Blog: Film festivals

Syncro is a national and international short film festival dedicated to elevating and showcasing the short film format. The festival offers a new approach to viewing short films by programming each film in an individual screening. We firmly believe that short films are not a lesser format or merely a learning stage in filmmaking. On the contrary, they represent cinema in its most potent and compact expression.

Calling All Storytellers: The 4th Cinematech International Film Festival is Now Open!

Cinematech International Film Festival (formerly Cinema4Screen Film Festival) is thrilled to announce that submissions are now open for the 4th edition! We invite filmmakers from around the world to submit their feature films and feature-length documentaries for a chance to be screened at our prestigious event and compete for exciting cash prizes.

Cinematech International Film Festival remains a launchpad for filmmakers worldwide, a vibrant bridge connecting your passion with audiences who crave innovative, captivating stories. Whether you've crafted a stunning feature, woven a poignant documentary, or captured your vision in a short film, animation, music video, or web series, Cinematech invites you to share your artistry.

Additionally, we are proud to present the prestigious "Cinematech Award for Excellence in Feature Filmmaking by a Female Director." This special recognition highlights our commitment to supporting and empowering women in the film industry.

Here's what awaits you:
• Global Stage: Reach a diverse audience of film enthusiasts from across the globe, eager to discover fresh voices and groundbreaking narratives.
• Genre-Agnostic Celebration: Every story, every voice matters. Submit your work in any genre, from heart-wrenching documentaries to side-splitting comedies to mind-bending animation.
• Prestigious Recognition: Compete for awards in various categories, including Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Short Film, and more. Let your talent shine and leave your mark on the cinematic landscape.
• Festival Experience: Immerse yourself in a vibrant community of filmmakers, industry professionals, and passionate viewers. Network, learn, and be inspired by the magic of cinema.

Don't miss this chance to be part of Cinematech International Film Festival! Submit your film, join the celebration, and witness the power of storytelling transcend borders and boundaries.

SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: 15 November 2024, and FESTIVAL DATE: 10 December 2024 & 11 December 2024.

This is more than a film festival. It's a revolution in storytelling. Be a part of it.

The Handifilm festival is a showcase that serves to highlight the artistic and creative talent as well as the spirit of initiative of young people through its special international junior short film competition.


This competition as well as our official international short film competition contribute to the dissemination of a welcoming culture of disability as diversity and to the promotion of a positive view of people with disabilities and their enormous possibilities for participation within the framework of inclusive development.

This festival is not just about cinema, it is also a bouquet of parallel activities including debate sessions, training workshops in different cinematographic techniques, round tables with thematic conferences, master classes, tributes as well as cinema caravans before and after each edition.

The International Festival of Children and Youth Film CALIBELULA, FICIJCALIBELULA - is created through a group of friends who love cinema, who see the need to generate new exhibition and training spaces, for a very special audience that is children and young people .

The purpose is to train audiences through cinematographic audiovisual material made by and for children, youth and adults that promotes conflict resolution and peaceful coexistence through the construction of values ​​and principles.

Generate new exhibition alternatives that consolidate processes of formation and creation expressed in the production and audiovisual realization, with understanding and critical sensitivity, trying with this to involve from an early age this target population through the cinema as an artistic expression.

This Festival is a meeting place for the filmmakers, their works and the children's audience as well as a point of formation for young audiences, teachers and professionals of the area, making the Festival a promoter of reflection on the audiovisual media and the role they play with our children.

"The fantastic emerges from reality like the moon over a misty swamp".

The idea of the Festival comes from our passion for Pallars Sobirà, a faraway region in the Pyrenees, for its stories and legends, and for cinema. Our concern for preserving the most mysterious legacy of this territory has grown to finally become the Tabaca Film Fest.

It is indeed a land full of myths and legends, but every corner of the world has its own Yeti, its own mermaid, its own werewolf, its own mountain guardian, in short, its own mythological imaginary.

With the Tabaca Film Fest, we want to recover all these stories from the Pallars, the Pyrenees and elsewhere, through the art we know best, cinema.

We believe that this Festival can bring together several values in which we believe: quality cinema and preservation of the historical-mythological memory, in an incomparable natural setting.

The Tabaca Film Fest - the mythological film Festival of the Pyrenees - is a Festival in which fiction, animation and documentary genres participate in a short-film format, and which consists of an international competition section and complementary activities.

The first edition of the Tabaca Film Fest will be held in Vall de Cardós from the 27th to the 29th of September 2024 in person.

It will consist of an opening ceremony, screenings of the finalist films, and a closing gala with the award ceremony. In parallel, there will also be talks on local mythology, a guided tour of the most mysterious places in the Vall de Cardós, cultural activities and a concert.

