Keep a personal watchlist of films you want to come back to, from any device.
You can submit a short film to two kinds of places. Festivals, reached through services like FilmFreeway, get you screenings and laurels. Distribution platforms get your finished film watched by an audience. Klipist is the distribution route: submit once, and accepted films are streamed free to viewers in 190 countries. Submission is free, with a one-time fee only if your film is accepted, no recurring cost, and you keep your rights.
Most filmmakers do both: festivals for recognition, then distribution to be watched.
Submitting to festivals and submitting to a distribution platform are not the same thing, and it helps to be clear about which one you want. A festival run, usually entered through a service like FilmFreeway, is about recognition: screenings, laurels, press, and the chance to be seen by programmers and other filmmakers. It is a limited window.
Distribution is about being watched. A distribution platform makes your finished film available on an ongoing basis, so people can actually press play long after the festival circuit is over. Klipist is the distribution route, not a festival. Many filmmakers do both in sequence: festivals first, then a home where the film stays watchable.
It is worth being honest about cost, because almost every distribution route asks for something. The usual trade-offs are a revenue share, where the platform takes a cut of any money the film makes; exclusivity, where you agree not to show the film anywhere else; or a fee, where you pay once or on a recurring basis to be listed.
None of these is automatically bad. A revenue share can suit a film built to earn. Exclusivity can come with a bigger marketing push. A one-time fee with no exclusivity keeps things simple and leaves you free to use the film elsewhere. What matters is knowing which one you are agreeing to before you submit.
Short film distribution platforms vary a lot, so it is worth checking the same handful of things on each one before you commit.
The right platform gets your film watched, on terms you understand, without signing away your rights.
Klipist is a curated streaming platform for independent short films. You submit your film, the editors review it, and accepted films are streamed free to watch by an audience in 190 countries, around 350,000 viewers worldwide. Here is exactly what the deal is, with nothing hidden.
99 pounds
Charged only if your film is accepted. A one-time fee, currently promoted down from 150 pounds, with no annual or recurring fees.
Non-exclusive
You keep your rights and can show the film elsewhere. It can also be removed later on request.
Curated
Not every submission is accepted. The editors hand-pick the films that go on the platform.
190 countries
Accepted films are free to watch for around 350,000 viewers worldwide. No paywall for the audience.
So the short answer to where to submit your short film online: if you want recognition, enter festivals. If you want your finished film watched on a curated platform while keeping your rights and paying once rather than every year, that is what Klipist is for.
One-time fee, no recurring cost, non-exclusive, and free to watch for viewers in 190 countries.
You can submit a short film to two kinds of places, and they do different things. Film festivals, reached through services like FilmFreeway, give you screenings and laurels. Distribution platforms get your finished film watched by an audience. Klipist is a curated distribution platform: you submit your short film once, and accepted films are streamed free to viewers in 190 countries.
Pick a platform whose audience matches your film, decide whether you want it free to watch or behind a paywall, and check the terms before you commit. The terms that matter most are exclusivity, rights, and cost. On Klipist you keep your rights, the deal is non-exclusive, and accepted films are streamed free to a worldwide audience, so the film stays available rather than sitting on a hard drive.
Submission is free. There is a one-time fee of 99 pounds only if your film is accepted for distribution, currently promoted down from 150 pounds. There are no annual or recurring fees. Klipist is curated, so not every submission is accepted.
Yes. Klipist is non-exclusive, so you keep your rights and can show the film elsewhere at the same time. You can also ask for the film to be removed later.
A festival screens your film to an audience and a jury for a limited run, which is good for recognition and laurels. A distribution platform makes your film available to watch on an ongoing basis, which is how it reaches viewers. They are different goals, and many filmmakers do both: festivals first, then distribution.