Blog: Film festivals

Official Website:
https://www.gzdoc.cn/en/index.aspx

Official Email Address:
film@gzdoc.cn / screen@gzdoc.cn / project@gzdoc.cn / docshop@gzdoc.cn

[Important]
1.All emails should be regarded as official only when they are sent from the official email addresses listed above. Please do not make a promotion of selection if you only get an email from Festhome without any confirmation from our official email address.
2.We will only notify selected films by film@gzdoc.cn. If you haven't been notified by email by the end of November, it means your film has not been selected.

Introduction of GZDOC Four Main Sessions:
GZDOC is the only state-level professional platform with documentary financing and trading functions and has become the pioneer in China's documentary industry, showcasing national industrial policies and international development trends. Dedicated to the documentary festival for two decades, GZDOC has turned into a comprehensive cultural event integrating competition, screening, pitching, training, forums, and market.

①Golden Kapok Award Competition
The Competition section is dedicated to honor outstanding documentaries that can promote the exchange of various cultures, communicate universal emotions and values through excellent filmmaking techniques and high-level production. This section does not contain any public screenings. If the production team has the intent to do so, please also register for the screening section.

②Golden Kapok Screening
This is the non-competitive screening section that aims at presenting a variety of documentary films to the public, showing the audience the latest films with brilliant story-telling skills, authentic expressions, or experimental narratives.

③GZDOC PITCHING SECTION
GZDOC recruits work-in-progress projects for and from global market.
The 21st edition will invite Chinese and international buyers, broadcasters and key players from the industry as the decision makers, in the aims of developing the pre-sale, co-production and commission of documentary projects.

④GZDOC DOCSHOP
The DOCSHOP is a year-round marketplace for filmmakers, distributors, buyers and commissioners, etc. It contains three kinds of copyright cooperation modes:

1) On-demand Screening System
The DOCSHOP will set aside a screening area at the GZDOC venue. Participants will watch the films submitted to DOCSHOP through the on-demand screening system. Screening reports will then be generated, recording the viewers' purchasing interests. GZDOC staff will process these requests after the festival.
If necessary, the DOCSHOP will also set up an online on-demand screening system on official website(www.gzdoc.cn). The online on-demand system will be only available for registered guest, and only release film trailers.

2) Daily Operation
The GZDOC DOCSHOP will keep recommending films to various platforms in a bid to facilitate trades throughout the year.

3) Industry Screenings
Industry Screenings are film screenings at the GZDOC venue for registered delegates and industry professionals. On the spot publicity could be arranged, in a bid to promote the films.

Open Window International Film Challenge is an independent film competition with quarterly physical screening. Open Window International Film Challenge is open to all Organization /Agency /Independent /Producer/Directors aiming to inspire, motivate and award the true innovative and artistic geniuses of our time. Every independent artist hopes to one day emerge from the underground scene and share their talents with the masses. Hopefully the showcase platform we provide will help facilitate that dream. We’re excited to display a wide range of works from all genres that will have industry pros, filmmakers and film goers buzzing.

Every quarter, Judges will award the best films of each category. Every winner will be given the distinction of an Official Finalist of the annual event in which Judges and Audience will award the best films of each category. The physical screening event shall be in Kolkata

Venue Detail :
Jogesh Mime Academy Auditorium
95, SP Mukherjee Road,
Kalighat
Kolkata, West Bengal 700026

The deadline to register for the XXIV International Short Film Festival “El Pecado 2025” is open. The festival awards almost €5,000 in cash and five Pata Negra Extremadura hams: €1,500 for the winning fiction short film and €700 for the other four main prizes. The deadline for registration is from Tuesday, April 1st, to Friday, May 23rd of this year. The duration will not exceed 20 minutes (21 including credits). If it has spoken sound, Spanish or subtitles in this language will be used.
Works made before 2023 will not be admitted to the competition. More information at www.certamenelpecado.com.

Awards for short films of animation, fiction, humor and made in Extremadura. We also have a public award.

The festival has the "Friend Festival" seal of the Fugaz Awards. It is a well-established and established festival that has showcased the best short films made in Spain and abroad over the past 24 years. In the last 2024 edition, 1,093 short films were entered into the competition: 794 Spanish short films and 299 short films from 48 countries around the world. The festival attracted an audience of approximately 5,000 people across the festival's various events. More than 85,000 people have attended its various editions, with approximately 12,000 short films entered.

