Blog: Film festivals

OPEN CALL AT https://docsbarcelona.com/

DocsBarcelona is an international festival specializing in the documentary genre comprised of international and national competition sections, non-competitive sections, and retrospectives. The Artistic Direction and Programming Committee select all of the documentaries that make up these sections.

DocsBarcelona will celebrate the 28th edition from May 8 to 18, 2025.

Mumbai- The city of celluloid dreams since past century- is the destination of thousands of budding & professional filmmakers in India & world. The city has nurtured many great filmmakers, technicians & entertained the millions worldwide through cinema. People also fondly called it as Bollywood. In the highly competitive age of cinema ‘Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival’ is the platform for short filmmakers to put their work forward among the league of professional.

MSIFF, a progressive cinema movement started in year 2012 with the consultation of senior industry members to highlight the short cinema. The 2012 inaugural year followed 2013 to 2023 editions witnesses the great participation & enthusiasm from filmmakers & industry professionals from India & abroad. The festival objective is to contribute towards the development of upcoming filmmakers & to create short films culture in India.

The festival aims is to feature great cinema of worldwide filmmakers in a big way & at the same time providing professional networking & introducing current trends of cinema to the participants. The festival also strongly advocates the need of commercial short film industry in India & will raise the issues related to short films in front of various governing bodies of cinema.

13th MSIFF-24 will prove one more step towards achieving excellence & enhancing your skills in cinema & fore sure it will contribute immensely in your growth as filmmaker

The 5th Socio-environmental Festival "VIVIENDO CINE" is a space that promotes the environmental and social rights of our communities and native peoples, likewise seeks to sensitize, inform, dialogue and make natural diversity visible with a social and intercultural approach, promoting critical cinema that contributes to social transformation.

The Festival values cinema as a transmitting agent of culture and development, since it is a vehicle capable of moving, moving, motivating reflection and action, it considers the creativity of artists, as fundamental elements to understand the socio-cultural reality and the multiple environmental crises that we face nationally and globally.

The city of San Giovanni A Piro, Il Varco and Aedon, are proud to announce the fourth edition of Mondi Lontani Film Festival, formerly known as Scario Short Film Festival.

Mondi Lontani Film Festival in its last screenings saw more than 600 people attending in the main square of the city plus an uncountable number of passerbys on the most populated street of the city during the summer nights.

Our goal is to bring works of art from distant worlds to the heart of Cilento, showing different cultures. We believe in artistic and cultural dissemination as an instrument of education and emancipation of people. We believe that showing distant worlds is the best way to bring everyone closer.

We’re developing a bigger fourth edition thanks to the collaboration with the institutions, planning to show a larger number of quality films in a three-days long event, with a new hybrid format both online and offline:

We are hosting four seasonal calls that will end with an online screening on our platform, selected by our artistic director. The winning films will qualify for the outdoor screening in the main square of San Giovanni a Piro in the summer of 2022 and will compete for the victory of the various prizes, including the cash prize.

Three days of cinema with the best shorts received through this call for entries that we'll select from all over the world, thanks to the collaboration with the staff from cultural associations Il Varco and Aedon. The artistic director is, director and filmmaker whose work has been featured in

- The competition is divided into 4 seasonal editions. At the end of each edition, the 5 selected short films and the 4 selected scripts will be announced and the films will be screened live on our website;
- We will pick two short films and one script among the selected works which will compete in the live event in Scario in the summer of 2022 for all the main prizes;
- The deadlines of the seasonal editions are as follows:
Autumn edition: 19 October 2021 - 11 December 2021
Winter edition: 19 December 2021 - 25 February 2022
Spring edition: 7 March, 2022 - April 28, 2022
Summer edition: 18 May 2022 - 30 July 2022
Live Edition: 26-28 Aug 2022

The city of San Giovanni a Piro is famous for the quality of its waters and its landscapes and for its position in the Gulf of Policastro. Many tourists from all over the world come here on vacation to enjoy the beautiful beaches carved in stone, only accessible through boat service. Clear and transparent water like in a tropical paradise.

Join us for an experience of sea, nature, cinema, art and culture.

See you in San Giovanni a Piro.

The sole purpose of BEFF is to develop a film culture that inspires and brings together all types of film makers, irrespective of their film making genre. BEFF also aims to appreciate and promote creativity in all forms, be it a film or photography to the world and to a diversified audience.

The event is a glamorous red carpet event in Kolkata. The participants have excellent opportunities to exchange their ideas, ideologies and cultural innuendos. The winners have a chance to meet with the audience after screening.

