Blog: Film festivals

The festival champions great films but is particularly seeking work from those filmmakers who might not yet have had a prestigious public screening of their work.

Screening in the heart of London UKFF welcomes films of all types from all over the World - connecting up-and-coming filmmakers with more established names such as Judi Dench, Dustin Hoffman, James Corden, Bill Nighy, Timothy Spall, Steven Berkoff and most recently Willem Dafoe.

Category awards are given for Best Feature Film; Best Feature Documentary; Best Short Documentary; Best Animation; Best Music Video; Best British Short; Best International Short; Best Student Film; as well as special awards for excellence.

Mat Kirkby, Oscar Winner and Director at Ridley Scott Associates states that "The UK Film Festival is the most focused, passionate and quality driven film festival in the UK. Their invaluable support helped get me to the Oscars in 2015, where I won the Academy Award for best short film."

With a programme that showcases new talent alongside established directors, filmmakers and actors UKFF is a lively networking hub. Over the last 7 years UKFF has quickly become a career stepping stone, establishing a tradition of discovering and promoting films which have gone on to be Oscar and BAFTA nominees and winners. The script competitions have also made a big impact - five scripts have been optioned and three have been produced and gone on to win multiple awards and gained prestigious worldwide distribution deals.

Led by a jury of well respected professional filmmakers and as a member of Universal Films and Festivals Organisation we ensure a fair selection and judging process.

Our exciting screening events have created a networking hub that continues to connect new filmmakers to industry including television exposure by leading British broadcaster, Channel 4.

CON-TEMPORARY Art Observatorium - Art of Freedom 2nd edition

Accepted works: videos (moving pictures, performance, etc) and still pictures (photography and all visual arts.)
Venue: CTAO Gallery - Lavagna, Italian Riviera, Northern Italy
Duration: three weeks

CAREFULLY READ RULES & TERMS: submission is free but a small contribution will be required only to participants.

In occasion of CTAO exhibition season 2023-2024, CON-TEMPORARY Art Observatorium presents "Art of Freedom - 2nd Edition", a collective art exhibition cycle that will be held at CTAO Exhibition Room in Lavagna, Italy.

FREE THEME: differently from all our group exhibitions, the cycle "Art of Freedom" is characterised by the absence of a leading theme, leaving total freedom to the artists, who are chosen on personality and contents, so that they can freely propose their most personal view, without fear of prejudices or censorship. This does not prevent them to freely take inspiration from freedom and to express in that sense. After all, art IS freedom, and freedom is a value that is always menaced, needing constant attention in order not to lose it.

Florence Short Film Festival is an event dedicated to short films.

Born as a limelight for young independent directors, it quickly established itself as an international festival, counting among its guests and jurors great personalities from the world of academicism and film criticism, as well as renowned actors, dubbers and producers. Every year hundreds of directors from all over the world have submitted their works to be selected and run for the three categories of “Fiction”, “Animation” and “Documentary”, and thus compete for the Jury Prize (with cash prize) and for the Audience Award.

Throughout its eight editions, Florence Short Film Festival has received the patronage of the most important local institutions (the Municipality of the City of Florence and the Tuscany Region) and, more importantly, has been able to intercept a large transversal audience that has voted its loyalty to the festival every year: the audience of FSFF numbers hundreds of people and embraces both the university student who wants to live the cultural life of the city, and to the cinephile who wants to discover the directors of tomorrow, thanks to the varied proposal that the festival can offer.

Since the 8th edition Florence Short Film Festival is proud to offer masterclasses by guests of the caliber of Alessandro Roia, Giovanni Veronesi, Gianfranco Pannone and Alessandro Rak, demonstrating that teaching is a fundamental point for training the new directors of tomorrow and that the dissemination of cinematographic knowledge is at the basis of the intentions of the festival.

The 10th edition of the Florence Short Film Festival (6th, 7th, 8th February 2024 at the Cinema La Compagnia, Firenze) aims to bring the event to a further level by strengthening the internationality of the proposal, consolidating and expanding the public and involving famous personalities of Italian and international cinema.

Guests and jurors of previous editions:

Ugo Pagliai, actor, dubber
Alessandro Roia, actor, director, screenwriter
Paola Gassman, actress
Paola Randi, director
Daniela Morozzi, actress
Cosimo Calamini, screenwriter
Francesco Pannofino, dubber, actor
Antonio de Matteo, actor
Cinzia Th Torrini, director
Gianna Giachetti, actress
Antonio Frazzi, director, juror for the David di Donatello and European Film Academy
Alessandra Acciai, actress, producer
Cosimo Calamini, screenwriter and writer
Luigi Nepi, professor of Film Criticism at the University of Florence
Stefano Socci, Professor of History of Cinema at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence;
Donatella Pascucci, Mibac - Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities
Simone Bartalesi, artistic director of OFF Cinema
Marta Innocenti, director
Caterina Liverani, journalist
Manfredi Lucibello, director

ShortsTV, the first and only global channel and network dedicated to short films and exclusive presenter of Oscar® Nominated Shorts theatrical releases, has launched and is accepting short films for the 2021 ShortsTV Worldwide Film Festival. ShortsTV remains steadfast in its advocacy for short-form filmmakers and emerging talent. The festival gives short filmmakers, throughout the United States, Europe, India and Latin America, the opportunity to submit their short films and the chance to be broadcasted globally on television in over 100 million homes through the ShortsTV channels. For more information on ShortsTV, please visit www.shorts.tv.

