Blog: Film festivals

401 Film Fest is aimed at discovering new, local, independent filmmakers. Our showcases will be accepting films from all over the world, but with at least 50% Rhode Island submission acceptance. The event is completely free to attend, which is no wonder why most of our screenings have reached venue capacity!

We will be accepting submissions for the "5th Annual 401 Film Fest", starting on November 13th, 2018 - July 31, 2019. It is free for Rhode Island, Massachusetts & Connecticut filmmakers to submit to, and a mere $5 for anybody outside of the region.

Thank YOU for supporting 401 Film Fest!

401 Film Fest on Eyewitness News/Street Stories
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0SXUkwqots

401 Film Fest Year 2 Promo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b79eAwM-uQA

401 Film Fest on The Rhode Show CBS 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t5ASwdriQo

401 Film Fest on The Rhode Show CBS 2015
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwqhmT-ECTA

401 Film Fest Year 1 Promo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ks5IJAhyec

**Date of event subject to change. Will confirm by Notification Date.

INTRODUCTION

Valdivia International Film Festival showcases Chilean and international cinema in five competitive categories: Feature Competition, Youth Feature Competition, Latin American and Caribbean Short Film Competition, Latin American and Caribbean Children’s Short Film Competition and Chilean Short Film Competition for Film Students. Its non-competitive program includes historical retrospectives, contemporary filmmakers’ retrospectives, social cinema, avant-garde cinema, genre, and a children-family oriented cinema slot.


1.- OBJECTIVES

The festival aims to offer Chilean and foreign filmmakers a place to screen and to compete, and by doing so, promoting national and international film works of artistic quality.


2. DATES

The festival will be held from October 12th to 18th, 2026, in Valdivia, Chile.

The Asian Summer Film Festival wants to present the Asian culture through the popular cinematography produced in the countries of the continent.

The Festival has several categories such as a competitive section, retrospectives, screenings for children and theme nights. Last year, 40 titles from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Corea, Japan and India were shown, some of them were World and International festival premieres, European festival premieres or Spanish festival premieres. The 18 films programmed in the official section competed for the Jury Prize, the Lucky Cat Award, given by the audience to the best film in-competition, and the Critics’ Choice Award.

The Sacramento Horror Film Festival was created in 2007 with many purposes. The festival founder desired the festival to be a platform for the horror filmmaker while providing a satisfying and valued movie going experience to the film patron.

The SHFF screens more films over fewer days than any other horror film festival thus providing a greater chance for exposure for the horror filmmaker. We have a profound dedication to the horror genre. The festival screens all things horror including features, shorts, documentaries, music videos, trailers, and animations.

We do more than screen a series of films. We enhance the film going experience between film programs by inserting live music, performance art, interactive games, costume contests, and comedy all hosted by horror host personalities. The Sacramento Horror Film Festival is more than a festival- it is multi-faceted arts and entertainment event.

We provoke filmmaker creativity by issuing annual film challenges open to all filmmakers across the world. The festival hosts educational workshops in various elements of the filmmaking process in order to educate the novice and experienced filmmaker alike.

It is our mission to promote the independent filmmaker, his/her projects and talent therein, while offering an unique and entertaining cinematic experience to fans of the horror genre while further establishing Sacramento as a city of the arts.

The SHFF was acclaimed for being "The Best Place for a Real Horror Show" in the "2008 Best of: Unauthorized" issue of the Sacramento News & Review.

In 2013, SHFF received acclaim for being one of the "Coolest Film Festivals" according to MovieMaker Magazine.

The festival chooses to utilize the Historic Colonial Theatre in Sacramento, CA. The Colonial Theatre doors first opened in 1939.

The festival director operates the festival with the support of its fellowship of horror fanatics and filmmakers.

Founded in 2007 by Tim Meunier.

SHFF ATTITUDE AND MANTRA - "LOVE HORROR."

CORTOS EN CORTO emerged 10 years ago as an initiative to promote regional, national and international film work, seeking to be a meeting point where to share face-to-face and virtual projections, as well as conferences and master classes with the creative community.

North Karnataka's first ever film festival is being presented by "Manomay Productions LLP" for our people. The main aim of this film festival is to help young and talented filmmakers to showcase their story to the world.

Citizens of Hyderabad Karnataka are really good in Theatre, Writing, Acting, and also in Direction, to showcase their talent, Kalaburagi Film festival will play a very important role.

