50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee - MovieMaker Magazine, 2017-2025
20 Essential International Film Festivals - MovieMaker Magazine
10 Most Exciting European Film Festivals - The Guardian
The Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival enters its 15th edition with a clear mission statement: CHAMPIONING DIVERSITY AND INNOVATION IN FILM. EMIFF prides itself on being an international platform for new independent voices in cinema. This commitment is reflected in the storytelling, shooting locations, and the cast and crew. The goal is to screen films that are inclusive, innovative, and invite audiences to experience a rich variety of languages and cultures.
EMIFF is recognized as one of the fastest-growing international film festivals in Europe, utilizing independent film to foster a creative community, allowing filmmakers to feel inspired, network, and thrive in this idyllic Mediterranean island paradise.
The Evolution Mallorca Festival brings together the brightest local and international minds in cinema in
Mallorca’s vibrant and culturally rich city of Palma.
For seven days, EMIFF’s program is curated to showcase a culturally diverse, inclusive, and provocative mix of feature films, short films, documentaries, music videos, films for children, experimental films, animation shorts, student films, and both a feature film and short film screenplay competition.
Festival highlights include:
The Cinematography Focus
The Producers Club
Women in Leadership Panel
Screenplay Lab
New Talent Focus
Film Talks
Masterclasses
Competitive screenings take place at some of the island's most stunning locations such as the Historic Teatre Principal, modern Palau de Congressos, the official festival hotel Portixol, Rialto Living and Cineciutat Cinema. EMIFF is an ideal venue for filmmakers to connect with industry professionals, speakers, and mentors, including Oscar winners Erik Messerschmidt, ASC, Melissa Leo, director Ruben Östlund, DP Ed Lachman, actor Mads Mikkelsen, director Isabel Coixet, and many more.
EMIFF is proud to be included in MovieMaker’s list of “TOP 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” for eight consecutive years, as well as consistently appearing on the 100 Best Reviewed Film Festivals list on Freeway, ranking in the top 1.5% of over 10,000 film festivals and creative markets worldwide.
27th International Izmir Short Film Festival
Izmir International Short Film Festival has been holding its place as being one of the greatest events in the field of movie in Turkey and it will meet its audience for the 27th time this year. The festival is the first film festival that gave awards to the international short films in Turkey. It began to show its films in 2000 and since then it has been one of the most esteemed festivals between film lovers.
KYIV INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (KISFF) is largest short film festival in Ukraine.
Our festival features a diverse range of short films created by emerging and accomplished filmmakers, including film school students and independent creators from all corners of the world. Our goal is to showcase the most stirring, inventive and distinctive films while promoting Ukrainian cinema, encouraging communication and exchange of experiences between Ukrainian and international filmmakers and artists, and providing a safe and welcoming space for our audience.
Noia Town Council is organising the 27th Vila de Noia Short Film Festival 2026, which will take place in the final quarter of this year, cementing its position as one of the leading events on the Galician, national and international scene.
With a history spanning more than a quarter of a century, the Festival reaffirms its commitment to audiovisual creation, the promotion of new talent, the screening of innovative works and the dissemination of film culture.
LA Under the Stars is an IMDb-accredited, Top 100 Best-Reviewed international film festival hosted in the heart of Los Angeles.
Now in our 8th year, LAUTS continues to celebrate bold storytelling and creative voices from around the world. Held at the historic El Cid Theater on Sunset Boulevard, the festival blends old Hollywood charm with the vibrant indie spirit of Silver Lake.
We’ve showcased work featuring talent like Woody Harrelson, Juno Temple, and Danny Trejo, and continue to champion fresh, original voices—both on screen and on the page.
Why Submit?
IMDb-eligible recognition for all Official Selections
Red carpet interviews & step-and-repeat photos
Live Q&A sessions for selected filmmakers & screenwriters
Packed screenings with an engaged, passionate LA audience
Audience Choice voting
Custom-designed trophies & exclusive filmmaker perks
VIP access and networking with fellow creatives
Diverse international judging panel
Dedicated awards for both films and screenplays
Awards & Prizes
Notable Awards Include:
SUPERSTAR – Best Overall Film
WONDER WOMAN – Outstanding Female Filmmaker
AUDIENCE CHOICE – Voted by the audience
SCRIPT SUPERNOVA – Top Feature & Short Screenplay
Best Director, Actor, Actress, Comedy, Horror, Animation, Documentary, Student Short
M. Night Shyamalan Award – Best Plot Twist
City of Angels Spotlight – Best LA Film
Special Jury Prize – For extraordinary impact
Submit your project today and join us for an unforgettable night of storytelling, community, and celebration—under the stars.
