Blog: Film festivals

Bucharest Short Film Festival [BSFF]

Independent is the key word for Bucharest Short Film Festival [BSFF], as it is founded by independent film professionals and focuses on independent artists in cinema, from all over the world. Bucharest Short Film Festival aims at recognizing, showcasing and spreading-out the most professional, most innovative, and most interesting fresh short international films, while always prioritizing independent short films.

Bucharest Short Film Festival will showcase some of the finest short international film in Narrative, Animation, Student, Experimental, Documentary, Music Video and Human Rights. We take to heart the amount of work put into each film. Therefore, the festival rules ensure that each movie is reviewed at least two times and well-debated by our team. Some of the awarded films will also be screened at other international film festivals.

Independent artists and their short films will meet an effervescent, and a quite experienced with cinema and film festivals audience, ensuring quality networking, and engaging opportunities, while the selected films will be determined by a panel of industry experts.

Bucharest Short Film Festival is building a strong community of interest around international independent film professionals and film lovers, in the heart of one of the most interesting emergent capitals of arts and culture, a city that never sleeps – Bucharest.

The festival will run film screenings, preceded or followed by artists Q&A, or networking side events, and, surely, parties, that all take place in various conventional and unconventional stages around Bucharest, as in cinemas, open spaces, and even summer theatres. Bucharest, you’ve heard about it, eventually – a city for young people. Well known for different things – like “Old Paris” nickname, in its bourgeois times, before the communism decades, or the world’s biggest parliamentary building [and one of the largest buildings of any kind], from its communism times, new architecture, or the explosive contemporary art scene, and the also quite impressive underground arts and music and nightlife communities, in its current times.

The Rwanda Film Festival, also known as Hillywood, has not only established itself as the country’s most important cultural event, but also as one of Africa’s most prestigious festivals. For seven days, film lovers, filmmakers, industry professionals and media will watch the best in new cinema from established masters and new local and international talents. The Hillywood tradition continues this year with the festival’s tenth edition.

Our principal objective is to promote and encourage awareness, appreciation and understanding of the art of cinema in Rwanda.

Our mandate is to present the most outstanding films produced in every part of the world.

With the ongoing development of filmmaking in Rwanda, we believe the time is right for such a festival that serves as a key platform for the promotion of Rwandan-produced cinema and also enables our local professionals to interact with internationally established filmmakers.

Among the most important Italian art film festivals, TOHORROR FILM FEST starts from cinema and then explores all possible means of communication, with the purpose of analysing contemporary society through the deforming lenses provided by the fantastic and horror culture. Thus, through the young authors’ videos and the films made by more expert directors, the meetings, the theatrical performances, the concerts, the art and comics exhibitions, we are enabled to to interpret reality, filtering it through a most wild imagination.

ONLY FOR LATINOAMERICAN COLLEGE STUDENTS // SOLO PARA ESTUDIANTES UNIVERSITARIOS DE LATINOAMERICA

Fiaticorti was born in 2000 from the idea of some members of Istrana’s “Youth Project”.

The event name was selected for two reasons: firstly, 'shortness of breath' (fiato corto) is the effect of physical effort of short duration (the same duration of short movies). Moreover, a film that can last up to 20 minutes is able to convey strong emotions to the viewer, leaving her or him 'out of breath'.

Initially, fiaticorti was condensed into a single evening, namely an awards night. However, from the 4th edition on, the format has been enhanced, and the festival develops over four stages, during which the best works are presented.

In 2006 the section FiatiVeneti was introduced, to reward short film-makers from the Veneto region.

2011 represented fiaticorti’s turning point. Not only did longtime artistic director Gianni Billio pass the baton to Bartolo Ayroldi Sagarriga (the new artistic director), Andrea Grespan and Simone Perotto, but the quality of the films in competition increased dramatically, together with the number of foreign participants, mainly from France, Great Britain, Romania and Spain. fiaticorti increasingly became an international event.