The objective of the VII EUROPEAN AUDIOVISUAL CREATION CONTEST "CTL 59 SECONDS" is to disseminate, promote and encourage the realization of videocreation work. It is especially aimed at students and amateurs and also professionals who want to make known, in person and online, audiovisual creations that have artistic and technical value with a maximum duration of 59 seconds. The subject of the videos made (development of a thematic idea or narrative line) will be freely available and the contents of the works can be fiction or documentary in nature. The Jury will especially appreciate the originality, creativity and visual, conceptual and formal experimentation of the works.

Seoul International ALT Cinema & media arts Festival (NeMaf) is the annual festival that shows media-based art with innovative spirit in its themes and forms.

The types of works we show include single-channel video arts, media arts, documentaries, found-footage films, essay films, experimental films, and so on. It takes place at multiple cinemas around Seoul.

It has been founded and showcased more than 2,000 media-based works and discovered 1,000 artists since it was founded in 2000.

NeMaf now opens for submissions and seeks innovative films and media art works.

- Submission Deadline
MAY 16, 2025 11:59 PM (Korea Standard Time)

We conceive IBZCF as a window into contemporary cinema, its new trends and creators who contribute new narrative paths to create vibrant, necessary, and modern films.
The 10th edition of IBZCF will take place in 10 venues across the island's five municipalities and online on the Filmin platform. Ibizacinefest renews its commitment to Ibiza and its culture through a program of national and international titles never before seen on the island, exclusive premieres in the Balearic Islands and Spain, activities aimed at professionals, short film sections to discover and promote local and Balearic talent, and our educational program with special screenings to create new audiences.

Reflection will also be given space through open discussions on the relationship between cinema and various current sociocultural issues.

Short films are once again the focus of IBZCF, once again as a qualifier for the Premios Goya,Forqué Awards, and the Fugaz Awards, collaborating once again with the European Film Academy on the Shortfilms on Tour program.

We are holding our Slow-Cinema Workshop-Residency with simultaneous filming of 15 short films alongside the in-person Festival, with which we will flood our Island with more than 120 contemporary cinema titles.

Xavi Herrero
Director and programmer IBZCF2-European Film Academy Member

ONLY FOR SPANISH FILMMAKERS // SOLO PARA CINEASTAS ESPAÑOLES

El Festival PSICURT está organizado por el Colegio Oficial de Psicología de Cataluña, el Ayuntamiento de Reus y el Ayuntamiento de Tarragona.

El objetivo es dar a conocer los diferentes ámbitos de la salud mental (prevención, promoción e intervención) a través del cine. Un proyecto cultural, social y de salud que permita promover la creación artística y la sensibilidad del público con la salud mental.

The Puerto Madryn MAFICI International Film Festival has been held for 13 years and is one of the most important Festivals in Latin America, which takes place in the Argentine Patagonia.

The objective of the Festival is to provide the possibility of screening national and foreign films both feature films and short films and thus generate a meeting space and diffusion of the cinema, from a corner of the Argentine Patagonia.

The Festival will reward the First Movies to Argentine and foreign filmmakers, with the "Southern Right Whale" award, in addition to the different awards of the Official Section in Competition.

MAFICI proposes from its beginnings, reward and promote the new directors of the world, announcing his first cinematographic work, being the only Argentine Festival with this unique peculiarity.

On the other hand, we intend to encourage the development of the film industry, care of the Environment and contribute to the tourist, cultural potential that our beautiful city of Puerto Madryn.

The Fine Shortfilm Festival is a non-competitive shortfilm event, hosted in São Paulo, addressed to the works of the new generations of Brazilian filmmakers.

San Francisco’s ‘Another Hole in the Head’ Film Festival is a month-long cinematic excursion into the realms of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and assorted other genres. Another Hole in the Head pulls together a diverse collection of films representing all varieties and budgetary considerations, providing a unique vehicle for independent cinema.

This festival seeks broader horizons than the common interpretation of "Genre Film.” We include Westerns, Art/Experimental films, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and other unconventional fare right along with our Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction offerings. All styles of independent film are welcome to compete: whether it's a major production from a professional company, a student film, or a micro-budget labor of love, we are committed to giving each film due consideration.

The 2026 festival will take place from December 1st through the 31st; in San Francisco, CA at the historic Balboa Theatre, as well as On-Demand via Eventive and during special live screenings on Zoom (with Filmmaker Q&A).

