3RD ANNUAL 815HORTS RETURNS DEC. 13-14 | SUBMIT FILMS HERE!
The third annual 815HORTS: A 5HORT Film Festival returns Friday-Saturday, December 13-14, 2024. Established in 2022 to amplify the Rockford, Illinois, region’s creative and filmmaking community, 815HORTS (pronounced 815 shorts) celebrates the fine art of short film cinematography by showcasing local, national and international short films amidst a growing festival format. Filmmakers are encouraged to submit short films HERE for 815HORTS screening consideration!
2024 815HORTS will be held in downtown Rockford at City Stage Studios, one of the largest and most well equipped sound stages in the midwest. This year's program is scheduled to include workshops and panel presentations, guest speakers, various short film screening blocks, the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour, awards, and entertainment. Complete details will be released soon!
2024 815HORTS SCHEDULE + FEATURED GUESTS
COMING SOON!
2024 815HORTS PARTNERS
CHAMPION PARTNER
PREMIER PARTNER
SUPPORTING PARTNER
IN-KIND PARTNERS
VENUE PARTNER
HOTEL PARTNER
SPECIAL THANKS
Sundance Film Festival + Dena Altamore + Don Hatton
+ Peter Hawley + Jerry LaBuy + Josiah Sjöström
2024 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILM TOUR
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is a 110-minute theatrical program of seven short films curated from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, including three Festival Award–winning titles. The tour program is a sampling of Festival offerings and a testament to the unique storytelling potential that the format holds. Audiences can enjoy a mix of fiction, documentary, and animated shorts that are funny, sad, inspiring, and full of strong characters. Driven by innovation and experimentation, the Short Film Program seeks out filmmaking’s most original voices from around the world.
The Festival’s Short Film Program has long been established as a place to discover talented directors, such as past alumni Andrea Arnold, Lake Bell, Damien Chazelle, Destin Daniel Cretton, Jay and Mark Duplass, Debra Granik, Rashaad Ernesto Green, Reinaldo Marcus Green, Todd Haynes, Sterlin Harjo, Don Hertzfeldt, Sky Hopinka, Shaka King, Lynne Ramsay, Dee Rees, Joey Soloway, Taika Waititi, and many others.
2023 PROGRAM RECAP
The second annual 815HORTS: A 5HORT Film Festival screened 13 acclaimed short films, including Academy Award nominee Bing Liu’s Rockford premiere of “What the Hands Do”. Liu’s latest short film debuted locally during the program’s final prime time slot, followed by an onstage 5HORT Talk interview featuring Liu and moderator Peter Hawley, 815HORTS emcee and director of the Illinois Film Office. The 5HORT Awards closed out the festivities by awarding two 2023 winners: "A Cloudy Moon" [Written by Aaron Hill, Directed and Produced by T.J. Hill] won Best Local/Regional Short Film, and "Barefoot Empress" [Directed by Vikas Khanna, Produced by Doug Roland, Executive Produced by Deepak Chopra] won Best 5HORT (Best in Show). In addition, Plus Seven Company made a charitable donation to the Rockford Public Library Foundation with a portion of net proceeds.
Presented by the City of Rockford + Rockford Film Office, 2023 815HORTS featured a 5HORT Lunch + Learn educational session to start the day at City Stage Studios followed by three screening blocks at the RPL Nordlof Center, including the 2023 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour.
CONTACT + PRODUCTION
For partnerships and inquiries contact: Nick@PlusSevenCompany.com or 815.708.1644.
