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ABFF is accepting international narrative shorts for the 30th HBO Short Film Award, with five finalists set to screen in Los Angeles and the winner qualifying for consideration in the Academy Awards Live Action Short Film category.
The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) has opened submissions for its 2027 edition, giving short filmmakers several months to enter its long-running HBO Short Film Award competition.
The 31st American Black Film Festival will take place from 20–23 May 2027 in Los Angeles, marking a move from Miami after more than two decades there.
For short filmmakers, the main opportunity is the HBO Short Film Award, which reaches its 30th year in 2027.
Five finalists will be selected to screen at ABFF before an industry jury, with the winning film qualifying for consideration in the Live Action Short Film category of the 100th Academy Awards, subject to Academy rules.
International filmmakers can submit
The HBO Short Film Award is open to narrative films from both the United States and internationally.
Films can run for a maximum of 20 minutes, including credits.
Entries should authentically engage with themes, characters, experiences, settings or perspectives connected to or relevant to people and communities across the African diaspora.
Films must either be in English or include English subtitles.
Entrants must be at least 18 years old.
ABFF requires eligible films to have completed post-production on or after 1 January 2026.
Online exhibition can make a short ineligible
Filmmakers should pay particular attention to ABFF’s exhibition restrictions before submitting.
HBO Short Film Award entries must not have had previous broadcast, cable or online exhibition.
They also cannot have been previously exhibited or licensed for broadcast, cable or online exhibition before the scheduled festival dates.
This can be particularly important for filmmakers considering uploading their short publicly while it is still travelling through festivals.
Unlike most other ABFF competition categories, however, films submitted for the HBO Short Film Award are exempt from ABFF’s Los Angeles premiere requirement.
That gives filmmakers more flexibility to screen their shorts theatrically in Los Angeles before the festival, provided the separate exhibition restrictions for the category are still satisfied.
Previous HBO Short Film Award finalists cannot return
There are also restrictions concerning previous participation.
A film cannot have previously been submitted to the HBO Short Film Award under its current title, a former title or in a substantially similar version.
Filmmakers who have previously been selected as an HBO Short Film Award finalist are also not eligible to compete again.
Applicants working on existing or upcoming projects with HBO or an affiliated company are excluded as well.
ABFF 2027 submission deadlines
The festival currently lists two major deadlines:
- Early deadline: 1 October 2026
- Final deadline: 24 January 2027
- The final deadline is 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
- Submissions are made through FilmFreeway.
- The current FilmFreeway fees for the HBO Short Film Award are:
- Early deadline: $30 standard / $22.50 for FilmFreeway Gold members
- Final deadline: $75 standard / $67.50 for FilmFreeway Gold members
ABFF states that submitting early does not improve a filmmaker’s chances of selection. The main advantage is the lower submission fee.
What filmmakers need to submit
Alongside the film itself, applicants should prepare supporting materials including:
- Film synopsis and project information
- Film still
- Director and writer biographies
- Director and writer headshots
- Required HBO Short Film Award forms
Applicants for the HBO competition must upload the signed HBO release and showcase information documents to the Forms & Attachments area of their FilmFreeway project.
ABFF accepts works in progress and rough cuts, although filmmakers are encouraged to submit the version they want programmers to evaluate because updated versions may not be re-screened once evaluation has begun.
Five filmmakers will reach the final showcase
ABFF selects five finalists for the HBO Short Film Award.
Those films screen at the festival before a jury, putting the selected filmmakers in front of an event attended by filmmakers, executives, studios, distributors and other industry professionals.
The Academy Award-qualifying status gives the competition additional significance.
Winning the HBO Short Film Award does not mean automatically becoming an Oscar nominee. Instead, the winning film becomes eligible for consideration in the Academy’s Live Action Short Film category, subject to the Academy’s rules for that awards year.
For filmmakers planning an awards-oriented festival strategy, that distinction matters.
Filmmakers building a broader qualifying-festival strategy can also explore Indie Shorts Mag’s guide to the best film festivals for short films, covering established destinations for short-form cinema.
ABFF moves to Los Angeles for 2027
The next edition also represents a larger change for the American Black Film Festival.
After 24 years in Miami, ABFF is moving its main festival to Los Angeles.
Programming is expected across several locations in the greater Los Angeles area, with the festival continuing its focus on filmmakers and stories from across the global Black experience.
The 2027 programme also introduces additional initiatives beyond conventional film categories, including the new ABFF 9:16 Microdrama Project, aimed at original vertical short-form series.
For filmmakers with an eligible narrative short, however, the HBO Short Film Award remains the festival’s most consequential short-film competition.
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