Blog: Film festivals

Al Este is a festival coming out from the french festival A l'Est du Nouveau. Present in Peru since 2008, the mission of the festival is to promote film culture of the other Europe, that relegated to independent circuits, owning however, an invaluable wealth and tradition. Thus, Al Este seeks to spread the filmography of Europe, Latin America and Asia.

Welcome to the Arjuntala International Film Festival—an extraordinary cinematic journey that transcends the boundaries of traditional film festivals. Founded by a group of passionate creatives, AIFF is driven by a profound love for artistic innovation and an unwavering commitment to fostering emerging talent.

At AIFF, our mission is clear: to empower filmmakers as they launch their professional careers in the dynamic world of cinema. Beyond merely showcasing your work on a global stage.

Our festival is truly international, welcoming filmmakers from every corner of the globe. We eagerly anticipate films that embody courage, personal determination, and distinct voices. Our boundless enthusiasm for creativity knows no bounds, and we wholeheartedly embrace a wide range of projects that exemplify ingenuity and artistic brilliance. Our dedication extends to supporting and inspiring content creators, creating an environment where creativity can truly flourish.

So, welcome to the Arjuntala International Film Festival, where the spotlight shines on filmmaking every month. For the winners of AIFF, we proudly present an exclusive laurel and certificate in JPG format, a testament to your achievement that you can display or print with pride. Submit your masterpiece today and embark on your cinematic journey with AIFF—an unparalleled opportunity to break through boundaries and unlock new horizons in the world of filmmaking.

Papagena Festival: Celebrating Art in All Its Forms

Get ready to experience a unique experience of art, culture and creative expression! The Papagena Festival brings a program full of audiovisual exhibitions, visual arts, lectures and social actions, creating an inclusive space for everyone.

With the goal of providing an inclusive and learning space, the event will take place physically, at the Associação Tapeçaria Timbi, and also virtually via Vimeo, the official website and YouTube, allowing everyone to participate from anywhere.

During the event, you will have the opportunity to explore short films, illustrations, photographs and debates that reflect on the impact of art on society, while contributing to the construction of a more collaborative and conscious culture.

What to expect?

Audiovisual Exhibitions: Screening of short films and independent films of various genres, with emphasis on local and international productions.

Visual Arts: Exhibition of works by established and emerging artists, with a focus on innovation and authenticity.

Lectures and Debates: Conversations about the future of the arts, cultural entrepreneurship and the importance of art in social transformation.
Social Actions: Initiatives to promote culture and community engagement, with projects that seek to positively impact society. During the festival, a book drive will be held for the city library, encouraging the donation of literary materials that will help enrich the reading offering for the local community.

Why participate?
If you are passionate about art, culture and innovation, this event is for you! Come to be inspired, learn and share your creative vision with other artists and diverse audiences. It doesn't matter if you are an enthusiast, a professional or just curious - everyone is welcome to be part of this vibrant and transformative celebration.

Join us and be part of this journey of art, reflection and human connection!

Now in its fifth year, the Atena Nike Award has established itself as one of the most prestigious events in the Italian film scene dedicated to the union of art, culture, and social commitment.

Created with the goal of celebrating excellence and talent, the Award continues to give a voice to those who, through the seventh art, explore civil rights, the promotion of local culture, and creative innovation.

This special edition reaffirms its mission: to reward not only technical mastery but also the narrative power of directors, actors, and professionals who know how to move audiences and provoke reflection. With a keen eye on independent cinema and the next generation, the event transforms the stage into a meeting place for the industry’s leading figures and the rising stars of the future.

Blending culture and beauty, the fifth edition celebrates the power of cinema as a tool for dialogue, honoring stories that leave a lasting impression on the collective imagination.

Date and location of the fifth edition: October 9, 2026 – Casa del Cinema – Rome

The Film Award reaffirms its mission of talent scouting.

Submissions for short and feature-length films are officially OPEN for the 6TH EDITION (2027). A valuable opportunity for independent filmmakers and emerging productions to submit their works to a distinguished jury and compete for prestigious awards.