Good Luck! ¡Buena suerte! शुभ लाभ! Bonne chance! Succes! Καλή τύχη!

ONLY FOR SPANISH FILMMAKERS // SOLO PARA CINEASTAS ESPAÑOLES (EXCEPT THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY SECTION, WHICH IS INTERNATIONAL)

Mystic Film Festival is an annual event that showcases independent feature-length and short-form narrative films and documentaries from around the world. The festival brings together a diverse group of filmmakers and audiences to explore ideas, discuss the filmmaking process, and celebrate creativity. Through engaging community events, industry panels, and film screenings by acclaimed and up-and-coming talent, we aim to make the festival a special experience for filmmakers and audiences alike.

Now in its fourth year, the festival will take place October 21-24, 2021 over four days and four nights at venues in Mystic, Connecticut and neighboring Connecticut Shoreline towns. Our cornerstone venue is Mystic Luxury Cinemas in Olde Mistick Village. We open with a local premiere and close the festival with an awards event where the best film in each category is recognized. Our first screenplay competition in 2020 was a great success, and we're excited to offer it again in 2021. The top winners of the screenplay competition will be announced at the festival in October. In addition to our in-person screenings, workshops, Q&As, and panels, part of our festival will be online. More details about our online platform will be shared on our website in the coming months.

Our festival was created by area filmmakers and artists to nurture local talent, to promote films made in Connecticut and other parts of the Northeast, and to bring unique films to our community.

At the halfway point between New York City and Boston lies the beautiful New England seaport of Mystic. Known for its rich seafaring past and maritime history, it is also a popular destination for food and locally produced craft beer and wine, art galleries and museums, and hiking along the pristine Connecticut shoreline and nature reserves.
Mystic is easily accessible by car and rail, and the Tweed New Haven Regional Airport in New Haven, Connecticut and T.F. Green International Airport in Providence, Rhode Island are both within an hour’s drive.

This is where we start, the dark side of movies, inspired by the legendary Pink Floyd’s album.

We start with the dark side, not visible to the naked eye, mysterious, obscure - a side with blurred boundaries and infinite nuances, where nothing is certain, precise, predetermined. Not visible rather than invisible, lying under the surface, or elsewhere, it’s something that can’t be simplified as it continuously alludes to deeper meanings. It’s the side of cinema that is never accommodating and always inquiring, making us question the meaning of what we see, listen, perceive.

If you look closely, you’ll see that there’s a dark side to everything. You find it in Brothers Grimm’s folk tales, in Fritz Lang’s fantastic and apocalyptic visions, in Stephen King’s archetypes of narrative fiction, in Stanley Kubrick’s unforgettable imagery, in Homer’s poems as in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings epic. From the Holy Scriptures to Game of Thrones, the dark side is the driving force behind every art form and Ravenna Nightmare Film Fest is its cinematographic icon.

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NOTICE SPECIAL FEE FOR MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS
Considering the high request for participation from film schools and institutions, we established a special fee for multiple submissions from the same school/insitution: 10€/4 short films. Please contact us at info@ravennanightmare.it to take advantage of this discount.

La Poesia che si vede is an international competition for poetry films based in Ancona, Italy. It is organized by Associazione Nie Wiem and it’s the product of the collaboration between two important festivals: La Punta della Lingua International Poetry Festival and Corto Dorico Film Festival.

La Poesia che si vede aims to explore the world of international poetry film and its authors. The underlying mission of the competition rests in the challenge of researching, promoting and supporting new artistic gazes, poetics, and visions. From kinetic text to sound text, from visual text to cine-poetry, up to the filmed performance, poetry film for La Poesia che si vede is total poetry, without discrimination of genre or format.

The Franco Scataglini Prize, dedicated to the poet who, in the last century, was able to project Ancona into the centre of the world of Italian poetry for his formal and visionary ability (not separated from his attention to painting), will be awarded by a jury of film and poetry experts.

Manlleu Film Festival is a short-film festival that takes place in Manlleu (Barcelona). This is the 17th edition of a festival that started in 2003. Over the last years, the Festival has selected more than 600 shortfilms, and around 12.000 directors and producers have decided to submit their shortfilms.

Nowadays, with an audience of more than 1200 spectators every year, Manlleu Film Festival is an internationally consolidated film festival.

The festival focuses on those films that explore the limits between reality and fiction.

Beginning our 3rd year, BIFF recognizes that local artists in the Bedford region have wanted a venue to showcase their work for many years. Finally, in 2019, after much collaboration and behind the scenes planning, the first Bedford International Film Festival was presented.
The Bedford Film Festival is a one-day event where attendees will have the opportunity to be the first to view films from around the world alongside films shot in your backyard (sometimes literally).

As we gear up for our inaugural event, taking place in Bedford, Virginia, in July of this year, please do submit your independent or student film projects for consideration at the film festival.

