About
College and University faculty are invited to submit nominations for the 2024-2025 Focus Features | JetBlue Short Film Showcase! Now in its 6th year, the Short Film program is open to MFA students who have completed a short film within the last academic year. The showcase provides MFA students an incredible and unique commercial entry point into the industry.
Selected filmmakers receive a $1,000 grant and will have the opportunity for their thesis film to be shown for twelve months on JetBlue’s seatback entertainment systems under the “Gotham Selects” movie category and on Focus Features’ digital streaming platforms.
Throughout 2025, winning filmmakers will also receive ongoing mentorship and screening opportunities through The Gotham. A special jury of filmmakers, curators, and critics select the five winning filmmakers, who will be recognized during the 2024 Gotham Awards Ceremony on Monday, December 2, 2024.
Previous recipients award include: Cannes Jury Prize winner Saim Sadiq (Joyland), Sudaresh Suresh (Mizaru, Telluride 2019), and Saleem Nasir Gondal (Post Term).
Learn More About Last Year’s Winners
Eligibility Criteria
Nominee Eligibility
- — Must have received an MFA degree between September 23, 2023 and September 22, 2024, or must be currently enrolled in an MFA program.
- — Must be the director of the film
- — Each school can only nominate up to three (3) films
Short Film Eligibility
- — This opportunity is for fiction films only
- — There is no limitation on genre, format, or style (live action, experimental, animation, hybrid, etc.)
- — Less than 50 minutes in length
- — Completed within the last academic year (September 2023 – September 2024)
- — Film must be insured (A portion of the grant will be applied toward insurance if the film is not insured.)
- — The film does not need to be a thesis film, but it must be made within the duration of the student’s enrollment in the MFA program.
- — *Full terms available once selected.
How to Submit a Nomination
Each school can submit up to three (3) films by September 23, 2024. Please take into consideration the below suggestions when selecting your films.
While you undergo the selection process within your school, kindly confirm that you plan to submit eligible films via this Intent to Submit by August 30, 2024 so we know whether or not to expect your submissions.
Deadline for nominations: Monday, September 23, 2024
Questions? Please contact Yoko Kohmoto at [email protected]
Past Nominating Institutions
American Film Institute
Beaconhouse National University
California Institute of the Arts
Chapman University Dodge College
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia University
DePaul University
Emerson College
Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, Brooklyn College
Florida State University
Full Sail University
Loyola Marymount University
MIT Sloan School of Management
New York Film Academy
New York University
Ohio State University
San Francisco State University
Savannah College of Art & Design
SCI-Arc (Southern California Institute of Architecture)
Stanford University
Stony Brook University
Syracuse University
Temple University
The City College of New York (CUNY)
The New School
The University of Texas Austin
University North Carolina Wilmington
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Central Florida
University of Miami
University of New Orleans
University of Texas Austin
USC Cinematic Arts
Vermont College of Fine Arts
Sponsors
