Blog: Film festivals

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.

FECIR - Rengo International Film Festival has nineteen editions and years of history, offering filmmakers from Chile, Latin America, and around the world a space for the dissemination, exhibition, and exchange of experiences and ideas. It promotes the creation of high artistic quality in cinema and audiovisual arts in all its forms, providing the commune of Rengo, the Sixth Region, and the country with a space for the appreciation, reflection, creation, training, and enjoyment of the art of cinema.

The Central American Film Festival in Vienna, Austria, has firmly established itself as an annual tradition for the city.

Vienna has long been revered as one of the world's foremost cultural hubs, making it an ideal setting to showcase the increasingly diverse and compelling productions emerging from the Central American region.

This year's film festival returns in November, and we eagerly anticipate the continued patronage of our devoted audience as they join us to explore the latest offerings from Central American cinema.

Consistent with past editions, alongside the Feature Film, Short Film, Documentary, and Animation categories, the festival includes parallel non-competitive sections: "Pioneers of Central American Cinema," "Works in Progress," "Guest Film," "Bonus Films," and "Latin American View." The latter features a curated selection of audiovisual works depicting contemporary life in Latin America. Detailed descriptions of these sections are provided in the participation guidelines.

"Latin American View": A curated selection of audiovisual works from Latin America offering insights into life in the region.

Only Latinamerican Filmmakers.

Frontera Films Corporation from the city of Cúcuta is organizing the 7th International Film Festival of Norte de Santander.

Welcome to the participants of this sixth edition in 2024. We are seeking enthusiasts and professionals in the audiovisual world who want to take part in the call for entries for the 6th International Film Festival of Norte de Santander.

The 7th International Film Festival of Norte de Santander is organized by Frontera Films Corporation. It emerges from the need to create a film industry in the region, from the Colombian-Venezuelan border and from an educational and training perspective. Our goal is to promote cinema in the department of Norte de Santander and the border region, making it the most important festival in the northeastern part of Colombia.

With the aim of showcasing Norte de Santander as a department that engages in audiovisual dynamics, we will have hybrid and semi-presential events in the cities of Cúcuta, Los Patios, Pamplona, and Villa del Rosario, as well as virtual events. Therefore, similar to last year, the festival will feature in-person screenings of short and feature films.

CONVERSATIONS, WORKSHOPS, AND JURIES:

There will be conversations, workshops, and talks with professionals from the national film industry.

The juries will consist of qualified individuals and professionals in the national film industry, as well as representatives from the festival organization.

More events will be announced soon.

Catskill International Film Festival (CIFF) is honored and thrilled to be back and celebrating in-person while retaining its digital aspects for a hybrid approach that provides flexibility and convenience for all artists and attendees.

This year's Festival will launch at the famous, 97-year-old Paramount Theatre in Middletown, NY. This newly renovated 1,100 seat theater has hosted many wonderful events and we are thrilled to be part of its history! To give more of what fans love we have added additional award categories and are hosting a 72-hour film competition in which filmmakers will be competing closing night for the entire world to view and decide on a winner.

Our History:

The Catskill International Film Festival is passionate about promoting quality independent films, television pilots, and screenplays from filmmakers around the world. CIFF is a star-studded affair that celebrates an interactive and contemporary experience which will inspire, challenge, and enlighten viewers and participants alike. Attendees will walk the red carpet, attend after-parties with live entertainment, view award-winning independent films, enjoy a variety of events such as film seminars, and meet with filmmakers, stars, and models during an unforgettable event.

CIFF's first impression and soft opening in July 2018 showcased both local and international projects at SUNY Sullivan, complete with an art exhibit, live music, and charitable donations to the college to help those in need.

