Review times and Fast-track

Every film submitted to The Short Film Show is watched in full and reviewed by our team. Nothing is approved by automation. Submitting is free. This page explains when you hear back, and the option if you need a decision sooner. Ready to go? Submit your film.

Standard review

Submitting is free. Because of the number of films we receive, a standard review can take up to 3 months. We email you our decision either way. Every film gets the same full viewing and consideration.

You can submit up to three films with a standard review in one calendar month.

You can check the status of your submission at any time from your filmmaker dashboard under My Films. Your film shows as In review until we decide. If it is approved it shows Approved, then Live once it is published.

Fast-track: £19

If you need a decision sooner, for example ahead of a festival deadline or a planned release, you can choose Fast-track (£19) when you press Submit, after you accept your agreement on the last step of the form.

You get a decision within 7 days of your payment, with three lines of notes from the reviewer. Your film is watched ahead of the standard queue, with exactly the same care and criteria.
If we miss the 7 days, the full £19 is refunded automatically. No need to contact us. Our system makes the refund once the window passes, and you'll receive an email confirming it.

Fast-track pays for a quicker decision and the reviewer's notes. It has no effect on whether your film is chosen: selection criteria are identical for every submission.

Fast-track places are limited, so it can be full when you submit. If it is, you can choose a standard review instead (it can take up to 3 months), or try Fast-track again in a few days.

Fast-track terms

These terms apply when you pay for Fast-track. They sit alongside the agreement you accept when you submit your film, and they do not change it.

What the £19 buys. A decision on your film within 7 days, with three lines of notes from the reviewer, whatever the decision. We email the notes to you with it.
When the 7 days start. The moment your payment is confirmed. They run straight through, weekends and bank holidays included.
What a decision is. Our answer on your film: selected, not selected, or changes needed. If the reviewer asks for changes, that answer, with its notes, is the decision. The corrected film goes in as a new submission and is reviewed as a free standard review, which counts towards your free standard reviews for the month (currently three); the £19 does not carry over. If you want Fast-track for the corrected film as well, that is a new £19 payment.
If we miss the 7 days. The full £19 is refunded automatically to the way you paid, and we email you to confirm it. You don't need to ask. Your film stays in review, and we still tell you our decision.
If Fast-track is full. We take a limited number of Fast-track films at a time, so that we can keep the 7 days. If it is full when you press Submit, we tell you before you pay, and you can choose a standard review instead or try Fast-track again in a few days.
It does not change whether your film is chosen. Every film is judged on the same criteria, whichever review you choose.
The monthly limit. Fast-track films don't count towards the free standard reviews you can submit in a month (currently three; we may change that number).
Cancelling. By paying, you ask us to start the review straight away. You can cancel for a full £19 refund at any time before we decide: contact us with your film's title. Once we have given our decision, the service is complete and it can no longer be cancelled.

If something isn't right with a Fast-track payment, contact us with your film's title and we'll sort it out.

Quick reference

Standard review: can take up to 3 months. Submitting is free.
Fast-track: £19, a decision within 7 days of your payment with three lines of notes from the reviewer; the full £19 is refunded automatically if we miss it. Fast-track terms
Where to choose: when you press Submit, after you accept your agreement on the last step of the form.
Questions? Contact us at support@theshortfilmshow.com.