The International Film Festival of Pasto (FICPA), which celebrates its 22 edition in October 2026, is a prominent competitive event that brings together the best of national and international cinema. With official categories covering a wide range of topics, from human rights to the environment, including animation and children's films, FICPA offers a unique platform for diversity and cinematic expression. Located in the picturesque city of Pasto, Colombia, globally recognized for its iconic Carnival of Blacks and Whites, the festival not only celebrates the art of cinema but also highlights the rich cultural heritage of the region. As the oldest event in southwestern Colombia, FICPA awards the coveted Sol de los Pastos (Sun of the Pastos) prize, establishing itself as a must-attend event on both the local and international cultural calendar.
The Produzioni Oriente association is pleased to present an exclusive film festival. This 2026 edition, in particular, is dedicated to international short films, a unique opportunity to explore the new frontiers of short cinema.
This selection offers an authentic and inclusive overview, bringing to the big screen, in the historical and architectural contexts of Otranto and Salento, stories of life, popular traditions, and artistic expressions across all sectors. Otranto also offers a glimpse into cinematic stories featuring the sea, in all its forms and locations.
From emerging talents to award-winning directors at major international festivals, each short will be a window onto the world, capable of telling a story in just a few intense minutes and lastingly moving us.
We invite you to Otranto in July 2026 for an exciting visual journey, an opportunity to discover cultures and traditions, but above all, life stories.
15th Kolkata Shorts International Film Festival-26 is an amalgamation of unleash cinematic creativity & madness of cine-goers of beautiful city of Kolkata.
The Kolkata city is the hub of Bengali Cinema, a culturally rich & destination of many budding filmmakers since past century. The festival objective is to give momentum to the short cinema & to foster the growth of new breed of filmmakers.
The festival is dedicated to serve the short filmmakers specifically from west Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Orissa along with short film makers from India & world.
The humble journey of KSIFF has began in year 2012 to mark the 100 years celebration of Indian cinema & to salute the contribution of the Bengali film industry towards the development of cinema in India. The 2012 to 2025 editions of festival were huge success with participation from all over India & foreign nations and are the trendsetter festival in India & now in huge demand among young filmmakers.
The festival provide platform to aspiring and professional filmmakers for showcasing their talent with networking & marketing opportunities in film industry. The festival also hosts master classes & short film market. The festival objective is to create short films culture, promotion of upcoming filmmakers, developing sources of revenue generation for short films and to make short film making a commercial enterprise.
Inclús is a festival of audiovisual productions, both documentary and fiction, focused on the theme of disabilities. It is an initiative of Associació Inclús, organized by the audiovisual company Fish Muvi.
The aim of Festival Inclús is to give visibility to audiovisual works about disability with a different point of view.
The 14th edition of Inclús, Barcelona International Disability Film Festival will be held from November 21 to December 1, 2026, in Barcelona. The audiovisual material of the finalists will be screened during this festival, according to each different category. There will be one award for the best submittals of each category.
Imagine This Women's International Film Festival (ITWIFF) aims to amplify and empower independent and aspiring women and non-binary filmmakers from around the world.
The 8th Annual Imagine This Women's Film Festival will feature fierce, bold, original films by women and non-binary filmmakers and storytellers, Q&As, educational panels, and special events.
Imagine This Women's Film Festival's goal is to support women by sharing their work with the public, promoting equal opportunities for BIPOC women and the LGBTQIA+ community while providing educational and professional development, and serving as a resource information network.
Imagine This Women's Film Festival accepts films from womxn filmmakers and storytellers in leadership positions. At least one woman must fill the role of either a director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, leading role and etc.
Imagine This encourages BIPOC women, LGBTQIA+, student filmmakers, and storytellers to submit.
