality.
• Story & Structure.
• Direction & Creative Vision.
• Characters & Performances.
• Craft & Execution.
• Fit with Festival Philosophy.

During programming assessments, done through a scorecard, each of the criteria is given a score between 1 and 5 and the total assessment score is the sum of the score of each criteria, a number between 7 and 35. Reviewers are also asked to keep in mind if the film meets our diversity standards when making an assessment.

In line with our DEI policy, all programmers are provided with guidance and training on unconscious bias and inclusive decision-making, fair assessment practices, respectful communication and conduct and the importance of diverse representation within film culture.

Official Selection

After a decision of inclusion of a film in the festival’s official selection, the filmmaker is contacted through email, usually a few days before the official notification date. The filmmaker will be asked to accept the invitation to be part of the festival. They will also be asked for further information about the film and whether or not they will be able to attend the event. 

Every selected film is offered at least two free tickets to the respective festival screening, awards ceremony and networking opportunities. Additional free or discounted tickets for members of the crew can be granted subject to availability. The filmmakers are invited to attend the festival and introduce the films in a short group Q&A. Every filmmaker will also receive a London Vaporetto Shorts Film Festival laurel.

Feedback

Due to the volume of submissions received each year, we are unable to provide individual feedback on unsuccessful submissions. While we are unable to enter into correspondence regarding individual decisions, we welcome general feedback about the festival and are committed to continually improving the experience for filmmakers and audiences. Feedback can be provided to us via the contact section of the about page of our website, or through email at info@londonvaporettoshorts.co.uk.