Every major shift in cinema has started with bold creators challenging the norm.
The 15 to 10 International Film Festival, returning for its third year on September 20, 2025 (8–10 pm at CineCycle, Toronto), is one of those game-changers—shining a spotlight on short-form, vertical storytelling at a time when online media is shaping the future of film.
Celtx is proud to support this festival through in-kind sponsorship, awarding the “Best Narrative” filmmaker with a Celtx Writer Pro subscription. For us, the real story here isn’t just sponsorship — it’s about helping spread the word about a festival that’s legitimizing the work of creators who might otherwise be overlooked.
Ready to learn more? Keep reading!
Table of Contents
- Why Vertical Storytelling Deserves the Big Screen
- From TikTok to Theatre- How Vertical Storytelling is Changing Film
- Supporting the Underdog
- Why Celtx Got Involved
- Join the Festival
- Final Word
Why Vertical Storytelling Deserves the Big Screen
Festival founders Sara Sabbagh and Calyx Passailaigue, Toronto-based filmmakers and artists with over a decade in the industry, built 15 to 10 with a mission:
“Our aim is to share a diverse range of content with a wide audience, featuring creators working in various genres and from various backgrounds. We want to ‘bridge the gap’ between online and traditional media by providing a prestigious theatrical venue to showcase this work.”
While most festivals highlight shorts or features in a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio, 15 to 10 is the only festival dedicated to vertical, short-form content — embracing the very format driving Gen Z storytelling and beyond.
From TikTok to Theatre – How Vertical Storytelling is Changing Film
The festival’s name comes from the length of videos that thrive on platforms like TikTok and Instagram: anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. During the pandemic, Sabbagh noticed how often this kind of work was dismissed as “brain rot” — even while groundbreaking art was being shared in these spaces.
“Short form video content has redefined the meaning of ‘high’ and ‘low’ art. Never before have so many artists from various disciplines had the opportunity to share their work with a worldwide audience. This is the future of the media industry.”
With packed screenings since its first year — and even filmmakers flying in just to attend — the festival is quickly building a reputation as a hub for online creators eager to see their work recognized in a new way.
Supporting the Underdog
This year, the festival is leaning into collaboration. Along with Celtx, they’ve teamed up with Chief Swag Officer, who is providing custom mic flags and pop covers for the “Best Music” award winner.
For Sabbagh and Passailaigue, the partnerships help expand the reach of an event that’s always been powered by passion:
“For our first two years we operated independently, self-financing this project with a very small team and limited resources. Despite that, we’re proud to say we’ve had a full house at every screening.”
By platforming artists who may otherwise be overlooked — many from marginalized communities working outside traditional film spaces — the festival is creating a bridge between the online creative world and the larger media industry.
Why Celtx Got Involved
Celtx tools are built to help all kinds of storytellers — whether you’re writing a feature film, a theatre piece, or a 30-second vertical narrative for the web. That’s what made this partnership a natural fit.
As the founders put it:
“Whether you’re writing a 100-page feature film or a 30-second web video, a good screenwriting software is the most useful tool a filmmaker has. Some of the strongest pieces we’ve screened were narratively driven, and we felt that Celtx’s award-winning screenwriting software would be an excellent resource for this year’s Best Narrative award winner.”
Join the Festival
The 15 to 10 International Film Festival is free to attend and open to anyone curious about the future of film.
📅 When: September 20, 2025, from 8–10 pm
📍 Where: CineCycle, 129 Spadina Ave., Toronto, ON
🎟️ Admission: Free
Creators interested in submitting can do so via FilmFreeway until September 15, 2025. You can also learn more at the official festival site and follow them on Instagram.
Final Word
For some, vertical storytelling is still dismissed as casual content. But as the 15 to 10 International Film Festival proves, it’s an art form shaping cinema’s future. This is a space where filmmakers who may never have imagined their work on a big screen can see it shine in front of a live audience.
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