Getting to know the festival :
NORGS Festival is an opportunity to present the works of independent filmmakers, photographers, musicians, writers and artists from all over the world to introduce themselves to the art world.

Festival Statement :
Independent people have always been the founders of different styles and techniques.

Goals of the festival :
Respecting human rights and looking at women's issues and problems.

How to hold :
The closing ceremony will be held virtually.

12th. Children's Audiovisual Festival (FICAIJ), 2021-2022
Venezuela-Colombia

The Children's Audiovisual Festival, known by its acronym FICAIJ, was born in Mérida, Venezuela, in 2010, and has consolidated itself after 12 years as one of the most important windows for exhibiting quality educational and alternative content as well as commercial content for children, adolescents, youth and families in the country and the region.

After having attended to more than 41,385 participants in its 11 previous editions which have impacted directly in 6 countries of the world. Facing the panorama of pandemic that we are still living through the COVID-19, we assumed the challenge of transforming ourselves and activating our 12th edition in the web with main incidence in the countries of our region. Additionally, we are planning to have some in-person screenings in Venezuela and Colombia.

History:
More than 1,506 short and long films from 81 countries around the world were broadcast on FICAIJ's screens, and more than 392 people, including children, adolescents, young people and adults, evaluated and judged these films.

Our jurors came not only from Venezuela but also from 9 other countries: Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Spain, and South Africa, participating in representation of their places of origin.

Philosophy:
We promote audiovisuals from a reflective and productive viewpoint, inviting children, adolescents and young people to take an active role as creators and prosumers.

Mission:
FICAIJ seeks to encourage the creation, production, exhibition and distribution of quality content for and by children, adolescents and young people in the region, stimulating the protagonism of children in all these processes.

2nd. Laboratorio FICAIJ:
With the double purpose of strengthening, on the one hand, the production of children, youth and family contents at a regional level, and on the other hand, the training of teachers in education with and for media, a more evident need in view of the digital education imposed by the pandemic, the organization of FICAIJ assumes the challenge of developing the 2nd. edition of its Laboratorio FICAIJ, a training space aimed at the sector of production of contents for Latin American boys and girls and at the sector of education.

More information:
www.genbura.com
www.facebook.com/ficaij
www.instagram.com/ficaij

GENERAL INFORMATION

TIRANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is the first international film festival created in 2003 as one of the most important cinematic events in Europe.

We are thrilled and honored to be approved as an official Academy Awards® and European Film Awards qualifying festival, it’s truly a tremendous opportunity for our filmmakers and future Best Short Film Award winners also for Student Academy Awards (SAA).

TIFF aims to create in Albania, as well as in the region, a cultural center of worldwide alternative and independent cinema. Albania is a solar, enthusiastic and friendly country and besides the “strong competition” TIFF aims at the same time to be a meeting point of cultures, where people of Tirana, the guests and all those who love films will have a cinema-language-communication week.

TIFF aims to create a friendly space for film artists and cinema enthusiasts from Albania, Europe and the entire world to come together and share their linked passion and knowledge of the motion picture art form. The intention of TIFF is to bring filmmakers, producers and distributors from all around the world to Tirana, in hopes of fostering future co-operation in this interesting scenic area. By bringing together these distinct voices and their work, TIFF commits itself to introducing audiences to alternative visions of extraordinary diversity. "Think Different, Watch Alike" is the slogan and motto of TIFF.

TIFF aims to demonstrate strong efficiency in audience development (especially toward young audience) by implementing activities before, during and after the event, including year-long activities and traveling to other cities with various smaller partner and smaller festivals in the country. Partnering with small organizations and youth centers around the country in order to use the existing facilities in each city will not only give to TIFF a large national impact, but will enhance on the other side the increase of values of small events in each respective city in which TIFF will be present.

The festival gets thousands of submissions a year from over 120 countries around the world that of submitted online through online platforms, which are then considered for selection. TIFF is an international cinema event whose main objective is to enlarge the number of venues and time of screening of European and non-European films of all genres and durations in Albania as well as it is considered to be an event to develop new audiences around the country, combining film screenings with public debates and thematic debates approaching new and an increased Film Audience and focusing also on Film Literacy.

The daily program of TIFF combines more than 200 premieres of feature and short films in competition in all formats and genres: fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and video art. Open to any filmmaker from around the world, TIFF showcases new cinematic work by established directors with international reputations as well as movies by talented students and young artists.


