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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.
The Moonless International Film Festival is now managed by the SteelHorn Foundation. To consolidate our programs, expand the Moonless Arts Institute, and give more back to the entertainment community, we are bringing our festivals under one banner.
September 11–13, 2026 · Sumter Little Theatre
All three competitions run one last time — film, screenwriters & playwrights, and music.
Going forward, the Moonless name lives on — divided by discipline
Our film programming continues, in full, at the Swan Lake Premiere Film Festival — held annually in Sumter, SC.
Visit slpff.comThe Moonless brand continues as a dedicated, year-round competition for screenwriters and playwrights.
Continue on FilmFreewayA one-day holiday festival launching in Texas. City to be announced — stay tuned.
In DevelopmentWe're grateful to every filmmaker, writer, musician, sponsor, and audience member who has walked this road with us. Come mark the moment with us in Sumter this September.
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.
The final Moonless. Two submission windows remain — then curtain rises in Sumter.
Moonless is a live, in-person celebration of creative work — bringing finalists, audiences, and industry professionals together for screenings, readings, performances, and awards.
Three nights.
Three disciplines.
One final chapter.
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 Sumter Little Theatre — a beloved community stage nearly 90 years in the making.
A beloved community theatre on Mood Avenue in Sumter, South Carolina — proudly educating and entertaining audiences for nearly 90 years, and part of the Sumter County Cultural Center. The perfect room for original film, live readings, and new music.
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. The Moonless International Film Festival is now managed by 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.
Two deadlines. Three competitions. One final weekend in Sumter, South Carolina.
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