But the identity of the festival, connected to the Italian film club culture of the Seventies, has always remained the same. Its goal is that of transmitting culture and passion for short films. That’s why the artistic direction has chosen not to accompany the festival with events of other kinds.

Hi Filmmakers! Our 2016 festival is in the history books again!

A comment from a filmmaker:
The Florida Movie Festival is a truly a wonderful experience. From the first contact with the organizers the filmmakers will feel they are with friends. The advantage of this festival is that there is direct contact with an audience through engaging group workshops, social gatherings and Q&A sessions. The location, Daytona Beach, makes it a refreshing environment to balance life with the intensities that many filmmakers deal with on a day by day basis. Respective, appreciative, encouraging, open, balanced, and supportive - The Florida Movie Festival.
THANK YOU!
Doug

Want to come to "World's Most Famous Beach" in Daytona Beach, Florida? Submit your movie and you have made the first step in enjoying time in Florida in early March. You will have the festival, workshops, networking, sun, more sun, fun, on the ocean and theme parks within an hours drive. Are you in the cold weather, come thaw out and enjoy a week here.

Our Florida Movie Fest featured "Long Pants(60+min), Loose Shorts(20-59), and Short Shorts(1-19)" with a "NEW" genre in "Outdoor/Adventure/Travel this year. It was a big success just like the Women Directed/Produced from the previous year. The Women Directed/P remains our largest and most competitive genre. Keep up the great work and looking forward to your new work this year.

This year we moved our screenings to the "World's Most Famous Beach" in Daytona Beach, Florida. Our workshops included: Creative Financing , Cinematography (2-Emmy award winning DP's), Copyright protection of intellectual property, Directing and Casting. These workshops were held in a room overlooking the ocean. Most of these terrific workshop hosts have indicated they would return and we are already engaged in conversation about a full day workshop - hands on with an Emmy award DP. Sounds great!

So next year make plans early and come to Daytona Beach, for the festival, sun, car races, bike week, or spring break. Maybe all the above.

Filmmakers came from as far away as Toronto and Calgary, Canada along with California.
Please make plans for the coming year.

Winners this year came from Sri Lanka, Iran, Germany, Austria, India, Australia, Argentina, UK, Chile, Ecuador , Brazil, Uruguay, France, Russia, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Taiwan , Egypt, Mexico, Canada, and US.

"Movies with passion and freedom" continues as our theme this year. Wow did you hit this on the mark. It is a real quality event when we have so much talent around the world finding its way to our festival.

FMF does encourage you to submit multiple work or a second category with same movie. Contact FMF to receive a twenty-five % discount for second movie and a fifty % discount for a third movie. If you find yourself in a quandary on which category to enter. You can enter a second category for a 50% discount to increase your chances for success.

FMF will continue our three main categories: "Short Shorts (1-19min), Loose Shorts (20-59min), and Long Pants (60+min)". A great 8 min. film is hard to be judged against a 35 min. short so we expanded to create a "Mini-Feature" category and to fairly protect the truly short film. This worked very well for us.

FMF will not change it's core principles in expanding, but FMF wants to provide an expansion of topics at this venue for our filmmakers and viewers to take a journey of - learning, relating, laughing, and many other emotions while keeping a thread of moral fabric!

One of our newer and very rewarding genre is Women. After attending a workshop on film for women, FMF heard their message. One of those messages: only 12% of women filmmakers are on the big screen. We want to help change that one independent film at a time. You are off to a great start, keep up the fabulous work.

Remember the book "Men are from Mars, and Women are from Venus". FMF wants to offer a genre that the story, script, director, producer or lead role is a Woman. FMF is looking beyond the industry term "chick flick" to films that are thought-provoking and personal growth about "Venus" or a view from "Venus". Present the world as a woman experience’s it – enlighten, empower, entertain, educate, inspire, curiosity and stimulate conversation.

