Blog: Film festivals

The Serbest International Film Festival was created to showcase bold cinematic voices from around the world. We aim to discover both emerging and experienced new directors and screenwriters, providing a platform to present their work while offering meaningful support and career development opportunities.

We champion filmmakers who push boundaries - those daring enough to explore the human experience through innovative storytelling and fresh perspectives. SIFF is a cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film.

Our festival was born from the urgent need to create space for talented filmmakers globally. Each year, we bring together the most original storytellers and adventurous audiences through programs featuring narrative films, documentaries, shorts, experimental works and animations.

In 2024, we launched Serbest Film Distribution (serbestdistribution.com) - a groundbreaking platform helping our filmmakers connect with distributors, producers and festivals worldwide. This new initiative opens doors to distribution deals, funding opportunities and invaluable industry relationships.

At SIFF you'll find:
▸ A home for daring, human-centered stories
▸ Active promotion of your work to industry leaders
▸ Professional development through masterclasses
▸ Networking with like-minded creators
▸ Awards that open doors: distribution deals, funding introductions, and media coverage

We're committed to evolving - creating better opportunities, stronger industry pathways and greater visibility for independent filmmakers everywhere. Your unique vision deserves to be seen. It's a place where filmmakers can showcase new stories and offer a fresh perspective on humanity and the world we live in.

Rather unusual, rather trapped on the border between dream and reality, silent film has for several years found affirmation at the PSSST! Silent Film Festival organised by the Trešnjevka Cultural Centre.

PSSST! is a unique film festival presenting the art of silent film in a new, exciting and entertaining way. This Festival is a rare gem on the cultural scene which lacks initiatives offering artists the opportunity to try out their skills in this specific (and demanding!) artistic form.

The event confirms its status as a festival in the classic sense of the word through its competition programme in which contemporary “silent” titles are screened to an audience. The best film in the competition is awarded the Brcko Grand Prize, the official award of PSSST! named after the main character of Croatia’s first feature film Brcko in Zagreb made back in 1917.

But how many real silent films are made today, someone may rightfully ask? Certainly very few are made (although we can’t say none), and so we could ask the question – what is the point of the competition, what is the point of the Brcko Grand Prize? But the concept of this festival should be understood as a media experiment, created in the spirit of heterogeneity and the visual wealth of silent film. Authors can send films to PSSST! which they think could function and communicate even after we remove the original sound, and our festival is responsible for providing high-quality sound support, live music which will accompany the silent projection. Our expert improvisers cover a range of different genres and their hybrids – from rock via classical to jazz and electronic music, providing the audience with an interesting synaesthetic experience. This of course creates a film completely different from the original from which we removed the soundtrack, which is precisely why PSSST! is so exciting.

Apart from the competition programme, the Festival screens a rich selection of film classics from the golden era of silent film.

Silent film, with an expressive musical accompaniment, will lull you into a state of reverie. Its hypnotic power is not destroyed by the rude reality of the spoken word and so it becomes clear that dreams and silent films have much in common – they both deal with simple, direct emotions and action, such as love, hate, conflict or escape. This dimension of silent film emphasises its undying charm.

If you wish to open the door to a different world of unusual poetics again this year, come to PSSST! where the art of silent film lives on.

MosFestFilm is an annual international film festival founded in 2020.

The 2026 competition program will feature feature-length and short fiction films, animation, documentaries, music videos, experimental and student works. Both classical and original scripts, as well as familiar and entirely new cinematic techniques, will be presented.

The festival hosts three competitions: the Main Competition (for professional filmmakers), the Student Competition (for students, recent film school graduates, and independent filmmakers), and the Screenplay Competition (feature-length and short screenplays).

From September 22 to 27, 2026, films selected for the program will be screened in Moscow’s cinemas. The festival will also feature Q&A sessions with directors and creative teams, as well as interviews and masterclasses.

Open call for filmmakers!

Be part of the 5th edition of Breaking Walls Dance Films and submit your film now.

Breaking Walls Dance Films (BWDF) is the first Dance Film Festival in Egypt and the Region.