As the event evolved, the Callicoon Theater and Western Hotel in Callicoon, NY began a new chapter for the area and arts community by housing the Catskill International Film Festival in 2018. Nestled in the world-renowned Catskill Mountains and within driving distance of New York City, the Callicoon Theater is the perfect film venue. CIFF showcased some of the best talent from around the world, these amazing artists were given a platform to gain exposure and the promotion they rightfully deserved while celebrating the arts together and having an incredible time. Attendees experienced breath-taking films followed by an awards gala, live music, a parade, comedy show, various workshops, interactive Q&A sessions, and even live auditions for a feature film.

During Covid-19, our goal was to have a safe, interactive, and fun experience for everyone involved so we were proud to introduce an online format to the Catskill International Film Festival! These digital experiences so many of us enjoyed in 2020 and 2021 were proof that COVID-19 had not destroyed our enthusiasm or love of the arts. Creative artists used the challenging time to brainstorm, plan, and execute their newest masterpieces in new and unique ways by adapting to life during the pandemic. Over the course of two seasons, attendees enjoyed entertaining Q&A's with casts and crews, online games, and even polls where audiences selected winners for multiple categories.

After many months of lockdown, while still following safe distancing and mask guidance, attendees from around the world attended a limited event by CIFF at the Hurleyville Performing Arts Center in the fall of 2021.

2023 will be our biggest year yet and we hope to see you there!

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

Objectives

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

Date of the Festival.

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

For Argentinian Filmmakers, or filmmakers with residence in Argentina.

Online Isolation Short Videos Festival is the online event dedicated to the fight against Coronavirus situation in the World. The main aim of the festival is to support people in their self-isolation during these difficult times. The festival is arranged by the same organisators who run the popular Russian International Horror Film Festival and Awards “DROP”. The goal of the festival is to entertain people in self-isolation. Submitters can be both professional filmmakers, bloggers and ordinary amateur videographers. We accept only short videos shot by a smartphone or any other device not longer than 59 minutes and not shorter than 5 seconds. Each video should have some concrete message. It can be of any genre. But all videos must tell some story of your home isolation, describe your way of life in the present-day situation.
Now it is already the 4th edition of the festival. And we decided to enlarge the scope of the topic: the festival is dedicated not only to pandemic lockdown, but also to any sort of personal isolation: spiritual, mental, physical. It is dedicated to people’s loneliness in the World, to the human search of the essence of life and the source of love and freedom.

Hello there,

Coronavirus and the Covid-19 disease changed the world in so many different ways. For the last two years — 2021 and 2022 — we had our festival online, which was a new experience for us. It all went well, and instead of a small audience at one venue, we had the audience around the world! That was one big benefit, but we missed having people together, and talk about the films and make new friends.

Due to the uncertainty of the pandemic, we are still unsure of holding the 18th edition of the Free Spirit Film Festival (2022) at certain venue like in the past. If gathering still remains as an issue, we will host it online again.

If the pandemic situation changes, and we could hold the festival at certain venue, we will announce when and where once we have those finalised. Submissions will be opened in June.

Be safe!

Sincerely yours,

Lobsang Wangyal
Festival Director

Cinema Workshop Project, Magic Eye Audiovisual Production Company and Wild Wood Corporation invite artists, visual artists, filmmakers, professionals, students and amateurs, to present their work in Intermediations, a Video Art and Experimental Video Showcase.

The Showcase will take place in the City of Medellin, Colombia. It is a non-competitive event, that seeks to promote and divulge different practices surrounding audiovisual works, specifically, artistic and experimental video.

Entries will be exhibited in three categories: Local, National and International exhibitions.

The third edition of Terror Shortfilm Mostra (Aldea Vella), that will be linked to the passage of terror to the night of Halloween.

Welcome to the Tenth Trujillo Film Festival 2023

Registration from August 1 to September 10, 2023
https://www.facebook.com/Fecit.pe


Festival start: October 16, 2023
End of Festival: October 21, 2023

The Trujillo Film Festival is a non-profit event, the only one of its kind in the country, entirely dedicated to disseminating Peruvian cinematography.

The initiative has won three times the prize of the National Contest for Cultural Management for Cinema and Audiovisual, granted by the Ministry of Culture, thanks to its promoting role and decentralizing work of our cinema.