A. COMPETITION PROGRAM
1. FULL LENGTH FILMS
• Feature films
• PerspecTIFF (debut feature films)
• Documentary
• Made In ALBANIAn

2. SHORT FILMS
• Fiction/Live Action (Oscar® & European Film Awards qualifying)
• Animation (Oscar® & European Film Awards qualifying)
• Documentary (European Film Awards qualifying)
• Video Art & Experimental (European Film Awards qualifying)
• Student films (all genres) (Academy Awards® qualifying)
• Balkan Films (all genres)
• In Albanian (all genres)

3. PANORAMA has some thematic sections dedicated to the most sensitive social topics and problematic social groups as for children, women, immigration, integration of persons with disabilities, LGBT, etc. with those sections:

• KIDs
• GENERATIONs
• NEW WORLD
• DIVERGENT MINDS
• PARADE

4. SCREENPLAY ContesTIFF
Consists in the application of original live-action and animated short film scripts and other short form scripts of all genres (max. 20 pages).
The said competition did not aim to evaluate only the best script, but to evaluate from our partners, producers and distributors, the best and most possible script to be produced by them and with the greatest chances to be successfully distributed in the most popular international festivals for short films.


B. SPECIAL PROGRAM & SCREENINGS

Besides the competition program TIFF reserves a large space to the special programs and screenings.

1. FOCUS is a special program, which is based on tribute or homage to the cinema author and/or the filmography of a given country.

2. RetrospecTIFF and TIFF Classics brings to the new audience the most prominent national or international authors of the film history.

3. PICTURE YOUR LIFE, CREATE THE FUTURE
TIFF will continue to have a large space to the special program KIDs, an exclusive program for children from 5-15 age average. This initiative comes as a long-term investment to raise and educate future cinematic audiences with artistic films through acquired projects in Creative Europe for the distribution and promotion of European films.

4. REFLECTING ALBANIA is the oldest program of the festival, dedicated to the foreign filmmakers who have produced their films in Albania or in Albanian speaking territory.

5. Oscar® Nominated Short Films & European Film Awards Shorts Tour

6. FesTIFFal is a special program with selected films by festival partners.


C. NEW FEATURES – PARALLEL SCREENINGS
TIRANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL has the pleasure to announce four major services available for the applicants. Since its inception in 2003, TIFF received over 50,000 short and feature films from over 120 countries around the world. Out of all these applications more than 200 films can be chosen each year for the competition program. With these four new services, TIFF offers the opportunity to many films to be shown in alternative ways (TV, online, market, special programs) in a wider audience and experts.
The applicants must optionally apply clearly for each one of these new services.

• TIFF.TV Competition
With our media TV partners we offer the possibility to directors screening their films (selected for the official competitive program or not) to the Albanian audience and win the TV juries and audience awards.

• TIFF on Tour
TIFF will act as ambassador for the submitted films and will travel with a selection to other Albanian cities during the year. TIFF will also propose special screenings to other regional festivals in accordance to a specific subject or theme of each collaborative festival.

• TIFF Online Library
TIFF offer the online presentation of each film, in a dedicated page, as a part of a film library, with all related information and with the possibility to receive comments from the international internet audience and industry. The screening of films is open to anyone without charges. The films will be available for viewing in the film library as long as director/producer wishes.

• TIFF Market Corner
TIFF will create a market corner, where potential buyers can watch all films and make their selection. TIFF will also act as a festival promoter and distributor. In case of financial contract with a distributor, TIFF will receive a fee of 5%.


Find us:

info@tiranafilmfest.org | www.tiranafilmfest.org | facebook.com/TiranaFilmFest |
instagram.com/tiranafilmfest | twitter@TiranaFilmFest | youtube.com/user/TiranaFilmFestival1 | vimeo.com/ tiranafilmfest | linkedin.com/ company/1796049/admin/

FCTS: 20 Years Celebrating the Seventh Art, in the Heart of Todos Santos

The Todos Santos Film Festival (FCTS) celebrates two decades as the undisputed epicenter of South Californian, Mexican, and Latin American cinema in Baja California Sur. More than a festival, we are a cultural movement that has captivated audiences and film professionals alike.

Our selection of feature films, documentaries, and short films, many of them exclusive premieres and award-winners at international festivals, is rigorously curated to offer you the best of contemporary cinema.

We have been honored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) for our programming excellence and commitment to the community.

Iconic figures such as Diego Luna, Dolores Heredia, and Tenoch Huerta have shared their talent and passion at our festival, enriching the cinematic dialogue.

Through our Leonardo Perel Film School and various community activities, we foster education, creativity, and a love for cinema at all ages.

