We’ve rounded up top film fests, writing competitions, and grants with spring or summer deadlines. It’s time to polish that script, shoot that video, or burn those DVDS. Go, go, go
Film festivals, video/TV contests & labs
Just For Laughs Comedy Search (final deadline: 5/10)
Southhampton Arts’ 20/20/20 Film Program (final: 5/15)
Dogfish Accelerator for Film Producers (early: 4/19, regular: 5/15)
Toronto International Film Festival (regular: 4/26, late: 5/24)
Etheria Film Festival (sci-fi/fantasy; final: 5/31)
Smithsonian in Motion: Video (final: 5/31)
Urbanworld Film Festival (regular: 4/30, late: 5/24, extended: 6/3)
Independent Filmmaker Lab: Narrative (final: 6/5)
Hamptons International Film Festival (regular: 5/6, late: 6/3, extended: 6/17)
NYTVF Independent Pilot Competition (early: 5/10, regular: 6/14. late: 6/28)
Chicago Comedy Film Festival (late: 6/1, extended: 7/15)
Fordham Law: Short Films (final: 7/19)
New Hampshire Film Festival (early: 6/5, regular: 7/5, late: 8/5)
Scene: Brooklyn (regular: 5/1, late: 8/10)
Denver Starz Film Festival (regular: 6/30, late: 7/30, extended: 8/10)
Big Apple Film Festival (early: 6/30, regular: 8/1, late: 8/15, extended: 9/1)
Screenwriting & TV writing competitions
Scriptapalooza (late: 4/22)
Nicholl Fellowship (late: 5/1)
Script Pipeline (screenwriting & TV writing; final: 5/1)
Sundance Screenwriting Lab (final: 5/1)
CBS Writers Mentoring Program (final: 5/1)
IFP: Emerging Storytellers (final: 5/3)
BVEW Screenwriting Showcase & Fellowship (regular: 4/30, late: 5/10, extended: 5/15)
FOX-NYTVF Comedy Script Contest (final: 6/3)
Slamdance (teleplays accepted; regular: 5/13, late: 6/25, extended: 7/2)
Austin Screenplay & Teleplay Competition (early: 5/1, regular: 6/15, late: 7/15)
Final Draft Big Break (teleplays accepted; early: 4/30, regular: 7/15, extended: 7/31)
Grants & other funding
WIFF’s Film Finishing Fund Grant (final: 4/29)
Roy W. Dean Spring Film Grant (final: 4/30)
WAM Coalition Collaboration Award (final: 4/30)
SFFS Documentary Film Fund (regular: 5/1, final: 5/8)
(Updated 4/18, 2 pm ET)
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Jayson Simba
Welcome to NYWIFT, Jayson Simba! Jayson Simba is a Cuban-American actor, director, writer, and producer who hails from Forest Hills, Queens. After attending LaGuardia H.S. of Performing Arts, Jayson enrolled at the Acting Studio NYC, where he studied the Meisner Technique under renowned acting teacher James Price. As an actor, Jayson has starred in over 40 films and television roles. In 2002, Jayson founded One Man Show Productions to help produce the work of independent filmmakers and writers. In 2007, he was hired to write and direct his first feature film, What Matters Most. As an independent filmmaker with 15 films under his belt, Jayson founded Festival of Cinema NYC with the aim of giving emerging filmmakers a platform to showcase their work to further their careers. Jason discusses his experiences as a filmmaker and the foundations of the Festival of Cinema NYC.
READ MORETribeca Festival 2025: Celebrating Stories, Icons, and Impact with NYWIFT
With this article, our coverage of the 2025 Tribeca Festival comes to a close — and what an unforgettable experience it has been. NYWIFT members LaKisa Renee and Tammy Reese had the incredible opportunity to represent the organization on the ground, capturing exclusive red carpet moments, world premieres, and powerful conversations highlighting the festival’s spirit of storytelling, advocacy, and artistic excellence. One of the most moving moments came when EGOT icon and past NYWIFT Muse Honoree Whoopi Goldberg gave a heartfelt shoutout to New York Women in Film & Television. Her support meant the world to our team.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Hayley Pace
Today, we’re thrilled to shine a spotlight on new NYWIFT member Hayley Pace, an award-winning production designer and actor whose unique blend of skills and passions continues to inspire us! Hayley Pace hails from Toronto, Ontario. They are known for their work on Schitt’s Creek (CBC), In The Dark (CW), and The Expanse (Amazon Prime). In addition to their on-screen work, Hayley has self-produced original projects through their experimental marching band theatre company, The Teeny Tiny Music Show, and has designed for numerous film, TV, and theatre productions across Canada. A graduate of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and York University’s BFA in Devised Theatre & Design, Hayley brings a dynamic and multidisciplinary approach to their artistry. We caught up with Hayley to discuss their career, their creative journey, and what brought them to NYWIFT.
READ MORETribeca Festival 2025 Recap: One Spoon of Chocolate World Premiere
Next stop on our Tribeca Festival recap journey: the World Premiere red carpet of One Spoon of Chocolate — a powerful new film that’s already got the industry talking. Written and directed by the legendary RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan, One Spoon of Chocolate follows Unique (played by Shameik Moore), a wrongly imprisoned Army veteran seeking peace and a fresh start in Ohio. But when systemic racism, corruption, and cruelty resurface in the form of a violent sheriff and his band of bigots, Unique is forced to pick up his sword — literally — and fight back.
READ MORE