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Austin Shortsfest

An independent short film festival in East Austin, founded as a sister event to Atlanta Shortsfest and run by Josiah and Lauren Panter. It screens shorts under 30 minutes in most genres, plus music videos and a Made in Texas category, at Eastside Cinema on Hargrave Street. Programs are grouped into blocks themed around a color and a mood, every selected film is screened, and filmmakers take part in Q&As. Crystal trophies go to best film, director, local short, international film, genre winners, an audience choice and awards for first-time filmmakers and impact. The second edition ran August 15–16, 2026; the third is set for August 13–15, 2027, with monthly FilmFreeway deadlines through June 2027.

Festival · Austin · Active

Aug 13, 2027 – Aug 15, 2027
2026 Deadline Dec 31, 2026
Eastside Cinema (The Eastside Movie Theater at the Millennium)
Austin Film Series (founder and festival director Josiah Panter; co-director Lauren Panter)
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Deadlines

Deadline	Date
2026 Deadline	Dec 31, 2026	↗︎
January	Jan 31, 2027	↗︎
February	Feb 28, 2027	↗︎
March	Mar 31, 2027	↗︎
April	Apr 30, 2027	↗︎
May	May 31, 2027	↗︎
Final	Jun 30, 2027	↗︎

Notable


The second annual edition ran August 15–16, 2026, at Eastside Cinema in six shorts programs; created as a sister event to Atlanta Shortsfest	↗︎
The third annual edition is planned for mid-August 2027 as a three-day event; every selected film screens, with Q&As	↗︎
Submission fees run $16.50–$48 across categories and deadlines (incl. member pricing)	↗︎
Run by Austin Film Series, which also organizes DeadWeird FilmFest and the new Austin Underground Film Fest	↗︎

Sources

Austin Shortsfest Austin Shortsfest
Austin Shortsfest FilmFreeway
Austin Underground Film Fest Austin Film Series