FCTS is more than a festival; it is a transformative experience.
In its 20th anniversary year, as in recent years, the Todos Santos International Film Festival will also be presented, within the same dates, in Cabo San Lucas and La Paz, BCS.

We invite you to immerse yourself in the fascinating world of cinema, discover new voices, and become part of a vibrant community that celebrates diversity and creativity.

Let's celebrate 20 years of the Todos Santos Film Festival together and be part of the history of cinema in Baja California Sur!

Check out our full program and discover how you can participate in this special edition.

5th Prize for short fiction films in Catalan language. Catalan version only. Films without dialogue will not be accepted.

The Palencia International Films Festival is organised by the Association Friends of the film and the Popular University of Palencia.

This edition is number 34, and during all these years, our philosphy has been considering cinema a tool of development and social cohesion.

Our festival colaborates with the Spanish Cinema Academy, and its a qualifyer festival for the GOYA shortfilm Awards.

In addition, the short film awarded the first prize by the jury at the MCIP (the Milagros Alcalde Award) will go directly to the Short List finalist of the FUGAZ Awards, making up the short list of films that will then be evaluated for nomination by the commission that awards these prizes each year.

We are an independent festival dedicated to bring together established musicians and filmmakers in a forum to celebrate the short films. Dublin International Short Film and Music Festival celebrates the artistic, educational and historical importance of short films and music. It gives independent film artists a platform for sharing their work and creating a dialogue with the community. It promotes the discussion and study of filmmaking.

DISFMF is the largest independent short film festival in Ireland, in 2024 we are celebrating the 13th anniversary.

In 2023 we selected over 90 short films from all over the world, the festival has brought established, emerging and award-winning filmmakers to the public attention.

Back in the cinema, the festival took place at the Cineworld, the biggest cinema in Ireland and The Sugar Club for the awards ceremony night.

DISFMF is conducted from the independent film maker point of view.
Director and producer from each film selected will benefit free entry to all the venues and screenings.

All kinds of short films are accepted. Here are some examples: Action, Adaptation, Adventure, Advertising, Animation, Art-house, Black Comedy, Children/Family, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Fantasy, Historical, Melodrama, Crime & Gangster, Biopics, Film-Noir, Road Films, Super-Heroes, Super-Natural, Mockumentary, Independent, Music Video, Musical, Reality, Religious, Romance, Science Fiction, Silent, Sport, Student, Thriller/Suspanse, TV, and more.

International Student Animated Film Festival Animafantasia invites the international community to join us to delight in all things animated. After months of preparation and anticipation, we are excited to release the new visual identity from our collaborative efforts for International Student Animated Film Animafantasia Festival.

International Student Animated Film Festival Animafantasia is run by Modesta Lupașcu, CEO and Festival Director.

ISAFFA is well known as a progressive and inclusive festival that celebrates a wide variety of animation, standing in close contact with the audience and connecting the animation sector.

Animation is everywhere, from the smallest smartphone screen to the largest cinematic projection. ISAFFA unites artists, practitioners, students and enthusiasts and all those in between to savour the many and varied achievements of the animated form.

International Student Animated Film Festival Animafantasia, dating back to 2011, is the oldest and largest of its kind in the North-Eastern European region. The festival now takes place in October in the town of Iassy, Romania. We want to build an animated world in a few days.
The festival is a professional arena for the animation industry, as well as an important event for students and educational institutions within animation, graphic design and digital media production. Each edition, top animation industry professionals hold seminars and lectures, and the festival has previously hosted guests from the national creative area.

Don’t miss out on your chance to meet fresh animation talent from art schools in Iassy, Romania. Check out the latest animated gems, find out about current and future trends, meet up with up-and-coming talents, find out new associates and partners... in the fun and friendly atmosphere of the International Student Animated Film Animafantasia Festival.

If you’re an animation insider or just want to see something unique, you don’t have to be an animation fan to join us for animated short competitions, feature films, retrospective screenings, workshops, networking events, panel discussions, seminars and screen talks from the industry’s finest over few packed days– this year, both physical and online activities only.

SOCIALMED VALÈNCIA is the first Mediterranean Social Film Festival, which pays special attention to cinema and artistic creation related to social issues geographically and culturally linked to the Mediterranean Sea. The festival is based in the city of Valencia and will host its main event once a year in spring, although the first edition in 2021 was held exceptionally in 19-27 November 2021. This call for entries applies to the competitive and informative sections of the festival.