If you have read this far, here are a few nuggets of treasure. The first 5 paid submissions will automatically receive an official selection. (Early bird does get selected). The first 5 paid comedy, documentaries and adventure/outdoors/travel will also automatically receive an official selection. After submitting, send an email asking if you are automatically an official selection!! Good luck early birds.

In summary:
Categories are: Short (short shorts), Mini-Feature (loose shorts), and Feature (long pants).

Genres are: Women, Documentaries, Faith/Inspirational, Adventure/Outdoors and Narrative/Other

Other Categories: Student Movie, Animation, Web-Series/TV, Comedy, Florida Local and Music Video. Please Note: These are not Genre specific!

Come join us, we will treat your work, like we do ours!

Come join us in Central Florida on the beach!


Rules & Terms



1. Competition is open to anyone who wishes to enter.

2. Films produced, primarily financed, or initiated by a major Hollywood film studio are ineligible for competition.

3. Films must have been completed no earlier than January 1, 2013.

4. Films must be available for screening during the festival.

5. By submitting a film to the FMF, the filmmaker agrees to allow the film to be screened at the festival, and to allow short portions of the film to be used by the Florida Film Festival for promotional purposes.

6. Individual filmmakers are encouraged to offer multiple submissions. Each submission must be accompanied by its own entrance fee and submission form.

6a. Entries will have an opportunity to be selected and judged by peers through our network and possible other venue locations.

7. Finalists will be selected based on excellence in their conformity to the criteria, categories, guidelines, and festival objectives.

7a. FMF may require a DVD or file transfer to show at festival. FMF will notify you
before or shortly after the notification date.

8. DVDs or flash memory devices, will not be returned under any circumstances. Receipt of films will be sent by e-mail correspondence.

9. Application fee is non-refundable.

10. Awards will be presented to the individuals or teams responsible for the winning films in March 2017.

11. The People’s Award is based on the votes of the moviegoers at the festival. All other awards are judged on the overall merit of the entries. Judges reserve the right not to grant a category award.

12. If you enter as a Student Category. You will need to include the school, grade and age. It can even be a Film school. Need to verify the lower entry fee and competition status. FMF will divide into two groups: under 18 and 18+.

13. If any category doesn't have at least 5 selections for competition FMF will combine with a similar category for a stronger competition.
In summary:
Categories are: Short, Mini-Feature, and Feature. Short shorts are 1-19min, Loose shorts are 20-59min, Long pants are 60+min.

Genres are: Women, Documentaries, Faith/Inspirational, Adventure/Outdoors/Travel and Narrative/Other

Other Categories: Student Movie, Animation, Web-Series, Comedy, and Music Video, Please Note: These are not Genre specific!

Read More

The Young Visionaries Film Festival (YVFF) celebrates the best short films from regional students, bringing emerging filmmakers and audiences together in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, April 23rd. Presented by local media production society, Lambda Kappa Tau, YVFF accepts films from university-level students in the following Mid-Atlantic states: Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The festival features screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and chances to meet and network with fellow filmmakers.

The 9th Annual Back in the Box Competition (BIB), offers some of the lowest submission fees with some of the highest acceptance rates on the festival circuit.
Because BIB is a competition and a film festival, we are able to review many more submissions to give more artists a greater chance to showcase their work.
BIB provides an exciting platform for ambitious filmmakers and screenwriters to showcase their skills in direct competition with other creative artists.

Featuring a diverse array of competitive categories (including Best Feature Screenplay, Best Short Screenplay, Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, and Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and many others), BIB works to shatter the boundaries placed not only between genres but also between undiscovered talents and eager audiences. We are looking for the Best of the Best in the field of entertainment. And we are hoping you are prepared the meet the competition head on.

A slew of prizes are available through participation in BIB. Several of prior year's winning screenplays have already moved into production, and some films had secured distribution. There's no telling what sort of remarkable stories or careers this year's competition will unleash.

This is a film and screenplay competition. All preliminary judging is done by a panel of industry professionals and is open to the public to participate, but the film finalists will be screened in beautiful Santa Monica California and final judging will be made with voting by the attending audience.