The Zanzibar International Film Festival is an esteemed annual event showcasing films from diverse regions, promoting cultural exchange and celebrating the vibrant art of filmmaking. Established in 1997, ZIFF continues to inspire and unite global audiences through the magic of cinema.

The Zanzibar International Film Festival 2024 is set to take place from 01st Aug to 04th Aug, 2024. ZIFF management would like to inform film professionals worldwide that the festival is currently accepting applications for all African films (including African Diaspora) and films from the Dhow Countries’ region- South East Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, The Persian Gulf, Iran, Pakistan, India and the Indian Ocean Islands from 06th April, 2024 till 05th May, 2024. Films must be have been produced after 2022. ZIFF reserves the right to accept any films with a specific interest to the festival.

This year ZIFF management extend special interest to Tv Drama Series from East African Countries (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia & Republic of the Congo) The Tv Drama series should be between 25 to 60 minutes in length per episode.

Films should preferably depict the Festival theme; Rejuvenation. Films reflecting the theme of global cultural interaction, cultural encounters or sociocultural commentary will be given priority. Films must have been completed no later than May 05th, 2024.

We will accept submissions of works in progress only after agreement with ZIFF management. The Submission Deadline is 05th May 2024. The festival reserves the right to also invite films for screening at ZIFF.

Violeta Film Fest (VFF) is an international film festival "Powerful Stories, Transformative Realities", aims to make visible women, men, LGBTIQ+ people who generate film productions and organizations that in their programs develop actions for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and document these actions with film productions. Films that lead to the transformation of society from 4 categories:
Cinema Made by Women, Cinema made by Men for Women & Elles, Cinema Made by Elles, Cinema made by organizations in action for equity, diversity and inclusion.

ANIMAGINE, a new proposal that aims at the visibility of emerging talents in the field of animation, both IUSH and other training entities in this field. At the festival, different activities will be presented in order to divulge, encourage and consolidate new knowledge around the animation universe.


ANIMAGINE is scheduled to be held on 8, 9 and 10 May 2024 at IUSH campus, with activities such as: Talks about the current industry and emerging technologies, workshops for both beginners and advanced artists, review and feed back to student portfolios, sample and selection of animated pieces from IUSH and guest universities and illustration competition.

ISFFC is an international short film festival organized by the 1895 Film Society in Guangzhou. The festival showcases top films from renowned filmmakers worldwide while also providing a platform for emerging talent from across the globe.

As always, we take pride in welcoming submissions from both China and abroad. In our inaugural international short film competition in 2019, we meticulously screened over 1000 submissions to curate a selection of 50+ films. This lineup included works from prestigious festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, as well as contributions from Oscar® Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Emmy®, and Grammy® award-winning artists from various corners of the globe.

FRAME Film Festival es un festival de cortometrajes itinerante, sin una única ubicación, que se celebrará en la provincia de Tarragona.

El FRAME Film Festival consta de dos fases.

• FASE CLASIFICATORIA
• FASE FINAL

El objetivo principal es difundir y promover la cinematografía en general y el cortometraje en particular, apoyando a las directoras y los directores de cortometrajes y creando un espacio donde puedan dar a conocer sus trabajos.

Pero sobre todo trabajamos para que las y los cineastas se sientan acogidos y vivan la experiencia de visitarnos cómo si estuvieran en familia. LA GRAN FAMILIA DEL CORTOMETRAJE!

Otro motivo es ampliar la oferta de acontecimientos culturales para hacer llegar el cortometraje a a poblaciones que no tengan la oportunidad de disfrutar de nuestro cine en formato CORTO.

En el FRAME Film Festival queremos darle al público que sigue y disfruta los cortometrajes, la oportunidad de decidir sobre la selección de las películas que pasarán a la FASE FINAL para recibir los premios TALENTO FRAME.

FARO 1540 - Association for the Defense and Promotion of Environmental and Cultural Heritage of Faro, after the success of the last editions of FARCUME - International Short Films Festival of Faro, is organizing the 11th edition of this Festival to be held in the city of Faro from 26 to 28 of September, 2025.

This 15th edition of FARCUME intends to exhibit and promote works in the short films section of up to a maximum of 18 minutes in length, divided into three categories: Animation, Documentary and Fiction.

In this festival, all national and foreign citizens can participate, individually or in groups, simply by complying with the stipulations in the regulation, filling out a registration form and having sent their works to the organization by July 11, 2025, subject to pre-selection.

The main purpose of this Festival remains the same: publicize and launch new talents as well as promote near the public the excellent works that are done in this area but not always have the desired and deserved promotion.