BWDF is an international event showcasing the best in dance film from around the world, which will take place in Cairo, in January 2026. We will host a special program of dance films alongside the festival's various programs of workshops and live performances.

Knowing that the application will be no later than November 15, 2025.


ON THE SIDELINES OF THE FESTIVAL:

- We welcome documentaries and feature films to be shown on the sidelines of the festival, provided that these films are dance-related.

- If the film includes non-English narration, English subtitles are required. English subtitles are required for all films.

Cuenca International Film Festival 2026

Where the world's stories find their echo in the Andes.

The Cuenca International Film Festival (FICC) is one of the pioneering film events in Ecuador. With more than twenty years of history, it has become a strategic meeting point for international filmmakers, producers, distributors, and programmers, consolidating Cuenca as an epicenter of cinema in Latin America.

Throughout its history, the FICC has featured important figures, names that reaffirm the festival's mission to build bridges between the global industry and local narratives.

In 2022, the festival expanded its reach with the creation of Shortfest Cuenca, a platform specialized in short films that functions as a laboratory for narrative innovation and the discovery of new talent, thus consolidating its role in the international film ecosystem.

Competitive Sections 2026

• Latin American Feature Film Competition (a window to the region's cinema).

• International Feature Film Competition (works over 40 minutes, all themes, genres, and styles).

• International Short Film Competition (a space for experimentation and new voices).

• National Short Film Competition – Ecuador and Cuenca (a development engine for the local industry).

Non-Competitive Sections

• Fantastic Visions: dedicated to genre, fantasy, and horror films.

• Cinema and Human Rights: with a focus on ecology, feminism, and social justice, responding to the most pressing debates of our time.

FICC 2026 – A Platform for the Industry
The festival is not only an exhibition space, but also a networking and co-production platform, connecting Ecuadorian and Latin American cinema with international players: producers, distributors, platforms, and allied festivals.

Cuenca: City of Cinema

FICC 2026 will be held in July in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, Cuenca is transformed each year into a living cinematic stage, where tradition and modernity intertwine at every screening.

The 2nd Medinaceli EROS International Video Art Competition offers a unique opportunity for artists who explore the human body and its erotic drive as the central theme of their creations, allowing them to connect with their audience.

This competition aims to bring together a diverse range of audiovisual productions, both nationally and internationally, from a fresh and original perspective.

Its main goal is to provide artists with a platform to showcase their work in a specific venue, La Maison D'EROS in Medinaceli, thereby facilitating public engagement with sensual art.

El programa “Versión Española” (TVE) y la Fundación SGAE (SGAE), convocan el XXIII Concurso Iberoamericano de Cortometrajes “Versión Española / SGAE”, orientado a la difusión y fomento de los nuevos autores en el sector de la creación audiovisual

Film-makers from all over the world are welcome to partcipate.

Film Education and Welfare Foundation Aurangabad Present, 7th Year, Roshani International Film Festival chhatrpati sambhaji nagar Aurangabad (M.H) INDIA uses media platform as a tool to connect audiences across cities, countries, and continents. With simultaneous screenings (OFFLINE FESTIVALS) and live Q&A’s, audiences are given the chance to experience a film festival from miles away. From the peak of Everest to the penguins of Antarctica, #RIFF brings the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres together. Because the love for cinema stretches beyond borders.

#RISFF established from pride of India, chh. sambhajinagar Aurangabad, Maharashtra. City of ancient 57th century Mughal Empires now beat with #Digitalindia in 2025 providing wide platform for students to professionals - preview their films on International Stage to prove themselves.

We conduct our Film festival from 22 sep - 09 aug every season with grand arrangements with respected jury board from different continent to judge your films and make Q&A session. Take a step and drop your films on our platform and make your self best.

The Chia Film Festival was born as a tribute to expressive freedom, experimentation, and the poetics of reality that defined the Nouvelle Vague.
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Set in an enchanting landscape, among the hills of Tuscia and the historic village of Chia, the festival celebrates cinema as an act of artistic revolution, showcasing short films, feature films, and documentaries that embody the innovative spirit of independent cinema—just as Truffaut, Godard, Varda, and Rohmer once did.

