Blog: Film festivals

Mecal Pro, the Barcelona International Short and Animation Film Festival, will celebrate its 27th edition. The long history of MECAL PRO has consolidated it as one of the most important short film festivals in Europe and the world, thus receiving the support of local, national and international institutions. We have screened in 2024 more than 300 short films in 29 sections that we program.

Mecal is strongly committed to promoting the exhibition and dissemination of audiovisual creations in the short format, not only with the public, but also in having creators and distributors meet through different activities. Mecal is also devoted to foster emerging talent, by holding events and awards specially aimed at young creators. In this sense, it also works as a short film dissemination network, organising screenings both at a national and an international level, collaborating with festivals, embassies, and institutions around the world.

The Human Rights Film Festival Brazil is an international festival of short films of up to 25 minutes that address the theme of Human Rights in their plot. Whether it is the fight to guarantee the rights of humanity or denouncing disrespect for these universal rights.

This cultural proposal takes place within the framework of the commemoration of a new anniversary of Punta del Este, celebrating the best independent cinema from around the world. It began as a Mercosur cinema and grew to become an international festival. Cine del Mar has been declared of Presidential Interest and is sponsored and supported by the Ministry of Tourism, the Municipality of Maldonado, the Municipality of Punta del Este, the Ministry of Education and Culture through ACAU (Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Association), and the embassies of the participating countries.

We love horror and we're very excited to watch your films!

The Dark Scream Film Festival (DSFF) is an international festival seeking for the best horror films.

The Selected films will be recognized and awarded in various categories.

DSFF has made a point to keep our entry free as to give everyone the chance to enter, and we offer number of award categories!

DSFF's panel of judges is set in different parts of the world and comes with a variety of horror film expertise.

Your drive, your vision and the often seemingly insurmountable challenges that you face bringing your ideas to life are what makes us proud to champion your films and bring them in front of a highly appreciative audience.

Submit your film to us today and let us help and support you to gain true recognition and become a celebrated winner of the Dark Scream Film Festival.
We're very excited to see your creations!

Welcome to Wellsboro Film Festival, where independent cinema meets small-town charm. Founded by collaborating filmmakers who first worked together at their boring corporate video jobs, Thomas Smith and Thomas Verdi want to help others bring their stories to the screen. Having attended many film festivals, they've learned that some festivals care about their filmmakers' experience, and others see them as numbers or dollar signs. That's why they're going the extra mile to make Wellsboro Film Festival not just about the films, but about the entire filmmaker experience. At Wellsboro Film Festival, every accepted filmmaker will enjoy two nights' lodging at the historic Penn Wells Hotel. All accepted films will screen at the Arcadia Theatre, located right next to the hotel. Wellsboro, PA, with its quaint Main Street, embodies the essence of small-town USA—literally—as it's served as the setting for the Hallmark movie Christmas Comes Twice and comes with its very own Grand Canyon. Join us in February 2025 for a celebration of indie cinema, community, and camaraderie in this picture-perfect mountainside town.

Lunigiana Cinema Festival is a festival dedicate to short and feature films that takes place in the "Città Nobile of Fivizzano" , an ancient village in Tuscany on the Via Francigena.

The festival is divided in short and feature films (Fiction, Documentary, Animation)

The short films are divided into three categories:
- Free theme - Environmental theme - Human rights

India Cine Film Festival has its roots almost a decade back in northern India. The festival was launched in Meerut and was concluded successfully in Noida with participation from almost 18 countries. In year 2014 the Miniboxoffice has adopted the festival officially from its organizers and Indian Cine Film Festival are now moving with passionate minds of Miniboxoffice. The ICFF-24 aim is to give momentum to the independent cinema.

The ICFF objective is to create a platform for the meeting, sharing & development of great cinematic ideas. The festival along with international competitive films screenings also holds a film market & industry oriented master classes & discussions. The festival will provide a central point where industry people can share business and new opportunities shall be created for new talent.

The 12th edition of Indian Cine Film Festival is aimed to set new milestone and it’s an endeavor of Miniboxoffice to make it relevant for each & every participant. With this I welcome you all & see you at ICFF-24 with your cinematic craft.

Would you like to discover brand new forms of storytelling? Are you interested in topics such as transmedia, videogames or other innovative media linked with audiovisual field? This is your festival.

Second edition of the "independent film festival in Toluca".

Celebrating Outstanding Filmmakers and Writers from all over the world

The Bollywood USA International Film Festival is a highly esteemed and prestigious event that celebrates the vibrant, colorful, and diverse world of cinema from around the globe. This remarkable festival is an essential platform for filmmakers, talented actors, and industry professionals to come together and showcase their outstanding work. It features an array of films, including captivating feature films, thought-provoking documentaries, engaging short films, inspiring music videos, creative screenplays, and even novels that have been adapted for the screen.

This festival promotes cross-cultural understanding and encourages the appreciation of cinema internationally. The event attracts a diverse audience, allowing viewers to experience a rich tapestry of storytelling that transcends geographical boundaries. By highlighting various cinematic styles and narratives, the Bollywood USA International Film Festival plays a crucial role in fostering dialogue among different cultures and paving the way for future collaborations within the global film industry.