SCREENING LOCATION – December 22, 2017 – 1PM to 5PM
The finalists in the Film competition will be screened in the Ocean Screening Room in beautiful Santa Monica, California the premier digital cinema in Santa Monica. What better way to start your Christmas vacation than to see a film on the coast of sunny California. Here, you will experience a breathtaking vista of the Pacific Ocean from the theater entrance. Chosen by Universal, Disney, Paramount and Sony as the Santa Monica Academy Awards screening venue, Ocean Screening also screens for Grammy Awards as well as Sundance.

The Ocean Screening Room is located at 1401 Ocean Ave, 1st floor (cross street Santa Monica Blvd.). Ocean Screening shares the same building as Sushi Roku and Water Grill. The screening room is located on the lobby level. Directions can be found here:

http://www.oceanscreening.com/directions.html

This is an exclusive event for participants who are serious about moving forward with projects and will be an informal mix between actors, producers and directors. The people who hold the exclusive “Screening” tickets will be the final set of judges for the films that have progressed to the final round. They will decide which lucky filmmakers will take home the prizes in each category.

Discussion topics include how actors can make contact to directors and producers of indie films when they’re available and ready to work. Directors attending will include filmmakers who have active projects they want to move forward with. Producers attending will include representatives who are actively searching for key projects to invest in. Representatives from Fernleif Productions will also be in attendance looking for projects to expand their portfolio including films and talent for not only short films investment, but for additional talent for creating content for electronic games and applications. If your film is one films being screened, here is a great opportunity to show off your work to a captive audience and make great contacts for future projects

International competition official short film competition 10 international film festival in the mountains.

SHORTS in TRANSILVANIA

We know how hard it may be, for filmmakers, to produce and distribute their works, especially if those are short films and independent productions. TRANSILVANIA SHORTS [International Short Film Festival] is the useful tool for every filmmaker, in order to further showcase their films, and get their deserved public feedback and recognition. The films selected in the festival competition are further on promoted, screened at the festival, and evaluated by a team of experts in the industry. Transilvania Shorts supports filmmakers in gaining the recognition of the public passionate about cinema, and that of mass-media, and, also, in being rewarded for their work.

Come celebrate and share your passion for cinema! Held in both beautiful and medieval cities, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Braṣov and Târgu Mureș, Transilvania Shorts brings short films, from all over the world, to beautiful Transilvania. In the future, the festival will be extended, in order to be present in all major cities of Transilvania. This year’s Festival Program will showcase a wide variety of international short films, in the categories of: Narrative, Animation, Student, Commercial Video, Documentary, Experimental, Fashion, Music Video, Narrative, Student.

IndieCork is Ireland's premiere festival of international independent film, in particular short films; we screen all genres though - including features, documentaries, mixed media and cross-platform. We welcome drama, narrative, animation, experimental, music / dance / poetry film, and everything in between!

We support emerging, independent film and we are Ireland's largest festival for shorts. We focus on the independent filmmaker, believing this is the most creative and interesting, and our festival offers a rewarding experience, for both filmmaker and audience.

IndieCork is organised by a team with over 30 years experience in film programming and exhibition.

Every year the Adventure Movie Awards international film competition selects some of the best adventure short films from around the world.

A showcase of movies about Adventure intended as exploration, personal experiences and challenges as well as freedom and deep conenction with nature. A sort of adventure that fascinates, intrigues and scares as well, testimony of the free spirit that drives man to leave what is certain and go search for the unknown, pushing further and going beyond the limits.

The aim is to reward the short films that are able to convey this meaning of Adventure on the screen and that are able to communicate emotions, passions and dreams through images and dialogues. Not just pure action, but life stories.