The Municipalities of Calvera, Chiaromonte, Fardella, and Teana announce, for the year 2024, within the framework of the Miskigliamoci Festival, the 1st edition of "Food and Cinema - Miskiglio Festival." The audiovisual works in competition, of the type described below, must have as their theme food, or contain narrative elements related to gastronomy, scenes and sequences pertaining to the theme, or the enhancement of the territories’ typical products.

The works will be judged for their creativity, the ability to narrate the key theme, and for their technical and aesthetic qualities.

The winner will receive a cash prize worth €2,500.00 and the right to participate in the Marateale Short Film Contest.

Participation in the competition is free.

When Worlds Meet

Lapinha da Serra is a small district, full of charm, nestled in the Serra do Cipó region. Illustrated not only for its landscapes and waterfalls, but above all for the Lapinhô people, who welcome visitors in a unique way, making the small district of 600 inhabitants one of those unique places that mix tradition and receptivity to novelty.

It is by recognizing this quality of Lapinha that we invite the filmmakers to weave with us the curatorial line of the 2nd CineLapinhô Exhibition around the theme "When Worlds Meet".

Believing both in the power of cinema in connecting world views, and in our responsibility as agents of culture, we seek to bring to Lapinha and its residents, audiovisual experiences that present encounters between worlds: between cultures, times, realities and ideas; real and imaginary encounters, encounters that make new possible worlds emerge, even if ephemerally.

The Territorio Sacromonte International Audiovisual Festival takes place in the city of Granada (Andalusia) in the emblematic Sacromonte neighborhood in front of the Alhambra monument. In the Cuevas del Sacromonte Museum, a protected open-air space of more than 10,000 meters located in the Darro Valley, declared a Site of Cultural Interest, the projections of our Official Audiovisual Section from around the world are held.

At the same time, an extensive program of activities is carried out that includes concerts, exhibitions, artistic actions or shows in unique spaces in the neighborhood.

CinemaKing International Film Festival (CIFF) is a very prestigious international film festival in Bangladesh, where are highest countries were participated, 120 in a edition countries in 2021. Organized by MEGH Foundation, Event by DHAKA Festival.

CinemaKing International Film Festival was started in 31 May, 2018. Founded by an International Film Personality Mr. Monjurul Islam MEGH.

The call for entries for 5'th CinemaKing International Film Festival 2024 is now open!

The 4'th Edition of the CinemaKing International Film festival 2023 were competition 76 countries. The Festival was held on theatrical on 16th to 29nd February, 2024.

The 3rd Edition of the CinemaKing International Film festival 2022 were competition 83 countries. The Festival was held on theatrical on 19th to 22nd March, 2023.

The 2'nd Edition of the CinemaKing International Film festival 2021 were competition 120 countries with Bangladesh. The Festival was held on theatrical on 3rd to 6th January, 2022 at the 3 venues in "the International Mother Language Institute", "Bangladesh Silpakala Acdemy", "Shohoj Path School".

The1'st Edition of the CinemaKing International Film Festival 2020 were competition 54 countries. 177 film, The Festival was held on theatrical on 24th to 26th december, 2020.

Visit for more information on CIFF's website : www.cinemaking.org
If you have any question you can contact our facebook page: www.facebook.com/ciff.bd

Jadavpur University Photographic Club is a 60-year-old family. On the occasion of our 60th year anniversary, we decided that we must celebrate it in a way that allows us to include the largest family possible. And the largest photographic family we know, is the lovely community of photographers all across the world.

We are delighted to bring to you the 12th Edition of JUPC's Photography Contest, MONTAGE'24. It will be an international photography contest, with various categories, a heartwarming theme, and a place for everyone to celebrate the art of photography.

What is Womanimation!? As the name implies, it's a festival showcasing acclaimed animated films created by women from around the world.

From satire to drama, from the everyday to the surreal - in styles from traditional 2-d to stop-motion to computer animation - the festival features something for every taste.

Thank you for considering our festival for your film!

We are looking for the best features, shorts, docs and animation we can find to present in San Francisco. For 26 years SF IndieFest has developed a great reputation for eclectic, adventurous programming, getting great press for our films and filling theaters with enthusiastic film fans. Dozens of festivals and distributors have requested and received industry accreditation to view SF IndieFest titles at our festivals over the years.