Don’t forget feedback, which is the one element most festivals ignore.

We don't just charge you a fee and ignore you if you're rejected.

With us, rejected films have access to feedback, the one element most festivals ignore.

Instead of paying submission fees and getting nothing in return, EVERYONE who submits to BUIFF will receive EITHER OF TWO benefits:

Either 1) your film is already competition caliber and becomes an Official Selection,

OR 2): You’ll receive a letter outlining exactly what prevents it from being accepted.

If you can make corrections, you can resubmit for FREE.

First-time filmmakers: when have you ever received a letter and had the festival explain WHY your film was rejected?

Much less let you resubmit for FREE, even the following season (In case you did not have enough time to fix it)

1. ORGANIZATION
The Salerno International Film Festival, with its registered office in Salerno, at Via Portacatena n.° 51 - 84121 Salerno (SA), Tax Code 80046160653, was founded in 1946 by CINECLUB SALERNO. For several years, a non-profit Organizing Committee has been established to manage the annual Editions.

2. OBJECTIVES AND AIMS
Since its inception, the Salerno International Film Festival has been a competitive event for Italian and international productions, offering a continuous forum for discussion on the developments of world cinema.

The Festival assigns cinema an important social function, and its purpose is to constantly adapt its approach to the evolution of technologies and new "audiovisual" media.

The Festival fulfills its original task of film dissemination and literacy, consistent with its tradition, with a particular focus on independent works and technical-artistic innovation.

3. FESTIVAL PROGRAM AND SCHEDULE
The 79th Salerno International Film Festival will take place in the City of Salerno from November 24th to 29th, 2025, at the Cine - Teatro Augusteo.

In addition to the Competitions for the various Film Sections, the Festival also features Reviews, Retrospectives and collateral activities (Exhibitions, Conferences, Round Tables, etc.), as a contribution to the dissemination of the History of Italian and International Cinema.

During the closing night on November 29th, 2025, awards will be presented to the winning films, and recognitions will be given to prominent figures in the artistic, social and cultural fields. The Awards Ceremony may also be divided into two specific evenings: one dedicated to “Specialized Cinematography” (documentaries, cartoons, etc.) and another dedicated to Feature Films and various recognitions.

The screening of the films will take place at the Cine – Teatro Augusteo and will be scheduled at the discretion of the Festival Direction, based on the submission date of the films and their prior selection.
Both the collateral events and the awards ceremony will be streamed live on the Festival’s official social media channels.

The festival's theme will be "Waves from the Future". Every era sends visions, background noises, distant echoes: waves that pass through us and speak to us even before they are understood. Some carry clear messages, others are distorted, ambiguous, elusive. But they all tell something about the world that is and the world that is to come.

What is the future communicating to us today?

What visions, themes, and narratives are already emerging in our present?

What do we perceive in a time marked by crisis, mutations, and hyper-technologies?

We invite authors and directors to capture, translate, and resonate with the waves coming from what is not yet.

Whether it's a near or distant future, collective or intimate; a dystopia, a hope, a question. We want to hear the beat of hidden stories, of faint signals, of innovative visions that will be the light of tomorrow.

The "Waves from the Future" theme will be given preference for selection purposes but is not binding: it represents a field of possibilities, an open wave.

3. BIS. VOD PLATFORM
To broaden the distribution of submitted films, the Salerno International Film Festival provides a dedicated VOD platform, active from October 15th to 31th, 2025.

During this period, both selected and non-selected films will be available for online viewing and voting, offering all participants an opportunity for visibility and the chance to compete for the Audience Award.

Viewing and voting on the platform require prior registration. Uploaded films cannot be downloaded.

Filmmakers who do not wish to make their film available on the VOD platform may still enter the competition: their film will still be reviewed and evaluated by the official jury.

UNALOME FILM FESTIVAL
Against gender violence!
Competition notice

Organization
Unalome associtaion, wich offers socio-educational and recreational services in Valcamonica, promotes the first edition of Unalome film festival, for italian and foreign film makers about “gender violence”. The meaning of this competition is to raise public awarness about the topic in all of its aspects, such as support for families and socialization in contemporary society.
We also want to create a school section for forth and fifth grade. We invite this last grade, in particular, to involve students in every phase of the creation of a short movie. We think debate among younger students is important to understand their point of view about gender violence.
Unalome film festival’s first edition plans two sections

Film makers section
School section

The festival is a showcase of films in all genres by young emerging filmmakers.The cultural capital of India hosts numerous film festivals every year. Our team has taken into account the features of most film festivals. To present something new, we decided to place our primary focus on independent underknown filmmaking from all over the world. Besides, we realize that the boundaries of cinema have expanded significantly over the past two decades due to the digital "revolution.” Nowadays, one can shoot films with a smartphone, without using special equipment or being a professional filmmaker. Therefore, the cinema has become far more expressive and entered a new era of its development, uncovering all shades of life, all colours of culture and subcultures. We believe that the programme of Venus Brightest Star Film Festival gives a free hand to any way of artistic expression.

