Festival direction
Identify realistic festival categories and submission priorities based on the finished work, goals, timing, and available entry budget.
Film festival support
Build the film and its submission package together.
CinemaMachina helps creators develop short experimental films with festival requirements, deliverables, production documentation, and submission strategy in view from the beginning.
What we help with
A strong submission starts before the export.
Runtime, story clarity, rights, technical delivery, artwork, synopsis, credits, and AI-use disclosures can all affect where and how a film should be submitted. We help organize those decisions while the film is still being made.
Delivery package
Prepare the agreed master, synopsis, logline, credits, filmmaker statement, stills, and other common submission materials.
AI documentation
Create a factual production record describing how generative tools were used when a festival requests disclosure. Requirements vary and must be checked for each festival.
Submission guidance
Support platform setup and entry organization. Festival fees, travel, acceptance, screening, awards, and distribution are not included or guaranteed unless explicitly stated in a proposal.
First-hand experience
Steady Hand was selected by the 2026 Red Dirt Film Festival.
CinemaMachina also submitted 3–5 minute all-AI experimental shorts to the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and 2026 Ann Arbor Film Festival. Selection by one festival does not predict acceptance by another.
Read the case studyStart a project
Planning a festival-facing short?
Tell us the story, current stage, target runtime, timeline, and any festivals already on your list.