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Celebrating film, story, and music on a global stage — an international festival and competition honoring filmmakers, screenwriters, playwrights, and musicians from around the world.
Moonless International brings together film, storytelling, and music in a curated festival experience designed to spotlight original work, emerging voices, and bold creative vision.
Narrative shorts, features, documentaries, and experimental work from filmmakers around the world — judged on craft, originality, and the courage to tell something true.
Original screenplays and stage works at every level. We honor writing that earns its silences, builds living characters, and refuses easy answers — from first-time scribes to seasoned voices.
Original compositions and recorded performances across genres. From singer-songwriters and instrumentalists to film composers and ensembles — we listen for honesty, craft, and a voice that's unmistakably its own.
Two submission windows remain. Official selections announced August 18 — curtain rises three days later.
Moonless is a live, in-person celebration of creative work — bringing finalists, audiences, and industry professionals together for screenings, readings, performances, and awards.
Open to creators worldwide. We've drawn finalists from five continents and counting.
A working jury of filmmakers, writers, and musicians — judged on craft, not connections.
Category winners, jury prizes, and special mentions across film, writing, and music.
Real screenings, live readings, and performances in front of an audience that came to see you.
A program of the SteelHorn Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to original creative work.
Three nights inside the Franklin Theatre — a 1937 jewel in historic downtown Franklin.
A 1937 art-deco landmark on Main Street in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. Restored to its original elegance and now one of the South's great independent venues — the perfect room for moving images, live readings, and original sound.
Moonless International champions original work across film, writing, and music — judged on craft, not résumé.
From first-time creators to seasoned voices, every entry is read, watched, and listened to on its own terms. Our purpose is simple: find the work that deserves an audience, and give it one.
All submissions are received through FilmFreeway. Moonless International is a program of the SteelHorn Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
Moonless International is brought to life with the support of partners and sponsors who believe — like we do — that original creative work deserves a real stage.
Three deadlines. Three competitions. One unforgettable weekend in Franklin, Tennessee.