The Sahar International Short Film Festival is a platform for art and poetic filmmakers, animator, documentary makers..., who are working in drama and fiction from around the world to showcase and encourage passionate emerging or established filmmakers.

Eurodesk's fundamental mission is to raise awareness among young people about mobility opportunities and encourage them to become active citizens.

Murud janjira beach festival (Murud janjira paryatan mahotsav) is held every year in murud janjira.

this festival is celebrated with enthusiasm for last 20 years. This year we are including a film festival for the first time.

this is our effort to take the film festival to the same level as the Murud beach festival.

Janjira International Film Festival will be conducted in the 4th week of December every year at the picturesque and adorable city of Murud - Janjira in Maharashtra, India .being one of the most beautiful tourist destinations, Murud-janjira sets the right arena for JIFF. JIFF welcomes film makers, artists and technical crew, journalists and all those are associated with film industry and film making to come and participate in this festival.

Film Education and Welfare Foundation Aurangabad Present, 1st Year, World Cinema International Film Festival 2025 Shirdi (M.H) INDIA uses media platform as a tool to connect audiences across cities, countries, and continents. With simultaneous screenings (OFFLINE FESTIVALS) and live Q&A’s, audiences are given the chance to experience a film festival from miles away. From the peak of Everest to the penguins of Antarctica, #WCIFF brings the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres together. Because the love for cinema stretches beyond borders.

We conduct our Film festival from 15 Sep - 24 May every season with grand arrangements with respected jury board from different continent to judge your films and make Q&A session. Take a step and drop your films on our platform and make your self best.

Underneath the Floorboards is based in London's buzzing artistic area of Hackney.

For our 15th Edition we will be continue our online event, which will be screened for a four weeks by our online platform: https://www.visualcontainer.tv/ which screens worldwide to maximises our international exposure. We got over ten thousand views last time around, and this time we're aiming for more.

Our showcase is open to artists and filmmakers from all around the world whose work has an experimental, non-linear narrative form. We want to see variety, whether it be experimental film, video art, visual art, digital art, experimental documentary or animation. We focus especially on avant-garde storytelling.

No bias, no prejudice, we don't care if you didn't study in the most prestigious art schools. We want to see unique work of an artistic nature, which creates its own language.

Mario Cervantes ha organizado el XIII Festival de cine social ManzanaREC que tendrá lugar en febrero de 2025 en la localidad de Manzanares (Ciudad Real). Los trabajos serán exhibidos en la Sala de la Casa de Cultura de Manzanares.

Aswan International Women Film Festival (est. 2017) is the first annual Egyptian film festival that focuses on cinematic works representing women’s issues, celebrating their success stories and supporting female filmmakers in Egypt and the MENA.

The Baixada Film Festival is more than a festival – it is a territory of cinema that turns the city of Pinheiro, Maranhão (Brazil) into a stage for the seventh art. The festival promotes access to audiovisual culture, strengthens local productions, and connects the Baixada region with national and international cinema.

Its 2nd edition will take place from November 19 to 21, 2025, featuring competitive screenings of short films, medium-length films, and music videos, as well as parallel screenings dedicated to films from Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Africa, and Maranhão. The program also includes workshops, online training, and screenings in public schools and communities, fostering education and audience engagement.

International short film festival - MX 15 min.

The Chefchaouen International Environmental Film Festival is a film festival dedicated to film lovers and those concerned about the environment in Morocco and abroad, it is an annual event in the superb blue pearl of northern Morocco, the tourist and ecological city of Chefchaouen.

The 15th Edition of the Chefchaouen International Environmental Film Festival will be held from June 17 to 20, 2026on the occasion of World Environment Day.

The 15th Edition of the Chefchaouen International Environmental Film Festival will be held from June 17 to 20, 2026 on the occasion of World Environment Day.

A varied program, and a jury composed of internationally and nationally renowned film and environmental professionals will be responsible for designating the winners of the planned awards.