Why Monday’s clock matters for Florida-only shorts
Monday, September 14, 2026 is the day before the gate opens. The Boca Raton Tribune announcement — published September 7, 2026 — confirms that the Boca Raton Public Library’s first-ever Dewey Film Festival begins accepting short-film submissions Tuesday, September 15, 2026, and that the window runs through December 1, 2026. The festival day itself is Saturday, February 6, 2027. Selected filmmakers are notified on or before January 3, 2027.
That is an owner action calendar, not a vague “sometime this fall” rumor. If you run a Palm Beach County or broader South Florida indie shop — a one- or two-person production company, a post bay that also directs, a branded-content studio with a narrative short in the vault, a student-to-pro pipeline crew that still bills as Florida-based — tomorrow is when you put FilmFreeway on the morning list and start ranking which cuts are actually ready.
The Library’s public site at myboca.us/2828/Boca-Raton-Public-Library is live for hours, branches, and general contact, but as of this writing it does not yet carry a dedicated Dewey Film Festival rules page. Treat the Tribune release as the controlling public summary until the Library or FilmFreeway publishes fuller rules. Do not invent missing genre lists, fees, or premiere language.
Verified eligibility and deadlines (do not invent beyond this)
Primary public source: Boca Raton Tribune, September 7, 2026.
| Rule | What the Tribune states |
|---|---|
| Who | Florida-based filmmakers ages 18+ |
| Runtime | Shorts 3–15 minutes |
| Volume | Up to three different films per filmmaker |
| Portal | FilmFreeway |
| Cover letter | Strongly encouraged — introduce yourself and share the story behind the film |
| Genre | Films must meet the festival’s genre requirements (details not listed in the Tribune piece — read the live listing when it posts) |
| Opens | Tuesday, September 15, 2026 |
| Closes | December 1, 2026 |
| Notification | On or before January 3, 2027 |
| Festival | Saturday, February 6, 2027 |
What this package does not invent: submission fees, FilmFreeway slug URLs, early-bird ladders, student discounts, premiere-status rules, exact screening rooms, ticket prices, or a published genre checklist. If those appear on FilmFreeway or Library materials after September 15, re-verify at the source before you budget or promise a client a “local premiere.”
FilmFreeway path: search Dewey when it goes live — do not invent a URL or fee
Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway. As of Monday, September 14, 2026 — the day before the published open — a public Dewey Film Festival submit page was not confirmed live under common FilmFreeway slug guesses, and festival search did not surface a verified Boca Raton Public Library Dewey listing ready to link.
Owner instruction for tomorrow morning:
- Open filmfreeway.com and search “Dewey Film Festival” (also try “Boca Raton Public Library” if the first search is empty).
- Confirm the organizer matches the Library / Dewey Film Festival described in the Tribune release.
- Read the live Dates & Deadlines, Rules & Terms, Categories, and fee rows before you pay anything.
- Do not trust an invented link from a blog, Slack, or group chat until you see the same festival name, Florida-only / 18+ / 3–15 minute / cover-letter language (or updated official wording) on the listing itself.
- If the listing is delayed past September 15, keep checking FilmFreeway and the Library site, and use Library contact channels below — do not invent a workaround portal.
Fees: not published in the Tribune announcement. Soft-flag for every shop spreadsheet: leave the fee cell blank until FilmFreeway shows a live amount at checkout. Do not assume free, do not assume paid, and do not copy fee ladders from other Boca or SoFlo festivals onto Dewey.
Cover letter as the owner differentiator
The Tribune notes filmmakers are strongly encouraged to include a cover letter introducing themselves and sharing the story behind their film. For indie shops, that is not optional fluff. Treat it as a one-page owner brief:
- Who you are in Florida (city/county, shop name if you have one, role on the film).
- Why this short exists now — the problem, community, or creative question it answers.
- What the viewer should feel in the first ninety seconds.
