SPILL Launches First-Ever Short Film Festival On Its App
SPILL, a Black-owned social platform built for community, culture, and conversation, today announced the launch of the first-ever SPILL Short Film Festival — a two-day digital celebration of independent short-form cinema streaming exclusively on the SPILL App on May 2–3, 2026.
The festival was developed in partnership with Chicago-based filmmaker and cultural strategist Camille Johnson (@ellimacjo), whose work building creator-led narrative experiences directly shaped the festival’s community-first framework.
One of the first fully digital film festivals of its kind, the SPILL Short Film Festival is designed to meet filmmakers and audiences where they already are: on their screens, in their feeds, and at the pulse of culture. No red carpets. No velvet ropes. No fees. Just bold, boundary-pushing storytelling from the next generation of indie film voices.
Festival Categories
The festival will feature two categories:
- Short Short Films — micro-narratives that prove big ideas don’t need a lot of time
- Long Short Films — more expansive works that push the edges of the format
Eligible Films
SPILL is welcoming films that have:
- Already screened publicly
- Completed festival runs
- Existing online distribution
- Or are seeking renewed audience visibility
Awards & Prizes
The following awards and recognitions will be presented at the SPILL Short Film Festival:
Jury Prizes
- Jury Prize – Documentary Short Film
- Jury Prize – Narrative Short Film
- Jury Prize – Experimental Short Film
- Jury Prize – Hybrid Short Film
- Jury Prize – Animated Short Film
Audience Awards
- Audience Award – Documentary Short Film
- Audience Award – Narrative Short Film
- Audience Award – Experimental Short Film
- Audience Award – Hybrid Short Film
- Audience Award – Animated Short Film
The SPILL Short Film Festival functions as a community-powered re-release window inside the SPILL platform, combining structured programming with live filmmaker conversation.
“Most films die between their premiere and their audience. That gap isn’t a content problem; it’s a systems problem. SPILL already had the community. We built this festival to be the bridge. Digital third spaces work when they’re designed with cultural intention, and that’s exactly what this is.”
— Camille Johnson, Festival Co-Creator | Filmmaker & Narrative Strategist | @ellimacjo
Submissions are free and are now open via the ‘Film Fest’ Group on SPILL and filmfest.spill.com.
Selected films will be featured on the app during the festival weekend, with opportunities for audience engagement and creator spotlights. Visit spill.com/download to download the app or follow @spillmob on Instagram for submission guidelines and additional details.
About SPILL
SPILL is a Black-owned social platform built for community, culture, and conversation. By prioritizing meaningful participation over virality, SPILL has become a trusted hub for culturally fluent conversation and real-time connection — and a powerful stage for the creators and storytellers shaping culture today.
About Camille Johnson
Camille Johnson is a Milwaukee-born, Chicago-based filmmaker and co-founder of JMC Studios, a Narrative Intelligence firm that helps build the organizational capacity to tell the right story, to the right audience, at the right moment. A regional Emmy Award winner at 17, she operates at the intersection of cinematic craft and insight strategy. Known creatively as @ellimacjo, she is the co-creator of the SPILL Short Film Festival and a builder of narrative ecosystems that don’t just tell stories — they compound value over time.
