2026 - SFF1

TO BEITA, WITH LOVE WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY ABDULLAH KOKASH
IN PRE-PRODUCTION

Barred from entering Palestine due to their refugee status, a group of naive kids executes a wild scheme to frame their parents for petty crimes and turn them in to ICE, convinced that deportation is a free ticket to the West Bank. Pre-Shoot Q&A

FIFTY KILOMETERS FROM THE SHENZHEN-ZHONGSHAN BRIDGE, TWO DRUNKEN PIGEONS ARE DANCING WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY ADAM ZHENG YUAN
IN POST-PRODUCTION

After twenty years apart, Chuang and his former lover Lizhen reunite in Zhongshan. As they wander through the old town, memory, dream and reality begin to overlap. Blending archival footage from Chuang’s youth with fiction, the film traces a polyphonic journey that mirrors both a life lived and a city in decline. Post-Shoot Q&A

2025 - SFF2

KNOW YOUR LIGHTS WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY AL BENOIT
IN POST-PRODUCTION

In a Mexican-American neighborhood in Chicago, a young girl investigates mysterious “lights”, only to uncover a far more dangerous reality threatening her community. Read Pre-Shoot Q&A

MATANDO MOSCAS WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY ERICKA LAVIN
IN POST-PRODUCTION

Trapped in monotony, a disillusioned office worker hires a hitman to kill him—only to discover that fate has a darker sense of humor. Read Post-Shoot Q&A

2025 - SFF1

PAPER DAUGHTER WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY CAMERON KWAN
OSCAR-QUALIFIED & ON RELEASE

A young Chinese woman grapples with the guilt of using the identity of a deceased girl to immigrate to the United States via Angel Island in 1926.

'PAPER DAUGHTER' IS NOW OSCAR-QUALIFIED IN 2026 AFTER WINNING BEST ANIMATED SHORT AT DEADCENTER & IS AN OFFICIAL SELECTION OF ANNECY

"We are SO excited, and are so grateful for Shore Scripts' support in making this film possible in the first place!" Read Post-Shoot Q&A

THE TRUTH ABOUT SPACE WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY JEREMIAH TOWOLAWI
ON RELEASE

A young man is released from prison and has to face up to the lie that his estranged daughter has been led to believe – that he was in space.

'THE TRUTH ABOUT SPACE' HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR THE HBO SHORT FILM AWARD SHOWCASE AT THE AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL, AND WON BEST UK SHORT AT THE MANCHESTER FILM FESTIVAL Read Post-Shoot Q&A

2024 - SFF2

I AM A GENTLEMAN WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY NICKY RUDOLPH CALLOWAY
PREMIERED AT LA SHORTS INT'L & ON RELEASE

In a society that rationalizes violence against women, high schooler Max faces the harsh reality and consequences of his new, hormonal compulsions when he has his first crush on a girl after taking the school's mandatory sexuality test. Read Pre-Shoot Q&A

HER PRETTY VAGINA WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY KIAH CLINGMAN
PREMIERED AT THE AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL & ON RELEASE

Plagued by the physical and emotional tolls of endometriosis and HPV, Kaleigh's relentless quest for empathy drives her to desperate measures. Read Post-Shoot Q&A

2024 - SFF1

TO CATCH A SIREN WRITTEN BY HARVEY JOHN
DIRECTED BY RAPHAELA WAGNER
AWAITING RELEASE

A young orphan desperately searches for the mermaid she believes to be her mother before she is adopted and sent to live far away. Read Post-Shoot Q&A

2023 - SFF2

WHO ARE YOU, NANU? WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY ANJINI TANEJA AZHAR
PREMIERED AT THE OSCAR-QUALIFYING LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL IN 2025 & ON RELEASE

After her grandfather’s (Nanu’s) ceremonial cremation brings her to the Holy Ganges River in India, 11-year-old oddball Isha befriends the phantom of her Nanu’s rambunctious 8-year-old self and discovers the journey after death. View Trailer & Learn More

2023 - SFF1

LOCO WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY EDDIE MUJICA
PREMIERED AT THE SAN DIEGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL & ON RELEASE