Please be advised that if your film is selected it does not automatically equal a theatrical screening. Due to our limited theatrical schedule, some of our selected films will only be available On-Demand and via Eventive or during live private screenings on Zoom.

Theatrical and online screenings compete equally in our festival, and we do our utmost to promote all selected films equally. The rise of Eventive and Zoom has allowed us to offer more films the chance to be seen and to compete for our Awards. In 2025 our festival screened over 250 films from December 1st-31st. 20 features and 140 shorts were screened live at the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco, while another 110 films were available On-Demand.

We've built a passionate following over the years, both in theaters and online. 2026 will mark our 23rd year among the most highly rated genre festivals in the world, and we're still growing!

San Francisco is the second largest film market in the country, and a great promotional platform for Indie filmmakers who are trying to get their film out into the world. Many films that screen at our festival spark the attention of other film festivals and film distributors. In addition, the films and the festival are reviewed by some of the top players in the industry, such as Variety, the San Francisco Chronicle, Dread Central, and Fangoria.

We’re very excited to announce that our sister festival "Warped Dimension" is now live and accepting films on Festhome! Warped Dimension will be a festival dedicated to Animation, Experimental & AI film.

The festival will take place live, May 8–9, 2026, at the historic Balboa Theater in San Francisco.

Submit your production for free in any of our categories. Submissions open from September 3 to September 7, 2025, through Festhome and Click for Festivals. You can also send your application to the email: fickuntakinte@gmail.com.

The Ninth Afro Kunta Kinte International Community Film Festival will take place from September 3 to September 7, 2025, in Medellín, Colombia, under the theme “Ways of Inhabiting the Territories.” Please note that each submission will be reviewed by our curation team; the submission period is open from June 10 to August 2, 2025.

We invite filmmakers to submit their films, documentaries, and short films that explore aspects of the African diaspora, such as the history of slavery, global Afro-descendant culture, the civil rights struggle, migration experiences, and the influence of African heritage on diverse cultural expressions. Through cinema, we aim to rescue and highlight the stories of resistance, resilience, and creativity that have shaped the Afro-descendant experience.

The International Animated Film Festival "Constantine’s gold coin" is organized to promote cultural creativity of national and foreign authors.

The Central American Film Festival in Vienna has become a firmly rooted tradition, establishing itself as a key cultural event in the city.

Vienna, recognized as one of the world’s most important cultural hubs, provides an ideal and prestigious platform to showcase the increasingly innovative and notable productions emerging from the Central American region.

This year, the festival returns from November 17 to 22, 2025, with the hope of once again welcoming our loyal audience, who will have the opportunity to enjoy the latest and most outstanding works of Central American cinema.

The program includes the categories of Feature Film, Short Film, Documentary, and Animation, along with several non-competitive parallel sections, including: “Pioneers of Central American Cinema,” “Works in Progress,” “Guest Film,” “Bonus Films,” and “Latin American View,” the latter dedicated to works portraying contemporary life in Latin America. All details are specified in the official festival regulations.


Le Festival du Cinéma d’Amérique centrale à Vienne est devenu une tradition solidement ancrée, s’imposant comme un événement culturel de référence dans la ville.

Vienne, reconnue comme l’un des centres culturels les plus importants au monde, offre une scène idéale et prestigieuse pour mettre en lumière les productions de plus en plus innovantes et remarquables provenant de la région centraméricaine.

Cette année, le festival revient du 17 au 22 novembre 2025, dans l’espoir d’accueillir à nouveau notre fidèle public, qui pourra découvrir le meilleur et le plus récent du septième art centraméricain.

Le programme comprend les catégories Long-métrage, Court-métrage, Documentaire et Animation, ainsi que plusieurs sections parallèles non compétitives, parmi lesquelles : « Pionniers du Cinéma Centraméricain », « Œuvres en Cours », « Film Invité », « Bonus Films » et « Regard Latino-Américain », cette dernière consacrée aux œuvres qui dépeignent la vie contemporaine en Amérique latine. Tous les détails sont précisés dans le règlement officiel du festival.

The Addis International Film Festival (AIFF) is an annual film festival created by Initiative Africa in 2007 and held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The festival is the largest independent documentary cinema festival in Africa and it was established as a unique initiative seeking to use the power of documentary films to support innovative ways of creating awareness on social issues.

