Blog: Film festivals

The Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival is a cinematographic event socially and culturally minded and by choice, free for anyone to access. FICCI constantly reads the particular circumstances of our country and our world to produce every year a world class version of our festival, guided by the preservation of freedom and the amplification of the cultural conversation through films and academic events that are relevant, humane, subtle, sophisticated, and act as a vehicle to enhance human consciousness, expand democracy and help create free, progressive and inclusive societies.

The Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI) is the oldest and most permanent forum in the Americas for Colombian, Ibero-American and world cinema. Being an active part of the world cinema map since 1960, in the 64th edition, it will continue to provide spaces for memory, reflection, diverse voices, and as always, for the best cinephilia.

The Festival values the creative freedom of the world’s filmmakers and has space for films of any format, length, nationality, theme, genre or technique, that meet the highest standards of quality, take on narrative risks, and propose contents of great human and cinematic relevance, pertinence, and sustainability.

The Courage Film Festival is aimed at all the filmmakers and scriptwriters who use their work to make a stand and to fight for what they believe is right!

All themes are welcome, covering topics such as women, immigration, the environment, family, equality, mental health, disability etc.

We are looking for films that spark discussions and debates and are the protagonists for positive change and development in the world. We want to hear your stories by giving you a platform to share them and to also discuss the issues portrayed in your film with other like-minded filmmakers.

The Courage Film Festival will feature films and scripts that fight for good causes and portray the struggles and adversity that people and groups face when trying to bring about positive change and influence in a world where you sometimes have to shout in order to make yourself heard.

People face challenges every day. Will your story ignite Courage in another human?

Let the Courage Film Festival be your platform to grab the world’s attention, to champion your cause and raise awareness.

There will be screenings and discussion with social organizations that support the event. There will also be organized workshops and discussions about the main themes of the festival.

Fantastic and Terror Short Film Festival Fantastic celbrated in the catalan city of Mollet del Vallés.

Medina del Campo Film Week (SECIME) is one of the most consolidated events on the national film scene, standing out as a benchmark in the promotion and dissemination of short films, and being a key exhibitor festival for the Academy of Arts Awards. and the Cinematographic Sciences of Spain. Its main objectives are to support both new talents and established filmmakers, promote the creation and production of short films and contribute to the growth of the audiovisual industry.

FEST - NDNFF #21
21st of June - 29th of 2025 | Espinho, Portugal

FEST – New Directors | New Films Festival is an all-encompassing celebration of the new tendencies of world cinema. The event focuses on a competitive and non-competitive showcase of the most promising new figures and works from around the globe.

The 21st edition of the festival will take place between the 21st of June and the 29 June 2025, in the seaside town of Espinho (Portugal).

The selection is divided into several categories which include Feature Film and Short Film competitions in the Fiction, Documentary, Animation, Experimental Non-Narrative formats, as well as content adequate for children and teenagers. The event also includes non-competitive sections that range from retrospectives to showcases that can be Shorts, Features or Series.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
We are accepting films under the following formats:
A) Fiction and Non-Fiction feature films (minimum length is 55 minutes) from directors who are on their first or second feature-length project, regardless of age.
B) Fiction, Documentary, Animation, and Experimental Short films (up to 54 minutes of duration) from directors who have completed no more than two feature films, regardless of age.
C) Fiction, Documentary, Animation, and Experimental Series (up to 55 minutes of duration) from directors who have completed no more than two feature films, regardless of age.

Candidates must choose one of the available submission categories. Do not worry if your film fits different categories (Ie: Hybrid productions), as all submissions will be considered for the different competitions. If your film is also eligible for the NEXXT competition (focused on academic productions) but you wish the film to be considered for all other competitions please mention in the comment section of the submission the academic institution where the film was produced. If you have any doubts at all please do not hesitate to contact us at films@fest.pt.

Throughout the years' FEST has selected for its feature film competitions films such as Celine Song’s “Past lives”; Ainhoa Rodríguez´s "Mighty Flash"; Teodora Mihai´s “The Civilian”; Anders Ølholm and Frederik Louis Hviid with "Enforcement"; Julie Lecoustre, Emmanuel Marre´s “Zero Fucks Given”; P.S. Vinothraj “Pebbles”; Eugen Jebeleanu´s “Poppy field”; and Valdimar Jóhannsson´s “Lamb”, all of this on the fiction side, then in the Documentary side, Karima Saidi´s "A way Home", Michał Edelman´s "Last Knights Of The Right Side", Franz Böhm´s "Dear Future Children" among many others.

FEST’s Short Film sections are known for its wide variety of styles and filmic visions, having been throughout the years a platform for the launch of new artists such as Govinda Van Maele (Luxembourg), Christos Massalas (Greece), Mati Diop (France), Adriano Valerio (Italy), Patrick Vollrath (Germany), Ninja Thyberg (Sweden), Manuel Abramovich (Argentina), Daria Belova (Russia), Simon Mésa Soto (Colombia), Aga Woszczynska (Poland), Jela Hasler (Switzerland), as well as hundreds of other up-and-coming filmmakers.

FEST also includes a series of other activities that run parallel to the festival, in particular, FEST – Training Ground (one of Europe’s largest film forums) and FEST – Pitching Forum (film project competition), and others. For more information please visit our website at www.fest.pt

UNO SGUARDO RARO (A Rare Glance)

The rare disease international film festival is the first and only film festival on rare diseases in Europe. It collects and promotes the best video works on rare diseases and social inclusion through an international competition and works with public and private partners, both national and international, the rare diseases community, disability advocates, entertainment and film culture professionals.

It is a cultural project created by Claudia Crisafio, actress and author, and Serena Bartezzati, a rare patient and professional in the field of communication. Both share Ingmar Bergam’s claim: “There is no art form like cinema to strike the conscience, shake the emotions and reach the secret rooms of the soul.”

Our aim is to hold annual awareness-raising event on rare diseases and disability issues to share knowledge, information and experience. We believe that sharing knowledge and speaking about rare disease and disability can make life easier for persons affected by rare disease and/or disability, their family members and caregivers. It is important to break the isolation rare disease patients and their families, one of the most felt problems especially by younger generations.

CATEGORIES

UNO SGUARDO RARO is receptive and takes up the influences of the communities with which it enters into contact. In these years we have opened the Festival to topics that are close to rare diseases, such as disability, empathy, resilience, the ability to overcome one’s limits, this to celebrate the qualities that people with disabilities of any kind put in place to live their lives to the full.

ITALIAN SHORT FILMS
Short films of any kind of narrative on the theme of rare diseases, disability, empathy, resilience, the ability to overcome one’s limits, with a maximum duration of 15 minutes, including head and tail titles, only of Italian nationality, published or unpublished.

INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS
Short films of any kind of narrative on the theme of rare diseases, disability, empathy, resilience, the ability to overcome one’s limits, with a maximum duration of 15 minutes, including head and tail titles, of any nationality, published or unpublished.

ANIMATION SHORT FILMS
Animation short films on the theme of rare diseases, disability, empathy, resilience, the ability to overcome one’s limits of maximum duration of 15 minutes, including head and tail titles, of any nationality, published or unpublished.

DOCUMENTARIES
Documentaries on the theme of rare diseases, disability, empathy, resilience, the ability to overcome one’s limits with a maximum duration of 20 minutes, including head and tail titles, of any nationality, published or unpublished.

SHORT FILM/SPOT in collaboration with FERPI the Italian Federation of Public Relations
Category dedicated especially to Patient Organizations and Pharmaceutical Companies that can participate with a spot or short films on disease awareness or behavioral change with a maximum duration of 15 minutes, including head and tail titles and credits, Italian or international, published or unpublished.

INSTITUTIONAL SHORT FILM/SPOT ON COMMUNICATION IN HEALTH in collaboration with PA SOCIAL the Institutional Communicators Italian Association
Category reserved only for Italian Spot and Short Films created and promoted by Hospitals, ASL, Patient Organizations active in Hospitals, for internal and external public with a maximum duration of 15 minutes including head and tail titles, published or unpublished.

The VI Córdoba International Film-Minute Festival is a cultural and artistic event organised with the support of Grupo Cine Minuto and Subsecretaría de Cultura, Secretaría de Extensión Universitaria, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. It will be held in Córdoba, Argentina, on the 11th and 12th of May, 2023, and will be subsequently extended into travelling exhibitions, alternative projections and complementary exhibitions in its website.

The Huánuco Film Festival is a cultural event that celebrates and promotes the film industry in the Huánuco region and Peru. With the aim of promoting appreciation of the seventh art and providing a platform for local, national and international filmmakers, our festival in these 11 years has become a benchmark in the cinematographic field of Peru and the world.

The "Le Prince International Film Festival" is an event that seeks and recognizes the artistic work of audiovisual producers, throughout the world, that uses the fundamental Internet platform.

Today, as human beings spend more and more time on our computers, mobiles or tablets, it is indisputable that the future of audiovisual projection and distribution is on the web.

It is necessary that the bases for the filmmakers of the present and the future accept the new distribution mechanisms, as well as incorporate the new generation of filmmakers natively to carry out the development of their modern art from the Internet.

International Film Festival The Le Prince, seeks collaboration with the new generations of audiovisual creators, in the establishment of multiple possibilities of collaborative construction of opportunities, for a society where the difference is the mark of each member of the community.

React Film Fest was born from the need to create a showcase and a platform for all types of Shorts: narrative and artistic short films, commercials, video clips, pilot for web series, documentaries and short animation shorts.
The festival mission is, as its name goes, to create a great cinema and audiovisual feast; the artistic direction of the festival intends to give space and reward the art, creativity and the beauty not only with a statuette but with employment contracts, stages, workshops and distribution of the directors and of the works rewarded.
We want to promote knowledge and diffusion of international cinema in all its forms of art, entertainment and industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialog. This idea was born from the precise consideration that today, in Italy, there are not festivals that create opportunities for viral diffusion of young and talented directors who should be rewarded by the public - first of all - and thanks to the audience reactions to reach the necessary production opportunities and financing channels. The goal is to create a movement that change the rules of cinematographic game where it is too often difficult to find a place and we are convinced that the cinema festivals are still the best place to explore the independent work and makes it note. YouTube and Vimeo are so overcrowded that good short films are in underwater position. The priority of the REACT Film Fest is to show the best of the best. We provide to filmmakers the opportunity to share their short films with an enthusiastic and reactive audience which want to see new films, new faces and new arts.
REACT Film Fest wants to celebrate the Italian and international cinema and with an international competition reserved for audiovisual works that represent new aesthetic and expressive trends of the worldwide cinema, with particular regard to the beginnings, emerging and not yet established authors, minor and less known cinematography, but also works which compete with the genres and the current production with innovation intent and creative originality. The kermesse allows directors to submit their works to be judged by professionals and challenge with other talented directors. The discovery of new generations of filmmakers and the realization of their dreams are the main pillars of the REACT Film Fest.

Our second edition of the Artculvid Film Festival will take place at San Francisco de Sales in Cundinamarca - Colombia, where the Colombian and International short film will be exhibited and studied, also understood as a film, as a cinematographic work. Our festival will take place on the 1st and 2nd of December 2018.


Only short films of maximum 15 minutes are accepted

Categories

Fiction
Documentary film

Nonprofit.

Serving as a Premier Film Festival, the Lakecity International Film Festival (LCIFF) held in Delhi was founded to showcase the leaders in contemporary film making, and aims to exhibit the most captivating and innovative content. The Biggest Event in the Capital, the two day LCIFF 2022 festival is slated to happen on December 10th & 11th 2022.

Festival Mission:
Breaking all stereotypes, LCIFF's mission is to present quality films from around the world as well as support, recognize and honor indie film makers. These films will be organized thematically, in hopes of representing the full range of the human experience as reflected by our chosen filmmakers. LCIFF will also be a vital showcase for indie short film makers as the festival has a PSA Films Category in addition to its competitive sections.

Festival Objectives:
Though film festivals have became a regular affair in most countries yet most of them cater only to selected audience as well as entertain the commercially successful film makers and related personalities. However, LCIFF intends to organize a festival that connects the film fans & movies goers with the world, especially the serious filmmaker & their associates so as to bring about greater understanding of the art of film making.

The two day festival will see people of various communities thronging the venue to enjoy films from countries including Germany, Italy, UK, USA, Russia, Bangladesh, Iran, Poland in English and the country's own languages. Indian regional language films like Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, and in south Indian language including Malayalam, Tamil, Telegu and Kanada will be showcased.

NEW RULES:
Apart from the REGULAR CATEGORIES of SUBMISSION that include FEATURE FILMS / SHORT FILMS / DOCUMENTARIES & MUSIC VIDEO, we at LCIFF have created a special new Category for WEB SERIES & STORY/SCRIPT.

Should you need more details, please feel free to get back to us:
Mohan Das
Festival Director,
Email: lakecity.mp@gmail.com
Cell: 0091-9987754342

Ankit Tandon
Festival Co-ordinator
Cell: 0091-9004925704
Email: lciff.mp@gmail.com

The Salento International Film Festival Is a celebration of films and filmmakers, promotes international independent films, in recognition of the fact that movies are the most powerful form of cultural communication and link between cultures' and peoples'.

Founded in 2004 by Luigi Campanile, the Salento International Film Festival emerged as a major cultural event and the top film festival in South Italy. Each year it introduces filmmakers worldwide to the Salento area's unique resources, while celebrating the history and future of the film industry with 5 days of world premieres, special events, seminars, feature films, short films, documentaries.

For the past few years SIFF has organized and run a world tour, taking the festival to international destinations like Zurich, London, Hong Kong, New York, Santiago del Cile, Moscow, San Petersburg, Oslo and more, presenting the “Best of the Fest” event. This gives SIFF the opportunity to showcase some of the best movies presented at the Festival to an international public, in prestigious locations such as Italian Cultural Institutes in the world and Cinema theatres, increasing the visibility and appreciation of such works which struggle to find a distribution channel.

The Death's Parade Film Festival is born from our fear-- and love -- of the unknown. The lurking shadows, the bumps in the night, the feeling of eyes watching you sleep. We can't wait to share my adoration and obsession of horror with the San Francisco Bay Area.

Since this is our inaugural run, the theme of this event will be INSPIRATION. What excites you? What gets you going? Show us what drives you to create that wonderful, terrifying, insidious art. Show us the passion, the energy!

It is our goal to provide you, the filmmaker, a dark and brooding platform to display your talents within the horror genre. The Death's Parade Film Festival will carefully select the best of the best in regards to horror shorts, features, and animations to present to our San Jose audience.

**Prospective winners and selectees will have submissions reviewed by our production partner Reel Nightmare Films for potential distribution deals.**

The Death's Parade Film Festival is happening October 4th and 5th 2019, at the Towne 3 Cinemas in San Jose California ; a 240-seat venue with a built-in stage, equipped with cutting-edge HD digital projection, and a booming surround sound system.

The festival will feature short films and feature films from around the world, with an emphasis on paranormal, psychological and body horror, found footage, experimental, killers, monsters, zombies, gore, and dark comedy. Visit https://www.deathparadefilmfest.com/ for more.

Local horror filmmakers will be especially encouraged to showcase their work in front of a large audience. Should your film be selected into our festival you are welcome to attend, and be invited on stage for a Q&A session with our host.

​This event also serves as the California Bay Area's first horror-centric film festival in three years. You will not find any sci-fi or fantasy here. Just horror. You may find some laughs, however; be prepared for thrills and chills!

Cortos en Grande Short Film Festival is an event organized by Fundación Viart and Balmaceda Arte Joven that seeks to promote young creation and give a new opportunity to new generations of filmmakers, highlighting and rewarding their work and talent. Its main objective is to be a platform for dissemination and real support for the development of emerging cinema, providing its filmmakers with a space for the presentation and development of their artistic proposals.

The Musical Écran film festival is a unique event in France, focusing mainly on music documentaries, which takes place each year during springtime in Bordeaux. During a week, the spotlight is on music docs and over 20 films from all over the world are screened and discussions between the audience and the directors are organized. The main venue of the festival is the beautiful Cinéma Utopia, a former church based in the city center of Bordeaux with 5 screening rooms.
Besides the screenings, we host free parties in a beautiful open air venue : the Cour Mably in Bordeaux with djs from all over the world.
2020 marks the 6th anniversary of the Musical Écran festival which will take place from April 12th to 19th.

Musical Écran is part of the Music Film Festival Network (M.F.F.N) founded at the beginning of 2019 made of over 10 European music film festivals based in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland the UK.. MFFN intends to provide an opportunity for the creative teams behind music film festivals to exchange experiences and best practices, promote music film (docs, fictions...) expand existing audiences and build ones...

£2,500 in CASH PRIZES for the EMERGING TALENT from our sponsor Katie Partridge, CEO of the Saphira Group, to support a new generation of filmmakers/artists.

NEW RENAISSANCE LONDON #8

Apart from a high number of UK and International films, NRFF London has a category for EMERGING TALENT (debut or early stage filmmakers embarking on their careers in the film industry).

Previous winners and nominees have gone onto win major international prizes or have directed their first feature film.


ABOUT NEW RENAISSANCE LONDON

Our friendly and welcoming art-house festival based in London is genuinely passionate about promoting the highest calibre of independent cinema around today. New Renaissance has been described as “One of the UK’s top film festivals,” alongside Raindance and Aesthetica (London METRO, O1.08.16), appeared in reputable publications such as Vogue, GQ and iD magazine, and we are a registered IMDB film festival.

Filmmakers are a discerning audience and the 100+ five star reviews from filmmakers around the world is proof of our commitment and respect for the hard work and care that goes into making a film. Since 2021, we have been awarding cash prizes to support talented up-and-coming filmmakers we believe in thanks to a generous sponsor (see below).

SUCCESS STORIES

We have premiered and screened films that went on to win an Oscar (The Silent Child, 2017) or later received a major distribution deal (A Bird Flew, 2022; Avi, 2022; Roy, 2022; A Living Dog, 2021; Into The Mirror, 2019; You Go To My Head, 2019; and Phantompain, 2018) to name just a few.


Despite the festival's relatively small size, there are each year many gems to be found among the many short and feature films in the programme. Furthermore, many filmmakers and actors are traditionally present - and a lot of productive networking takes place.

OUR CURATION: ARTISTICALLY-DRIVEN FILMS, INSPIRING STORIES

Film is a unique medium, and NRFF’s mission is to support and champion inspiring, independent artists and storytellers. This includes experimental work, emotional drama, music, dance, and emerging talent (see below).

Our festival is built around ARTISTS and their STORIES. By doing so, we aim to establish an international COMMUNITY of inspiring storytellers. We are not interested in following current fashions or being politically divisive. We seek out stories that are genuinely imaginative, emotional and life-affirming. At the heart of what we do is our passion to tell great stories.

Curating a festival is never easy but we strive to put together a great programme each year in an environment that is warm, inclusive and truly dignified. You can visit last year's programme online at ww.nrff.co.uk to get a feel for the quality of curation we are known for.

NEW RENAISSANCE LONDON 2025

2025 will be our tenth year in London, a city known for its diversity and innovation in the creative arts. For 3 days in September, we will screen around 100 outstanding films in the heart of London. The programme will include narrative shorts, features, documentaries, animations, dance and music videos, a NETWORKING party and AWARDS CEREMONY.

Running alongside the festival will be a SCREENWRITING COMPETITION, a series of MASTERCLASSES by film industry experts, a filmmaker's PANEL DISCUSSION, Filmmaker Q&A's, and other networking opportunities.

EMERGING TALENT AWARDS

Apart from a high number of UK and International films, NRFF London has a category for EMERGING TALENT (debut or early stage filmmakers embarking on their careers in the film industry). Those selected can win CASH PRIZES. We found a sponsor for this in 2021 and are happy to announce that they continue supporting these cash prizes for emerging talent in 2025.

Please read our Rules & Terms before making your submission.

Key Dates:

Submissions for 2024 will be open. The festival will take place in October 2024, and all contestants will be notified at least 4-6 weeks prior to the event.

SUPPORTING THE INDEPENDENT FILM COMMUNITY

It is our passion to not only provide a stage for our filmmakers but also to strengthen the INDEPENDENT film community, by building an engaged audience through social media - especially Instagram and Facebook. We actively encourage directors, screenwriters, producers and actors to network during the festival and after the event. By doing so, new artistic collaborations have occurred.

NEW RENAISSANCE ALUMNI

Former New Renaissance attendees and or winners include: Oscar winning couple Chris Overton and Rachel Shenton (The Silent Child); Oscar winning actress Whoopi Goldberg (Palace); BAFTA and Emmy winning actress Anna Friel (The Sea); Great Expectations and Top Boy director Brady Hood (Sweet Maddie Stone); Oscar winning writer/director James Lucas (Paint The Dragon's Eyes); BAFTA winning actress Sophia Myles (All That Glitters); BAFTA winning actor George MacKay (Infinite); Ivor Novello winning musician Gary Kemp (InSolo); BAFTA winning and double Emmy nominated documentary director Zoe Dobson (The Cunning Man); BAFTA winning animator Catriona Black (You Are At The Bottom Of My Mind); Emmy winning actress Tatiana Mislany (Souls of Totality); Oscar nominated cinematographer Jarin Blaschke (A Million Eyes); BAFTA nominated director Shona Auerbach (Rudy); Actor Tom Cullen (Souls of Totality); BAFTA nominated actress Celine Buckens (Prangover); Silent Witness actress Emilia Fox (The Ghost); Chicago actor Darren Day (Rudy); Rag Doll actor Ali Cook (The Cunning Man); Olivier Award nominated actress Amy Lennox (Near); student Oscar winner Tristan Holmes (The Fragile King); and student Oscar winner Ariel Heller (Mammoth).

One of the principal objectives of FICA - INTERNATIONAL ATHLETICS FILM FESTIVAL DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN 2019 is promoting the Athletic culture and its values by the audiovisual language and offering to the media, film directors, audiovisual industry agents and athletics professionals a meeting place in which they can exchange views and information.

The International Horror Film Festival of Valparaíso convokes professional filmmakers and aficionados of short films, featurettes, and feature films from chile and abroad to participate with their movies, related to the genres of terror, horror, gore, suspense, fantasy, bizarre, and variants.

Objectives

Foment the production of independent films, look for novel and diverse content, and being a place for reflection and spread of independent cinema, with sights to the world from Valparaíso.

Date of the Festival.

The International Horror Film Festival of Valparaíso will be online, on / 13th/14th of December of 2024.

La Muestra de cortometrajes “Proyecta Jerez” es el punto de encuentro de tod@s l@s amantes del cine, donde compartimos unos días de cortos, futuros proyectos, exposiciones, charlas coloquios y el anticipo del nuevo Festival de Cortometrajes.

Más Información en: www.jerez.es/juventud
PARTICIPANTES: Creadores de cualquier nacionaalidad, mayores de 18 años.

OBRAS: El tema de la obra será libre. La obra debe ser original y realizada en castellano (o en su defecto subtitulada al castellano).

Cada participante presentará tantas obras como desee, según el número de obras recibidas, los organizadores seleccionarán las que se van a proyectar. La duración del cortometraje, incluido créditos, no superará los 15 minutos. Las obras no podrán tener
contenidos racistas, xenófobos, violentos ni pornográficos.

Se admitirán cortos express que no deben superar los 3 minutos.

Al presentar las obras, habrá que rellenar una ficha con los datos del autor/a más el DNI escaneado.

El plazo de admisión será hasta el 18 de octubre de 2019.

El autor/a de la obra autoriza su reproducción, sin contraprestación económica, pudiendo ser proyectada por la organización con el fin de promocionar la Muestra y el
Festival, reservándose el derecho de su exhibición pública.