- How selection would help your crew, clients, or next Florida project — without begging.
Keep it human. Programmers read dozens of synopses; a clear letter that sounds like a real Florida filmmaker beats a recycled festival template. If you submit up to three films, write a distinct letter (or a clearly labeled section) for each — do not paste the same paragraph three times and hope volume wins.
Who is in the room on February 6: networking path, not name-dropping
The same Tribune release names the people shaping the inaugural edition. For Palm Beach / SoFlo owners, this is the networking map — show up prepared, not extractive.
Keynote: Professor JoAnne Adams, UCF School of Visual Arts and Design. The Tribune identifies her as a former 2D animator in Disney’s Ink and Paint Department. Owner takeaway: animation, craft history, and professional pipeline insight are part of the day’s design — bring questions about craft and career paths, not only “how do I get distribution.”
Film selection panel: Alex Korp, Professor of Film at the UCF Nicholson School of Communication and Media; and Caitlin Hart, Graduate Student at the UCF School of Visual Arts and Design. Owner takeaway: selection is framed around academic and emerging-practice eyes alongside the Library’s community mission. Your cut should communicate clearly to both a professor and a graduate peer — clean story beats, honest credits, and a package that does not hide technical shortcuts.
Festival facilitator: Liyah Francois, Library Assistant II. The Tribune quotes her on why she created the festival: seeing work onscreen puts years of making into perspective; she wants to give filmmakers chances to grow, form community, and become more experienced artists. Owner takeaway: this is a community-building premiere lane. Lead with gratitude and curiosity if you get in the room. Connect with other selected filmmakers and local audiences. Do not treat Library staff as a shortcut to UCF introductions.
People-first rule for this package: celebrate the creators and the Library team building a new Florida shorts room. Do not invent quotes beyond the published Tribune language, and do not badmouth anyone connected to programming or city institutions.
What the Library says the festival is for
Per the Tribune, the Dewey Film Festival is about giving local storytellers a place to be seen, heard, and celebrated. It is dedicated to showcasing diverse perspectives from Florida’s student and independent filmmaking community while fostering connections between filmmakers and audiences. The Library hopes artistic expression, technical skill, experimentation, and storytelling can share a big screen.
For shop owners, translate that into practical selection:
- Student thesis shorts and indie passion projects are in-scope language — not only commercial brand films.
- Experimentation is welcomed in the published framing — if your piece is formally bold, say so in the cover letter without overselling.
- Audience connection matters as much as craft flex. A Boca library Saturday is a public room, not a private industry screening.
Soft-flag: the Tribune does not name which library branch or auditorium hosts February 6. Downtown Library is at 400 NW 2nd Ave, Boca Raton, FL 33432; Spanish River Library is at 1501 NW Spanish River Blvd, Boca Raton, FL 33431 (Library page). Confirm venue, time, and public ticketing with the Library after selection materials post. Do not invent a room.
Library contact published on the city site: brpl@myboca.us; general Library phone line 561-393-7852; Downtown 561-367-7019; Spanish River 561-393-7920. Use those for Library-side questions; use FilmFreeway’s festival contact once the listing is live for submission-tech issues.
Palm Beach / SoFlo indie owner map: local premiere plus calendar stacking
Think like a shop owner with a Florida catalog, not only like a director hunting laurels.
Local premiere path. A Saturday Library festival in Boca is a Palm Beach County public premiere opportunity for Florida shorts that may never get a downtown Miami night. If selected, plan cast/crew invites, a simple post-screening hospitality plan near the confirmed venue, and a stills/trailer kit ready before January notifications. Soft-flag again: premiere requirements (world / Florida / South Florida) are not spelled out in the Tribune piece — read FilmFreeway Rules when live before you promise a client “Florida premiere.”
Catalog triage this week. You may submit up to three films. Rank by: (1) runtime inside 3–15 minutes, (2) rights cleared for festival exhibition, (3) story that fits a public library audience and student/indie framing, (4) package readiness (synopsis, stills, letter). Do not burn all three slots on unfinished exports.
