An independent magazine about short films and emerging filmmakers, with practical guides, a festival directory and an archive of the Greenhorn Short Film Festival (London, 2011–2015).https://greenhornfestival.com/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-long-should-a-short-film-be/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-long-should-a-short-film-be/The official limits that define a short film, what festivals actually prefer and why shorter is usually better for a first film.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-choose-short-film-festivals/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-choose-short-film-festivals/How to build a festival list that fits your short film, from award-qualifying festivals to genre, local and student events, without wasting your budget.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-make-a-short-film-on-a-low-budget/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-make-a-short-film-on-a-low-budget/Where the money goes on a short film, what you can do without and how to make a first short look and sound good for very little.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-make-a-short-documentary/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-make-a-short-documentary/How to find a subject, gain trust, film observationally and shape a short documentary in the edit, with lessons from a Young Greenhorn award winner.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-fund-a-short-film/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-fund-a-short-film/The realistic options for paying for a short film, including public funds, crowdfunding, schemes for new filmmakers, in-kind support and your own money, and how to apply for each.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-make-an-animated-short-film/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-make-an-animated-short-film/Choosing a technique, planning with storyboards and animatics, scheduling the work and finishing an animated short, with examples from Greenhorn's archive.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-write-a-short-film-script/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-write-a-short-film-script/How short film scripts differ from features, how to find an idea that fits the form, how to adapt existing stories and the mistakes programmers see most.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/when-to-release-your-short-film-online/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/when-to-release-your-short-film-online/How online release affects festival eligibility and awards, how to time it after a festival run, and where to release a short film for the biggest audience.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-write-a-short-film-synopsis-and-press-kit/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-write-a-short-film-synopsis-and-press-kit/Templates and examples for the logline, short and long synopsis, director's statement, bio and stills that every festival submission needs.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-submit-to-short-film-festivals/https://greenhornfestival.com/guides/how-to-submit-to-short-film-festivals/A step-by-step guide to festival submissions for first-time filmmakers, covering materials, platforms, fees, premiere rules and what happens after you press submit.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/films/what-makes-a-great-short-film/https://greenhornfestival.com/films/what-makes-a-great-short-film/Short films are not small features. Seven qualities that festival favourites share, with examples from the films Greenhorn screened between 2011 and 2015.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/films/where-to-watch-short-films-online/https://greenhornfestival.com/films/where-to-watch-short-films-online/The best free and curated places to watch short films online, from Short of the Week and Vimeo Staff Picks to national film archives.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/london/where-to-watch-short-films-in-london/https://greenhornfestival.com/london/where-to-watch-short-films-in-london/Festivals, independent cinemas and regular nights where you can see short films on a big screen in London.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/aesthetica-short-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/aesthetica-short-film-festival/A large BAFTA-qualifying short film festival in York, with many genre categories and a strong industry programme.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/clermont-ferrand-short-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/clermont-ferrand-short-film-festival/The biggest short film festival in the world, and its biggest short film market. What it programmes, how to submit and what to expect as a first-time filmmaker.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/glasgow-short-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/glasgow-short-film-festival/Scotland’s largest short film festival, known for bold programming and BAFTA and BIFA qualifying awards.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/encounters-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/encounters-film-festival/Bristol's festival of short film and animation is one of the UK's most important launchpads for new filmmakers, with Oscar, BAFTA and BIFA qualifying awards.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/edinburgh-international-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/edinburgh-international-film-festival/One of the oldest continuously running film festivals in the world, with programmes of new British and international shorts.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/annecy-animation-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/annecy-animation-festival/The world’s leading animation festival and market, with Oscar-qualifying short film awards and a graduation film competition.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/interfilm-berlin/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/interfilm-berlin/Berlin’s international short film festival, held every November, with themed competitions and a large audience.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/london-short-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/london-short-film-festival/London's main short film festival, held every winter across the city's independent cinemas, with BAFTA and BIFA qualifying awards.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/cork-international-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/cork-international-film-festival/Ireland’s oldest film festival, with a long short film tradition and Oscar-qualifying short film awards.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/leeds-international-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/leeds-international-film-festival/One of the UK’s largest film festivals, whose short film competitions offer Oscar and BAFTA qualifying awards.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/raindance-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/raindance-film-festival/London’s festival of independent film, with a large short film programme and a long record of showing first-time filmmakers.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/sheffield-docfest/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/sheffield-docfest/The UK’s leading documentary festival and market, with short documentary competitions and a busy industry programme.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/palm-springs-shortfest/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/palm-springs-shortfest/One of the largest short film festivals in North America, with a large programme and Oscar-qualifying awards.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/oberhausen-short-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/oberhausen-short-film-festival/One of the oldest short film festivals in the world, and the leading festival for experimental and artists’ short film.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/sundance-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/sundance-film-festival/The leading festival for American independent film. Its short film programme is small, highly selective and Oscar-qualifying.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/tampere-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/tampere-film-festival/One of Europe’s oldest and most important short film festivals, held every March in Finland, with Oscar-qualifying awards.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/short-shorts-film-festival-asia/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/short-shorts-film-festival-asia/Asia’s leading short film festival, founded in Tokyo in 1999, with Oscar-qualifying awards. It partnered with Greenhorn on a Japanese shorts strand in 2015.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/uppsala-short-film-festival/https://greenhornfestival.com/festivals/uppsala-short-film-festival/Sweden’s international short film festival, held every October in Uppsala, with Oscar-qualifying awards.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2011/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2011/The festival began in October 2011 as one evening of curated short films at the New Diorama Theatre in London.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2013/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2013/The third Greenhorn, on 6 October 2013 at the New Diorama Theatre, paired screenings with a panel on where short film ends and artist moving image begins.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2012/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2012/The second Greenhorn festival in 2012, whose programme included Don't Hug Me I'm Scared, the puppet short that went on to reach millions online.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/dont-hug-me-im-scared/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/dont-hug-me-im-scared/Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling's puppet short, which looks like a children's programme until it doesn't. Greenhorn screened it in 2012.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2015/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2015/Greenhorn's fifth festival, 11–15 November 2015 at the ArtHouse Crouch End, with a ten-film selection, a Japan strand and a Best of the Fest award for Charity.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/charity/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/charity/Jimmy Dean and Ellie Gocher's 16mm drama about a teenage girl from a travelling family whose brother comes home from prison. Best of the Fest, Greenhorn 2015.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/north-london-book-of-the-dead/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/north-london-book-of-the-dead/Jake Lushington's comedy drama, from a Will Self story, about a man who finds his dead mother living in a London suburb. In the Greenhorn 2014 selection.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2014/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/2014/The fourth Greenhorn moved to the ArtHouse in Crouch End, grew to three days and launched the Young Greenhorn award, won by Ed Chappell's Sandyman.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/sandyman/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/sandyman/Ed Chappell's short documentary about a man who draws vast patterns on the beach before the tide takes them. Winner of the first Young Greenhorn award, 2014.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/on-loop/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/on-loop/Christine Hooper's five-minute film about lying awake at night, built from collaged live action and stop-motion. Shown at Greenhorn in 2014.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/tusk/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/tusk/Rory Waudby-Tolley's animated short about a mammoth thawed out into a future it doesn't recognise. Screened in Greenhorn's Strange World programme, 2015.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/two-films-about-loneliness/https://greenhornfestival.com/archive/films/two-films-about-loneliness/Will Bishop-Stephens and Chris Eales's split-screen, bilingual stop-motion short, which played Sundance and Oberhausen and the Greenhorn 2015 selection.Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT