Your festival run ended. Your short film’s life doesn’t have to.
CGP Spotlight streams independent short films on TV, mobile and the web, so audiences can keep finding yours after the festival run.
“Okayyyyy streaming service!!! Acrefall is yours on CGP Spotlight”
Jordan Belliveau · 515 likes · 72 comments
After the festival run
A festival run can last a year or two, and then the screenings stop. Without a next step, a finished short film can end up on a hard drive or behind a private link, where new viewers can’t find it.
Submitting your short to CGP Spotlight gives it a place in a streaming catalogue that people browse on their TVs, phones and computers. Shorts of any genre are welcome, along with features, documentaries and series.
Free to submit.
There’s no submission fee, and you’ll hear back within 2 to 3 weeks.
Put it on TV.
Accepted titles stream on CGP Spotlight’s TV, mobile and web apps.
Build on the work you’ve already made.
Your short can keep introducing viewers to you, your cast, your crew and whatever you make next.
Keep ownership of your work.
Distribution is non-exclusive. You keep your film and can release it anywhere else.
The deal
Can my short film earn money?
Accepted titles share in a creator pool funded by subscriptions. Your share is based on how much your work is watched, and the full terms are in the agreement you sign if your project is accepted.
You keep your work and can release it anywhere else, at any time
Of subscription revenue goes into the creator pool, shared by qualifying views
Minimum payout. Below it your balance rolls into the next quarter
Payouts run each quarter when the platform earned enough that month to fund them, you had qualifying views, and your balance has reached $100. See how the revenue share works
What happens after your festival run?
A practical next step, whether or not your film ends up on CGP Spotlight.
- 01
Decide what you want the film to do next.
Reach more viewers, represent your work, or lead people toward your next project.
- 02
Make sure your rights are cleared.
Music, artwork, footage, performances, likenesses and anything else in the film need to be cleared for distribution.
- 03
Get your materials ready.
A proper title or opening, end credits, a trailer, captions, and the artwork and details streaming needs.
- 04
Submit it for distribution.
If your film fits CGP Spotlight’s catalogue, submit it for consideration. It’s free.
- 05
Keep talking about it.
Distribution doesn’t mean promotion stops. Give audiences a reason to discover the work you spent so long making.
Before you submit
What we can't accept
Original or properly licensed IP only. No unauthorized fan films, fan series, adaptations, or projects using third-party characters, worlds, brands, footage, music, or other protected material.
Human-created productions only. We do not accept films or series that are fully or substantially AI-generated. AI-assisted tools may be used as part of a human-created production.
No gameplay-based productions. We do not accept projects created primarily through Roblox, video game gameplay, machinima, or similar game-based footage.
Proper film/series formatting required. Your submission must include a title/opening identification and end credits, and must be delivered as a finished movie or episode rather than a rough or incomplete video.
Full details: submission requirements · Submission Terms
Built by independent filmmakers
CGP Spotlight was founded by filmmakers Jen Scott and Tazito Garcia, because independent films deserve somewhere to live after production, premieres and festival screenings are over.
Jen designed and built the platform herself, so filmmakers work directly with the people who run it.
Spotlight is meant to work alongside festivals, by giving films a place to go once their run is over.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your festival run was not the finish line.
Create a free account and upload your project. There’s no fee to submit.