PATRON OF THE ATENA NIKE AWARD: Fabio Saccuzzo

ARTISTIC MANAGEMENT

Artistic Director: Giampietro Preziosa
Coordination Manager: Valentina Marchese
Creative Supervisor: Livia Bonifazi
Film Expert: Elena Tenga

ACADEMY

The artistic management team is supported by an Academy, selected for its experience and high level of artistic and professional expertise. The Academy consists of seven members from the worlds of acting, film, music, and theater.
Claudia Gerini
Donatella Finocchiaro
Lucia Sardo
Federica Vincenti
Tania Bambaci

FEATURE FILM JURY
Marco Simon Puccioni (chair)
Donatella Pascucci
Heidrum Schleeft
Marianna Sciveres
Luana Rondinelli
Luca Arcidiacono
Diana Rulli

SHORT FILM JURY
Daniela Giordano (chair)
Piero Nicosia
Sabina Pariante
Giusi Cataldo
Annalisa Putorti’
Ornella Giusto
Maria Carla Rodomonte
Manuela Rima


NEW SECTION: INCLUSIVE CINEMA
PArt – Creator and Partner of the “Inclusive Cinema” Section

For the Atena Nike Award, PArt conceived and curates the Inclusive Cinema section, coordinated by Giusi Cataldo, actress, director, and artistic director, and Tiziano Di Cara, entrepreneur, creative professional, and event organizer.

The section was created with the goal of promoting a film culture that is increasingly accessible, inclusive, and attentive to the diversity of perspectives and human experiences, highlighting cinema as a tool for dialogue, participation, and cultural growth.

Organized by Daag, DSFF seeks to give space to the silenced, the unseen, and the brave, through stories that demand to be told.

The cinema festival Fantasmagoria- Festival de Cine Fantástico y de Terror de Medellín - reaches its 8th edition.

Our competition opens to the world and the city of Medellín to explore genre cinema and reflect on these thematic. The festival has several sections of short films and feature films to embrace the fantastic and horror genre spectrum. Also, to consider relevant national and international people who have done significant work to the genre through their filmography.

Short films, documentaries and feature films will be selected from any nationality, produced in 2025 or 2026 which have yet to be seen in Medellin, Colombia. The films have to be related to the fantastic genre (sci-fi, horror and fantasy), also, thriller, western, adventure, action and noir. They will be exhibited during the festival in Fantasmagoria in October 2026 in Medellín city, Colombia. The features films will compete for the El Cura Sin Cabeza statuette award.

Founded in 1973, Curtas Festival do Imaxinario is the oldest festival and the largest event dedicated to fantasy, science fiction and horror cinema in Galicia. Located in Vilagarcía de Arousa, the festival is a must-see for enjoying the premieres of the best genre feature and short films, as well as a wide range of parallel activities that include exhibitions, meetings, presentations, workshops, concerts, international guests, and much more. All artistic expressions of the fantasy genre converge in the International Fantastic Film Festival of Galicia. Recognized as one of the best genre festivals on Earth by Dread Central, the world’s leading horror media outlet with millions of monthly readers. And proud member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) presents the Melies d'Argent award for best European Fantastic short film.

Dear filmmakers,

Welcome to our page! We know how many festivals there are and how difficult it is to choose which ones to submit to. The following will hopefully help you learn more about our festival and decide if our festival is right for you.

As filmmakers, we organize a film festival that we would like to attend: simple and professional, humble with a zest of sparkle, in short a glamourous festival set in the country-side.

We are proud to say that EACH film is seen by three different people on our selection committee.

ALL films are treated the same. One quote is for ALL prices. You don't pay extra for extra attention.

Our editorial line has evolved: we no longer have a particular theme because this has caused us to miss some very good films. Some remaining eliminatory criteria rest: inaudible or bad sound, gratuitous violence or pornographic scenes...

We love ALL GENRES of storytelling: science fiction, fantasy films, romantic comedies, thrillers, dramas, crazy short films, young audience, animation and Documentaries

For the filmmakers present (2 per film), we offer a festival pass, breakfast + meal tickets, a 5-taster pass for the Saturday wine tasting, the famous Sunday brunch and a closing dinner with our volunteers after the festival.

We cannot cover accommodation costs (our site gives you addresses to help) or travel costs.

