Top 250 International Film Festivals in 2026 + Submission Tips

By Adrian Țofei | Latest updates: December 2025

Intro

Seeing the success of my Top 100 Genre Film Festivals in helping thousands of filmmakers around the world, I decided to make a general list as well, with the most important international film festivals, regardless of genre (also to help me select the best festivals for my upcoming movie We Put the World to Sleep). This list got shared by top festivals and filmmakers and gradually surpassed my initial genre list, becoming probably the most comprehensive and trusted resources of this kind on the internet, always at the top of Google search results for “top film festivals“, and being used regularly by thousands of filmmakers worldwide. I’m researching festivals and updating the list regularly.

Criteria

I take into consideration in my research the following criteria (dark red means newly added or updated):

  • over 50 other lists (see “Other lists” at the bottom of the article, with codes to identify the exact list each festival is mentioned on)
  • the feedback I receive from numerous top film professionals: filmmakers with significant festival experience, producers (both Hollywood and indie), lead programmers from established festivals such as TIFF, Tribeca or SXSW, directors of indie festivals, studio executives, distributors, sales executives and journalists/critics
  • the opportunities the festivals offer to filmmakers and actors: distribution, publicity, networking, representation, awards and Academy Awards, reviews, invitations to other festivals, talent discovery, new projects
  • the top 5 Oscar boosters for narrative features – marked OB on the list (relevant for productions over $1M budget, not micro-budget indie filmmakers) – the fests that premiered the most features to get Academy nominations for best picture, acting, directing, screenplay and international feature in 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020, according to their IMDb pages: Venice (26), Cannes (23), Toronto (13), Telluride (11), Sundance (10), Berlin (2), SXSW (2), New York (2), AFI Fest (2), BFI London (1).
  • whether the festivals are featured in major publications or not
  • the number of world premieres that find success afterwards, which can be an indicator for discovery festivals
  • the percentage of films selected from genuine submissions as opposed to curated from premium sources
  • the number of reviews from filmmakers (as of August 2025), which can roughly indicate the number of films selected from submissions – marked on the list as no./y – meaning average number of reviews per year. Not all the filmmakers leave reviews, so the number of films selected from submissions each year since the festival joined FilmFreeway could be 2-4 times higher the no./y listed (although in most cases only 10% to 20% of them are features, and the rest shorts and sometimes scripts)
  • the number of years running (founding year to be listed soon for each festival)
  • the festivals’ status/prestige in the film industry
  • the location, communication, hospitality, atmosphere and safety
  • how the festivals make the selected/attending filmmakers feel
  • the size (the number of films screened and the audience size)
  • the quality of the selected films
  • the press and film industry attending
  • the festivals’ websites and social media
  • the entry fee, submission process and selection process – free to submit festivals (as of 2025) are marked as such on my list (when known to be so for features)
  • the percentage of films selected from submissions as opposed to curated from premium sources
  • the number and quality of reviews from filmmakers
  • my own experiences when invited/selected/attended/rejected.

Notes:

  • The top does not include festivals focused exclusively on short, documentary and animated films.
  • The top also does not include festivals focused exclusively on a specific category of filmmakers (one nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation etc.). Festivals must have a wide international focus to be considered (with a few exceptions such as those focused on a larger geographical region).
  • Moving forward the top also no longer includes genre film festivals (horror/fantasy), which can be found on my Top 100 Genre Film Festivals list.
  • When there’s a tie between two or more festivals, top 10 can have more than 10 festivals, top 25 more than 25 festivals, top 50 more than 50 etc.

NEW: Featured Film Festivals: 

Contact me to get your festival featured in this section with a direct submission link, deadlines, dates and intro, visible for thousands of filmmakers using this list, regardless if the festival is in top 250 or not. If the festival is already in top 250, the submission link, deadlines, dates and intro will be added there as well. Max. 10 festivals will be featured:

  • Featured Film Festival #1 – City, Country, Dates – Intro (100-150 characters) – Submit Here – Early deadline:… | Mid deadline:… | Final deadline:…

Top 5 Film Festivals:

(ordered alphabetically)

  • Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) – Berlin, Germany – founded 1951 – IW10, IW100, R100, FIAPF, TG11, CG10wo, V5, SB10int, iFF50, Eu10, FIP, SD5, BIFA, EFA, AA, ?/y
  • Cannes Film Festival (Festival de Cannes) – Cannes, France – founded 1946 (postponed from 1939) – IW3, IW100, R100, FIAPF, TG11, CG10wo, OB, V5, SB10int, iFF50, Eu10, FIP, SD5, BIFA, EFA, AA, ?/y
  • Sundance Film Festival – Park City, Utah, US – founded 1978 – IW3, IW100, R100, TG11, CG10us, CNCnew, OB, V5, SB11us, iFF50, Am10, SD5, BIFA, FISA, MM25new, EFA, AA, 3/y
  • Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – founded 1976 – IW3, IW100, R100, FIAPF, TG11, Ca10, CG10wo, Aw3, OB, V5, SB10int, iFF50, FIP, Am10, SD5, BIFA, FISA, EFA, AA, zero/y
  • Venice Film Festival (Biennale Cinema) – Venice, Italy – founded 1932 – IW10, IW100, R100, FIAPF, TG11, Aw3, OB, V5, SB10int, iFF50, Eu10, FIP, SD5, BIFA, EFA, AA, ?/y

Top 15 Film Festivals:

(ordered alphabetically, 16 in total due to ranking ties)