In other words, FARCUME within an informal environment, good mood and relaxed atmosphere intents to reward and recognize the dedication, commitment, creativity and merit of directors, actors and technical teams that, with modest means, can develop works of great quality.

Given the principles and goals of "FARO 1540", which even has the status of NGO (Non Governmental Environmental Organization) the Festival will continue to have a strong environmental concern and sensitivity alerting participants not to present short movies claiming or encouraging disrespect for the environment, human rights inequality or animal abuse. It will be further developed an Environmental Management Plan specifically "designed" for this event to ensure optimization of the resources needed for the promotion and accomplishment of the event and management of generated wastes.

The Santiago International Documentary Film Festival (FIDOCS) is the main broadcasting, diffusion, and competition event for documentary cinema in Chile and Latin America.
Focused on the promotion of dialogue and reflection, as well as in training audiences towards the appreciation of documentary film in a context of permanent transformation, FIDOCS seeks to explore the multiple paths available in documentary making as well as in the drifts proper to nonfiction works. In its program, FIDOCS incorporates the works of both experienced and emerging directors in order to address the question of “THE REAL”, and in doing so, it considers the various dimensions, disciplinary frontiers, and tensions that the question “what is real?”, as well as the documentary genre itself, has to offer us.

Throughout its history, FIDOCS has positioned itself as one of the most distinguished documentary film festivals in Latin America, standing as a privileged platform to screen contemporary cinema and to promote critical thinking. Year by year, under its selective curatorial approach, FIDOCS not only calls for important exponents of national and international audiovisual sectors to exhibit their work in Santiago, but also, in using this city as a film hub, it calls on such exponents to question, interpret, and re-write the status of contemporary documentary film practice today.

For the promotion, positioning, and exhibition of Chilean and International films, FIDOCS displays three main competitions. These sections include: INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION; CHILEAN COMPETITION, and EMERGENT SHORT COMPETITION FOR NATIONAL FILMS.

In addition, FIDOCS has the main industry activity, DOCS IN PROGRESS, for Latin-American works in progress where the jury (editors, directors, sound designers, producers, programmers), in addition to choosing a winner, feeds the filmmakers to carry out the post-production of their films and encourage their diffusion and transmission. This section is jointly run together with WIP section of CHILEDOC CONECTA.

The festival also has important training and extension activities in its FIDOCS SCHOOL, where students from film schools and communications from all over Chile so that its most outstanding students are in an intergenerational and interdisciplinary space with international and national festival guests; attending Master Classes, workshops, dialogues, among others.

In addition, in keeping with its interdisciplinary vocation, FIDOCS intends to accompany its screenings of other artistic interventions such as installations, exhibitions, performances, that from their own expressive means dialogue with the documentary concept. This is how FIDOCS EXPANDED section arises, where various artists, video-artists and filmmakers, all of them linked to the fields of sound or visuals, exhibit their work.
Finally, the chosen films will be screened after the completion of the festival, in different regions of Chile and abroad, at BEST OF FIDOCS section. The purpose is the cultural extension of the festival at a territorial level, putting emphasis on the circulation of the films at the regional level, being able to program replicas in the national territory as well as abroad.

*FIDOCS will be held with theatrical screenings.

Short Film Week held in Sonseca with activities parallel to the screenings.

Pascal Bioulac, Mayor of Lamotte-Beuvron, wanted to set up an event highlighting the city's cinema “Le Méliès”. His multiple meetings, particularly those with the members of the future organizing committee, will lead to the creation of a film festival. The first edition, organized in less than a year, was a real success. For 6 years, more than 200 films have been received to pass the selection stage.

The members of the jury, 7 in number each year, watch between 7 and 8 films to determine the winners.

If conviviality is the key word of this festival, the theme of man and animal was chosen to be in line with Sologne and the City of Lamotte-Beuvron. A real topical subject, it leaves no one indifferent and often leads to exchange and debate.

The selected directors are invited to come and discuss after the screening of their film, a very enriching moment for the public and the jury.

Following the various debates, the spectators vote to award the Public Prize.

After two days of magnificent images and remarkable documents, the jury is invited to deliberate behind closed doors to award the Festival Prize.

Each year, a film is previewed and broadcast during the two evenings of the festival.

The first year, Nicolas Vanier’s “L’école truant” was screened and met with great success with sold-out screenings.