The Mediterranean Film Festival in Široki Brijeg is characteristic for a unique atmosphere – a mixture of relaxed fun, tourism, rhythm and films. Hence the Festival quickly became the favourite of film workers and audience. Those who once feel the scent of the Mediterranean in this little town of film, shall always return to it. In front of the hall where the projections are going on there is always an interesting atmosphere, and after the projections there is always fun and dancing to the rhythms of urban music till late hours. The Festival is the initiator of the new relations within the world of culture, there is no elitism in it, no VIP boxes, no privileges. Within the last ten years we have succeeded to create an atmosphere in which no one feels alienated, inferior or less invited to be a part of the event.

MFF is the oldest festival of documentary film in the region considering that only documentary films compete here and the largest part of the program is based on documentaries. This is one of the rare festivals that has money prizes for the winners of the festival and in that way helps them to create new film projects. The School of Film Culture with relevant lecturers is being organized within the very MFF. A short documentary film is created every year at the MFF workshop, which we screen at the closure of the festival.

Besides the film projections there are also other programs offered at MFF. First of all the touristic ones, where a new branch, unknown untill now in Hercegovina, is developed – the cultural tourism. Within the tourism part there are the tours visiting the most interesting sites in Hercegovina which might be used as the locations for films shooting. Visits to the most significant touristic potentials of Hercegovina (Međugorje and Mostar) are also organized. We meet the guests of the festival to the exceptional archaeological localities and introduce them with the potentials of ethno tourism. In cooperation with the Tourist Board we get our guests acquainted with the Hercegovinian gastronomy – an extraordinary cuisine that has preserved the ancient taste and has not subdued to the modern culinary novelties, and belongs to a very healthy nutrition.

Mediterranean Film Festival lasts for six days, and all our guests, never mind from which part of the Mediterranean they might come, shall wish to come back again here.

The Creative Arts Film Festival is an annual international film festival that is designed to showcase and promote short films and filmmakers. CAFF runs throughout the entire month of December and we offer worldwide exposure, free promotional listings, international audiences, and the prestigious "Perfect Spirit Film Awards". And, yes, we do accept Music Videos in any of the genres.

CAFF knows the value of a good film, and we do our best to let every creative artist know that it is all about them and their project.

“CAFF believes that it is through an army of fans that the creative artist can build a solid career in entertainment.”
~ Connie Spielberg, Filmmaker/Creative Arts Film Festival

CAFF considers short length films that are a MAXIMUM of 60 minutes (including credits), and we offer filmmakers premiere exposure to entertainment industry professionals and fans worldwide via our website. We are completely driven by love of the craft and our festival is committed to the filmmakers who bring great short films to the world.

Founded by filmmakers and creative artists, CAFF is like no other film festival, because it is designed to promote YOU, the filmmaker. Our innovations are all designed to further YOUR career. Such as: The Perfect Spirit Film Awards – to bring recognition and credibility to your work; Submitted Films Listings – Our massive additional promotional vehicle for our creative artists JUST FOR SUBMITTING A PROJECT. These are all unique marketing ideas that no other film festival in the world had ever offered before CAFF. We are proud to offer them to our filmmakers.

CAFF offers these initiatives because it brings more attention to YOU, the creative artist. They were pioneered to better serve the filmmaker. And, mixed with our marketing efforts, CAFF does all it can do to get you and your project in front of every single person around the world.

Thank You and Good Luck from Creative Arts Film Festival.

The Shortfilm Festival "San Rafael in short" aims dissemination, disclosure and the screening of cinematographic works as well as the knowledge of these by the audience. The works presented not opt to a prize or award, only the assessment of the audience.

Since 2003 the international Festival SIGNES DE NUIT is active in Paris, Berlin, Saarbrücken and with special screenings world wide. The festival in Paris actually presents around 300 films coming from around 50 countries at different places in Paris. In Berlin the festival will be performed in the legendary cinema Babylon.

The International Festival SIGNES DE NUIT based in Paris is made up of films, which reflects new views, original imagery and critical approach to the crucial points of the modern human existence. It is a place for cinema that expands its own boundaries, that is astonishing, different, potentially free from the pressure of tradition, ready to give itself to the unpredictable experimentation.

