Film Festivals
Talking Pictures Festival
The Talking Pictures Festival is produced by Percolator Films, a new non-profit media arts organization founded by independent filmmakers Ines Sommer and Kathy Berger. Percolator Films grew out of our work presenting the free Reeltime film and discussion series at the Evanston Public Library and Northwestern University’s Block Cinema for the past decade. Percolator Films engages audiences with high caliber independent films that are challenging, intriguing, entertaining and prompt the viewer to think outside the box. We collaborate with community organizations and bring independent filmmakers and audience members together to create a space for public dialogue about the films we screen. $15-35 to enter.
http://www.talkingpicturesfestival.org
Cucalorus Film Festival
Cucalorus, named one of the “Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals” by Moviemaker Magazine, is celebrating its 15th anniversary as an international film festival located in the historic, port city of Wilmington, NC. The festival is non-competitive to create a laid-back atmosphere and to foster open dialogue where filmmakers and audience feel free to share stories and socialize. Cucalorus provides a forum where film becomes a player in the social and political arena and offers a new voice for the South. $30-50 to enter
http://www.cucalorus.org/
The Really Independent Film Channel
DFD-TV, the world’s first web-based entertainment company, launches The Really Independent Film Channel. the newest venue for current indie films and emerging filmmakers. RIFC seeks strong content in shorts, features, documentaries, animation, experimental, and more, as it builds its archives of diverse and current indie film work. DFD-TV there is no cost to filmmakers or audience; it is nonexclusive and seeks no rights. We build a unique page on the site for each filmmaker, where they can direct audience, prospective partners, distributors or financiers, and the filmmaker is able to have links to their own website, as well as get feedback from the audience in the site’s interactive web ability. The channel’s goal is to support emerging artists and build an audience interested in independent film. There will be a standard non exclusive agreement, which can be canceled when you need. visit our website at http://www.reallyifc.com/home.jsp
http://www.reallyifc.com/home.jsp
Ann Arbor Film Festival
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is internationally recognized as a premiere showcase for creative, inspiring, and influential films of all types: avant-garde and experimental, story-based narratives, documentaries, and animation. As the original North American independent film festival, the AAFF is steeped in a rich tradition of ground-breaking cinema. Thousands of influential filmmakers have showcased early work at the AAFF, including luminaries such as Kenneth Anger, Agnes Varda, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, Lawrence Kasdan, and George Lucas. $18,00 in case prizes to over 30 films in a number of different categories. $35 to enter.
http://www.aafilmfest.org/
San Francisco International Film Festival
Founded in 1957, the San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. Held each spring for two weeks, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in the country’s most beautiful city, featuring some 150 films and live events with more than 100 filmmakers in attendance and nearly two dozen awards presented for cinematic excellence. The Festival attracts an annual audience of more than 80,000. $40 – $180 varies for deadline and length to enter.
http://www.sffs.org
Cinema Touching Disability
The vision behind CTD’s short Film Competition is to empower emerging filmmakers by providing them an opportunity to create and express a multitude of images portraying people with disabilities in their most creative way. Competing filmmakers highlight the role of disability through documentaries, comedies, dramatic genres, music videos, claymation and animation. It is our hope that these films will illustrate how people with disabilities lead both ordinary and extraordinary lives, filled with equal hopes and dreams. The competition is for short films (5-20 minutes) about, starring or made by a person with a disability. Cash Prizes! Free to enter!
http://www.ctdfilmfest.org/competition.html
Slamdance Film Festival
The Slamdance Film Festival is dedicated to new filmmakers. SFF accept films in every genre, on any topic from every country around the world.
slamdance.com/festival/submissions.html
Atlanta Film Festival
AFF has been a showcase for some of the most interesting, challenging and engaging work in film. $45 Features, $40 Shorts to enter
atlantafilmfestival.com
CineMart: International Film Festival Rotterdam
International Film Festival Rotterdam celebrates independent, innovative and experimental cinema and visual arts. CineMart gets a select number of directors/producers to present their film projects to co-producers, bankers, funds, sales agents, distributors, TV stations and other potential financiers.
www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com
Lone Star International Film Festival
The Lone Star International Film Festival (LSIFF), Fort Worth in Sundance Square is a presentation of the Lone Star Film Society. In addition to showcasing the best in American independent cinema, LSIFF is committed to being truly international as well as establishing itself as an authority on emerging talent. Categories include narrative feature length, documentary feature length, short form, and animation.