In 2018, the festival surprised spectators by offering “Mia and the White Lion” directed by Gilles de Maistre, two months before its national release.

In 2019, Nicolas Vanier returned, accompanied by Fred Saurel, to present his latest film “Give me wings”, a few days before its release in theaters. In 2023 the choice was made to highlight a 100% Solognot film with “return to Courjumelle and its villages” which was a success with more than 120 seats sold at each screening.

Having become an unmissable cultural event in Lamotte-Beuvron, the festival finds more and more of its audience each year and is awaited as the event of the fall.

AmDocs is one of the largest Documentary and Animation only festivals in the United States. We are located in beautiful Palm Springs, not far from the media capital of Hollywood. We take pride in sharing the best viewing environment for both our audience and filmmakers.

AmDocs is very progressive in education outreach, market sharing and doing all we can to help our filmmakers realize their goals.

Short films of up to 20 minutes. Free theme with guidance for children, adolescents and young people. Produced between 2022 to 2024.

The International Film Festival of Pasto (FICPA), which celebrates its twentieth edition in October 2024, is a prominent competitive event that brings together the best of national and international cinema. With official categories covering a wide range of topics, from human rights to the environment, including animation and children's films, FICPA offers a unique platform for diversity and cinematic expression. Located in the picturesque city of Pasto, Colombia, globally recognized for its iconic Carnival of Blacks and Whites, the festival not only celebrates the art of cinema but also highlights the rich cultural heritage of the region. As the oldest event in southwestern Colombia, FICPA awards the coveted Sol de los Pastos (Sun of the Pastos) prize, establishing itself as a must-attend event on both the local and international cultural calendar.

LIVE SCREENINGS August 15-17 ,2025
"Actors must act, writers must write, film makers must make films...,directors, producers and audiences will come...That's Entertainment."

Bistrița Romania International Film Festival continues to provide a vibrant platform for filmmakers from around the world to showcase their work. Our goal is to unite a diverse audience and offer a stage for films that captivate through unique storytelling, all within a brief yet impactful format.

Join us on this cinematic journey, where an international jury of seasoned professionals will lend their expertise to an event that celebrates the art of filmmaking.

As we enter our third edition in 2025, we’re excited to continue our partnership with Artcast Teleki, hosting screenings at the historic Teleki Castle alongside a festival rich with concerts, art exhibitions, pottery workshops, and more. This year, we presented 44 films from across the globe.

Looking ahead, we are thrilled to expand our festival to the city of Bistrița, ensuring that even more audiences can experience the power of short films. As we grow, we remain committed to celebrating the art of film and bringing together creators and audiences in a shared appreciation of storytelling.

All the Winners will receive the Official Laurels and the winning-category achievement certificate after the Live Event.

ALL TECHNICAL AND PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES FOR FREE BY SUBMITTING YOUR FILM IN ANY COMPETITION.

Bi-monthly Cinema Screenings
Arthouse Cinema https://www.arthousecrouchend.co.uk/
More info on us: https://www.cineboothfilms.com
Cinema Location: 159A Tottenham Ln, London N8 9BT

➢ We proudly curate a compelling showcase of short films at London's renowned Arthouse Cinema, offering bi-monthly screenings. This provides filmmakers with a unique chance to showcase their work to a wider audience on a popular commercial screen, ensuring their creations receive the high-quality presentation they deserve.

➢ Since 2019, we've been champions for filmmakers, bridging the gap between emerging talents and established voices in the industry. Through meticulously curated live and online events, including screenings, networking sessions, premieres, and insightful Q&As, we've created a platform that elevates the best of the best. Our mission is to showcase the diverse voices and remarkable achievements of filmmakers, regardless of resources or runtime.

➢ In Partnership with Arthouse Cinema:
Located in Crouch End, this cinema is at the heart of a community of film enthusiasts. Our events, set in an area frequented by renowned actors, provide a local favourite.

➢ What To Expect
Frequent Screenings: Enjoy bi-monthly opportunities for film selection.
Engaged Audience: Prioritizing cinema enjoyment, fostering film appreciation over critique.
Global Representation: We embrace films from diverse backgrounds; please provide subtitles for non-English submissions.
Networking: Connect with fellow filmmakers and industry professionals during the event, or engage with the general audience for valuable feedback.
On-site Q&A: Participate in a post-screening Q&A session if you're available on the night.
Introductory Clip: Submit a 45-second clip to introduce your film if you're unable to attend in person.