We welcome any experimental ways that create new film languages evolving the cinema!

The topic of the work will be the violence of gender, in any of its manifestations, its prevention and sensitization against it, being able to present documentaries and short films of plot fiction.

The jury will have special consideration for those works that address this issue by focusing on the youth world.

The Film Tracks Film Fest wants to be a meeting point between fans of filmic language, propose quality works.

A special prize will go to a short film about the MEDITERRANEAN.

We love Cinema and how we want to spread it.

OMOVIES 18

Call for Participation
The International Competition
on Lesbian Gay Transgender and Questioning audiovisual works.

Deadline: september 15, 2025

Preliminary remarks

The Association i Ken Onlus announces a competition for audiovisual lesbian gay transgender and/or questioning-themed works, at the 17th edition of OMOVIES – Lesbian Gay Transgender and Questioning Film Festival. The Festival will be held both on-line and in the cinema room.

The shnit worldwide shortsfestival is a premier platform for the exhibition and promotion of short films. This festival is a unique transnational event held simultaneously in ten cities across five continents. The festival consists of three main segments:

▪ shnit PLAYGROUNDS* | Running until August 31st, 2025
▪ shnit EXPANDED | Running until September 30th, 2025
▪ shnit FINALE | Amsterdam – September 30th, 2025

The winner of the WORLDWIDE COMPETITION, as well as the shnit audience-nominated films of the WORLDWIDE & INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION, will become eligible to enter the 2026 Oscars® in accordance with the rules of the 98th Academy Awards® [Cinematic release].

Over the past twenty-three years, shnit has evolved into a major international short film festival, continuously reinventing itself. Originally a local initiative, it is now a global event connecting and inspiring filmmakers and audiences from different cultural backgrounds. The festival promotes diversity, originality, and artistic exchange. With its high-quality cinematic selections, shnit attracts over 30,000 visitors, making it one of the leading short film festivals worldwide.

shnit is a non-profit organization, coordinated in collaboration with festival executives. The festival operates on principles of excellence and professionalism, fostering its international expansion.

* Planned PLAYGROUNDS for 2025
shnit worldwide shortsfestival takes place simultaneously in the several cities, the shnit PLAYGROUNDS, on five continents. The planned PLAYGROUNDS 2025 are:

▪ Buenos Aires [Argentina]
▪ Cairo [Egypt]
▪ Cape Town [South Africa]
​​▪ Goa [India]
▪ Hong Kong [China]
▪ Moscow [Russia]
▪ Sydney [Australia]
▪ San José [Costa Rica]
▪ Toronto [Canada]
▪ Bern [Switzerland] – shnit OPENING
▪ Amsterdam [The Netherlands] – shnit FINALE

Vegan Çiftlik
International short film festival
İzmir / Türkiye

ATTENTION: This is a thematic film festival about friendship/amity. Please read the regulations before submission. There is no entry fee for Turkish Film to all category.

The International Amity Short Film Festival intends to share with the audience all sorts of film forms that points directly or indirectly to the relationship between humanity and the universe that focuses on friendship. In the broadest sense, by using one of the most effective form of the contemporary arts—cinema, we would like to create an awareness about the concept of “Friendship” through various conferences, interviews, workshops, competitions, and film screenings within the festival with the purpose of rereading, rethinking, and multiplying its reflections in our lives.

Spello is a wonderful old medieval village with amazing history, art, tradition, nature, food and wine, in the beautiful Italian region of Umbria.

Spello is placed in the centre of Italian area between Florence, Perugia and Rome.

…… a film finishes and everyone stands up to leave the screening room, the film credits are however still being shown, and in doing so the immense work by those professionals, who contributed to the making of the film with passion and professionalism, is overlooked. How much hard work and sacrifice has been involved? Who are these people behind the scenes?

For this reason the "Festival del Cinema Città di Spello ed I Borghi Umbri" – “RASSEGNA CONCORSO LE PROFESSIONI DEL CINEMA“, was established in 2012; dedicated to those professionals behind the scenes of cinema:

http://www.festivalcinemaspello.com/fcs/index.php/it/spelloisff

The idea of the festival was created by Donatella Cocchini, President of L’Associazione Culturale Aurora and by movie director, Fabrizio Cattani.

FROM 8 YEARS THE FESTIVAL HAS A NEW SECTION DEDICATED TO SHORT FILMS BY PROFESSIONALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WITH THE COMPETITION:
“SPELLO INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL”

The Festival is characterized because it rewards the best professions who work behind the scenes to make a film. The jury will decide the winners by evaluating overall the various processes and professions who participated, especially the script, the cinematography, the costumes, set design, makeup, sound, music.

The next edition will be held from 7 to 16 MARCH 2025

Next Year video-makers from all over the world will be able to show their works in this new international competition open to short film of any genre.

Ten days of live screenings, Award Event and for all winners a beautiful and original trophy exclusively create for the Spello Int’lShort film Festival.

ATTENTION ALL THE SELECTED SHORT FILMS AND THE FINALISTS WILL BE SCREENED DURING THE FESTIVAL DAYS.