Blog: Film festivals

The festival’s mission is to spread the knowledge of film art, especially in the form of short films, in order to show the public all the different aspects of contemporary international cinema.

Celebrating 12 years the Toronto Shorts International Film Festival is the largest short film festival in Canada.

Toronto Shorts is a non-profit organization that provides a showcase for the best short films and its creators from around the world, annually in the heart of Toronto.

We feel that short-form cinema and its creators should have their own premier film festival in Toronto deserving similar recognition given to the feature film and its creators.

Toronto Shorts is where films from all genres intersect. The heart of the festival is the quality and scope of extraordinary film programming which consists of a wide spectrum of categories from high to low budget films under 45 minutes.

The festival has become a career stepping stone, establishing a tradition of discovering and promoting filmmakers who have gone on to be Academy Awards Nominees, including :

2021 Oscar Nominee 'The Present' by Farah Nabulsi
2019 Oscar Nominee ‘Weekends’ by Trevor Jimenez
2018 Oscar Nominees 'Watu Wote - All of Us' (Germany) and 'The Eleven O'Clock' (Australia)

Toronto stands as the largest media market in Canada, it boasts the world-renowned Royal Ontario Museum, the massive Art Gallery of Ontario, the Soulpepper Theatre Company, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and now includes a premier international short film festival.

We showcase the best short films and its filmmakers from around the world.

The Hazel Eye Film Festival (HEFF) is interested in experimental live action films, as well as experimental animations. We are looking for any work that pushes the boundaries of the audiovisual art form. Short film submissions should be no longer than 25 minutes, and feature film submissions should be no shorter than 40 minutes.

Submit your work through FestHome before March 26th, 2019; selections will be made by the following week, on April 2nd, 2019.

HEFF will take place over the course of one week, from April 9th, 2019 until April 16th, 2019; Official Selections will screen online, via HEFF's website, on designated days throughout the festival week.

Bajo Nuestra Piel International Film Festival on Human Rights is a project that aims to generate a debate and reflective space on Human Rights topics through the artistic representation in documental, fiction and animation format, of critical, socially compromised and quality cinema.

Since 2004, Kinoki International Student Film Festival has been run completely by students at the Universidad Iberoamericana in México City. Our purpose is to create a friendly environment where film students from all around the world can share their work and compete as part of our official selection.

4th edition of Fantástic Film Festival is mainly intended for short films and feature films of fantastic genre

SorsiCorti is a Short Film Festival that combines conviviality and interest in the art of the short film.

SorsiCorti was born from passion for cinema and desire to explore innovative and experimental trails of short films

Careful and accurative selection carried out by an evaluation committee made up of experts cinephiles, allows that only high quality short films access the program projection.

SorsiCorti has developed a strong collaboration with the young cultural reality of the Piccolo Teatro Patafisico in Palermo, who also became the official location of the live screenings. However, various events are realized around in town.

HIGH COAST INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL – True Independent Films in the Swedish High Coast.

We work to promote True Independent Films – for film makers to reach out with and for people to see. Participating at the High Coast Film Festival should be a valuable and memorable experience.

The Festival is a two day event - Friday and Saturday- held at Lunde Folkets Hus (house of the people). Used as a Cinema in the 70's it has now received a revival!

We show films that are self produced and haven't been at the major Swedish Film Festivals. We also have a limit for how much external cash that the production has been granted. This is to ensure that the Festival remains a platform for True Independent Films and film makers. For more details about eligibility please read "Rules & Terms" below.

The foundational idea with the festival and the program we put together is the personal voice and expression through the medium of film. There are no sections for contemporary films or attention to any specific topics or methods – film as a means to artisticly express and portray is what puts the program together.

As a result we show films with all sorts of thematics and methods. Strict fiction with a clear cut storyline, wild experimental film poetry, quiet anthropological documentaries. Comedies, dramas and everything there between. Some are entertaining, some are not. Some are easy to digest, some not at all.

We pay for accommodation for all selected film makers thursday to sunday so all guests can get both the festival event and a few days extra. This is something we do to help and support visiting the festival and part of our ambition to make it a valuable experience for participating film makers.