We are setting up one shuttle per day to and from Narbonne or Carcassonne stations. From Carcassonne, you can take a bus there are many going direct to Rieux Minervois.

For filmmakers coming from abroad, we have other arrangements (contact us at lechouettefestival@gmail.com)

Le chouette festival is located in Rieux Minervois, a small village in Aude, situated between Carcassonne and Narbonne, the festival takes place every year on the first weekend of October.

This year it runs from the 28th of September to the 4th of October 2026.

The Creative Minds Film Festival is a prestigious platform that celebrates and honors outstanding achievements in the realm of filmmaking. Our event is dedicated to fostering connections between industry professionals, emerging talents and students who share a passion for the art of storytelling through film.

Cortos con Ñ. International short film festival held in the center of the city of Madrid (Spain).

Every Tuesday, at 19:30 p.m., at the La Escalera de Jacob theater (C / Lavapiés, 9 - Madrid, Spain).

Cortos con Ñ organize public screenings of short films every week in the city of Madrid.

Each short film received at Cortos con Ñ is carefully reviewed by a committee of film experts, who are in charge of selecting the best short films received at our festival.

The competition is addressed to filmmakers from all over the world who produce short films and documentaries.

Its purpose is to appraise short films and documentary-films whose goal is expressiveness and cultural disclosure starting a cinematographic event throughout Val d’Intelvi.

WEEKEND HORROR AWARDS
The 24th TERROR AND GORE FILM FESTIVAL OF ALICANTE 2026.
Since 1999

IMAXINARIA IS AN INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL THAT TAKES PLACE IN THE CITY OF A CORUÑA, SPONSORED BY AFUNDACIÓN

A project that seeks to promote and showcase non-commercial animated films to the general audience. The festival was also created as a meeting point for professionals in the animation industry, in which Galicia has a wide and recognized innovative tradition. The festival is directed by Matilde Rodríguez, curator of the International Exhibition of Contemporary Illustration (MiiC), and filmmaker Alberto Vázquez, a leading figure in current animation and winner of several national and international awards.


CULTURE X FOOD

IMAXINARIA is part of Afundación's "Culture for Food" programme. An initiative that appeals to the participation of citizens and gives answer to the call for solidarity of the local Food Banks. Therefore, the tickets to the festival are free in exchange for non-perishable food. This social commitment is also reflected in the festival's own contents.

F5 is an international short film festival organized by FFCINEMA in Barcelona in which filmmakers of any nationality can participate. The projections and the awards ceremony will take place on March 14, 2026 at the Casal de la Font d'en Fargues.

FESTIVAL ECRÃ is an Experimental Art and Cinema event that, through experiences that question the notion and production of the moving image, seeks to stimulate audiovisual culture. By showing Films, Games, Installations and Videoarts, ECRÃ encourages new formats for the production and exhibition of these works.

This project arose in 2016 from the desire to question the film industry and its “primordial elements” and to give space for filmmakers and artists to experiment freely in audiovisual production and thinking.

Over the years we have works from all parts of the world and presence of names like James Benning, Luis Grané, Ken Jacobs, Paula Gaitán, Julio Bressane, Luiz Rosemberg Filho, Seyeong Yoon, Gastón Solnicki, Geraldo Sarno, among others veterenas and new creators.

The unmissable event celebrating young filmmaking talents is back for its 8ᵗʰ edition!
Created by true cinema enthusiasts, Les Regards de L’ICART honors the creativity and boldness of new voices in short filmmaking.

For this new edition, our goal is to highlight emerging directors from around the world who present innovative, activist, and committed cinema through an original international selection.

The winner of the Grand Prix will receive a €1,500 grant to support the continuation of their film projects.

The Event :

Join us on March 10, 2026, at Le Chaplin Cinema for an exceptional evening of screenings, encounters, and discoveries.

For this edition, we are introducing two competitions:

A Very Short Film Competition, short films between 1 and 5 minutes,

A Short Film Competition, short films between 5 and 20 minutes.

Awards will be presented to the winners after the screenings, during a special evening at Le Chaplin Cinema.

Les Regards de L’ICART — where tomorrow’s talents are born.

