Film Independent $100,000 Short Film Program: 2026 Application Guide
Film Independent will produce five $100,000 shorts about seniors and aging. Here are the 2026 deadlines, eligibility rules, fees and application requirements.
The Film Independent $100,000 short film program is accepting 2026 applications from director-producer teams ready to create original stories about seniors and aging. Developed with support from the Humana Foundation, the initiative will select five United States-based teams and guide their projects through development, production, post-production and release planning.
Film Independent $100,000 short film program deadlines
According to the official Film Independent x Humana Foundation Shorts program page, applications opened September 25, 2026. The non-member deadline is October 26, while current Film Independent members receive an extended deadline of November 2. Applicants are expected to receive decisions by the end of December, and the yearlong fellowship begins in January 2027.
The application fee is $65 for non-members, $45 for members and free for Filmmaker Pro members. Film Independent says there is no additional tuition to participate. Applicants should confirm their membership status before relying on the later deadline or discounted fee.
Who is eligible to apply?
Applications must come from a team consisting of one director and one producer. The director must previously have directed at least two short films or one feature. The producer must have produced at least two shorts or one feature. A separate writer may join the project, but the director and producer remain the primary contacts during development and production.
Applicants must be physically present in the United States. People working under a visa may apply only if they have an unrestricted legal right to work in the country throughout the program. Work samples may come from projects completed within the past ten years, meaning after January 1, 2016.
The proposed film may use fiction, nonfiction or a hybrid format, but it must focus on seniors, aging or the contributions and experiences of older adults. Film Independent is looking for projects that entertain while offering nuanced perspectives rather than reducing older characters to a single issue or stereotype.
What the application requires
Teams must submit a short-film script of no more than 15 pages or a treatment of no more than five pages, along with two directing samples. Project materials include a logline, a synopsis of up to 500 words, a proposed budget
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