➢ Join Our Community
Ongoing Consideration: Films not selected are automatically considered for the next screening opportunity.
Social Media Recognition: Selected or not, exceptional films receive shoutouts on our social media platforms, enhancing their reach.
Networking Opportunities: While we cannot guarantee selection for every film, those not chosen may still be introduced to our partner companies or cinemas for potential future opportunities.

➢ Explore the Cinebooth experience - where short films find a home, and filmmakers become part of a dynamic, supportive community. Submit your film today, and let's continue changing the narrative on short films together!


➢ Organizers

Founder & Director
Harry Woodford

Film Programming Manager
Marcial Frankel

Events Manager
Vlad Paul-Ghilas

Cinema Venue Manager
David Mansell

Biophilia is a concept based on respect and love for life and living beings.
Our essence is hidden in the earth, inside everything converges, an infinite cycle that reveals being: sprouting, intertwining, flourishing, and later, being a seed that fell to germinate again. We celebrate the connection of man with the earth, and how from this link, we are able to perceive and build our surroundings, recognize ourselves in the gaze of the other, or ignore a little about our being.

The festival activities will take place in the month of November, we will carry out face-to-face and online activities creating links in three states of Mexico: Mexico City, the State of Mexico and Oaxaca.

Complementario a las exhibiciones y programaciones se impartirán talleres y habrá charlas y master class con especialistas en la cinematografía, estas actividades se realizarán de manera online y presencial (si las condiciones de pandemia lo permite), y están planeadas para los asistentes y el público interesado, buscando impulsar a nuevos autores. Así como actividades especiales para los autores de los cortometrajes ganadores de cada categoría y las menciones honoríficas.

Germans
Shorts under 59 seconds
Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid genres

Sap
Videoclip
Between 1 and 8 minutes

Cortex
Fiction, animation and experimental short films
Under 29 minutes

Xilema
Experimental short films
Under 29 minutes

Root
Non-fiction short films and hybrid genres
Under 29 minutes

Rhizome
Medium and feature films
Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid genres
Between 30 minutes and 150 minutes

National category

English

Biophilia is a concept based on respect and love for life and living beings.
Our essence is hidden in the earth, inside everything converges, an infinite cycle that reveals being: sprouting, intertwining, flourishing, and later, being a seed that fell to germinate again. We celebrate the connection of man with the earth, and how from this link, we are able to perceive and build our surroundings, recognize ourselves in the gaze of the other, or ignore a little about our being.

The festival activities will take place in the month of November, we will carry out face-to-face and online activities creating links in trhee states of Mexico: the State of Mexico, Mexico City and Oaxaca.

We receive cinematographic and audiovisual works that address the following concepts:
Biophilia, ecology, nature, native peoples, traditions, collective memory, cosmogony and rituals. The extension is free as well as the genres: fiction, non-fiction, animation, experimental and hybrids.

International categories

Germans
Shorts under 59 seconds
Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid genres

Sap
Videoclip
Between 1 and 8 minutes

Cortex
Fiction, animation and experimental short films
Under 29 minutes

Xilema
Experimental short films
Under 29 minutes

Root
Non-fiction short films and hybrid genres
Under 29 minutes

Rhizome
Medium and feature films
Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid genres
Between 30 minutes and 150 minutes

National category

Seed
Emerging Mexican filmmakers
Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid genres
Under than 20 minutes

Complementary to the exhibitions and programming, workshops will be given and there will be talks and master classes with specialists in cinematography, these activities will be carried out online and in person (if pandemic conditions allow it), and are planned for attendees and the interested public. , seeking to promote new authors. As well as special activities for the authors of the winning short films in each category and the honorable mentions.

Mogilev State Enterprise "Kinovideoprokat" welcomes you and informs that in September 2025 in the city of Mogilev, Republic of Belarus, the XXVIII International Festival of Animated Films "Animaevka-2025" will be held.

Over the years, the festival has become a celebration of animation for children and adults. Events are held in all regional centers of Belarus.

For viewing, film screenings of competitive and non-competitive programs, creative meetings with the creators of animated films, master classes, exhibitions of children's fine and decorative and applied arts are organized.

As part of the treatment:

- competition of animated films;
- competition of children's animation creativity
- competition of children's fine and decorative and applied arts.

The Ourense Film Festival (OUFF) presents annually a selection of the most innovative and outstanding films and audiovisual productions in Galicia, Europe, Latin America and the rest of the world. The OUFF receives each year works from a hundred of countries, whose common denominator are their socially aware subjects and their innovative forms.