  • BFI London Film Festival – London, England, UK – founded 1957 – IW100, R100, TG11, CG10wo, Aw10, CNC, V50, Eu10, SD30, BIFA, EFA, ?/y (international features are invite only)
  • Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) (formerly Pusan, focused on Asian films) – Busan, South Korea – founded 1996 – IW100, R100, FIAPF, As15, V50, SB10int, As10, MM25, FIP, MM50new, SD30, EFA, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Directors’ Fortnight Cannes (Quinzaine des cineastes) (parallel section of Cannes Film Festival) – Cannes, France – founded 1969 – R100, ?/y
  • International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) – Rotterdam, Netherlands – founded 1972 – IW10, IW100, R100, CG10wo, MM25, CNCnew, iFF50, Eu10, FIP, MM20int, SD30, EFA, ?/y
  • Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) – Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic – founded 1946 – IW100, R100, FIAPF, V50, Eu10, FIP, MM20int, EFA, ?/y
  • Locarno Film Festival – Locarno, Switzerland – founded 1946 – IW100, R100, FIAPF, iFF50, Eu10, FIP, MM20int, MM50new, SD30, EFA, AA, ?/y
  • New York Film Festival (NYFF) – New York City, US – founded 1963 – IW10, IW100, R100, Aw10, SB11us, SD30, BIFA, FISA, zero/y shorts (features are invite only)
  • San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF) – San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain – founded 1953 – IW100, R100, FIAPF, TG11, V50, iFF50, Eu10, FIP, MM20int, SD30, BIFA, EFA, ?/y
  • SXSW Film & TV Festival (South by Southwest) – Austin, Texas, US – founded 1994 – IW10, IW100, R100, TG11, CG10us, Rump, V50, Am10, SD30, BIFA, FISA, MM25new, AA, ?/y
  • Telluride Film Festival – Telluride, Colorado, US – founded 1974 – IW10, IW100, R100, TG11, CG10us, Aw3, OB, V50, SB11us, SD30, BIFA, FISA, EFA, MM25new, ?/y
  • Tribeca Festival – New York City, US – founded 2002 – IW100, R100, TG11, CG10us, CNCnew, V50, SB11us, iFF50, Am10, SD30, BIFA, FISA, MM50new, MM25new, EFA, AA, zero/y on FF, ?/y on fest site

Top 25 Film Festivals:

(ordered alphabetically, 27 in total due to ranking ties)

  • AFI FEST – Los Angeles, California, US – founded 1987 – IW100, R100, CG10us, MM25, Aw10, CNC, V50, iFF50, MM50new, SD30, BIFA, AA, 1/y
  • Chicago International Film Festival – Chicago, Illinois, US – founded 1965 – IW100, R100, MM25, CNCnew, SB11us, iFF50, MM50new, SD30, AA, 3/y
  • Critics’ Week Cannes (Semaine de la critique) (parallel section of Cannes Film Festival) – Cannes, France – founded 1962 – R100, ?/y
  • Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) (relaunched after a hiatus) – Edinburgh, Scotland, UK – founded 1947 – IW100, R100, TG11, V50, iFF50, Eu10, SD30, zero/y
  • Festival du nouveau cinema (FNC) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – founded 1971 – CNC, MM25, iFF50, FIP, MM50new, AA, NA12, 1/y
  • Palm Springs International Film Festival – Palm Springs, California, US – founded 1989 – IW100, R100, V50, CNCnew, MM25, SB11us, FIP, zero/y
  • Raindance Film Festival – London, England, UK – founded 1992 – R100, MM50, V50, SB10int, iFF50, Eu10, SD30, AA, NYFA, 6/y
  • San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM) – San Francisco, California, US – founded 1957 – IW100, R100, MM25, CG10us, iFF50, MM50new, SD30, AA, 3/y
  • Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) – Seattle, Washington State, US – founded 1976 – IW100, R100, MM50, CG10us, V50, iFF50, FIP, SD30, AA, 5/y
  • Slamdance Film Festival – Los Angeles, California (formerly Park City, Utah), US – founded 1995 – IW100, R100, Rump, SB11us, iFF50, MM20ft, SD30, MM50new, MM25new, AA, 6/y
  • Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) – Tokyo, Japan – founded 1985 – IW100, R100, FIAPF, CG10wo, MM20int, SD30, EFA, ?/y

Top 50 Film Festivals:

(ordered alphabetically, 53 in total due to ranking ties)

