Find a creative way to document this pandemic, or write and shoot some kind of poignant or weird or hilarious or sinister (or all of the above) drama that unfolds in your home, and submit it to the Toronto Smartphone Film Festival. We think this would be an excellent way to spend an evening or weekend in lockdown. 

What’s unique and cool about this festival is that anyone with a phone can submit a video, and this year’s no fee submission window makes the fest even more accessible.

Unlike other festivals that are more stringent, there are four different submission dates for TSFF. If you want to skip the submission fee, get your film in by January 17. Early bird submission deadline is February 7 ($10); regular submission is due by March 14 ($15); and if you’re a chronic procrastinator who is most inspired when working on deadline, then you have until April 14 ($20). 

“We are excited to showcase another year of Smartphone-created cinema. Even with last year’s struggles, we received a record number of submissions from all around the world, so here’s hoping the momentum continues,” shares Jay Clarke, TSFF programmer. “We can’t wait to see what our submitters have in store for us this year!” And we can’t wait to watch. 

Films should be less than 10 minutes long, and they are seeking all genres. See other submission guidelines here. 

Without any social commitments on the calendar, this may be the best time to try your hand at  being a filmmaker. Enjoy the creative process and have fun!