Top 50 Film Festivals Worth The Entry Fee
25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World

“I’m certainly happy that IndieFest exists, because it is a celebration of films that don’t necessarily get distributed widely,” HITS director David Cross says, “I’m happy to be a part of it with my film, which is very much in the category of a low-budget, little indie movie. I’m glad there’s a place for it.” – SF Chronicle

“Sundance may have sold out, but SF IndieFest keeps it real” – Annie Lo, Flavorpill

“While the Bay Area is flush with festivals, this one remains an under-the-radar standout.” – Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News

“The San Francisco Independent Film Festival, the Bay Area’s version of Slamdance, provides a showcase for edgy cinematic work — and a great excuse to do some serious partying.” – David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle

"The movie business is in a perennial state of constant tension between ambition and collaboration, joyful inventiveness and jaw-dropping paydays. This roiling undercurrent, usually invisible to the public, gushes to the surface in the run-up to the Academy Awards ceremony. There is an antidote, however, to Hollywood’s annual backslapathon: SF IndieFest. The San Francisco Independent Film Festival is a beacon to anybody excited by the basic impulse of making movies. In its heart of hearts, IndieFest is a celebration of the minor miracle of finishing a film and getting it up on a screen in front of a live audience." - Michael Fox, KQED

“For many independent filmmakers, festivals such as SF Indiefest—aka the San Francisco Independent Film Festival–are the only way to bring their works before an audience. For filmgoers, SF Indiefest is the place to see original cinematic works created by directors who want to tell edgy stories which come from their hearts and souls. While some have bemoaned the death of cinema, the curators and filmmakers at SF Indiefest are keeping the craft of film alive.” – David Elijah Nahmod, SF SOUNDS

“SF IndieFest is the one festival of the year where you should throw a dart at the program and take a chance. Not because you’re guaranteed a masterpiece, but because it’s the best fest to see something that would never, ever breach your filter otherwise.” -Michael Fox, KQED


PRESS COVERAGE
Press Coverage for past year's festivals: https://sfindie.com/press-coverage

FILMMAKER COMMENTS ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

"Hey Jeff: Just want to shoot you a quick note of thanks on hosting us at IndieFest and giving us our World Premiere. We had a great time and really enjoyed our time at the fest and in SF; it's a great vibe and the diversity of features and shorts in the program made for a really exciting and energized atmosphere. "- Max Gardner, Go/Don't Go

"Festivals bring unexpected benefits. Festivals are essential for brand creation. Premiering at Tribeca was enough to convince people to at least listen to me, but surprisingly it was the San Francisco Indie Fest that was just as crucial for our theatrical release. Our press from this festival helped convince the Red Vic to book us in April (I thank the amazing S.F. publicist Karen Larsen for convincing me of this in advance). We also incorporated festivals into our broader theatrical release, and while we did not claim them as cities in our 17-city count, they helped give us something to crow about."

http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/fall2008/bomb_it.php

"I've got to tell you that Indiefest was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I tell all filmmakers - and festival organizer friends of mine - how you run your fest and how you run each film twice. Every single time people look at me with shocked disbelief. Truly, Bonnie and I loved being a part of the event.
Thanks again for including us. SF Indiefest really made me feel that making YEAR was worth the whole effort.
Best-MIKE CARROLL"

"We LOVED San Francisco, meeting other filmmakers, seeing their films, participating in your screenplay panel and of course our awesome sold-out screening. You have one of the most engaged, passionate cinephile audiences I’ve ever seen at a film fest — they were incredible." - Warren Sonoda, THINGS I DO FOR MONEY, IndieFest 2020

"You have a great and engaging festival and one that draws on extremely passionate indie film audiences you are rabid for amazing content for which you definitely provide in bunches! You support of us and our film is greatly appreciated and we hope we are privileged To be welcomed back again in the future!" - Avi F.

"Thanks for these amazing photos (kudos on composition, lighting, and hyping up the crowd - what a great gift to filmmakers!). A million thanks to you both for pulling off an amazing event. We love the ethos of SF IndieFest and we're so honored to have participated. Thanks for your dedication to uplifting local filmmakers and for putting our all-female team (and our unexpected and important story) in the spotlight. Looking forward to seeing and working with you both again in the future!!" - Leslie Tai, How To Have An American Baby

"Thank you for a wonderful experience. The festival was a blast, the people so kind, the films inspiring, and great vibes all around. I'll be back to catch more films in the coming days." - Kerry Muir, Madame

"Thank you so much for having us and all that you and SF IndieFest do to champion independent film." - Anna Moot-Levin, Matter of Mind

"Thank you all for such a fun festival! You all really did a wonderful job all around and we were honored and grateful to be a part of it!" - Liz McBee, Finding Lucinda

SF IndieFest is a founding member of the FILM FESTIVAL ALLIANCE

Founded in 1961, Amnesty International is an independent NGO that works for the defense of human rights all over the world. Through our field researches, conscious raising campaigns, petitions and letters, and public human rights advocacy, we work for a world in which every human being is entitled to the rights stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in other international texts.
Accordingly, our campaigns focus on themes such as the liberty of expression, women’s rights, children’s rights, refugees and migrant’s rights, discriminations, impunity, the death penalty amongst others.