The "BienVenus sur Mars" Science and Fiction Encounters are preparing for their next edition and are launching a call for films as part of their short film competition!

Through its programming bringing together shows, reading, digital art, music, visual arts, cinema, conferences, etc. BienVenus sur Mars proposes not only to rely on science fiction and the artistic forms that feed on it, but also on the very phenomenon of encounter between artists and scientists.

The films selected by the selection committee will therefore have to report on a link between science and fiction without necessarily being part of this cinematic genre. Films will be able to show science in various forms or scientists in their research, their work but also be works of fiction inspired by scientific questions.

The selected short films will be shown in public during the Encounters on Friday, April 16. A Jury Prize and a Public Prize will be awarded at the end of the competition.

Held at the Priory of Vivoin, from April 16 to 19, 2021, the Science and Fiction Sats BienVenus encounters on Mars are prepared by the Association Festivals in The Land of Upper Sarthe and CreatureS company in co-production with Sarthe Culture.

The Khali Jeb International Short Film Festival
2021-2022 is hosted by TSB Studio (The Story Board Studio) which consists of young film makers who enthusiastic and passionate technicians.

The team of young technicians are hosting an international short film festival
which is going to be a platform for new and upcoming film makers and directors in front of this competitive world.

Khali Jeb international Short Film Festival is a very
promising opportunity to young and upcoming directors and film makers.

Falcon International Film Festival is changing the way that people think of short films. We are looking for the very best short films that are entertaining and tell a story. The sort of short films that people want to watch. That makes them laugh. Or cry. That shock and surprise.

OFFICIAL IMDB QUALIFYING AWARD

The new season is now open!! Send your movie and win our trophy.

The FIFFLONDON is a monthly festival with yearly live screening in London that awards the best movies from every corner of the planet.

The winners of the monthly edition will automatically enter the annual competition, free of charge.

We strongly believe that every movie is the result of hard work and, as such, they deserve our jury’s full attention during the evaluation and the best works deserve our acknowledgment and appreciation.

The selected movies, as well as the winners, will receive a golden laurel wreath, which can be used in advertising material.

Winning films are announced on our website and our social media page.

FIFFLONDON is a monthly film competition. Each month, our Jury will award the best films through private screenings. The Best Picture monthly winners will compete in December 2021 for the Best of Fest award (best film of the year). FIFFLONDON’s annual judging team will select the winners in all the main categories, such as Narrative Film, Documentary and Animation.

As a part of this festival occurs every month, there are more chances to hang the golden laurel on your favourite movies!

Films entered in multiple categories may win multiple awards.

The Festivalico is a videoart and short film non competitive showcase.

The screenings will take place in "Ways to Live" - Calle de Raimundo Lulio 10 de Madrid.

Selection Festival for the GOYA AWARDS.

Short Film Festival for three categories:
Fiction, Animation, Documentary

Most Shocking Indie Feature Cryptic Award Winner,
Most Unique Indie Horror Feature Cryptic Award Winner, Most Shocking Indie Short Cryptic Award Winner, Goriest Indie HorrorShort Cryptic Award Winner, Most Unique Indie Horror Short Cryptic Award Winner, Best Sci Fi Masterpiece Feature Cryptic Award Winner, Best Sci Fi Masterpiece Short Cryptic Award Winner.

BUT is an annual international festival with about 50 features, 50 shorts plus performances, music and art.

During 5 days in Breda (Holland) filmmakers, distributors and the audience meet each other.

We specialize in genre cinema, low-budget and independent - the weird and the wicked.
The focus is on underground moviemaking (not horror per se) and B-movies.

Each year there is a main guest, Waters, Buttgereit, Castellari, BrudeLaBruce have been there.

The opening film, closing film, 5 nominations plus retrospectives. 90% of the films is new, rest is retrospective.

BUT is a non-profit festival, run by a foundation (IDFX) and volunteers.

Since the 2020 edition, we incorporated free online viewing into our program.

We do not charge entry fees.

1.Competition
1.1 KIDS VISION: International Competition
1.2 KIDS FOCUS: Korean Competition
1.3 KIDS CREATIVE: Shorts Competition
1.4 KIDS CHALLENGE: Shorts Competition by Young Filmmakers

2.NON Competition
2.1 KIDS SHIFT: Films that corresponds with festival’s slogan for the year.
2.2 KIDS EXCHANGE: Exchange Program with other Film Festivals
2.3 KIDS REQUEST: Cinema Curation for Adults who have interests for next generation.
2.4 CINEKIDS GENERATION
2.4.1 GENERATION PLUS 7: Cinema Curation for children aged 4-7
2.4.2 GENERATION PLUS 10: Cinema Curation for children aged 8 - 11
2.4.3 GENERATION PLUS 13: Cinema Curation for children age 12 - 15

IT´S OPEN TO ALL

The finalist short films will make up the competitive exhibition. This will be screened in the various screening spaces scheduled for this year's edition of the 2024 Festival.

As part of the festival's decentralized activities, this finalist screening may be programmed in audiovisual and cultural events organized or co-organized by the Cinco Minutos Cinco association.