Department of Cinematic Arts & New Media: Film Festivals

"The All American High School Film Festival is the premier destination for talented high school filmmakers and media arts enthusiasts from around the world. Our Mission is to provide immersive education with a profound impact, connecting the filmmakers of the future with the rewards, respect and recognition they deserve."

"The AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL (ABFF®) is an annual event dedicated to recognizing black talent and showcasing quality film and television content by and about people of African descent."

"The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the oldest avant-garde and experimental film festival in North America, founded by George Manupelli in 1963. . . The six-day festival presents 40 programs with more than 180 films from over 20 countries of all lengths and genres, including experimental, animation, documentary, fiction, and performance-based works."

"The mission of the Annapolis Film Festival is to encourage and grant the development of all aspects of the creative arts in and around Annapolis through the cinema experience."

"The Beverly Hills Film Festival’s objective is to merge today’s filmmaking pioneers with the wealth of cinematic heritage of Beverly Hills by edifying and developing the cinematic community and enhancing the impact of the arts."

Boston Jewish Film celebrates the richness of the "Jewish experience through film and media. Throughout the year, BJF engages and inspires the community to explore the full spectrum of Jewish life, values, and culture."

"Brainwash, since 1995, has delighted audiences with a selection of the bizarre, the unique, and just plain old well-made movies from independent producers all over the world. With an eye toward the abstract, the innovative and the weird . . . We have consistently attracted entries we curate . . . to display some of the most cutting edge cinema from up and and coming directors, actors, producers and crews consistently year after year."

"SANTA MONICA’S PREMIERE
INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Three days of screenings, parties and artist programs that celebrate independent filmmaking in the heart of Santa Monica."

"Selected by Moviemaker Magazine as one of “The World’s Coolest Film Festivals,” Disposable Film Festival cultivates and supports the greatest film culture in history, which came about through digital technology and the democratization of media. Everyone has a camera now. And everyone has a chance to make a great film. We show the masterpieces that are innovating storytelling technique."

"Dragon Con is the largest multi-media, pop culture convention focusing on science fiction & fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe – and the best place to celebrate all of these things with fellow fans on Labor Day Weekend."

"The Fargo Film Festival awards winners and honorable mentions in each of the seven competitive categories: animation, documentary feature, documentary short, experimental, narrative feature, narrative short, and student. . . In addition, Best in Show awards are given to the overall Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. . . The Fargo Film Festival has also established several special honors."

The Fayetteville Film Fest is a cultural leader in our region, bringing world class film to our state [of Arkansas], developing meaningful relationships with filmmakers, and nurturing the art of filmmaking by uniting a community of creators and supporters.

"Canada's Largest LGBT Film Festival, Inside Out, is a not-for-profit registered charity that exists to challenge attitudes and change lives through the promotion, production and exhibition of film made by and about lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people of all ages, races and abilities."

"The American Museum of Natural History's Margaret Mead Film Festival features documentary film, shorts, and other media that increase our understanding of the complexity and diversity of peoples and cultures around the world."

"Every winter in Utah, the Sundance Film Festival becomes the ultimate gathering of original storytellers and audiences seeking new voices and fresh perspectives. Our annual program includes dramatic and documentary features and short films; series and episodic content; and New Frontier, showcasing emerging media in the form of multimedia installations, performances, and films. We also host daily filmmaker conversations, panel discussions, and live music events. Since 1985, hundreds of films that have launched at the Festival have gained critical recognition and acclaim, reaching new audiences worldwide."

"TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization with a mission to transform the way people see the world through film.
TIFF is dedicated to presenting the best of international and Canadian cinema and creating transformational experiences for film lovers and creators of all ages and backgrounds."

"The Williamsburg International Film & Music Competition is an eighteen category, online competition. . . Our past festival was one of Moviemaker magazine's top 5 film festivals and we bring that experience and professionalism to our competition. . . Many of the award-winning films in WILLiFEST have gone on to have theatrical releases, broadcasts on PBS and other media outlets, and to be nominated and awarded at the American Academy Awards."

"The Williamsburg Independent Film Festival welcomes filmmakers with unique stories to tell and aims to deliver their works to the most diverse, sophisticated community of cinephiles in the world: the people of New York City - with Williamsburg, Brooklyn as one of its most energetic centers. The Williamsburg Independent Film Festival serves as a destination for audiences to be enlightened, enriched and inspired by new film art."