  • ACID Cannes (L’ACID) (parallel section of Cannes Film Festival) – Cannes, France – founded 1993 – R100, ?/y
  • Atlanta Film Festival – Atlanta, Georgia, US – founded 1977 – IW100, SB11us, iFF50, MM20ft, MM50new, MM25new, AA, 6/y
  • Austin Film Festival (focused on screenwriting) – Austin, Texas, US – founded 1994 – IW100, SB11us, iFF50, MM50new, MM25new, AA, 9/y
  • Brooklyn Film Festival – New York City, US – founded 1998 – Rump, iFF50, MM50new, NYFA, 14/y
  • Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) – Cairo, Egypt – founded 1976 – R100, FIAPF, V50, FIP, MM20int, SD30, EFA, AA, 1/y shorts on FF, ?/y features on fest site
  • Cinequest Film Festival – San Jose, California, US – founded 1990 – CG10us, Rump, iFF50, MM20ft, MM50new, MM25new, AA, 11/y
  • Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) – Cleveland, Ohio, US – founded 1977 – IW100, iFF50, MM50new, MM25new, AA, 13/y
  • Dances With Films (DWF:LA/NY) – Los Angeles, California, and New York City, US – founded 1998 – IW100, R100, Rump, MM25new, NYFA, 36/y
  • Galway Film Fleadh – Galway, Ireland – founded 1989 – IW100, MM20int, MM50new, EFA, AA, 8/y
  • Goteborg Film Festival – Gothenburg, Sweden – founded 1979 – IW100, R100, CNCnew, FIP, EFA, AA, ?/y
  • Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) (focused on Ibero-American films) – Guadalajara, Mexico – founded 1986 – IW100, LA4, V50, FIP, Am10, MM50new, SD30, AA, ?/y
  • Hamptons International Film Festival – The Hamptons, New York State, US – founded 1992 – IW100, R100, Aw10, iFF50, MM50new, AA, 2/y
  • Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) (focused on Asian films) – Hong Kong – founded 1976 – IW100, R100, As15, As10, iFF50, FIP, SD30, AA, zero/y
  • Julien Dubuque International Film Festival – Dubuque, Iowa, US – founded 2012 – FIP, MM50new, NA12, 18/y
  • Mar del Plata International Film Festival – Mar del Plata, Argentina – founded 1954 – R100, FIAPF, LA4, V50, FIP, MM20int, EFA, ?/y
  • Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) – Melbourne, Australia – founded 1952 – IW100, R100, CG10wo, iFF50, MM20int, SD30, AA, 1/y
  • Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) – Santa Barbara, California, US – founded 1986 – IW100, Aw10, V50, SB11us, iFF50, MM50new, AA, 5/y
  • Sarajevo Film Festival – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina – founded 1995 – IW100, R100, V50, CNCnew, EFA, AA, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Shanghai International Film Festival – Shanghai, China – founded 1993 – FIAPF, As15, As10, EFA, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Stockholm International Film Festival – Stockholm, Sweden – founded 1990 – IW100, R100, iFF50, FIP, CNCnew, zero/y
  • Sydney Film Festival – Sydney, Australia – founded 1954 – IW100, R100, FIAPF, AA, 2/y
  • Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (POFF) – Tallinn, Estonia – founded 1997 – MM50, FIAPF, FIP, MM20int, EFA, AA, zero/y
  • Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – founded 1958 (relaunched 1982) – IW100, Ca10, CG10wo, CNC, iFF50, Am10, SD30, MM50new, 6/y
  • Vienna International Film Festival (Viennale) – Vienna, Austria – founded 1960 – IW100, FIAPF, FIP, EFA, ?/y (free to propose)
  • Warsaw Film Festival – Warsaw, Poland – founded 1985 – FIAPF, V50, iFF50, FIP, MM20int, MM50new, EFA, AA, 2/y
  • Zurich Film Festival – Zurich, Switzerland – founded 2005 – R100, MM25, CNCnew, zero/y

Top 110 Film Festivals:

(ordered alphabetically, 113 in total due to ranking ties)

  • Anchorage International Film Festival – Anchorage, Alaska, US – MM20ft, MM25new, NA12, 10/y
  • Ann Arbor Film Festival (for experimental & avant-garde films) – Ann Arbor, Michigan, US – IW100, R100, MM50, iFF50, AA, 8/y
  • Atlantic International Film Festival (FIN) – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada – IW100, MM50, Ca10, NA12, 3/y
  • Austin Revolution Film Festival – Austin, Texas, US – MM50, 45/y
  • Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) – Beijing, China – CNCnew, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Berlin Critics’ Week (Woche der Kritik) (parallel section of Berlinale) – Berlin, Germany – founded 2015 – ?/y (invite only)
  • Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (BAFICI) – Buenos Aires, Argentina – IW100, R100, FIP, MM25new, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) – Calgary, Alberta, Canada – Ca10, SB10int, MM50new, AA, 5/y
  • Camerimage International Film Festival (focused on cinematography) – Torun, Poland – V50, FIP, MM20int, MM50new, AA, ?/y
  • Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI) (focused on Ibero-American films) – Cartagena, Colombia – IW100, LA4, AA, ?/y
  • Cork International Film Festival (CIFF) – Cork, Ireland – CNC, AA, 4/y
  • Dallas International Film Festival – Dallas, Texas, US – IW100, AA, 4/y