The minor costs of digital production makes an independant- from comercial influences and any kind of censorship- production possible. These independant productions create an alternative, an artistic space very subtle and accessible to all, in contrast to what mass media offer.

This opposition and the preservation of the free cultural space is the goal of the International Festival Signes de Nuit, which has realized screenings and interventions in 29 different countries including Algeria, Australia, Chile, Cuba, Lebanon, Lithuania, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Peru, Russia, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States beside the screenings in main festival in Paris.

Welcome to the Movement Latino Film Festival. We are an exciting new film festival created by Latino artist, actors, filmmakers and journalist aimed at showcasing and highlighting Latino filmmakers and talent.

We are currently accepting feature length, short, documentary, experimental films and webisodes. We are also accepting screenplays both full and short length, we are also reading treatments as well.

Our festival will be located at the Monica Film Center within close proximity to the Santa Monica Pier and just one block away from the 3rd Street Promenade. Come bring your best work and celebrate our opening year which will host workshops, networking opportunities and competition comradery. Our festival also guarantees a 30-60 day written review of your film from the date of submission. Join the Movement! Let your voice be heard! We look forward to viewing your work.

Sofia MENAR Film Festival is organized by Pozor company.

Sofia MENAR Film Festival makes Bulgarian audience familiar with the culture and traditions of the Islamic world. The programme of Sofia MENAR Film Festival presents the best of Middle East and North Africa cinema productions, including feature films, documentaries and short projects. A lot of accompanying events are organised within the frames of the festival. These events are particularly selected and bound up with the countries of this region, representing traditions and customs of the ethnic groups that inhabit its lands.

The festival is held every year in January and runs at the same time in Sofia and other major Bulgarian cities. MENAR is organised by "Pozor" as one of a kind Balkans` largest cultural event representing Muslim world and its traditions.

Amongst the directors whose films have been presented during the festival are names such as Abbas Kiarostami, Majid Majidi, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Ümit Ünal, Asghar Farhadi, Panahbarkhoda Rezaee, Hany Abu-Assad, Bahman Ghobadi, Reza Mir-Karimi, Eran Riklis, Derviş Zaim, Hüseyin Karabey, Susan Youssef, Nacer Khemir, Nadir Mokneche ...

Sofia MENAR Film Festival continues the tradition of "Flowers of the Qu`ran" Film Festival, organised 4 years on end, from 2009 to 2012 making the Bulgarian audience acquainted with more than 120 film productions that bring the spirit of the East.

The term MENAR, for "Middle East and North Africa Region", is an acronym often used to cover an extensive area, stretching from Morocco to Iran, including the majority of both the Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries.

The InFest Film Festival is a 2-day freak short film Festival which is held in Rubí, a city of asphalt, industry and smoke located in the Valles Occidental, a region located near Barcelona (Spain).

The InFest festival emerges as a firm and clear proposal: that Rubí be known as the Rubiwood of the Vallés district. During the last 8 years, InFest has organized the best possible short film experience: outdoors screenings, concerts, bar service and all kinds of activities related to cinema. What else can we ask for?

The InFest is devoted to showcase new short films (produced after year 2019) showing Sci-Fi, Fantastic, Freak and Horror elements. Short films cannot exceed 15 minutes length (credits excluded). Foreign films MUST be dubbed or subtitled in Spanish or Catalan, or the film will not be accepted.

In 2024, InFest will celebrate its 9th annual edition. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the InFest was moved to the amphitheater of The castle of Rubí ("El Castell"), a defensive construction from the 13th century, which can host public events with more than 2000 people. The amphitheater features seats, stage and bar! Jury Prize and Audience Award will receive 1000 and 250 euros, respectively.

Acquire, understand and apply knowledge in different areas of the humanities and social sciences, through a multidisciplinary space.

Invited filmmakers to his short films projected in the space you humanize UABC 2016.