Cinema has always been and will always be a way in which human rights violations can be exposed and denounced. For that, Amnesty International France is pleased to announce the opening of submissions f edition of its annual cinema festival “Au Cinéma pour les droits humains” (To Cinema for Human Rights), which will take place in March 2019. The festival takes place each year in different cities of the south of France and with last year’s edition having had more than 3800 members at the audience. Therefore, we are searching for different entries for our festival. We are searching for films that touch on one or several human rights issues that are connected to any of our campaigns, such as the liberty of expression, women’s rights, impunity, and discriminations amongst other things.

If you feel that your film speaks of one or several major human rights issues, and you wish to submit it for selection, then please do send us a link this address in order to review it: acdhamnesty@gmail.com Also, please make sure that the film contains FRENCH SUBTITLES OR IS IN FRENCH LANGAGE. Once our selection committee has a decision, then we will notify you as soon as possible

The huge investment in film production is one of the biggest difficulties faced by every director who dreams of making a film. Fortunately, as the performance of mobile phones is getting better and better, it has become possible for many directors, especially new ones, to shoot a film with mobile phones. Yes, a film, not a video.

The goal of our festival is to discover talented people who don't have the resources to make a film that requires a big budget.

A filmmaker's imagination should not be thwarted by the lack of high budget and expensive film equipment. An ambitious director can still make a wonderful film even with a mobile phone.

With a discerning eye, we will select outstanding films among our contestants. Guys with potential will stand out.

Dear directors, we look forward to seeing your professional, innovative and impressive mobile films.

生活，电影与梦。
Go for it, amigo!

ONE WORLD - HIP HOP AGAINST RACISM
7. GOLDEN SNEAKERS INTERNATIONAL HIP HOP FILM FESTIVAL
London Edition
19-20 July 2024

International Classic Hip Hop Films,
Awards in 11 Categories.

Hip Hop Concert with various international artists.

Intras, mental health and culture: ‘Visionando’
In Intras we think that mental health is a very broad term that recognizes cultural, social, philosophical and historical aspects beyond the purely biological and sanitary. That is why this Festival seeks to collect and show all possible views in order to make visible different realities and combat the stigmas associated with mental health problems.

From this perspective we present the I Festival of short films on mental health 'Visionando' to be held between October and November 2024 in the city of Valladolid as the main venue.

Why ‘Visionando’?
‘Visionando' was born in 2023 as a film series with the collaboration of the City Council of Valladolid, creating a space in the city to reflect on mental health. In the last quarter of the year, 5 films were screened followed by a colloquium with mental health, film and media professionals. They addressed different perspectives on mental health: family, emotional and social relationships, care, the passage through psychiatric units, new technologies and their impact, gender violence and its therapeutic approach, community integration and the importance of employment as a normalizing tool.

The fourteenth edition of the Student Film Festival FENACIES Uruguay opened its inscriptions on April 1st, and will remain open until June 10th. As every year, all the students from all over the world (from Primary to University) can register their short films totally free, which will be displayed in Montevideo from September 9th to 15th.

FENACIES is an organization founded in 2011 that started with the aim of creating a cinema festival specifically to youth, where competition would be fair and creativity and effort of these would be valued.

At first, the festival was avowed of cultural interest by the Ministry of Education and Culture, educational interest by the Primary Education Council, and tourist interest by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport. Furthermore, in 2015 UNESCO declared it of educational and cultural interest.

The main aim of the festival is to strengthen the audiovisual education between the youngest, and through the short films realization they can express their ideas so that then they can see reflected on the big screen.

During the week, the short films that are selected will be shown in a public and state cinema. On September 15th will be announced the winners in the closing ceremony.

The forth edition of the Hurlingham Film Festival will take place from October 31 to November 3, 2024 at the Leopoldo Marechal Cultural Center (Av. Gdor. Vergara 2396) in the city of Hurlingham, with free admission.

The festival aims to promote culture and film production both in the city of Hurlingham and in the rest of the country.

The FESTIHUR will host a new space in the audiovisual universe with the intention of giving visibility and synergy between the number of actors in the new city, revealing identity, diversity and future.

The "Aniwow" is the core activity of China (Beijing) International Student Animation Festival, which aims to encourage young animators to adhere to their artistic ideals, discover and cultivate new animators, cartoonists and new media artists with creative passion, original spirit and good artistic cultivation. The festival builds a bridge for students from different countries who love animation to exchange ideas, discuss academics and pass on friendship on a larger scale and at a higher level, and creates a new platform for international animation academic exchange with multiple interactions.

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.