A surreal, dark comedy about mental health stigma in the Latinx community. At his first therapy session, Rafael Reyes relives the anxious thoughts from the night of his 30th birthday. View Trailer & Learn More

2022 - SFF2

HE WOKE UP TO DEFLATING NEWS WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY LAURA SPINI & LAURENCE BROOK
PREMIERED AT THE LONDON COMEDY FESTIVAL & ON RELEASE

A sedentary pensioner must find the inner fire to fight his local council before he is turned into a coffee shop. View Trailer & Learn More

THIRSTYGIRL WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY ALEXANDRA QIN
COMPLETED

When her estranged alcoholic sister lands in the hospital after a relapse, Charlie reluctantly agrees to drive her from New York to rehab in Kentucky. But she must deal with a secret addiction of her own along the way.

'THIRSTYGIRL' SCREENED AT SUNDANCE 2024 AND OVER 50 OTHER FESTIVALS WORLDWIDE. ALEX WRAPPED PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON THE FEATURE FILM IN 2026.

“All I have left to say is THANK YOU to Kimberley Browning, Julia Morizawa, Dave Beazley, and the entire Shore Scripts team for your support of THIRSTYGIRL! Winning the Short Film Fund has brought so many gifts, the least of all being the financial support you provided. I can’t say how grateful I am for all of you and what you do for emerging filmmakers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” View Full Film & Learn More

2022 - SFF1

NON EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORT WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY CHELSEA ISABELLA CLARK-JAMES
COMPLETED

A driver for a family transportation business has to find an open medical bed for a long time alcoholic involuntarily committed for medical detox by the state, which turns out to be more difficult than it should be.

"I just wanted to thank you again. The support that has come along with winning Shore Scripts has been as impactful as the funding itself. I wouldn't have gotten into the Sundance Collab without it." View Trailer & Learn More

A WEDDING DAY WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY BRENDAN BEACHMAN
COMPLETED

For newlyweds Brad and Jill, it seems the honeymoon is over before it even began. When an eccentric stranger named Jess White stumbles into the couples first argument as man and wife, the day takes an abrupt turn and changes their lives forever.

A WEDDING DAY RECEIVED AUDIENCE AWARDS AT DANCES WITH FILMS, JULIEN DUBUQUE, CALGARY UNDERGROUND & MORE
View Full Film & Learn More

2021 - SFF2

OTHER HOMES WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY JOSEPH LEE
COMPLETED

In the winter of the Korean War, a North Korean family on the run escapes to the seaside, where they must quietly sneak across the water on a fisherman’s boat to reach freedom. View Trailer & Learn More

HORNY
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY HANNAH LEOPARD
AWAITING RELEASE

An anxious teenager, who is terrified of losing her virginity, discovers a horn is growing out of her forehead on the day she’s meant to do it.
Read Post-Shoot Q&A

2021 - SFF1

EL VALS WRITTEN BY ALYCYA MAGAÑA
DIRECTED BY DAMIANA ACUÑA
IN POST-PRODUCTION

With their mother deported and young Danny now the man of the house, acquiring a Quinceañera dress for his older sister means everything – yet how will he do it with no money and CPS closing in? Read Post-Shoot Q&A

Read Pre-Shoot Q&A OVER THE NEXT HILL WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY TARIQUE QAYUMI
IN POST-PRODUCTION

On a perilous journey as a refugee, eleven-year-old Zabi struggles to prove his manhood to his mother.

In 2020 we decided to run the Short Film Fund twice yearly to further support new writing talent.





Enter your short script for the chance of having your work produced, gain a credit, and kickstart your screenwriting career. ENTER OUR SHORT FILM FUND

2020 - SFF2

TWO BEARS WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY ANTHONY FLOREZ
COMPLETED

Life on the Rez is tough, but not as tough as underdog, Casey TwoBears, a veteran whose life has been a constant state of survival.