The festival is a celebratory and educational event showcasing a carefully curated selection of films from both seasoned and emerging filmmakers addressing a wide range of themes such as peace building, inequality, women empowerment, children's rights, and much more.


The 18th Edition of the Addis International Film Festival (AIFF). As Ethiopia's established social activist, Initiative Africa will be hosting a five-day documentary film festival starting May 15th to May 19th, 2024, bringing more than 30 local and international movies, under the themes of Action for Peace, Security, and Reconciliation, Gender Equality and Inclusivity, Food and Environmental Security, and Health Care which will be taking place at the Alliance Ethio-Française, Hager Fikir Theater, Goethe-Institut Äthiopien and Italian Cultural institute in Addis Ababa.

The audience of the festival are mostly the youth and educated community who have the courage to change their society. We screen the films for free with no payment required for entrance.

The Universe Multicultural Film Festival seeks to bring to the best of classic and contemporary filmmaking from the world; Committed to enlightening the public with a unique international film program, a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities. The Festival focuses on showcasing diverse cultural and heritages films, supports the creation and advancement of innovative and artistic cinematic works of both emerging and seasoned filmmakers and proudly embraces the passion, independent spirit and vision of these talented artists. With the integration of the local community and educational institutions into all aspects of the Festival, the Festival stimulates an interest in the study and appreciation of film and encourages people of all ages and background to participate and share the harmony universe.

“Memory of the Future / La mémoire de l'avenir”

The Center for Common Memory for Democracy and Peace (CMCDP), a national human rights association with international reach, hereby opens the call for film submissions for the 15th edition of the International Festival of Cinema and Common Memory (FICMEC), to be held in the city of Nador from October 30 to November 4, 2026.

The CMCDP operates within the following fields of action:

Issues related to memory and shared memory as knowledge and expertise;

Dissemination of a culture of peace, coexistence, and democracy;

The fight against all forms of extremism;

Defense of human rights and contribution to the dissemination of its culture;

Issues of identity and linguistic and cultural diversity;

Consolidation and development of values of solidarity and constructive dialogue between peoples and nations;

Support for all generations of human rights.

Each year, FICMEC proposes a thematic reflection linked to memory. In this edition, the central theme will be "Memory of the Future," inspired by Victor Hugo’s words: “The future is a door, the past is the key,” and Roman Krznaric’s idea that the future is not a place we are going to, but a place we are creating.

Memory is not an exercise in nostalgia nor a gaze anchored in the past. It is a collective responsibility. Preserving, explaining, and transmitting historical episodes—especially the most painful ones—is the duty of both institutions and society as a whole: families, associations, human rights defenders, artists, and educators. Understanding the past is a conscious act of preparing for the future.

"Memory of the Future" proposes a permanent dialogue between remembrance and projection, between justice and social transformation. The struggles against injustice, the processes of truth and reconciliation, the defense of human dignity, and the consolidation of democratic values constitute the foundations of a fairer tomorrow. Remembering is not about perpetuating resentment, but about generating awareness, preventing the repetition of violations, and strengthening a culture of peace.

New generations hold a central place in this vision. They are not merely repositories of inherited narratives but active agents capable of reinterpreting, questioning, and projecting memory toward the future. Intergenerational transmission, critical thinking against historical manipulation, and commitment to human rights are essential elements of this construction.

In the artistic and cultural sphere, cinema—whether documentary or fiction—becomes a privileged vehicle for making silenced memories visible, denouncing injustices, opening spaces for dialogue, and contributing to social transformation.

Thematic Conditions for Participation:

Feature films and short films (fiction, animation): open theme.

Documentaries: must specifically align with the theme of the "Memory of the Future" concept note, addressing issues related to memory, human rights, justice, intergenerational transmission, reconciliation, identity, or democratic construction from a reflective and proactive perspective.

Filmmakers of all nationalities are invited to submit works that contribute to thinking about the future through historical awareness, promoting values of justice, peace, equality, coexistence, and the role of youth in this process.

Film submissions are accepted exclusively through official festival registration platforms.

Through this call, the CMCDP and FICMEC reaffirm their commitment to an active, ethical, and transformative memory, convinced that only those who assume responsibility for the past can contribute to building a more humane and democratic future.

The Festival’s goal is to dive the audience into the Seventh art, for this reason it supports and spread the local and national films, screening the artwork in an intimate atmosphere, with the purpose of motivating the artists to produce films, involving them in the art and culture that makes Mexico and outstading country.