FLIFFShorts 2026 Guide: Made in Broward and Sponsors

Updated Oct. 8, 2026. The FLIFFShorts Extended Deadline was Sept. 10, 2026, and notifications were scheduled for Oct. 1. As of Thursday, Oct. 8, the FLIFF festivals page lists the third FLIFFShorts for Nov. 5 to 8, 2026, at Savor Cinema, 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, and FLIFF’s film finder now shows the program schedule with ticket links. The fee ladder, venue and sponsor lanes below stay as a record; for deadlines still open, see the Film Festival Deadlines for South Florida Creators hub.

Why the September 10 clock mattered for Broward short filmmakers

If you cut a short in Broward, the Extended Deadline of September 10, 2026 was the last gate before programmers locked selections. The Fort Lauderdale Film Festival festivals page and the FilmFreeway FLIFFShorts listing both showed the Extended Deadline as September 10, 2026, with notifications October 1, 2026, and the four-day festival set for November 5 to 8, 2026. The FLIFF40 wrap gave the same submission window in plain language: FLIFFShorts submissions ran March 1 through September 10, 2026 on FilmFreeway, with the festival at Savor Cinema in Fort Lauderdale.

That was the last published fee rung before programmers locked selections for the third edition of FLIFFShorts (branded on FilmFreeway as the Savoir-Faire Shorts Film Festival, a program of the Broward County Film Society). For Made in Broward creators, sponsors who want a lane into the room, and hospitality operators near 503 SE 6th Street, the Extended Deadline decided who stayed in consideration for November, and who planned around February’s FLIFF41 instead.

The deadline ladder, as published

FLIFF’s festivals page and FilmFreeway agreed on the submission ladder. FilmFreeway is where fees and category labels live:

In September, the FilmFreeway listing marked the Extended Deadline row as current and the Earlybird, Regular and Late rows as outdated. That matched the owner reality at the time: the last published submission window, not an early-bird bargain.

FilmFreeway categories and Extended fees

Submissions ran only through the official listing: filmfreeway.com/FLIFFShorts. Categories and Extended-tier standard fees listed on that page in September:

Made In Broward: FilmFreeway states films must be at least 75% in Broward County. Extended fees: Standard $28, Student $28, Gold Members $25.20. Earlier rungs (all past): Earlybird Standard/Student $15 (Gold $13.50); Regular $18 / $18 / Gold $16.20; Late $22.50 / $22.50 / Gold $20.25.

Short Film Narrative (US). Extended: Standard $35, Gold $31.50. Earlier (past): Earlybird $20 / Gold $18; Regular $22.50 / Gold $20.25; Late $30 / Gold $27.

Short Film Narrative (International). FilmFreeway note: live-action film made outside the US. Extended: Standard $35 (Gold tier listed on the same pattern as other narrative categories; confirm Gold at checkout). Earlier rungs match Narrative (US) on the sidebar ($20 / $18, $22.50 / $20.25, $30 / $27).

Short Film (Documentary) and Short Film (Animation): FilmFreeway’s structured event data on the same listing shows Extended-tier offers at $35 standard and $31.50 Gold for both categories. The full Earlybird-through-Late ladder for those two categories was not part of that structured data, so it is not listed here.

Florida premiere rules matter for local owners: FilmFreeway’s rules block states that Florida premieres are strongly encouraged, and films produced in Florida are required to be South Florida Premieres at minimum. If your short already screened in Miami-Dade or Palm Beach as a “local premiere,” the Rules & Terms on the listing decided whether it qualified, and a premiere-status rejection still cost the entry fee.

Where the films land: Savor Cinema, downtown Fort Lauderdale

Box office and venue coordinates published across FLIFF pages point to Savor Cinema, 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301, with 954-525-FILM and info@fliff.org. FilmFreeway maps the festival to Savor Cinema at that address. FLIFF’s home presentation of the theater describes a converted 1947 church space with stadium seating and a courtyard used for receptions, the physical room where Opening Night energy and Sunday local blocks meet sponsors, crews, and neighborhood hospitality.

For owners: a Made in Broward selection is not only a laurels line. It is a November night when your cast, your DP, your post house, and your clients can walk into a downtown Fort Lauderdale room that already draws FLIFF’s year-round audience. That is different from a remote online premiere. Plan transportation, parking (FLIFF historically points guests toward courthouse-area garage guidance in program materials; confirm current instructions closer to November), and a post-screening hospitality plan within walking distance of SE 6th Street.

Schedule and tickets: what FLIFF publishes now

As of Thursday, Oct. 8, FLIFF’s film finder lists the FLIFFShorts program schedule. It starts with The Digital Canvas (AI) on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. at Mad Arts, 481 South Federal Highway, Dania Beach. Shorts in Paradise is billed as the Opening Night Celebration on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5:30 p.m., and the Wrap Party & Awards is set for Sunday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m., listed as free for all festival guests. Programs in between include Strange Encounters, Mixed Reels, The Comedy Club, Life Unscripted and Reel Sunshine, each with a ticket link.