During our first four editions we are happy to have succeeded establishing the festival as a quality event for international independent films in the High Coast. Lots of press coverage by regional news paper, Swedish National TV and Swedish National wide radio have spread the word about what we do and it's had an impact. Full house festival and attendence from both press, audience, film organizations and film makers have shown what we knew all along – the quality of real independent films is high, the gems are unknown and once people are exposed to them they put great value to the films and the cinematic experience.

2018 we founded a Streamingsite for True Independent Films – Illambra. All participants are invited to join, not only with the film at the festival but with others too that fit the site. We want to offer audience a wider opportunity to take part of the festival program – all year around from anywhere in the world, and to offer film makers a home for their works where they are presented in a qualitative environment and platform. The idea of Illambra is to over time build a solid videostore online presenting authors rather than titles for audience to follow and watch works of.

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Featured Films on Website
Apart from the Festival event we have also begun building a section of featured films on our website. We're looking for Experimental and Unconventional Genre, Auteur and Art house films of all sorts.

If you have a Short film available for free online or a Feature film for free or purchase, and you wish to have it featured and promoted, please follow the instructions in this link: http://bit.ly/featuredfilm

We want to host a curated section of films that is wide but still of quality and that makes sense for film makers who submits a film, as more films can be featured on our website than we can invite to the festival event.

The curating is based on our artistic judgement and we won't feature every film - but we will host many and we will never charge for this service.

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Feedback, Review & Festival Consideration
It's frustrating to be declined and not get to know why. However, it can also be frustrating submitting to a festival and be forced to pay a higher fee because it includes feedback you're not interested in.

We work diligently, with care and dedication when putting the program together and when it comes to feedback for the submissions we do the same thing. This is why we divide our categories so that feedback is separate from the submissions and is an in-depth review rather than a small note.

Feedback is given by our head programmer Andrija Jovanovic and is an extensive analysis and review of the film and it's different components. Film language, dramaturgical storyline, pacing, technical aspects of grading, composoting and editing, acting etc. It's direct, honest and constructive.

If you wish to submit a film and also get feedback, please choose the matching category.

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We have no hard rules for the content of the film, but the following tend not to be a good fit for us:

- Films that seek to educate and teach the viewers
- TV-format films and headshot interview based documentaries
- Music videos and films solely driven by soundtrack

We spend months carefully watching and programming our festival selection. Presenting the best possible program we can is what our festival is built upon. Submitting to the festival is to pay to have the film considered and is not a guarantee to have it selected. We receive hundreds of submissions each edition and only around 5% are selected. Please make sure that you wish to submit before doing so.

La Asociación Cultural el Tumbao organiza su tercera muestra de cinema en sus instalaciones. Dicha muestra constará de dos días de proyección: el jueves 12 de diciembre y el viernes 13 de diciembre de 2019. Esta tercera muestra tiene un carácter generalista, en formato cortometraje y de géneros variados como la ficción, el documental y la no-ficción, la animación, el vídeo experimental, etc.

The Asociación Cultural El Tumbao organizes its III Muestra de Cinema El Tumbao in its facilities. This show will consist of two days of screening: Thursday December 12 and Friday December 13, 2019. This third edition has a generalist character, in short film format and varied genres such as fiction, documentary and non-fiction, animation, experimental video, etc.

Fidé is a festival in France which is completely dedicated to the international student documentary. It's about any filmed, sound or multimedia work leaning on the reality and which was realized during director's studies. Universities, schools, workshops and students of the whole world participate in it, for about 600 documentaries registered every year. Its principles are the ones of the promotion and the celebration of the student creations, except the usual circuits, in which they rarely find their place.

The festival has no restrictions of the date of the production or original support, subject or length.

Directors of all nationalities are welcomed to submit their films. Subtitles in French or English are demanded.

Next Fidé will take place in April 2021, in Parisian suburbs.

BioBiocine, International Film Festival of Concepcion, is an intercultural gathering of knowledge and wisdom expressed through cinema, which aims to be a space for dialogue and contemplation, as well as to disseminate, promote, support and place value on National and International Cinematography from a Territory and Identity that is established as the context for its annual meeting.