Annapolis Film Festival
Annapolis Film Festival is an international festival catering to all genres, bringing independent films to the scenic backyard of DC. $20-50 to enter.
www.annapolisfilmfestival.com
STARZ Denver Film Festival
The Starz Denver Film Festival, an invitational exposition of film, presents approximately 175 films over ten days and plays host to more than 125 film artists. New international feature releases, independently produced fiction films and documentaries, animation, experimental works, children’s programs and short subjects are included in the festival. $20-40 to enter.
www.denverfilm.org
Flatland Film Festival
Flatland Film Festival cultivates an appreciation for independent film, video and digital moving-image expression. Based in Lubbock, Texas. $20 to enter.
www.flatlandfilmfestival.com
Austin Film Festival Film Competition
AFF keeps its focus on the craft of screenwriting, making it unique among festivals where the director is always king. The festival attracts the top screenwriters in the industry. AFF likes films with unique stories. $40 to enter.
http://www.austinfilmfestival.com/
Moondance International Film
Moondance’s objective for this competition and film festival is to promote and encourage screenwriters and independent filmmakers, and the best work in stage plays, radio plays, TV scripts, musical scores, lyrics, librettos, musical videos, & short stories.
http://moondancefilmfestival.com/index.html
Hamptons International Film Festival
The festival is committed to exhibiting films that express fresh voices and differing global perspectives, with the hope that these programs will enlighten audiences, provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers and present inspired entertainment for all. $40-55 to enter.
www.hamptonsfilmfest.org
Toronto Film Festival
TFF vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. $75 to enter!
https://apps.tiffg.ca/Tiff_Submissions/
San Diego Asian Film Festival
SDAFF continues looking for the best in Asian American and international cinema to showcase. The festival is also offering a minimum $1,000 cash prize to the top film of the festival in 2009. $25-40 to enter!
http://www.sdaff.org/festival/
Texandance International Film Festival
If your production can hold our attention and has good production values, your creation may be selected to show at the festival. Send your best trailer, short, doc, music video, or feature! $25-65 depending on length.
http://www.Texandance.com
Student Academy Awards
The Student Academy Awards is an annual competition for college and university filmmakers. Winners – selected by the professional filmmaker members of the Academy – receive trophies and cash prizes. Free to enter!
http://www.oscars.org/awards/saa/index.html
SXSW Film Conference & Festival
SXSW is the most prestigious film festival in the south. SXSW considers any and all categories of filmmaking, from Narrative to Documentary, Experimental to Music Video, Short to Feature. $35 for shorts, $45 for features
www.sxsw.com/film
Nantucket Film Festival
Films are selected with an eye for great screenwriting and storytelling. Costs vary on length.
www.nantucketfilmfestival.org
Bicycle Film Festival
The Bicycle Film Festival celebrates and embraces bicycles through film. BFF travels to over 20 cities around the world, including Paris, London, Tokyo, New York, Austin, LA — and Sydney. Free to enter!
http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com
Houston Film Commission’s Texas Filmmakers Showcase
Houston Film Commission’s Texas Filmmakers Showcase is a special screening event consisting of the best of Texas short films and videos under 45 minutes in length, presented to studio executives, agents and producers in the Hollywood film community. free to enter.
http://www.houstonfilmcommission.com/
Avignon New York Film Festival
Avignon New York Film Festival celebrates French and American independent film with new films, retrospectives, round-tables on pertinent issues with industry experts, interviews with filmmakers and receptions, gourmet food and high caliber beverages and liqueurs and prizes for emerging filmmakers. roughly $25 entry.
www.avignonfilmfest.com
deadCENTER Film Festival
Named one of the top regional festivals in “The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide,” the annual festival will take place at seven locations over five days with more than 8,000 film enthusiasts from around the country expected to attend. A $2,500 cash prize will be given to the winner of the Best Narrative Feature. Fees vary with deadline and length.