The finder does not show program blocks labeled Made in Broward, and the finder page itself does not list ticket prices. Earlier festival copy listed Opening Night and per-program prices and Sunday Made in Broward block times; FLIFF’s current pages do not show them, so confirm current prices before you buy.

For ticket prices, member pricing and where a Made in Broward selection screens, use each program’s ticket link on the film finder or contact the box office at info@fliff.org or 954-525-FILM. The festivals calendar remains the dates source for November 5 to 8.

The FLIFF Shorts sponsorship page lists the sponsor ladder, covered below.

Made in Broward: what local creators needed to do before the cutoff

If your short was produced primarily in Broward, the Made In Broward category is the owner-aligned lane: lower Extended fee than Narrative (US) ($28 vs $35), and a programming tradition FilmFreeway itself highlights as a local spotlight alongside international shorts. Practical moves before September 10 were:

• Confirm the 75% Broward production claim with call sheets, location logs, or vendor invoices you can defend if asked.
• Check South Florida premiere status against FilmFreeway’s Florida premiere rule.
• Budget the Extended fee ($28 standard / student; $25.20 Gold) and submit early enough on September 10 for payment and upload latency; midnight was not a leisurely cutoff.
• Prepare press materials. FilmFreeway rules note that selected filmmakers will be asked for promotional materials from the category checklist, and that professionally categorized films receiving early acceptance had an August 15 press-materials date in the rules text. Late acceptances still needed assets ready for October notifications.
• Map the November weekend against crew availability. The festival dates are November 5 to 8, and FLIFF’s film finder now lists program times.

Stack this submission with Broward’s broader film toolkit: the Gazette’s live Broward County film incentives / Film Lauderdale guide covers rebate and production-support posture; the Florida entertainment industry sales-tax exemption apply guide is the statewide exemption path for qualifying production spend. Those are parallel owner tools, not substitutes for a festival submission.

Calendar stack: FLIFFShorts notifications and FLIFF41 Early Bird on Oct. 1

October 1, 2026 was a double date on the South Florida film calendar:

• FLIFFShorts notification date (festivals page; FilmFreeway)
• FLIFF41 Early Bird Deadline for the 41st Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, scheduled February 19 to 27, 2027 (festivals page)

FLIFF41’s published ladder on the same festivals page: Early Bird October 1, 2026 (passed); Regular November 1, 2026; Late December 1, 2026; Notification January 17, 2027.

Separately, Broward’s Emerging Filmmakers Grant readiness window is covered in the Gazette’s Broward Emerging Filmmakers Grant guide for October 2026. Each program has its own primary rules, fees and eligibility. The grant is a separate program; the date collision is noted so short filmmakers do not miss a second window around Shorts notifications.

For statewide industry context around Film Florida’s September meetings and tourism-adjacent networking, see the Gazette’s Film Florida Week guide for West Palm owners. That guide covers association and conference logistics, not FLIFFShorts tickets.

Sponsor lanes: $150 / $500 / $1,500

The FLIFF Shorts sponsorship page publishes contact and tiers. For sponsorship questions, use FLIFF’s general office contacts, published on its contact page and in the box office footer of every fliff.org page: info@fliff.org or 954-525-FILM. Levels listed on that page:

Title Sponsor: $1,500. Listed as presenter (“FLIFFShorts: presented by …”); logo on printed documents; link and logo on website and email updates; onscreen acknowledgement before every program; free student tickets provided by the sponsor entity; additional marketing upon request; opportunity to greet the crowd before the opening night film; 20 Festival Passes good for Opening Night Reception and all films.

Program Sponsor: $500. Listed as presenter of the chosen program; logo on select printed documents; website/email presence; onscreen acknowledgement before the sponsored program; stage greeting before that program; 20 tickets to “your” program; 5 Festival Passes for Opening Night Reception and all films.

Reception Sponsor: $500 (equivalent donation). Same structural perks framed around a reception: presenter listing, logo placements, onscreen acknowledgement, stage greeting at the program following the reception, 20 tickets to that following program, 5 Festival Passes.

Film Sponsor: $150. Listed as sponsor of the selected film; logo on select printed documents featuring that film; website/email presence; in-person acknowledgement before the program in which the film screens; 4 Festival Passes and 10 tickets to that program (the page also contains a stray “2 Festival Pass” fragment; confirm pass counts with FLIFF before invoicing).

FLIFF notes it can customize a sponsor level or advertising plan. A sponsorship deck download link is published on the same page (FLIFF sponsorship deck PDF via fliff.org). Owner takeaway for Fort Lauderdale businesses, post houses, camera houses, law firms, restaurants, and civic partners: a $150 film sponsor is a low-friction way to attach your brand to a specific short in front of the Savor Cinema audience; $500 buys a program or reception lane; $1,500 is the festival presenter position. Email info@fliff.org rather than guessing what inventory remains before November.