  • Denver Film Festival – Denver, Colorado, US – IW100, CG10us, MM50new, 2/y
  • Dublin International Film Festival – Dublin, Ireland – 1/y
  • Durban International Film Festival (focused on African films) – Durban, South Africa – CG10wo, AA, 4/y
  • Film Fest Gent (focused on film music) – Ghent, Belgium – IW100, R100, MM50, CNC, V50, ?/y
  • Florida Film Festival – Maitland suburb of Orlando, Florida, US – IW100, MM50, iFF50, AA, 9/y
  • Gijon International Film Festival – Gijon, Asturias, Spain – FIAPF, MM50, FIP, Ch, AA, ?/y
  • Giornate degli Autori (formerly known as Venice Days) (parallel section of Venice Film Festival) – Venice, Italy – founded 2004 – ?/y
  • Hawaii International Film Festival – Honolulu, Hawaii, US – IW100, V50, MM50new, AA, 4/y
  • Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF) – Indianapolis, Indiana, US – V50, MM50new, MM25new, 5/y
  • IndieLisboa – Lisbon, Portugal – MM20int, MM50new, 3/y
  • International Film Festival of India (IFFI-Goa) – Goa, India – FIAPF, As15, SB10int, MM20int, EFA, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Istanbul Film Festival (İKSV) – Istanbul, Türkiye (Turkey) – MM25, FIP, CNCnew, EFA, ?/y
  • Jeonju International Film Festival – Jeonju, South Korea – MM50, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) – Leeds, England, UK – iFF50, AA, 5/y
  • Marrakech International Film Festival – Marrakesh, Morocco – V50, MM25, ?/y
  • Miami Film Festival – Miami, Florida, US – IW100, MM50, 5/y
  • Mill Valley Film Festival – Mill Valley, California, US – IW100, Aw10, MM50, 3/y
  • Morelia International Film Festival (focused on Ibero-American films) – Morelia, Mexico – IW100, MM25, AA, ?/y
  • Munich Film Festival (Filmfest Munchen) – Munich, Germany – IW100, CNCnew, FIP, ?/y (invite only)
  • Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) (focused on screenwriting) – New York City, US – IW100, MM50, V50, SB11us, 1/y
  • Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm) – Nashville, Tennessee, US – IW100, iFF50, MM50new, AA, 6/y
  • New Directors/New Films (presented by MoMA) – New York City, US – IW100, CNC, FISA, ?/y (invite only)
  • New Horizons Film Festival – Wroclaw, Poland – R100, EFA, ?/y (free to submit)
  • New Orleans Film Festival – New Orleans, Louisiana, US – iFF50, MM50new, MM25new, AA, 8/y
  • New Zealand International Film Festival (Whānau Mārama) – Auckland, Wellington and other cities across New Zealand – R100, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Newport Beach Film Festival – Newport Beach, California, US – MM50new, MM25new, 13/y
  • Panafrican Film & Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) – Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – IW100, R100, AA, ?/y
  • Provincetown International Film Festival – Provincetown, Massachusetts, US – IW100, MM25, MM50new, AA, 4/y
  • Queens World Film Festival – New York City, US – MM50, MM20ft, 16/y
  • Red Sea International Film Festival (focused on Middle Eastern films) – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – ?/y
  • Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) – Reykjavik, Iceland – R100, MM20int, EFA, zero/y
  • Rome Film Festival – Rome, Italy – R100, FIAPF, ?/y
  • San Luis Obispo International Film Festival – San Luis Obispo, California, US – MM50, MM25new, AA, 8/y
  • Santa Fe International Film Festival (formerly Santa Fe Independent FF) – Santa Fe, New Mexico, US – iFF50, MM50new, AA, NA12, 8/y
  • Sao Paulo International Film Festival (focused on Ibero-American films) – Sao Paulo, Brazil – R100, V50, ?/y
  • Sedona International Film Festival – Sedona, Arizona, US – IW100, MM50new, MM25new, 15/y
  • Settimana Internazionale della Critica (SIC) (parallel section of Venice Film Festival) – Venice, Italy – founded 1984 – ?/y
  • Sidewalk Film Festival – Birmingham, Alabama, US – MM20ft, MM50new, MM25new, 15/y
  • Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) – Singapore – iFF50, FIP, AA, ?/y
  • Sofia International Film Festival – Sofia, Bulgaria – R100, FIAPF, V50, FIP, EFA, ?/y
  • Sonoma International Film Festival (SIFF) – Sonoma, California, US – MM25, MM50new, 4/y
  • Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival – Taipei, Taiwan – R100, FIP, AA, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Tallgrass Film Festival – Wichita, Kansas, US – MM50new, MM25new, NYFA, 9/y
  • Thessaloniki International Film Festival – Thessaloniki, Greece – IW100, R100, CNCnew, V50, MM50, FIP, EFA, ?/y
  • Torino Film Festival (TFF) – Turin, Italy – R100, FIAPF, MM50, FIP, zero/y
  • Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF) – Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, Romania – IW100, R100, FIAPF, FIP, EFA, ?/y
  • Waco Independent Film Festival (formerly Deep in the Heart FF) – Waco, Texas, US – MM20ft, MM50new, MM25new, 19/y
  • Woodstock Film Festival – Woodstock, New York State, US – IW100, MM50new, MM25new, AA, 7/y

