Artwork by Jana Brike
Who Are We?
The Pandora Short Film Grant is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that awards an annual $12,000 Grant to an early-career US filmmaker for the production of their short, narrative film. In addition, the Grant winner and three Finalists receive camera rental hookups from our sponsor, Panavision (worth thousands of dollars), $10,000 in Color Grading & Finishing from Harbor, hookups from our sponsor, Kodak, mentorship from award-winning filmmakers, and as much support as we can give to help the selected films get made. We accept projects that are at script stage as well projects that have already filmed and are looking for finishing funds.
Why?
Narrative short films are notoriously hard to raise money for—the minimal financial returns make it rare for investors to fund a short. And yet, short films are a vital part of our cinematic landscape and an important medium for emerging filmmakers. We aim to give a big boost to early-career US filmmakers with bold visions.
Who Can Apply?
Our Grant is open to all US early-career filmmakers. We kindly ask you to not apply if you’ve directed a feature film with a budget over $250K or directed or produced television. This allows us to give a shot to someone who hasn’t been heard from yet. We put more weight on artistic vision than long film-industry resumes. The winner and finalists are chosen blindly based on script and pitch materials with no consideration of age, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.
It's Free!
We’re a nonprofit, and don’t charge filmmakers to apply! Our Grants are funded by private and public donations. Visit our Donations page if you’re interested in making a donation to our Grant program.
2025 Mentors
Our mentors are offered to the Grant winner as well as three finalists. They offer script reviews, 1-on-1 Zoom meetings, and general guidance towards the execution of selected films.
Benh Zeitlin
Writer/Director
Benh is an oscar-nominated writer and director known for his features Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) for which he won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes, and Wendy (2020). He started out with shorts that played at festivals like Sundance and SXSW. In 2015 he founded Court 13 Arts to grow and sustain New Orleans’ cinema culture.
Josephine Decker
Writer/Director
Josephine has directed acclaimed features like Shirley (2020), starring Elizabeth Moss, The Sky is Everywhere (2022), and Madeline’s Madeline (2018). Her films have played at festivals like Sundance, SXSW, Berlinale, and AFI Fest. She’s earned praise for her innovative narrative style, which she uses to create intimate and subversive stories.
Christopher Makoto Yogi
Writer/Director
Christopher has written and directed several critically-acclaimed feature films, including I Was a Simple Man (Sundance ‘21) and August at Akiko’s (Rotterdam ‘18). Christopher has also made several short films that are currently available to stream on the Criterion Channel. His poetic films often take place in his homeland of Hawaii.
Tomás Gómez Bustillo
Writer/Director
Tomás’s debut feature, The Chronicles of A Wandering Saint (2023), won at SXSW and was nominated at the Spirit Awards. Originally from Argentina, he holds an MFA in directing from AFI. Prior to his feature debut, he made several award-winning short films and co-founded an indie production company, Plenty Good, which has since produced several successful features.
Benh Zeitlin
Writer/Director
Benh is an oscar-nominated writer and director known for his features Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012) for which he won the Caméra d’Or at Cannes, and Wendy (2020). He started out with shorts that played at festivals like Sundance and SXSW. In 2015 he founded Court 13 Arts to grow and sustain New Orleans’ cinema culture.
Josephine Decker
Writer/Director
Josephine has directed acclaimed features like Shirley (2020), starring Elizabeth Moss, The Sky is Everywhere (2022), and Madeline’s Madeline (2018). Her films have played at festivals like Sundance, SXSW, Berlinale, and AFI Fest. She’s earned praise for her innovative narrative style, which she uses to create intimate and subversive stories.
Christopher Makoto Yogi
Writer/Director
Christopher has written and directed several critically-acclaimed feature films, including I Was a Simple Man (Sundance ‘21) and August at Akiko’s (Rotterdam ‘18). Christopher has also made several short films that are currently available to stream on the Criterion Channel. His acclaimed and poetic films often take place in his homeland of Hawaii.
Tomás Gómez Bustillo
Writer/Director
Tomás’s debut feature, The Chronicles of A Wandering Saint (2023), won at SXSW and was nominated at the Spirit Awards. Originally hailing from Argentina, he holds an MFA in directing from AFI. Prior to his feature debut, he made several award-winning short films and co-founded an indie production company, Plenty Good, which has since produced several successful features.
Past Winners & Finalists
Squirrel
Winner
First Death
Finalist
Inside These Walls
Finalist
Brace Yourself
Finalist
Pareidolia
Finalist
Cascarrabias
Finalist
Squirrel
Winner
Pareidolia
Finalist
Inside These Walls
Finalist
First Death
Finalist
Cascarrabias
Finalist
Brace Yourself
Finalist
FAQ
What kinds of narrative films win your Grant?
All kinds! We don’t favor any particular genre or style. Don’t worry about trying to appease our tastes—we connect with all kinds of films. Just send us something that is uniquely from you.
Who decides the Grant winner and finalists?
A small team of filmmakers review each submission carefully. They discuss the projects amongst themselves, at length, and decide the winner and finalists. Our review team consists of our Board of Directors.
Do you give feedback on submissions?
We would love to, but our review team donates their time reviewing submissions and, due to time contstraints, it’s unfortunately not possible to also have them give feedback. Each and every submission is reviewed by a member of our team.
What kind of privacy measures do you take?
We take privacy very seriously. Submitted materials are never shared publicly. Your data is never shared with third parties. There are zero ownership rights conferred to us for anything you submit or send to us.
Can I submit multiple projects?
One submission per person, per year please. Give us the project you’re most passionate about making.
I made changes to my script after submitting. Can I update my application with the most recent version of the script?
Unfortunately our system is not set-up to do that. Please submit your script when you think it’s ready for consideration.
I already submitted but I just made a lookbook or other supporting materials. Can I add these to my application?
No—please ensure your submission includes all supporting materials when you apply. We cannot add or change your application once it has been submitted.
Can I resubmit a project that I submitted to Pandora in prior years?
Only if you feel you’ve made significant changes to it.
Does dialogue have to be in English?
No. Dialogue can be spoken in any language but please provide English translation within the script.
I’m not a US citizen. Can I apply to the grant?
The grant is open to all US citizens and lawful permanent residents (“green card” holders). Visa holders cannot apply. We are looking into opening an “international” category in future years as our grant expands.
Who funds the Grant?
The Grant is privately and publicly funded by folks interested in supporting US narrative short films. Maybe that’s you? We are always accepting donations. Visit our Donation Page to help out.