ANTHONY WENT ON TO WRITE FOR THE TV SHOWS 'DEPUTY' (AMAZON), 'DARK WINDS' (AMC), & 'POWER BOOK IV: FORCE' (STARZ). View Trailer & Learn More

LITTLE ANNA WRITTEN BY J BATZLI & DORIAN TOCKER
DIRECTED BY J BATZLI
COMPLETED

Third-grade teacher Anna Wheeler receives a new student with her same first and last name, triggering eerie similarities and traumatic memories when the girl’s father fails to pick her up from school. View Trailer & Learn More

2020 - SFF1

THE TOWN WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY LINDIWE MAKGALEMELE COMPLETED

A car breaks down in an anonymous South African town.

“I would like to just reiterate my gratitude to Shore Scripts. This isn’t something that I would have believed to be possible and it was entirely enabled by the Short Film Fund. So thank you!”

LINDIWE IS NOW DEVELOPING PROJECTS WITH THE SUNDANCE INSTITUTE. View Trailer & Learn More

2019

CHAMP WRITTEN BY JAMES GOULD-BOURN & BEN TRICKLEBANK
DIRECTED BY BEN TRICKLEBANK
COMPLETED

Jake might only be 12, but that’s old enough to be a man as far as his dad is concerned. The only problem is that Jake isn’t sure he’s ready to grow up – at least not in the way that his dad wants him to. View Full Film & Learn More

MISS FORTUNATE WRITTEN BY MOLLY O'SHEA
DIRECTED BY ELLA JONES
COMPLETED

If luck is a lady, grief is a bitch. A young woman loses her mother and finds herself. A coming of rage story. View Full Film & Learn More

2018

BEST SELLER WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY NORA KIRKPATRICK
COMPLETED

When the reigning queen of the Home Shopping Network is killed live on-the-air during a hair drying demonstration gone wrong, her three venomous, power-hungry disciples enter into a cut-throat competition for her coveted time slot.

NORA WENT ON TO DIRECT AN EPISODE OF 'THE GOLDBERGS' (ABC) AND WROTE FOR 'DAISY JONES & THE SIX' (AMAZON). HER DEBUT FEATURE 'A TREE FELL IN THE WOODS' PREMIERED AT TRIBECA IN 2025. View Trailer & Learn More

2017

ARRI Rental come onboard as a sponsor, giving free camera equipment for the duration of our shoots ARRI have always been a champion of upcoming talent. It’s been a real honor to partner with them since 2017, aligning our shared interests in helping to support the next generation of screenwriting and filmmaking talent. Read about our relationship with ARRI

THE ORGY WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY SAM BARON
COMPLETED

A heartbroken guy throws caution to the wind and goes to an orgy.

SAM WENT ON TO WRITE FOR THE TV SHOWS 'CHLOE' (BBC/AMAZON), 'LOCKWOOD & CO' (NETFLIX) & 'THE UNDERTOW' (NETFLIX); AS WELL AS DEVELOP ORIGINAL TV PROJECTS WITH NETFLIX, BBC, & SKY AND WRITE FEATURE SCRIPTS FOR JAMES MARSH, SCOTT Z. BURNS, & ALICE SEABRIGHT. SAM COMPLETED PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON HIS DEBUT FEATURE 'CIRCLES' IN 2026
View Full Film & Learn More

NAKED MAN WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY BEN GUTTERIDGE
COMPLETED

An Invisible Man’s hopes of being seen again are unleashed by a fascinating blind girl – Without love, are we invisible?

BEN WENT ON TO DIRECT THE TV SHOW 'INTIMACY' (NETFLIX) FOR WHICH HE WAS AWARDED THE SPANISH TV ACADEMY AWARD FOR DIRECTING. View Trailer & Learn More

2016

SALAM WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY CLAIRE FOWLER
COMPLETED

A female Lyft driver navigates the night shift in NYC while waiting to hear life or death news from Syria.

'SALAM' WON A BAFTA AND PREMIERED AT TRIBECA WHERE IT WAS NOMINATED FOR BEST SHORT. CLAIRE WAS A SUNDANCE SCREENWRITING FELLOW FOR HER FEATURE 'TOAD' IN 2024. View Trailer & Learn More

Enter our Short Film Fund for the chance of having your script produced, gaining a credit, and kickstarting your screenwriting career. ENTER OUR SHORT FILM FUND