Festival dossier

11th Annual Stage 32 Short Film Contest

United States · Est. 2016 · Multiple structural red flags — exercise caution before submitting

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United States
25
Legitimacy Score

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Warning-tier means structural red flags in our data — not a confirmed scam, but submit only with eyes open.

  • Listed as 'competition' not 'festival' - likely online-only awards
  • No physical screenings
  • 2 documented risk signals

Overview

The 11th Annual Stage 32 Short Film Contest is a U.S.-based short-film program run by Stage 32 in partnership with the HollyShorts Film Festival. It is notable for selecting top short films for theatrical screening at HollyShorts in Los Angeles, including an Opening Night showcase, and for giving winning filmmakers industry exposure through curated screenings and Q&A panels. The contest focuses on short films made within the last three years, with eligible runtimes between 3 and 23 minutes, and is presented as a high-profile opportunity within the short-film festival circuit.[1][2][3]

This overview may contradict our structured venue and screening data. Prefer the Legitimacy Analysis section and structured fields below for social posts or citations.

Last updated Aug 27, 2026

Legitimacy Analysis

Positive Indicators (+14 pts)

  • 10 years of verifiable history
  • 2 verified pro signals

Red Flags (-39 pts)

  • Listed as 'competition' not 'festival' - likely online-only awards
  • No physical screenings
  • 2 documented risk signals
  • On watchlist — negative reputation signals detected

Trust Signals

Risk Flags

  • COMPETITION_NOT_FESTIVAL
  • Description contradicts structured venue/screening data

Positive Signals

  • FilmFreeway Gold festival
  • Documented history with archived programs

Festival Details

Founded

2016

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FilmFreeway communityGold festival

Avg. rating

3.8/ 5

Reviews

4

Synced 19 days ago

Rating synced from FilmFreeway; individual review text not pulled yet for this festival.

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Research

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At a glance

Legitimacy Score25/100
Reviews0
Community Reports0
FilmFreeway3.8★ · 4

How scoring works

Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.

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