The Black Trans Short Film Festival will welcome any narrative + non-fiction short films, solo projects and Black trans-led collaborations and be an expansion of our incredibly impactful 2024 Black Trans Short Film Competition. In 2024, a total of 22 powerful independent films were submitted by Black TGNCI creators, spanning a range of genres and deeply personal narratives that wove into stories about community organizing, grief, healing justice, sisterhood / siblinghood, personal identity, spirituality, and so much more. It became clear right away that this space was necessary to support the healing and transformative culture work that is happening in our communities--we are excited to bring this event back with an even more expansive vision as a 3-day Black Trans Short Film Festival in Durham, NC!

The Black Trans Short Film Festival will take place on April 24-26, 2025 in venues around Durham, NC.

Tickets are on sale now! Click the ‘Get Tickets’ button at the top of this page or go to https://filmfreeway.com/BTSFF/tickets
to get yours!

Follow us on Instagram @comfreyfilms and subscribe to our newsletter to get all the latest updates on Comfrey Films’ Black Trans Short Film Festival. If you’re a Black Trans filmmaker or someone hoping to sponsor this project, you can reach out to us via email at btsff@comfreyfilms.org

Thank you for your interest in sponsoring the Black Trans Short Film Festival. Check out our sponsorship guide and reach out to us at btsff@comfreyfilms.org if you have any questions or want to talk more.

Yes, you can help bring the Black Trans Short Film Festival to life by donating here.

Go to filmfreeway.com/btsff to submit your film. If this is your first time ever submitting a film on FilmFreeway, you’ll have to set up a profile, upload your film or add a link to your film, and go through a short set up process which includes answering a few questions about your film.

The submission fee for the Black Trans Short Film Festival is $35. We are committed to making this accessible to Black Trans storytellers, and sustainable enough that we can continue to offer and grow this space in the years to come.

Each filmmaker is allowed to submit up to two short films per FilmFreeway account.

We know that the work of Black trans storytellers has been historically undervalued. Because of this, you’re invited to submit your films regardless of the year it was created. Our goal is to get your powerful stories in front of audiences.

There is a preliminary jury that selects the top films to screen at the festival. The final jury will review these selected films to decide on the Best in Festival jury prize winner.

During the festival, audience members will get a chance to vote for the People’s Choice festival prize winner.

Yes!

If your film did not win a prize last year and you’ve made changes to it, you’re welcome to submit it again.

You can submit your film in whatever language it was made, but it does need to have English subtitles.

Yes, as long as it is 20 minutes or less in length. Please add “Work-in-Progress” to the title of your film in submission.

Yes, we’ve got $15,000 in gear and cash prizes for our Jury Winner and People’s Choice Winner! Our Best in Festival Jury winner will receive $2,500. Our People’s Choice winner will receive $1,250. Check out gear prizes on our Instagram @comfreyfilms.

If you submit your film and attend the festival, you’ll be invited to an exclusive Black TGNCI filmmaker mixer where you can meet and engage with other peers and more established industry professionals.

Please watch the recorded info session video below, and if you still have questions send them to btsff@comfreyfilms.org.