Top 250 Film Festivals:

(ordered alphabetically, 259 in total due to ranking ties)

  • Adelaide Film Festival – Adelaide, Australia – R100, V50, zero/y
  • Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) – Lagos, Nigeria – 9/y
  • Annapolis Film Festival – Annapolis, Maryland, US – MM25new, 4/y
  • Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival – Antalya, Türkiye (Turkey) – FIAPF, ?/y
  • Ashland Independent Film Festival – Ashland, Oregon, US – IW100, MM50, 2/y
  • Athens International Film Festival (AIFF) – Athens, Greece – 2/y
  • Athens International Film + Video Festival (AIFVF) – Athens, Ohio, US – iFF50, AA, 9/y
  • Bali International Film Festival (Balinale) – Sanur, Bali, Indonesia – As10, AA, 3/y
  • Beaufort International Film Festival – Beaufort, South Carolina, US – 18/y
  • BendFilm Festival – Bend, Oregon, US – MM25, MM50new, 7/y
  • Bengaluru International Film Festival – Bengaluru, India – FIP, FIAPF, ?/y
  • Bergen International Film Festival – Bergen, Norway – ?/y (free to submit)
  • Beverly Hills Film Festival – Los Angeles, California, US – 24/y
  • Birmingham Film Festival – Birmingham, England, UK – 12/y
  • Bosphorus Film Festival – Istanbul, Türkiye (Turkey) – 1/y on FF, ?/y on fest site
  • Brussels Independent Film Festival – Brussels, Belgium – iFF50, 7/y
  • Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF) – Brussels, Belgium – FIP, zero/y
  • Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival (BIEFF) – Bucharest, Romania – 1/y shorts (features are invite only)
  • Bucharest International Film Festival (BIFF) – Bucharest, Romania – ?/y (invite only)
  • Burbank International Film Festival – Burbank, California, US – MM50, 15/y
  • Cambodia International Film Festival – Phnom Penh, Cambodia – 5/y
  • Cambridge Film Festival – Cambridge, England, UK – 4/y
  • Carthage Film Festival (focused on African and Arab films) – Tunis, Tunisia – FIP, ?/y
  • Carmarthen Bay Film Festival – Carmarthenshire, Wales, UK – 16/y
  • Catalina Film Festival – Santa Catalina Island (Los Angeles County), California, US – MM50new, 14/y
  • Chicago International Children’s Film Festival – Chicago, Illinois, US – Ch, AA, 4/y
  • Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF) (focused on experimental films) – Chicago, Illinois, US – 4/y
  • Chilliwack Independent Film Festival – Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada – MM50new, 13/y
  • Cinehill Motovun Film Festival – Motovun, Croatia – FIP, 1/y shorts (features are invite only)
  • Cinema Jove: Valencia International Film Festival – Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain – FIAPF, ?/y
  • Coney Island Film Festival – New York City, US – MM25, 18/y
  • Cordillera International Film Festival – Reno, Nevada, US – MM25new, 17/y
  • Coronado Island Film Festival – Coronado resort of San Diego, California, US – IW100, MM50new, 6/y
  • CREDO 23 Film Festival – Los Angeles, California, US – MM25new, 3/y
  • Cucalorus Film Festival – Wilmington, North Carolina, US – MM50new, MM25new, 9/y
  • Cyprus Film Days International Festival – Limassol/Nicosia, Cyprus – 1/y
  • deadCenter Film Festival – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, US – MM50new, AA, 10/y
  • Eastern Oregon Film Festival – La Grande, Oregon, US – MM25new, 5/y
  • Edmonton International Film Festival – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – MM50, AA, 8/y
  • El Gouna Film Festival – El Gouna, Egypt – FIP, ?/y
  • Evolution! Mallorca International Film Festival – Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain – MM20int, MM50new, 13/y
  • Fajr International Film Festival – Tehran, Iran – V50, FIP, FIAPF, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Festival de Malaga – Malaga, Andalusia, Spain – FIAPF, ?/y
  • Festival Premiers Plans D’Angers (focused on European films) – Angers, France – CNCnew, ?/y
  • FEST New Directors/New Films Festival – Espinho, Portugal – 5/y
  • Festival del Cinema Europeo (focused on European films) – Lecce, Italy – FIP, ?/y (free to submit)
  • FIDMarseille – Marseille, France – CNC, MM20int, ?/y
  • Filmfest Bremen – Bremen, Germany – 12/y
  • Filmfest Hamburg – Hamburg, Germany – ?/y
  • Filmfestival Kitzbuehel – Kitzbuhel, Austria – FIAPF, MM50, 3/y
  • First Look MoMI – New York City, US – founded 2012 – ?/y (invite only)
  • Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival – Ford Lauderdale, Florida, US – 11/y
  • Foyle Film Festival – Foyle, Northern Ireland, UK – AA, 6/y shorts (features are invite only)
  • Geneva International Film Festival (formerly Tous Ecrans) – Geneva, Switzerland – R100, V50, ?/y (invite only)
  • Giffoni Film Festival (films for children) – Giffoni Valle Piana, Italy – Ch, 4/y
  • Glasgow Film Festival – Glasgow, Scotland, UK – 1/y
  • Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival – Yerevan, Armenia – MM25, FIP, zero/y
  • Gramado Film Festival (focused on Ibero-American films) – Gramado, Brazil – LA4, ?/y
  • Guanajuato International Film Festival (focused on Ibero-American films) – San Miguel de Allende, Mexico – iFF50, AA, 6/y
  • Hamilton Film Festival – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – 11/y
  • Havana Film Festival (focused on Latin American films) – Havana, Cuba – IW100, FIP, ?/y
  • Haifa International Film Festival – Haifa, Israel – CNC, V50, AA, ?/y
  • Hof International Film Festival – Hof, Germany – ?/y (free to submit)
  • Indie Memphis Film Festival – Memphis, Tennessee, US – MM25, MM50new, 8/y
  • International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg – Mannheim/Heidelberg, Germany – FIP, ?/y
  • International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) – Kerala, India – FIP, FIAPF, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Jerusalem Film Festival – Jerusalem, Israel – CNCnew, V50, EFA, AA, ?/y
  • Jose Ignacio International Film Festival – José Ignacio, Uruguay – AA, ?/y
  • Kolkata International Film Festival – Kolkata (Calcutta), India – FIAPF, FIP, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Kustendorf Film Festival – Kustendorf, Serbia – MM25, ?/y
  • Kyiv International Film Festival (Molodist) – Kyiv, Ukraine – FIAPF, FIP, EFA, 1/y
  • Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival – Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain – MM25, ?/y