Client and sponsor proof. Official Selection language tied to Boca Raton Public Library is third-party validation you can put on a case-study page and leave-behind PDF. Pair it with stills once promotional rights are clarified in any selection agreement. Do not oversell outcomes the Library never promised — no invented distribution, grants, or industry meetings.
Calendar stack without collapsing programs. Dewey’s December 1, 2026 close and February 6, 2027 fest sit on a crowded SoFlo shorts calendar. Light Gazette adjacency only — different rules, different fees, different rooms; do not rehash those packages here:
- FLIFFShorts / Made in Broward / Savor Cinema — Broward shorts corridor.
- Miami Media Festival Art Week deadline map — Miami Art Week / O Cinema submit path.
- 48 Hour Film Project Miami / Savor premiere — timed challenge + premiere logistics.
Owner move: put Dewey on the same wall calendar as those lanes, then submit only where eligibility truly matches. Florida-only + library community framing is Dewey’s lane.
Owner action map from tomorrow through December 1
Tuesday, September 15 (open day). Search FilmFreeway for Dewey Film Festival. Screenshot or save the live rules, genre list, fee row, and notification date. Confirm Florida-based / 18+ / 3–15 / up-to-three language still matches the Tribune summary — or note any official updates.
This week (Sep 15–21). Lock your shortlist of up to three cuts. Time each with credits. Start cover letters. Confirm music, likeness, and location clearances for a public Library screening. Email rights holders now if a client master agreement is silent on festivals.
October. Use the month for picture lock, English subtitles if needed, and clean FilmFreeway project pages (synopsis, stills, credits). If fees appear on the listing, budget them like any other festival line item — still without inventing numbers here. Soft-hold February 6 on crew calendars.
November. Prefer submitting before Thanksgiving chaos. Upload early enough for file-processing latency. If you are holding a stronger cut that finishes mid-November, that can still work — the published close is December 1 — but do not wait for the last hour.
December 1, 2026. Final submission day. Treat end-of-day FilmFreeway timestamps as unforgiving. Save confirmation emails for each film.
January 3, 2027. Notification deadline for selected filmmakers. Have press kits ready either way. If selected, reply fast to any Library delivery specs and participation forms.
Saturday, February 6, 2027. Festival day. Arrive as a guest of a community room: watch other Florida shorts, thank facilitators, exchange contacts with peer filmmakers, and bring clients only if the public program and any guest policy allow it. Confirm logistics with the Library after selection — do not invent call times.
Rights, honesty, and what not to promise
- Confirm you can exhibit the film publicly before you submit.
- Do not invent genre eligibility — wait for the live listing.
- Do not invent fees or a FilmFreeway URL in client emails; say “portal opens September 15 on FilmFreeway — search Dewey Film Festival.”
- Do not promise clients a premiere status the Rules have not defined.
- Do not treat selection as a job offer, grant, or distribution deal. Sell the room, the community, and the proof.
Source checklist for shops and editors
- Boca Raton Tribune — Library announces first Dewey Film Festival — controlling public summary for eligibility, dates, cover letter, keynote/panel/facilitator.
- Boca Raton Public Library (city site) — hours, Downtown / Spanish River addresses, brpl@myboca.us, phones; no dedicated Dewey rules page at research pull.
- FilmFreeway — search Dewey Film Festival on/after September 15, 2026; do not invent a slug or fee until the live listing shows them.
- Light Gazette SoFlo shorts adjacency (HTTP 200, do not collapse programs): FLIFFShorts · Miami Media Festival · 48HFP Miami.
Tomorrow the Florida-only shorts window opens. Rank your cuts, draft the cover letters, and search FilmFreeway for Dewey — then verify every fee and rule on the live page before you spend a dollar or promise a premiere.