"Imagine This Productions has launched the Women’s International Film Festival with the aim to celebrate and empower independent and aspiring women filmmakers from around the world." - IndieWire
"Celebrate the work of women filmmakers from around the world at the second annual Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival (ITWIFF) in Brooklyn" - AFAR Magazine
"When it comes to film screenings and industry events, there's plenty to get you off the couch this week. From a lesson in copyright licenses to a women's international film festival, read on for the week's top film events to add to your calendar. " - ABC 7
"Recent Hollywood scandals have underscored the importance of supporting women in the film industry, and the second annual Imagine This Women’s International Film Festival is a great place to do so. The films here–which include shorts and features, documentaries and fiction films–are as diverse as the women who made them." - CBS New York
Please note: Imagine This is still planning on holding our annual film festival during our announced dates. We will also continue to follow the guidelines put forth by the public health directives and New York State, which will help to determine whether the festival’s format will be in-theatre or online, or a mixture of both. We will announce any updates via our website.
Matula Film Festival is a non-competitive festival and does not grant cash prizes or official awards.
Film selection is carried out through a curatorial process, based on artistic and thematic criteria, as well as the relationship of each work to the festival’s core focus.
Within its program, the festival may feature curated highlights and special screenings selected by the curatorial team.
Occasionally, institutional partnerships may be established to support special visibility and distribution initiatives for selected works, including collaborations with media outlets and audiovisual sector partners. Such initiatives will be formalized through specific regulations and announcements for each edition.
The Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) stands as one of Asia's most prestigious and widely recognized platforms for short films, celebrated for its dedication to creative excellence, innovation, and the promotion of diverse voices in cinema. Over the course of its illustrious history, TISFF has evolved into a vibrant hub for global storytelling, attracting thousands of submissions from filmmakers worldwide—a reflection of its unparalleled reputation as a cornerstone for emerging talent and visionary cinematic voices.
Organized by the Iranian Youth Cinema Society (IYCS), a leading organization in short film production and education, TISFF benefits from an extensive infrastructure comprising 58 branches across Iran and a thriving network of filmmakers and alumni. The IYCS supports the production of countless short films annually and trains aspiring filmmakers each year. Many of its graduates have risen to prominence as some of the most celebrated filmmakers in international cinema, reinforcing its profound influence on the global filmmaking stage.
An OSCARS®-qualifying festival, TISFF is renowned for embracing innovation while celebrating cinematic tradition. For its 43rd edition, TISFF proudly showcases its established categories of fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental films—genres that have long been at the heart of its commitment to cinematic excellence, with the Grand Prize winner becoming eligible for Academy Awards® consideration. In addition, the festival continues its AI Competition Program, highlighting the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence in redefining storytelling and artistic expression, reflecting TISFF's vision for the future of filmmaking.
Following its successful introduction last year, the Emerging Horizons Award will continue as part of TISFF’s policy to spotlight emerging talent. Each year, this category will be dedicated to debut short fiction and documentary films from a selected geographical region, providing a platform for fresh and visionary voices. For this edition, the Emerging Horizons Award will focus on filmmakers from the Silk Road countries, celebrating creativity and innovation from this historic cultural crossroads.
As ever, TISFF remains a global platform for filmmakers to present their work, fostering the evolution of short film as a compelling artistic and cultural medium. We warmly invite you to join us in vibrant and culturally rich Tehran this autumn for the 43rd edition of TISFF.
Patrofest is a film festival where you can participate to see your work on the big screen and spend a relaxing time talking about cinema. We want to give a push to young authors who are taking their first steps in this world.
The festival will be held in the emblematic modernist theater "El Patronat", located in the old town of Premià de Mar.
Each short film represents time, decisions, a way of seeing, of telling, and of expressing.
In its 15th edition, El Festivalico continues to receive works from all over the world, each one very different from the others.
Not all of them are screened.
The selection is carried out by a team with diverse sensibilities and perspectives.
This process takes us months of viewing, always approached with the utmost respect and rigor for every work received.
Over the years, some of the selected works have continued their journey, later being selected and awarded at the Goya Awards, among other recognitions.
But all of them are part of the same thing:
the need to tell stories and to be seen.
For a few days, a selection of these stories is shared and experienced.
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 from filmmakers around the world.