Host hotel and hospitality near Savor Cinema

Wyndham Garden Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port, 129 N Federal Hwy, Dania Beach, FL 33004, appears on FLIFF’s published travel materials as a hotel offering discounts to FLIFF guests, described as less than five miles south of Savor Cinema on US1, with free shuttle language toward FLL Airport (FLIFF40 travel page). Note: that travel page is titled for FLIFF40; earlier FLIFFShorts festival copy specifically called Wyndham the Host Hotel for the Savoir-Faire Shorts Film Festival. Confirm the current Shorts discount code and booking link with FLIFF (info@fliff.org) before you book crew rooms for November.

Other area hotels on the same travel page (useful for overflow when Wyndham is full): Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Downtown/Las Olas (30 S Federal Hwy, less than one mile from Savor on US1), plus Embassy Suites, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, Riverside Hotel on Las Olas, Crowne Plaza, and Four Points by Sheraton, each with published approximate distances to Savor Cinema.

Hospitality owners near SE 6th Street, the courthouse district, and the short walk toward Las Olas: November 5 to 8 is a four-night corridor when short-film crowds, visiting filmmakers, and local Made in Broward teams need dinner reservations, late coffee, and bar tabs after programs. Confirm Opening Night ticket demand with FLIFF before planning around a sell-out. The durable fact is the venue address and the festival dates on fliff.org/festivals/.

Owner playbook as it stood before the cutoff

Filmmakers and Made in Broward creators. Filmmakers needed to finish the FilmFreeway upload before the September 10 cutoff, pay the Extended fee, save the confirmation email and prep stills, synopsis and runtime metadata for October 1 notifications.

Sponsors and brands. Email info@fliff.org with preferred tier ($150 / $500 / $1,500), logo files, and whether you want a film, program, reception, or title lane. Ask what inventory remains for November 5 to 8 at Savor Cinema.

Hospitality and hotels. Hold Wyndham Garden Dania Beach and downtown overflow options for November 5 to 8. Ask FLIFF for the current Shorts rate code. Brief hotel reception and restaurant managers that short-film guests often arrive in clusters around evening programs.

Feature and doc teams looking past Shorts. October 1 was the FLIFF41 Early Bird date; the festivals page lists Regular on November 1 and Late on December 1, 2026, for the February 19 to 27, 2027 festival. Cross-check Emerging Filmmakers timing via the Gazette’s October 2026 Emerging Filmmakers guide without mixing eligibility.

The Extended Deadline was September 10, 2026, and no later FLIFFShorts submission rung was published. For features and documentaries, the next FLIFF window is FLIFF41, with Regular on November 1, 2026.

Key Facts for Owners and Search

What is FLIFFShorts and when is it?

FLIFFShorts is the third edition of the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival's shorts festival, listed on FilmFreeway as the Savoir-Faire Shorts Film Festival. It runs Nov. 5 to 8, 2026 at Savor Cinema, 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale. Contact info@fliff.org or 954-525-FILM for tickets and schedule.

Which submission deadlines have passed?

All FilmFreeway rungs are past: Earlybird July 1, Regular Aug. 1, Late Aug. 21 and Extended Sept. 10, 2026. Notification was set for Oct. 1, and FLIFF published no later rung. For a feature or documentary, the next FLIFF window is FLIFF41, with Regular on Nov. 1, 2026.

What does the Made in Broward category require?

FilmFreeway states films must be at least 75 percent in Broward County. The Extended fee was $28 for Standard and Student and $25.20 for Gold, against $35 for Narrative (US). Keep call sheets, location logs or vendor invoices that support the Broward claim in case programmers ask for proof.

What are the premiere rules?

FilmFreeway says Florida premieres are strongly encouraged and that films produced in Florida must be South Florida Premieres at minimum. A short that already screened as a local premiere in Miami-Dade or Palm Beach needed its Rules and Terms checked before submission, because a rejected entry still cost the fee.

What should I verify about tickets?

FLIFF's film finder lists the program schedule from Nov. 4 to 8 with ticket links, but that page shows no ticket prices and no blocks labeled Made in Broward. Earlier published prices may be out of date. Confirm prices, member rates and where your film screens with FLIFF at info@fliff.org or 954-525-FILM before planning a cast and crew night.

Sources

• Festivals calendar (FLIFFShorts and FLIFF41): fliff.org/festivals
• FLIFFShorts film finder and schedule: fliff.org/shortfilmfinder
• FilmFreeway submissions: filmfreeway.com/FLIFFShorts
• Sponsorship tiers: FLIFF Shorts sponsorship page; general office contacts: fliff.org/contact
• Submission window and Savor Cinema confirmation in wrap copy: fliff.org/fliff40wrap
• Hotel list (confirm Shorts code): fliff.org/fliff40travel-3
• Box office: 503 SE 6th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301; 954-525-FILM; info@fliff.org