This question comes up constantly. How long should your film be? The real answer surprises people. There are two correct answers. And which one applies depends entirely on what you want.

If Your Goal Is to Get Into Festivals

Make your film as short as the festival allows. Yes, really. If a festival accepts 30 seconds, make a 30-second film. If it accepts five minutes, make a five-minute film. This is not about cutting corners. It is about strategy. A 30-second film and a 20-minute film receive many of the same benefits. Screening on a real screen. Networking. Press. Program listings. Parties. Laurels.

On a program page, all films sit on equal footing at first glance.

Length disappears. Presence remains. Short films are easier to program. Easier to slot. Easier to say yes to. Even a so so short film with one clever idea can find a home more easily than a long film that demands a perfect 20 minute arc.

Short Films Are a Festival Director’s Best Friend

Programming is a puzzle. Shorter pieces offer flexibility. They fill gaps. They balance tone. They allow variety. A 20 minute film must earn every minute. A five minute film only needs to work for five. That matters more than most filmmakers realize.

Awards Still Count the Same

Here is another reality. Short films can win awards. Not always the top prize, but many others. Best Performance. Best Cinematography. Audience Award. Comedy. Innovation. Those laurels matter. At the next festival, people see awards. Not runtimes.

If Your Goal Is to Win the Festival

Now comes the second answer. Make your film exactly as long as it works. No padding. No trimming for numbers. No manufactured runtime. Winning films usually need space. Space to build character. Space to develop an arc. Space to breathe emotionally. Often, that means more than five minutes. Sometimes much more. But there is no magic number.

The correct length is the length where nothing feels extra, and nothing feels missing.

That is it.

Do Not Force a Runtime

Do not stretch a film to hit a number. Do not cut a film just to qualify. If your film works at 30 minutes, find festivals that accept 30 minutes. Submitting to festivals that cannot take your length is wasted energy. Respect the fit.

The Takeaway

If your goal is access, go short. If your goal is victory, go deep. If your goal is great cinema, go honest.   Length is not a requirement. It is a consequence of story-