  • Les Arcs Film Festival (focused on European films) – Les Arcs ski resort, France – CNCnew, ?/y
  • Lighthouse International Film Festival – Long Beach Island, New Jersey, US – MM25, 10/y
  • Lisboa Film Festival (LEFFEST) – Lisbon, Portugal – ?/y (free to submit)
  • Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFE) – Ljubljana, Slovenia – FIP, ?/y
  • Love & Anarchy: Helsinki International Film Festival – Helsinki, Finland – R100, ?/y
  • Luxembourg City Film Festival (Lux Film Fest) – Luxembourg – MM25, FIP, ?/y
  • Malaysia International Film Festival – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – ?/y (free to submit)
  • Mammoth Lakes Film Festival – Mammoth Lakes, California, US – MM50new, MM25new, 11/y
  • Manchester Film Festival – Manchester, England, UK – 27/y
  • Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival – Martha’s Vineyard island, Massachusetts, US – MM50, 1/y
  • Maryland Film Festival – Baltimore, Maryland, US – MM25, 4/y
  • Middleburg Film Festival – Middleburg, Virginia, US – IW100, Aw10, zero/y
  • Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival – Middlebury, Vermont, US – MM25new, 15/y
  • Milwaukee Film Festival – Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US – MM25, 5/y
  • Miskolc International Film Festival (CineFest) – Miskolc, Hungary – FIP, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Montclair Film Festival – Montclair, New Jersey, US – MM25, MM50new, 5/y
  • Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival (Cinemed) – Montpellier, France – CNCnew, ?/y
  • Moscow International Film Festival – Moscow, Russia – IW100, R100, FIP, SD30, ?/y
  • MAMI Mumbai Film Festival – Mumbai, India – FIAPF, As10, FIP, ?/y
  • Myrtle Beach International Film Festival – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, US – NA12, 6/y
  • Naples International Film Festival – Naples, Florida, US – MM25, MM50new, 2/y
  • Nevada City Film Festival – Nevada City, California, US – MM50new, MM25new, 8/y
  • NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) (monthly event) – Los Angeles, California, US – MM20ft, MM50new, MM25new, NYFA, 27/y
  • New Hampshire Film Festival – Portsmouth, New Hampshire, US – MM50new, AA, 2/y
  • New York International Children’s Film Festival – New York City, US – MM25new, Ch, AA, 2/y
  • Noir in Festival – Milan, Italy – FIAPF, V50, ?/y
  • The Norwegian International Film Festival (focused on Nordic films) – Haugesund, Norway – R100, EFA, ?/y
  • Not Film Fest – Rimini, Italy – MM20int, 7/y
  • Oak Cliff Film Festival – Dallas, Texas, US – MM25, MM50, 3/y
  • Odesa International Film Festival – Odessa, Ukraine – MM25, FIP, EFA, zero/y on FF, ?/y on fest site (free to submit on both)
  • OFF CAMERA – Krakow, Poland – FIP, zero/y
  • Oldenburg International Film Festival – Oldenburg, Germany – R100, CG10wo, 2/y
  • Omaha Film Festival – Omaha, Nebraska, US – MM50, 12/y
  • On Vous Ment! Mockumentary Film Festival (for mockumentary, screenlife and found footage films) – Lyon, France – zero/y on FF, ?/y via email
  • Oxford Film Festival – Oxford, Mississippi, US – MM50, 12/y
  • Philadelphia Film Festival – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US – MM50, 1/y
  • Phoenix Film Festival – Phoenix, Arizona, US – MM20ft, 12/y
  • The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival – Morgan Hill, California, US – MM50, MM20ft, MM25new, 13/y
  • Port Townsend Film Festival – Port Townsend, Washington, US – MM25new, 6/y
  • Portland Film Festival – Portland, Oregon, US – MM50, iFF50, 10/y
  • Puerto Rico Film Festival – Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, US – NA12, 4/y
  • Pula Film Festival – Pula, Croatia – ?/y (invite only)
  • Rabat International Author Film Festival (FICAR) – Rabat, Morocco – FIP, 3/y
  • Revelation Perth International Film Festival – Perth, Australia – 6/y
  • Riga International Film Festival (focused on Baltic films) – Riga, Latvia – 2/y
  • Rio de Janeiro Int’l Film Festival (Festival do Rio) – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – V50, FIP, SD30, ?/y
  • RiverRun International Film Festival – Winston-Salem, North Carolina, US – MM50, AA, 9/y
  • Romford Film Festival – Romford suburb of London, England, UK – 16/y
  • San Diego International Film Festival – Del Mar, California, US – 6/y
  • San Francisco Independent Film Festival (SF IndieFest) – San Francisco, California, US – 7/y
  • Santiago International Film Festival (SANFIC) – Santiago, Chile – ?/y
  • Sarasota Film Festival – Sarasota, Florida, US – IW100, MM25, MM50, 3/y
  • SCAD Savannah Film Festival – Savannah, Georgia, US – MM50new, MM25new, 6/y
  • Seminci: Valladolid International Film Festival – Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain – CNCnew, FIP, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Seville European Film Festival – Seville, Andalusia, Spain – FIP, ?/y (free to submit)
  • SF3 SmartFone FlickFest – Sydney, Australia – 8/y
  • Sherman Oaks Film Festival – Glendale suburb of Los Angeles, California, US – 22/y
  • Snowdance Independent Film Festival – Essen, Germany – 8/y
  • Taipei Film Festival – Taipei, Taiwan – As15, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Taormina Film Fest – Taormina, Sicily, Italy – CNC, ?/y
  • The South African Independent Film Festival – Cape Town, South Africa – 4/y
  • St. Louis International Film Festival – St. Louis, Missouri, US – AA, 11/y
  • Stony Brook Film Festival – Stony Brook, New York State, US – MM50, 6/y
  • Tirana International Film Festival – Tirana, Albania – AA, 4/y
  • Tromso International Film Festival – Tromso, Norway – FIP, ?/y
  • USA Film Festival – Dallas, Texas, US – 5/y
  • Utah Film Festival – Taylorsville, Utah, US – 20/y
  • Valdivia International Film Festival (FICValdivia) – Valdivia, Chile – MM25, ?/y
  • Vilnius Film Festival (Kino Pavasaris) – Vilnius, Lithuania – CNC, FIP, ?/y
  • Whistler Film Festival – Whistler, British Columbia, Canada – Ca10, Am10, MM50new, 3/y
  • Woods Hole Film Festival (focused on cinematography) – Woods Hole, Massachusetts, US – MM50, 15/y
  • Wyoming International Film Festival – Cheyenne, Wyoming, US – NYFA, 24/y
  • Zagreb Film Festival – Zagreb, Croatia – CNCnew, FIP, zero/y
  • Zlin International Film Festival for Children and Youth – Zlin, Czech Republic – R100, Ch, 1/y