The Pirineos Mountain Film Festival (Mountain, Adventure and Nature Film Festival of the Pyrenees) was born in Huesca (Spain) as a film competition focused on mountain and Biosphere.

This film event held its first edition in sample format in February 2022, to give way in 2023 to an international competitive festival around mountain, adventure and nature short films.

BAKUNAWA FEST is the first fantastic and genre film festival in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia, currently presented by E Unlimited, Sentro Rizal, UP Film Institute, and Negros Museum. It is driven entirely by volunteer filmmakers and artists. The festival takes its name from the Bakunawa, a mythical creature in Philippine folklore known for devouring moons. As a genre-bending celebration, we reclaim the myth, turning the Bakunawa into a symbol of the creative monsters that live inside us.

Rather than following a strict annual calendar, Bakunawa Fest unfolds in “seasons,” shaped as much by our deep commitment as by the reality of our pockets after hard-earned work. Since the pandemic lockdowns, the festival embraced a hybrid form. With little press coverage and minimal recognition from mainstream media, we remain proud to be among the very first film festivals in the world to stage a full edition during the first year of the pandemic.

During its first three years in Bacolod City, Bakunawa Fest (then called Bakunawa Young Cinema) opened with a film camp, a series of workshops designed for first-time young filmmakers. These workshops culminated in a competition where participants premiered their very first genre films, competing for our handmade Bakunawa toy trophy. By the third edition, the festival began welcoming films beyond the camp, celebrating each year’s wave of genre cinema through both online and in-person screenings, with competitive and curated sections. From the seventh edition onward, Bakunawa Fest closed its season with a broadcast on Primetime Philippine Cable TV, capped by a pre-recorded Awards Show aired on SolarFlix TV, bringing our films, artists, and stories to millions of Filipino households.

Bakunawa was founded on a simple principle: new visions, new voices. That principle continues to guide us. We champion unknown yet promising filmmakers, artists, and musicians who may not have access to costly workshops or the visibility to enter larger festivals. At Bakunawa, your film is your face value. No need for big names or prestigious pedigrees: if we connect with your work, whether you’re a star or a newbie, we will program it.

Most of Bakunawa’s film camps and screenings are outreach-driven, built with film education in mind, which is why they are almost always free. Participants are supported through scholarships funded by the festival and its partners, and the events are often hosted by different cities and municipalities across the Philippines (1st-3rd, Bacolod City; 4th, San Carlos City; 5th, Bayawan City; 6th, back to Bacolod; 7th-8th, Online; 9th, Manila and Bacolod; 10th, Manila; 11th in Manila, Bacolod, Alaminos, QC and now, the 12th edition, in Bacolod City and Iloilo Cit. In this way, Bakunawa remains a festival and a shared journey carried by communities, for communities.

[ Please note that, since we are an artist and volunteer-ran filmfest, we can't fund filmmakers to come physically and we don't pay screening fees. ]

We are a fantastic film fest. Our festival is interested in: Horror or Thriller Films / Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Adventure / Fantastic-themed Experimental Films, New Media, Expanded Cinema / Genre-Bending Films / Fantastic-themed Music Videos / Fantastic-themed Documentaries / Contemporary Art / Photography.

INTERNATIONAL. The Siero Women Fest is an independent&international film festival whose aim is to make visible, celebrate, and promote the role of women in the cinematic and social spheres, both in front of and behind the camera.

The purpose of the festival is to encourage film creation, production, and culture through short films, giving voice to stories that explore women identity, experiences, and realities in all their dimensions — personal, social, professional, or symbolic.

Festival President and Artistic Director Gabriel Daniel Dorobantu is having the pleasure of welcoming you to The Third Edition of The Moonlight Online International Film Festival which is organized and administered by the Swedish creation, production and distribution company Dorobantu Film & Television.

The Festival aims to promote original feature films and short films of high artistic quality and to support independent cinema worldwide.

In addition to the awards, both among the films submitted to the Festival but not selected and among the films selected for Festival participation, feature films and short films with high market potential may also be selected for film sale and / or distribution agreement proposals. (In such cases, the rights holders of the respective films will be contacted by the festival management office within three months after the festival.)