TORONTO SHORTS FILMS WILL CONTINUE THEIR FESTIVAL JOURNEY IN NEW YORK.
We believe that short-form cinema and its creators should have their own premier film festival in Toronto deserving similar recognition given to the feature film.
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.
Now in our 14th year, the festival has become a career stepping stone, establishing a tradition of discovering and promoting filmmakers who have gone on to 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 Toronto Shorts international Film Festival.
We showcase the best short films and its filmmakers from around the world.
The seventh edition of the Hurlingham Film Festival will take place from noviembre 6 to 8, 2026, 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.
Filmn produced or co-produced by audiovisual companies and / or producers with headquarters or residence in Catalonia, the Valencian Country, the Balearic Islands, Andorra, Northern Catalonia, the Western Strip and the city of Alghero in the minimum percentage of 51% per to short films and 50% for documentaries.
The V International Devotional Film Festival will take place between August 19 and 22, 2026 and the call for entries will be open until July 3.
The Festival aims to carry out a ritual, a bridge, between the spectators and the audiovisual works that seek, through the expressive possibilities of cinema, to understand reverence and fervor, questioning devotion as a way of being in the world. We understand devotion as a surrender, mystical or not, to an experience, an idea, a thing, a thought, a person, an object, everything is susceptible to devotion.
We clarify, as fundamental, that this festival, under no point of view, will be a participant in any propaganda and that it does not subscribe with any religious or other group.
2 Counties Independent Film Festival (2CIFF)
21–23 August 2026 | Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
This is where bold voices break through.
This is where stories find their audience.
This is where filmmakers step into what’s next.
Welcome to 2CIFF.
A new force on the international festival circuit, 2 Counties Independent Film Festival is built for filmmakers who are not waiting for permission — but are ready to be seen.
We champion daring storytelling, fresh perspectives, and the kind of work that stays with an audience long after the screen goes dark.
A Festival Experience — Not Just a Screening
Taking place 21–23 August 2026, 2CIFF unfolds over a vibrant summer weekend at the iconic Milton Keynes Gallery and the state-of-the-art Sky Room Cinema (in collaboration with Curzon Cinemas).
This is not a passive viewing experience. It’s an immersive, high-energy environment where film, art, and industry collide.
Expect:
Premium cinematic screenings
Curated networking events & afterparties inside a contemporary gallery space
Panels, workshops, and industry conversations designed to elevate emerging voices
A dynamic international audience, with easy access from London and beyond
Built by Filmmakers, For Filmmakers
2CIFF is driven by a team of award-winning actors, directors, producers, writers, and stunt professionals—
We understand the journey because we’ve lived it.
Our mission is clear:
to discover, support, and amplify the next generation of global filmmaking talent.
A Smarter, Fairer Festival Model
We’ve stripped away the complexity and made submission simple:
Submit to just ONE main category
If selected, your film is automatically considered for 20+ award categories
Every selected film receives:
Official screening at the festival
2 complimentary tickets for cast & crew
Access to exclusive networking events, talks and all areas of the festival.
Entry to the Gala and awards ceremony
A curated festival goodie bag
Because we believe your focus should be on your film — not navigating submission systems.
A Region at the Heart of Global Cinema
2CIFF is proudly rooted in a region rich with cinematic heritage and future-facing innovation.
From Pinewood Studios and the National Film and Television School (NFTS) to Cardington Studios and the upcoming Universal Studios development, this is a landscape where global cinema is made.
Home to talent such as Emily Atack, Ben Whishaw, and Sophie Rundle, these counties continue to inspire filmmakers shaping the industry today.
A Platform Designed to Grow With You
2CIFF is not just a festival — it’s a movement in its early chapters.
With ambitious plans to expand year-on-year and achieve internationally recognised status, we are building something that filmmakers can grow with, not just submit to.
The Stage Your Film Deserves
Up to 100 selected films screened across the weekend
Judged by a diverse panel of industry experts and VIP guests
A high-profile awards ceremony celebrating excellence across all genres
A festival atmosphere that balances prestige with genuine community
Whether your work is bold, intimate, experimental, or genre-defining —
if it moves an audience, it belongs at 2CIFF.
Submit your film. Join the experience. Be part of what comes next.