As organisers and promoters of the festival, VSRIGHTS (the Valencian Agency for Human Rights) and the ACM Foundation invite MedCités / MedCities, the network that coordinates 63 city councils and unions of municipalities from across the Mediterranean region through sustainable development projects, strategic urban city plans and the development of urban services, to collaborate in the promotion of the festival and the reception of submissions from its members. In addition, the organising entities are members of the network.

Censurados Film Festival is a film festival that disseminates and makes visible “the cinema they don't want you to see.” Based in Peru, the festival is committed to freedom of expression, human rights and diversity through the screening of films and the organization of artistic and educational activities.

CATEGORIES

1. International Competition “Censorship”. Fiction, documentary, animation and/or cinematographic experimentation films from any part of the world that have been censored due to political, religious, corporate, authoritarian or social pressures or interests, among others, or that have been victims of threats and/or violence, either during its research, production or realization or in its subsequent exhibition and/or distribution. It is an essential requirement to provide demonstrable information about the censorship, threat, pressure or violence that the film has suffered. No duration limit.

2. Short Film Competition “Shorts without Cut”. Fiction, documentary, animation and/or cinematographic experimentation films from anywhere in the world and a maximum duration of 30 minutes that claim freedom of thought and expression without fear of cancellation, and political and social action in matters of public interest.

3. “Peruvian Voices” Competition. Fiction, documentary, animation and/or cinematographic experimentation films from Peru that allow dissident voices to be heard and make the viewer reflect on controversial topics, on which different groups have constructed apparently irreconcilable arguments, in order to create an open and elevated dialogue space on them. No duration limit.

ShorTS International Film Festival (ShorTS IFF) is organised by the Maremetraggio Association.

Since 2000, ShorTS IFF has been a landmark for short films and up and coming cinematographers at international level. In every edition, ShorTS IFF aims to make the short film genre known to a broad and heterogeneous audience, with particular attention to the young with specific sections for children and teenagers aged 6 to 15.

Welcome to FirstCut, one of India’s premier international student film festivals, organized by FLAME University, Pune.
FirstCut provides a dynamic platform for young filmmakers across the globe, encouraging them to explore film as a medium of growth and change.

In 2024, FirstCut Take 10 received 565+ submissions from students representing 55+ countries.

At the final event, shortlisted films will be screened for a live audience and evaluated by a distinguished jury from the Indian film industry. The screenings will be followed by engaging panel discussions and talks with renowned film personalities.

We believe creative freedom is essential, which is why participants have complete freedom in choosing their themes and styles.

In addition to categories in fiction, animation, and non-fiction, FirstCut offers the unique "Nano" film category, challenging students to create super short films.

FESOHCURT is, in its 7th edition, a reference within the short movie festivals, as it contributes to fostering the use of Valencian through cinema. Thus, at least 50% of the short movies selected for this edition will be in Valencian language (or any of its dialectal varieties).

Imagine This Women's International Film Festival (ITWIFF) aims to amplify and empower independent and aspiring women and non-binary filmmakers from around the world.

The 8th Annual Imagine This Women's Film Festival will feature fierce, bold, original films by women and non-binary filmmakers and storytellers, Q&As, educational panels, and special events.

Imagine This Women's Film Festival's goal is to support women by sharing their work with the public, promoting equal opportunities for BIPOC women and the LGBTQIA+ community while providing educational and professional development, and serving as a resource information network.

Imagine This Women's Film Festival accepts films from womxn filmmakers and storytellers in leadership positions. At least one woman must fill the role of either a director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, leading role and etc.

Imagine This encourages BIPOC women, LGBTQIA+, student filmmakers, and storytellers to submit.

"Imagine This Productions has launched the Women’s International Film Festival with the aim to celebrate and empower independent and aspiring women filmmakers from around the world." - IndieWire

"Celebrate the work of women filmmakers from around the world at the second annual Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival (ITWIFF) in Brooklyn" - AFAR Magazine

"When it comes to film screenings and industry events, there's plenty to get you off the couch this week. From a lesson in copyright licenses to a women's international film festival, read on for the week's top film events to add to your calendar. " - ABC 7

"Recent Hollywood scandals have underscored the importance of supporting women in the film industry, and the second annual Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival is a great place to do so. The films here–which include shorts and features, documentaries and fiction films–are as diverse as the women who made them." - CBS New York

Please note: Imagine This is still planning on holding our annual film festival during our announced dates. We will also continue to follow the guidelines put forth by the public health directives and New York State, which will help to determine whether the festival’s format will be in-theatre or online, or a mixture of both. We will announce any updates via our website.