BioBioCine International Festival calls for works from all countries and cultures for its eleventh version. Its program includes competitive and non-competitive categories of Fiction and Non-Fiction Feature and Short Films, with a focus on auteur cinema, new filmmakers, experimentation, intercultural dialogue and first nations.

Resistance International Film Festival is regarded as one of the most prestigious international film festivals in Iran.
The goal of the Festival is to create an atmosphere of dialogue, understanding of current human sufferings, and to share experiences and new ideas.
The three-fold mission is to:
1- Create an atmosphere of dialogue by recognizing activists and filmmakers.
2- Foster the human spirit of brotherhood, peace, and resisting oppression.
3- Use the language of film to fight terrorism and violence.

Filmmakers around the world are welcome to submit documentaries and features relevant to the festival topics.

Topics:
- A world without terrorism, racism, war, and occupancy
- Introducing and recognizing up-and-coming activists
- Resistance in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, and other parts of the world with conflicts
- Double standards in Western Human Rights approach:
a) Invasion of Privacy
b) Black Lives Matter movement: Police brutality against the "People of Color"
- Human Rights violations and Zionism
- A world without political violence
- Hollywood, western media, and soft war (propaganda)
- Confronting Islamophobia and Iranophobia
- Confronting the imposition of Western lifestyle and cultural invasion
- Propaganda against Iran, false human rights stories, and other fabricated news against Iran
- Exposing the image of the US government double-standards and Zionism crimes in the world (anti-Zionism is NOT anti-Semitism)
- Fight against the ISIS (DAESH), Takfiri groups, Radical Jihadists, and Wahhabism
- Human Rights violations in Saudi Arabia:
a) Saudi role in sectarianism and dividing Muslim nations
b) Saudis supporting terrorist groups
c) Saudi war crimes in Yemen
d) Persecution of Muslim clergies in Saudi Arabia
- The image of Muslim women around the world
- How Islamic unity can uncover conspiracies of hegemonic powers

• Films with the topics relevant to the people in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen fighting against Zionism, the ISIS and Takfiri radicals, will be given a special attention and the category winners will be awarded with special prizes.

The purpose of this Festival is to promote the culture and the Argentine film production made by students, from secondary schools, universities and film schools.

The Community of Bardenas Reales de Navarra announces the 1st Edition of the Bardenas Reales de Navarra Short Film Competition "MEMORIAL JULIÁN ISLA", with the aim of publicizing and highlighting the uniqueness of its landscapes and natural, social and cultural resources of the Natural Park and the Biosphere Reserve of Bardenas Reales de Navarra, as well as the Methodology of the Custody of the Territory for its conservation.

Submit your entry now!

The 12th International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra & Awards, offers you the opportunity to submit your documentaries now, in order to compete in the monthly awards of the Festival for February. Winners will automatically qualify to compete for the annual Festival awards, taking place from August 2nd to 24th, 2025.

This year the IDFI, is dedicated to Climate Change. It is worth noting that films from all thematic sections will be eligible at the end of each month to compete for the annual awards in August. The rich thematic sections of the Festival include: human rights, recordings of memory, docudrama, young directors, true stories, climate change, environment, the role of women, Greek Panorama, views of the world, human portrait, violence, war threat, diversity, socio-political discrimination, religious conflicts, racism, migration, as well as themes related to all forms of art and culture, such as folklore, customs, mythology, history, biographies, ethnographies, journeys, and travel-tourist documentaries.

The 12th International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra & Awards, promotes the best documentaries from Greece and around the world for screening in its’ competitive section. Ierapetra, the southernmost city in Europe, a crossroads of cultures and continents, will once again host a plethora of films and artists from the ends of the earth. The judging panels consist of international recognition personalities.

The film files must be in mp4 format and must have embedded English and Greek subtitles (in case of foreign dialogue).

Our 5-star and Gold-rated festival holds the EFFE quality seal.

