
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: Kaitlyn Diehl
Welcome to NYWIFT, Kaitlyn Diehl! Kaitlyn is an actor, producer, and screenwriter based between Philadelphia and NYC. She has starred in 25+ shorts, features, web series, and commercials in lead and supporting roles. Her first foray into filmmaking began when she co-wrote, co-produced, and co-starred in a short film with her sister, Jackie Diehl, titled Willow. The short was accepted into 13 festivals up and down the East Coast and won Audience Choice at the Media Film Festival. Inspired by the positive reception of Willow, Kaitlyn has since produced another short, Stand Up, and her first feature film, TINO. Both began their film festival circuits this spring. Kaitlyn continues to write and is currently in pre-production for a few exciting film projects. Stay tuned!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Dominique Debroux
Welcome to NYWIFT, Dominique Debroux! Dominique is a producer, entrepreneur, and nutritional chef whose work bridges storytelling, science, and women’s empowerment. A former fashion executive turned filmmaker, she produced the documentaries 40 Weeks and recently Wise Women – Humanity’s Untold Origins, which reframes menopause as the evolutionary foundation of women’s leadership. Partnering with Oscar-winner Jonathan Sanger and Madeline Di Nonno of the Geena Davis Institute, she advocates for rewriting women’s midlife narratives—on screen, in culture, and in how we nourish ourselves to thrive.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Isabella Medina Sarria
Welcome to NYWIFT, Isabella Medina Sarria! Isabella is a New York–based film producer originally from Colombia, known for developing and producing internationally-recognized projects. Her award-winning short films include Delusion, which won at the Berlin Indie Film Festival and earned recognition at the LA Indie Film Festival and New York Shorts International Film Festival. She has expanded into feature films, working on Up in the Hills (starring Dylan Walsh and Paris Berelc), Tox (starring Margaret Colin), and Higher Love (starring Dennis Haysbert and Joe Pantoliano), which wrapped production in August 2025. Her work is driven by a strong creative vision, championing well-represented female characters and immigrant stories.
READ MOREThe Vampire Lestat: One Night Only — A Seductive Collision of Cinema, Music, and Immortal Myth at the Beacon Theatre
NYWIFT members Tammy Reese and LaKisa Renee were invited by AMC Global Media and AMC+ to attend an unforgettable evening at the legendary Beacon Theatre in New York City for The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only — LIVE. The event marked a bold, immersive celebration of AMC’s newest installment in Anne Rice’s Immortal Universe, blending premiere screening and live concert performance into one cinematic experience. Tammy offers a full recap of the event!
READ MORE