http://www.deadcenterfilm.org/
Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival
Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival showcasing exceptional educational, inspirational and positive films and videos from around the world. $40 Features, $35 Shorts
www.bciff.com
San Diego Women’s Film Festival
Southern California’s most notable and longest running women’s film festival was a big success! They showcased over a hundred films from around the world, offering a diverse selection of features, shorts and documentaries that competed for both Judge and Audience awards.
http://sdwff.org
Los Angeles Latino International Film festival
Los Angeles Latino International Film festival aims to support and promote the development and exhibition of diverse visions by Latino filmmakers.
http://www.latinofilm.org
Marfa Film Festival
Cowboy culture meets high-art! For the intrepid, Far West Texas is an unforgettable place, far from the world, urging visitors back time and again to its awe-inspiring wildness and serenity. Screening over 50 features, shorts and experimental works. Because Marfa’s wide-open plain, distant mountains and incomparably starry sky are part of the draw, Marfa Film Festival will have outdoor screenings during the festival. Indoor screenings will be anchored at the state-of-the-art Goode-Crowley theater. Features $45, Shorts $35
www.marfafilmfestival.org
Jay Sanders Film Festival
The Jay Sanders Film Festival is a yearly event in which the finalists in the Movie Gallery Student Film Competition are publicly presented and judged.
http://media.cla.auburn.edu/cmjn/festival/index.html
Asian American International Film Festival
The first and longest running festival to recognize the works of Asian/American media makers, categories: Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Short Films, Screenplays, Works-In-Progress, Youth Films (under 20)
www.asiancinevision.org/festival.html
Los Angeles Film Festival
LAFF held annually for ten days in June, showcases the best of American and international independent cinema. $70 Features, $50 Shorts
www.lafilmfest.com
M.A.L.I. Women’s Film and Performance Arts Festival
The festival is an outlet to view, interact, network and purchase the works of female artists of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
www.blowinupaspot.com/Forms_Tickets.html
Democracy Video Challenge
Create a video short that completes the phrase “Democracy is…” and win a trip to Washington, NY and LA to attend screenings of the winning videos, gain exposure to the U.S. film and television industry. FREE to enter
www.videochallenge.america.gov
Politics on Film Film festival
Politics on Film Film festival’s mission is to highlight political film broadly, providing a platform for filmmakers who focus on government, the electoral process, or pressing public policy issues, and establishing an entertaining and educational opportunity for the community. $40 to enter
www.politicsonfilm.com
Indie Fest
The Indie is about helping independent filmmakers gain publicity and secure distribution, the Holy Grail of filmmaking. $50 to enter
www.TheIndieFest.com
Baltimore Women’s Film Festival
http://www.bwfilmfestival.com/
This non-profit festival is held during breast cancer awareness month. 50% of all ticket sale proceeds are donated to breast cancer research and the outreach/survivorship program for Johns Hopkins breast cancer patients. $20-50 entry fee
Backseat Film Festival
A self-proclaimed “rock ‘n roll film fest”, the BFF showcases movies of all genres, lengths, formats and budgets, but specializes in upbeat, unpretentious work that may not find a home at other, more traditional film festivals.
Cost: varies for deadline and length: $5-20
www.backseatfilmfestival.com
YOBI Film Making Contest: Film Student Opportunity
online video filmmaking competition that anyone can enter and that YOU can judge.
browse by genre:
- African American
- Animation
- Asian
- Awareness/Topical
- Commercials/1 Minute Shorts
- Documentary/Non-Fiction
- Experimental
- Faith-based/Religious
- Features
- Free to enter!!!
- Indie
- International
- Latino
- LGBTIQ/Sexuality/Gender
- Music Video/Musicals
- Public Service Announcement
- Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror
- Screenwriting/Teleplay Writing/Playwriting
- Shorts
- Student
- Television
- Texas
- Timed Film Competition
- Trailers
- Uncategorized
- Web Series/Websites
- Women
- Youth/Child-friendly
