It’s common knowledge within the film festival circles that if you submit to a festival and you never hear back, it’s a safe bet that your movie didn’t get accepted. Even if they don’t notify you, you can at least check their website to see if your movie is in their schedule.
Not so with USA Film Festival. For short movies, they have little to no consideration. On a film festival forum I visit, there were a dozen or so posts repeatedly asking if anyone knew anything about notifications; no one did. We were expecting the list of screening movies to be posted at the very least the day of the festival; to THIS day, two days after the festival ended, they still have their temporary “new website coming soon” page.
I was one of those who had assumed his movie was rejected, having not heard a peep from anyone. Much to my surprise, I got a voicemail today that told me, Enrique Garcia, that my movie, In the Dark, had WON the national shorts competition, and that they wanted my mailing address to send me my “CHECK”. I was floored to say the least… I didn’t even know I was in the festival!
Sadly, it was not to be. When I called them back, it turned out there was another movie by the exact same name that had won, not mine. Needless to say, I’m less than happy with them right now 