FESTIVAL MY FIRST DOC
7th Edition 2024

RULES

CATEGORIES: Documentary Films
ACCEPTED DURATION OF MOVIES: All
FIRST FILMS: Permit
PRODUCTION DATE: 2022-2023
COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION: All
FILMING COUNTRY: Any
REGISTERED FOR OLD EDITIONS: Prohibited

MY FIRST DOC Festival in Tunisia, organized by the Tunisian Documentary Cinema Association, highlights young international cinema by offering the possibility to directors to present their works to the Tunisian public.

MY FIRST DOC Festival in Tunisia sets as its main objective the discovery and promotion of first films by young talents by giving visibility to different expressions of international documentary cinema in front of the widest possible audience.

The programming that combines discovery, diversity and quality will offer the public creative documentaries with a real author's perspective.

We are a festival aimed to propel independent filmmakers across America. To celebrate achievements annually and offer a platform to promote entrepreneurs in the independent film industry.

Established in 2014, we are the World renown GREAT LAKES CHRISTIAN FILM FESTIVAL focused on spotlighting the best faith-based submissions every year. What does that mean? For starters, this is a festival for Christian Filmmakers or anyone looking to submit a Christian-themed film. The target audience is for the WHOLE family, Grandma and Junior alike. Some projects, such as Passion of the Christ, might be too graphic or unsuitable for children under 14 years old. If you plan to submit a project, we suggest you please give us warning as to the content of the film so we can categorize it differently than a general audience rating. This does not guarantee it will be selected, but it does give us a reference point. The idea is to provide indie Christian Filmmakers an outlet and possible success full-time, as well as, opportunities for veteran movie industry folks to network, mentor, and inspire the next generation film stars and moguls.

Mostra La Ploma is a cinema and culture festival organized by Lambda (LGBT+ association).

The Benin City Film Festival was launched in November 2018, as a new entity that offers a platform encouraging and promoting the works of local (community based) as well as National, and International emerging filmmakers. It is a cost friendly platform for showcasing these works in an environment where they have access to experienced industry professionals. BCFF is the only independent film festival in Edo State, and the only film festival that takes place in Benin City. BCFF screens premieres of international and national feature films, short films and documentaries on social issues. This year edition, with the theme CREATIVE INDUSTRY BEYOUND THE PANDEMIC is scheduled to take place at Film House Cinema, Benin City.

At least 50% of our festival schedule is dedicated to foreign films, which broadens the film culture experience to all who attend the screenings in Benin City during the festivals duration.

The Benin City Film Festival is a team of people who work effortlessly to deliver a quality service to emerging filmmakers. We will give festival contributors access to some of the Industries most prolific names, both nationally and internationally.

Objectives

The primary objectives of the Festival are to provide a resourceful platform:

1. Where the business and craft of Nigerian films are enhanced and marketed to the film content consuming world by attracting quality film resource persons, buyers and critics from all over Nigeria and around the world to BCFF events every year.

2. for viewing some of the best of feature films, documentaries, shorts, and experimental projects for the entertainment and instructions of attendees and participants at the BCFF annually.

To this end, BCFF is committed to being:

A. A place for dialogues, healthy discussions and trainings to film business and film craft professionals and amateurs in and around the world by ensuring that BCFF is attractive to international film and motion picture contents directors to help enrich festival and participants through insights from their works and about the art of filmmaking

B. A machinery for exposing the ancient City of Benin in particular and the entire Edo State in general to a sustainable long term to a long term patronage of its vast tourism realities and potential to resourceful global creative business and craft audiences.

Finally BCFF is geared towards encouraging co-production relationships in films, TV shows, Documentaries and any other rewarding motion picture content between local players.

Modalities

The film festival pursues these objectives by making local and international visitors at the festival engage in the creative film-making process discussions through symposia seminars, trainings, screenings, content critiques, tourism events and workshops as well as providing quality entertainment (music, local , and sundry other events).