Trailer of the 11th International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra & Awards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZAQStCWPFA&t=27s

The Social Film Festival ArTelesia is organized by the non-profit Cultural Association “Libero Teatro”.
The event is supported by the MIC Directorate General for Cinema and Audiovisual, the Film
Commission Campania Region, Cesvolab and the patronage of the Presidency of the Council of
Ministers, the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Education, University and Research, UNAR - National
Office against Racial Discrimination, the Province of Benevento, the Municipality of Benevento, the
Chamber of Commerce of Benevento, Arcigay Napoli, the University Center Synapses of the Federico
II University of Naples, the University of Sannio, the Suor Orsola Benincasa University of Naples, the
University of Salerno, the UCAM San Antonio de Murcia University (Spain), the CADMUS. Students
from the aforementioned universities will participate in the organization of the fifteenth edition as Interns.

PURPOSE OF THE COMPETITION

The Social Film Festival ArTelesia intends to promote cinema both in Italy and abroad. The Festival represents a showcase for the promotion of films of cultural interest, belonging to the independent and non-independent cinema circuit. An ideal place for lively confrontations between producers, authors and distributors, but also between the production universe and the target audience, the Festival promotes the dissemination of films of high artistic value, capable of contributing to cultural growth and the formation of a mature awareness criticism in young people.

THEMES

- I BELONG TO ME: respect for one's own individuality, knowing how to be beyond all appearances, cultivating one’s freedom against all dependencies

- INTEGRATION: respect for ethnic and cultural identity against all forms of discrimination

- DEEP SURFACES: discovery and enhancement of the historical-artistic heritage of the territories

- ORTHOMETRY: Stories of sustainable agriculture

- FREE THEME

SECTIONS

- Filmmaker: emerging and professional directors, production and distribution companies

- DiVabili: works created by directors with disabilities or involving disabled actors that do not necessarily have to focus on the topic of disability

At the Oil Valley Film Festival, our mission is to bring the voices and films of new and established filmmakers to the heart of Venango County, an area underrepresented in the world of film.

Located in Oil City, Pennsylvania, and nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, attending the Oil Valley Film Festival will grant you the experience of watching engaging cinema within an intimate community with a rich history.

Screenwriting Submissions can be submitted through Festhome.

2019 Venues: Oil City Library and the National Transit Building.

The 2018 Oil Valley Film Festival was partnered with Kohler Brewing, iPitch.tv, InkTip, the Oil City Library, Tipsy Chef, Writers Store, and Maddy G TV on Roku, Billy's, and Bridge Builders Community Foundations.

Select winners received the Hollywood Screenwriting Directory ($30 value) from Writers Store.

Winners of the Screenwriting received an InkTip Script Listing to promote themselves and their scripts to InkTip’s entire network of producers, managers, and agents. InkTip: Where producers go for scripts and writers. Producers have made more than 315 films from scripts and writers they found through InkTip.

Select winners received complimentary memberships and pitch listings on iPitch.tv - iPITCH.TV offers a next generation platform for creators of original pitches for TV, Film & Digital Media to connect directly with Hollywood Producers and Studio Executives and gives creators industry pro advice on how to pitch a television show or feature film. Pitch your idea for a Movie, Screenplay, Television Show, Short Film, New Media Project and more.

2019 Festival Schedule:
Sept. 6 - Shorts Program at the Oil City Library
Sept. 7 - Features Program at the National Transit Building Great Room
Sept. 8 - Director curated filmmakers block and Awards Event at the National Transit Building Great Room

Enrolled films (short films and feature films) may participate as long as they fit into one of the following film genres: animation, drama, fiction, action, thriller, comedy, horror or children.

Madero City International Film Festival (FICCMA), opens admissions for international producers and filmmakers to submit their short films to the festival's 8th edition, which will take place from November 21 to 24 of 2024.

Leiden International Short Film Experience (LISFE) is an annual film festival held in the beautiful city of Leiden in The Netherlands. LISFE is dedicated to Short Films from all genres and from anywhere in the world. Over the years we have built the reputation of successfully showcasing though-provoking films through a diverse and selective program.

This year the festival will take place from the 7th until the 10th of May in Kijkhuis (Leiden).

Note: We are interested in programming films from around the globe. In extraordinary geo-political circumstances, we may wave our submission fee. If you think you qualify, please contact us for more information.