A B O U t
SCREAM it off SCREEN is a Twin Cities local short film competition where audience members decide what gets GONGED and who wins the CASH. It's free to submit and everyone is given an equal opportunity to compete, however, precedence is given to filmmakers who are able to attend the event in-person, and filmmakers who are new to the competition.
The show takes place on the First Friday of every month at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis.
"I'm interested. What can I expect?"
It's a local short film competition, but more. You'll never understand until you experience it. Every show is different, there's no script, and everyone present, including yourself, dictates the energy of the night. There is live music and many have called the show "comedic."
None of the films are prescreened or preselected by the organizers, so no one knows what will play. You may love some, you may hate some. Audience members have the power to scream a film off screen by yelling "GONG", but they cannot make a peep until a red light gives them permission.
- Films less than 4 minutes get the red light at the half way point.
- Films more that 4 minutes get the red light at the 3 minute mark.
If you're enjoying a film that others are attempting to GONG, you can yell "LET it PLAY" to combat them. If the majority is yelling GONG, we hit the gong, the film is cut short, and no longer be eligible to win.
If it sounds like a toss up between GONG and LET IT PLAY the film is paused, and all in favor of LET IT PLAY stand up in solidarity. If the majority is standing, the film plays in its entirety, the red light will be turned off, and the GONG-ers have to sit and watch the rest of the film in silence (no matter how much it hurts).
Be prepared to kiss inhibitions bye-bye.
You should also be prepared to scream.
How to Win:
Films that don't get gonged are eligible to win the BIG NASTY cash prize. The winner is determined by crowd applause at the end of the night.
What's the BIG NASTY Prize:
For the rest of 2026, there will be a $404.04 monthly cash prize sponsored by Benson Ringle of the Supreme Lending Dream Team, and an anonymous group of mystery donors —The Unseem.
"That didn't seem THAT hard to explain. Why did you say that earlier?"
As you've probably discovered in living your own life, expectations of what something will be, or feel like based on written word are often shattered by actually being there in person. Just because something may happen at one show, does not mean it will happen at another. If you do not attend regularly, there may be moments when you don't have a clue what's going on - don't worry about it.
↑ we sing this after films are gonged ↑