The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is an Academy Award-qualifying film festival! Live action short films accepted into our Festival are automatically considered for our Live Action Short Award, which counts toward consideration for the Academy Awards. To be eligible for this award at the 2026 Festival, live action short films must be completed on or after October 1, 2025.
Live action short films are defined as narrative short films that are under 40 minutes in length. It does NOT include documentaries, animation, music videos or experimental works.