"Apart from the people, some of the most critically-acclaimed movies that IFFI has been showcased in the past 5 years include 120 BPM, Bicycle Thieves, Miracle in Milan, Rome, Open City from Italy. Yukiwarisoo (Japan), The Dancing Fleese (UK), The River (USA) and The Fall of Berlin (USSR). Some of the art films that performed well commercially, like Life of Pi, Mandela:Long Walk To Freedom, The Man Who Knew Infinity and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, have also found their place at the IFFI Premiere screenings."

"JOIFF(Jodhpur International Film Festival) was founded to address gender imbalance in film and change the industry from the inside out . . . by recognising and spotlighting women working across the filmmaking crafts . . . The relationship that can develop between a festival and a filmmaker is incredibly precious, and Underwire has always had that front and centre . . . It’s proven to be very valuable for women . . ."

NAVI MUMBAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (NMIFF) is determined to cultivate the innovative ideas of film making and to provide talented filmmakers a wider attention and space by showcasing their art to the global audience. Through different awards in various categories, our goal is to discover, support, and inspire independent film makers by providing them a reputed exhibition platform without getting worried about having high budget for marketing."

"Pune International Film Festival (PIFF) was started with the idea of building and promoting a healthy film culture in Pune. Our objective is to give film lovers in the city access to global cinema and spark a cultural exchange. With discussions, lectures and master classes on varied topics related to the craft, we try to instill an academic flavour in the festival. . . An acclaimed international jury decides awards for films in the competitive sections."

"Our Vision: To promote documentary, create healthy audience appreciation for documentary and make New Zealand a documentary destination on the world stage.
Our Mission: To lead and support filmmakers to develop and make compelling documentary films and to inspire the creative, business and wider communities to celebrate local and international documentary stories."

"The New Zealand International Film Festival is a national event extending the cinematic options of audiences and filmmakers throughout New Zealand. A programme of between 150-170 features is presented in Auckland and Wellington. NZIFF opens in Auckland one weekend and gets underway in Wellington the next, overlapping for ten of their respective 17-day seasons. A smaller programme then travels to twelve further centres."

"Our mission: to create and cultivate the infrastructure required to achieve the widest possible appreciation of short films in New Zealand, and New Zealand short films internationally. Our vision: a future where the important role of short films in New Zealand culture is widely acknowledged and celebrated. To achieve this vision we work to connect New Zealanders with the best short films from here and around the world; celebrate excellence in short film making; and foster the New Zealand short film community."

All films in the Official Selection are in competition to receive a number of awards. These awards recognise outstanding talent in filmmaking practice. The winning films are selected by a jury of industry experts, and are presented at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony. Previous winners have gone on to achieve further award success, including Oscar wins (The Silent Child, Chris Overton in 2017 and Stutterer, Benjamin Cleary, in 2016).

Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Market (Mifa): the major international event for around 10,000 industry professionals. 12,300 accredited; 914 exhibiting companies; 433 international buyers; distributors and investors; 414 journalists; 205 selected films; 432 films screened; 11 theaters for 10 am to 11 pm viewing; 7 outdoor screens; 120,000 tickets sold throughout the week; 92 countries.

"Consistently voted a "Top 100 reviewed" festival from over 8000+ film festivals and recently listed as a "Top 12 UK Indie Film Festival" by FilmDaily we are also a Creative England CE50 (and award for the 50 most exciting, innovative and disruptive creative companies across film, games and digital media in the UK). Our previous editions have included BAFTA and OSCAR winning short films, crowd funded films, student films, passion projects and BFI and Creative England funded films. Our most notable success coming from "The Silent Child" which later went on to win the Academy Award for Best Short Action film." https://filmfreeway.com/BoltonFilmFestival

Copenhagen Documentary Film Festival-"We insist on freeing the transformative potential of art and documentary films, that is the potential to have a direct impact on the social context. The appealing form of the documentary films allows for the communication of complicated problems in an intimate, reflective and profound manner. And no matter whether the topic is political, philosophical, experimental or focused on a narrow section of the world, documentary film expands and questions the viewer’s conception of the world."

The EEFF’s mission is to discover, support, and exhibit pioneering work by global and local independent filmmakers, and to introduce viewers to innovative and challenging cinematic experiences.

" . . . the Festival de Cannes has remained faithful to its founding purpose: to draw attention to and raise the profile of films, with the aim of contributing towards the development of cinema, boosting the film industry worldwide and celebrating cinema at an international level."

Czechia

Tel Aviv-Yafo, Tel Aviv District
Israel

"The Most Comprehensive List of Film Festivals on the Internet"

Panafrican Film & Television Festival of Ouagadougou

Uganda

South Korea

South Korea