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NEW: Festival Strategy & Custom List of Festivals for Your Film:

Submission Tips:

Dark red means newly added or updated tips.

  • First of all, if you’ve never made a film before, but you’re thinking of making one, don’t listen to advices about what’s required, if that puts you down. You don’t necessarily need a script or a professional camera or a team or a lot of money. Escape the mental entrapment about what filmmaking is. The best is to find your own ways.
  • In case you have no idea whatsoever about how festivals work, here are the basics: The best way to have your video recognized as a professional artistic film is to be vetted by at least one festival which has a certain degree of recognition in the industry. The festivals are the gatekeepers, they’re launchpads for new filmmakers and indie films, as well as boosters for established filmmakers and studio productions. The films are either invited by festival curators, or selected by festival programmers from submissions made by the filmmakers, film producers, production companies, sales agents or distributors. Thousands of fests are listed on submission platforms where you put your film out (via private link with password), and then you choose which festivals to submit to (some also accept submissions via email or directly on their websites). Programmers check out the submitted films and select a few. For feature films, make sure to have the world premiere in a top festival. Your success will depend on that.

  • Promote your film (project) like crazy before, during and after festivals. Use social media, send press releases, anything you can to ignite people’s interest and ultimately the interest of the film industry. A good percentage of your film’s success will be about the expectation and buzz surrounding it.

  • Keep your feature film below 100 minutes if possible and never above 120 minutes. And if you have a genre feature film, keep it below 90 min if possible and never above 100 min. Most festivals are commercially oriented and don’t wanna risk boring their audiences and fade away in popularity. Even the artsy ones!
  • Keep your short film between 5 and 20 minutes is possible. Festivals prefer to screen a bigger number of shorter short films instead of a single longer short film (except shorts below 5 minutes which some festivals may disregard as micro-shorts, unless they have a specific category for micro-shorts).
  • Some festival programmers won’t watch your feature film entirely and might reject it based on the first 10-20 minutes. Try to have a powerful beginning or one that shows potential for a powerful development and entices the viewer to watch more.
  • Get feedback about your final cut from people with experience in the film industry that you trust before submitting to festivals.
  • For feature films, it’s important to have the world premiere in a top festival. The selections after the world premiere will be in smaller or at best similar festivals, rarely in bigger festivals. Plan carefully your world premiere (and also the premieres at continental and country/state/big city level), don’t settle for a little-known festival if you think your movie can do more than that. Exception: a feature can gather buzz and publicity in smaller festivals on one continent (such as North America), before being selected to premiere in a bigger festival on another continent (such as Europe).
  • For short films you don’t necessarily need to have the word premiere in a big festival. A short film can travel the festival circuit in smaller festivals, gathering publicity, before being selected to a bigger one. Although premiering in a big one is still an advantage.
  • Don’t waste your money and/or chances submitting to world premiere your feature film in festivals which don’t screen world premieres, but take most of their films from other festivals. Focus initially on discovery festivals known for selecting world premieres and leave the rest for your regional premieres.
  • Don’t waste your money submitting to festivals which have little to no reviews on FilmFreeway (unless the festival joined FilmFreeway recently and there wasn’t enough time to gather reviews, check the joining date at the Transparency question mark in the left column on FF). When festivals have very few reviews, it could mean that they choose to curate/invite most of their films from premium sources (sales agents, contacts, other festivals, sponsorships etc.), and view paid submissions mostly as revenue. A lot of reviews could mean more selections from paid submissions (although the reviews can come mostly from selected shorts and sometimes scripts, check if any belong to feature selections).
  • Check the number of FilmFreeway reviews per year listed on most festivals on my list (no./y), which can roughly indicate the number of films selected from genuine submissions. For example, assuming that only a quarter to half the filmmakers leave reviews, 5/y could mean an average of 10-20 films selected from genuine submissions each year since the festival joined FilmFreeway. In most cases only 10% to 20% of them are features (the rest shorts and sometimes scripts), which in our example could mean 1-4 features per year. Some festivals are not on FilmFreeway and hence we can’t estimate how many films they select from submissions (marked ?/y on my list) – pay to submit at your risk to those.
  • But the number of reviews alone is not enough, as there are many scammy award events and pseudo-fests on FilmFreeway with numerous reviews because they select and award almost everything they receive, just to be on top on FF and make more money while offering zero value to “selected”/”winning” filmmakers. Make sure the festival has recognition and respect in the industry as well, from other sources (such as my list), before paying to submit.
  • Do not limit yourself to FilmFreeway. Some great festivals in Europe, Asia and South America are free to submit and are not on FilmFreeway. You’ll have to find their submission forms or emails on their websites. Such festivals are funded from the state cultural budgets, and if selected, they may pay for your travel and accommodation, because their budgets are usually higher. Don’t be put down by the unattractiveness of some of their websites or the more complicated and time consuming submission method, that’s because such festivals have little interest in “selling” themselves to filmmakers, since they don’t depend on submission fees.
  • In Europe, Asia and South America, most festivals pay for filmmakers’ travel and accommodation (especially for features). In the US and the rest of Anglo-sphere, that’s the exception, so plan your budget accordingly, because attending important festival premieres where there’s a significant industry present could be crucial to the success of your film.
  • Check out the genres & types of films the festival usually screens. If you’ve made a low budged mockumentary, but the festival never screened low budget mockumentaries in the past, you might want to keep the money to submit to festivals which are more relevant for your film. Check out also the geographical region the festival focuses on.
  • Don’t waste your money submitting your genre film (horror, fantastic, creepy, bizarre etc.) to festivals that do not have specific genre sidebars and do not usually select genre films. It’ll be rejected most probably (unless there’s a special connection to the festival, such as a locally-shot film). Aim at genre film festivals instead, or general film festivals with genre programs – see my Top 100 Fantastic & Horror Film Festivals & Programs.
  • A premiere in a big major festival is not always preferable for micro-budgeted indie films. Smaller films could get overshadowed by much bigger and star-filled productions. Find the festival that is right for your film.
  • Keep the project description, email or cover letter very short – about three phrases of essential info if possible. Programmers are very busy and might not read long letters. Same for the synopsis, try to keep it short and catchy, similar to an IMDb plotline.
  • Include in the intro, email or cover letter the best things about your movie and yourself, to catch the programmers’ interest, like known cast & crew, past known films of yours, awards and top festivals, niche focus, anything else unique or sensational about your film. When submitting for any type of premiere (world, regional, local), mention that.
  • When submitting, try to use a Vimeo private screener with the download option enabled, as some festivals prefer Vimeo over YouTube, and their programmers may be in different corners of the world where the internet is not good enough to stream, so they need to download.
  • Don’t fall for partial discount offers received via email, thinking they are personalised and the festival is interested in your film. Most of the times they are not, those are discount codes listed publicly on the submission platform or mass-sent to filmmakers. When a festival is interested in your film, they offer you a 100% discount code or fee waiver. With very few exceptions, the partial discount is just a marketing strategy.
  • Ask for fee waivers before submitting, but only if you have good reasons to do so which are relevant for the festival, like important recognition for your current or previous film, being an alumni, coming from a very poor country, or anything exceptionally unique and valuable that would make the festival staff want to check out your film so much that they would waive the fee.
  • Do your online research and also submit to major competitions like the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the European Film Awards, Film Independent Spirit Awards, British Independent Film Awards and other regional or national major film awards not listed here. For a chance at the Oscars, don’t miss the Academy Awards Qualifying Festivals for documentary and short films, or if you have major production with major connections in the industry, the 5 festivals known to be top Oscar boosters for narrative feature films (Venice, Cannes, Toronto, Telluride, Sundance).
  • Don’t be put down when you get tons of festival rejections. Usually only 5% to 25% of those you submit to will end up selecting your film. My first movie Be My Cat: A Film for Anne received over 200 festival rejections, including over 50 rejections from major festivals listed here, yet those that did select it mattered a lot, the buzz grew and Be My Cat eventually became a cult film praised by major publications such as IndieWire, Vulture or Collider. Have patience and don’t get discouraged. 
  • When you get accepted and/or win an award in a very important festival such as those in top 25, email the other festivals you are waiting a decision from and inform them about your success and change in premiere status (but try not to bother them with too many emails).
  • If you don’t already have one, create an IMDb page for your film and list your festival premieres, screenings, nominations and awards (if attached to your name, nominations and awards will also appear on your name page on IMDb), so the film industry can easily check you and your film out.
  • If distributors express interest in your film, always negotiate an advance payment (minimum guarantee – MG) or at least a gross corridor. Otherwise chances are you will see little to no money later. Go without an advance or gross corridor only if the backend split is great and you trust the distributor.

