2026 Maker Faire Two-Minute Film Festival

Lights. Camera. Make. Your Film. Our Stage.

The Maker Faire Two-Minute Film Festival is back for 2026 — and it’s your turn to roll camera. This is a celebration of backyard productions, hand-built practical effects, cardboard sets, homemade costumes, and sensational props cobbled together with pure maker ingenuity. Two minutes. That’s all it takes to prove anyone can make a movie — even you.
SUBMIT YOUR FILM
2025 Judges' Favs

A Showcase Built by Makers, for Makers​

This year’s theme is “Where Curiosity Leads” — and how you interpret it is entirely up to you. Sci-Fi, Drama, Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Horror, Musical, Children’s — all genres welcome. We welcome submissions from filmmakers of all ages, including school groups and clubs.

Films are free to submit and judged with an eye toward clever, creative craftsmanship. Animatronics, costume design, prop building, miniatures, mechanical rigging — if you’ve got a maker passion, this is your chance to put it on screen.

Selected favorites will be continuously screened at Maker Faire Bay Area on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 25–27, 2026. (You don’t need to attend to be selected — but we hope to see you there!)

Mark Your Calendars

June 5, 2026

Submissions Open

August 24, 2026

Submissions Close

September 25–27, 2026

Showtime at Maker Faire

What We're looking for
  • Submissions must have a run time of 2 minutes or less to be considered.
  • Filmmakers should include a short (250-word max) explanation of the techniques and skills used in their movie, so the judging panel and audiences can understand the craftsmanship involved, as well as a very short (100-word max) description of how their film follows the “Where Curiosity Leads” theme.
  • Films must be family friendly and appropriate for all audiences, with no explicit sexual content or graphic violence to be considered. (They should be more Wicked or Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves than The Northman; more Goosebumps or The Addams Family than Saw; more Project Hail Mary and Star Wars than Alien.)
  • No commercial advertisements for services or products are eligible.
  • No AI-generated content or solely computer-generated content will be considered.
  • Submitters understand that their film may be shown on one or more occasions, and may be used for advertising or promotional purposes.
  • Submitters warrant their films are their own creation and they own the rights to submit the film, and have obtained all necessary rights and releases for public screenings.
  • Filmmakers whose submission has been selected for showing will be notified in early September.

Questions? Email: FilmFest@make.co

Maker Faire Bay Area Field Trip Day 2026

Friday, September 25, 2026 @ 10 am – 3 pm PT

Mare Island Naval Shipyard

560 Nimitz Ave. Vallejo, CA 94592