Festivals to Avoid:

Dark red means newly added or updated tips.

  • Award events, online festivals, monthly festivals and seasonal festivals (that happen multiple times a year) listed on submission platforms. Most are scams and won’t help your career or film in any way, no matter how well rated and reviewed they are (unless they are established award events like the European Film Awards). Most award events and monthly festivals have many positive ratings usually because they award/select tons of movies regardless of quality, and are not worthy of submitting.
  • Festivals that appear valuable, but are just cash-cows for the owners. Some are outright fake (the event doesn’t happen), while most are pseudo-festivals or half-scams organized to get as much money as possible from filmmakers while offering them as little value as possible (most of the times zero value). I’d go as far as to say that most festivals listed on submission platforms are pseudo-festivals. Do your research before submitting to any festival that is not in top 250 on my list.
  • Festivals that send invitations to submit via email, sometimes even personalized with your name and film title, but offer only a discount code and not a full fee waiver. They are not interested in your film, they haven’t watched it, probably they haven’t even heard of it, the email is part of an automated marketing campaign which links your film’s title with your name and sometimes even with a past festival your film went to. Numerous other filmmakers get the same email. Ignore, mark as spam, report to FilmFreeway, and expose them on socials. When a festival reaches out to you and is genuinely interested in your film, they always offer a full fee waiver, that’s the industry rule, no exceptions!
  • Warning signs: multiple different festivals in various locations around the world or the US run by the same company or person(s), huge number of submission categories with high fees, huge number of awards given (in order to satisfy filmmakers’ ego and buy their silence), the festival happens multiple times a year (monthly or every season), big sounding festival titles that have no recognition in the industry and just sound similar to established festivals, the event happens far away (different country or city) from the administrative headquarters, the festival mass-sends discount codes to filmmakers to attract more submissions, they mark your film as a semi-finalist on FilmFreeway in order to get a review from you even though it’s not selected, they take advantage of selected filmmakers by making them pay for promo materials, trophy, the award gala or party, they offer submission categories with include film reviews for a higher fee (never buy film reviews), the festival happens in a hotel, in the city outskirts or other improper venue/location, there’s no industry or press or even audience present besides the attending filmmakers, the films selected in previous editions have little to no online presence and no ratings/reviews on IMDb/Letterboxd, the event excessively promotes that it’s “IMDb qualifying” (there are numerous festivals on IMDb which mean nothing for nominated/awarded filmmakers), the event generally looks more like a business than a film event.
  • Festivals which have little to no reviews on FilmFreeway (unless the festival joined FilmFreeway recently and there wasn’t enough time to gather reviews, check the joining date at the Transparency question mark in the left column on FF). When festivals have very few reviews, it could mean that they choose to curate/invite most of their films from premium sources (sales agents, contacts, other festivals, sponsorships etc.), and view paid submissions mostly as revenue. A lot of reviews could mean more selections from paid submissions (although the reviews can come mostly from selected shorts, check if any belong to feature selections).
  • Established festivals that view paid submissions mainly as a source of revenue and curate/invite most of their films from premium sources like sales agents, contacts, sponsorships or other festivals. These festivals could offer you a lot of value if selected, but you can pay big money submitting thinking you have a chance, when you actually don’t (unless they offer you a waiver, in that case go for it). Here’s what a former TIFF programmer had to say: “The top of the festival food chain feasts on submission fees. These festivals have deep industry networks, do extensive tracking of productions, and actively solicit works for their events. At the major festivals and most credible film festivals, submission fees remain a tax on the outsiders and unsolicited entries are merely revenue-generating fodder.“
  • Unless they offer you a fee waiver, avoid paying to submit feature films to festivals with less than 3 FilmFreeway reviews per year (marked zero/y, 1/y or 2/y on my list). Less than 3/y could mean zero features selected from genuine submissions (but to be sure you’ll have to check all the reviews to identify feature selections). Also pay to submit at your risk to those that are not on FilmFreeway and hence we can’t estimate how many films they select from submissions (marked ?/y on my list).

Other lists:

Below are the lists that helped put mine together (ordered from newest to oldest), with codes to identify the exact list each festival is mentioned on. Dark red means newly added or updated lists: