This list of film festivals is broken down by the best fit for your film’s genre. Check out the best festivals to submit to for your Short Films, Documentaries, Animation Films, Women Films, Comedy Film, Experimental Films, Adventure Films, Music Films and Horror Films.
Short Film Festivals:
Flickerfest– Sydney, Australia
Jan. 9-18, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.filmfestivallife.com/Flickerfest-International-Short-Film-Festival
Check out this trailer for the 2015 Flickerfest at Bondi Beach, where Bond meets beauty.
Edinburgh International Film Festival– Edinburgh, Scotland
November 18-29, 2015
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=1360
Here are the highlights from the 2014 Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Mill Valley Film Festival– San Rafael, California
Opening Call for Entries Date: March 1
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=1223
This trailer highlights the upcoming Miller Valley Film Festival, occurring October 2015.
Interfilm Berlin Short Film Festival– Berlin, Germany
November 10-15, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.interfilm.de/en/festival2014/submit-films.html
Documentary on 30th Annual Interfilm Berlin Film Festival in 2014:
Heartland Film Festival– Indianapolis, Indiana
October 16-25, 2015
Submission Information: http://heartlandfilm.org/festival/submit/
Watch this news video of Robert Downey Jr. at the 2014 Heartland Film Festival.
Documentary Film Festivals:
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival– Durham, North Carolina
April 9-12, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.fullframefest.org/festival/submit-2/
Time Lapse Video of 2014 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
Hot Docs– Toronoto, Ontario
April 23- May 3, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.hotdocs.ca/conference/the_doc_shop/
Festival Highlights from 2014 Hot Docs.
Sheffield Doc Fest– Sheffield, U.K.
June 5-10, 2015
Submission Information: https://sheffdocfest.com/view/submissions
Video blog from 2014 Sheffield Docfest.
True/False Film Festival– Coumbia, Missouri
March 5-8, 2015
Submission Information: http://truefalse.org/submit/features-and-shorts
Trailer for 2015 True/False Film Fest.
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam– Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 18-29, 2015
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=1360
2014 promotional video for IDFA.
Animation Film Festivals:
Anima– Brussels, Belgium
February 13-22, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.animation-festivals.com/festivals/anima-brussels-cartoon-and-animation-film-festival/
Promotional video for 2014 Anima.
Melbourne International Animation Festival– Melbourne, Australia
June 2015
Submission Information: http://www.miaf.net/2014/entries.html
Trailer for Melbourne International Animation Festival 2014.
Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart– Stuttgart, Germany
May 5-10, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.itfs.de/en/festival/competitions/
Trailer for the 2015, 22nd Annual Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart.
Tricky Women Festival of Animated Films– Vienna, Austria
March 11-15, 2015
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=6650
2015 Tricky Women Trailer.
Ottawa International Animation Festival– Ottawa, Ontario
September 2015
Submission information: https://animationfestival.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=166&Itemid=808
Promotional video for 2014 Ottawa International Animation Festival.
Film Festivals about Women/ Women Filmmakers:
POW Fest– Portland, Oregon
March 12-15, 2015
Submission Information: http://powfest.com/submissions/
Video of featured women filmmakers in Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival.
Berlin Feminist Film Week– Berlin, Germany
March 2015
Submissions Information: http://berlinfeministfilmweek.com/submissions/
“Thou Wast Mild and Lovely” trailer, a film featured at the 2014 Berlin Feminist Film Week.
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival– Colorado Springs, Colorado
November 13-15, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.rmwfilmfest.org/submit-film-festival
Trailer from “The Barefoot Artist,” closing film from the 2014 Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival.
Brooklyn Girl Film Festival– New York City, New York
March 26-28, 2015
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=9971
Festival Director and filmmaker accounts from The 2014 Brooklyn Girl Film Festival.
Mumbai Women’s International Film Festival– Mumbai, India
December 2015
Submission Information: http://mwiff.com/submitshortfilm/
Trailer for “The Grand Seduction” opening film at the 2014 Mumbai Women’s International Film Festival.
Comedy Film Festivals:
Chicago Comedy Film Festival– Chicago, Illinois
October 2015
Submission Information: http://www.chicagocomedyfilmfestival.com/#!tickets/c1iwy
Red Carpet Highlights from the 2014 Chicago Comedy Film Festival.
Comedy Cluj International Film Festival– Cluj-Napoca, Romania
October 9-18, 2015
Submission Information: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/ComedyCluj
The making of Comedy Cluj 2014.
L.A. Comedy Fest– Los Angeles, California
April 23- May 3, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.lacomedyfest.com/submit/
Trailer from the 2014 L.A. Comedy Festival.
Shärt International Comedy Film Festival– Canada
February 27-28, 2015
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=11754
Promotional video featuring Mr. Ulysses W. Shärt for the inaugural Shärt Film Festival.
Friars Club Comedy Film Festival– New York City, New York
April 2015
Submission Information: http://www.friarsclub.com/filmfestival/submit.html
Trailer for “Happy Sad Route” winner of 2014 Friars Club Comedy Film Festival Best Feature.
Experimental Film Festivals:
Indie Grits– Columbia, South Carolina
April 15-19, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.indiegrits.com/submit/
Recap of 2014 Indie Grits Film Festival.
Experimental Film Festival Portland– Portland, Oregon
November 2015
Submission Information: http://www.effportland.com/#!submit/cflk
Experimental Film Festival Portland 2014 promotional video.
Revelation Perth International Film Festival– Perth, Australia
July 2-12, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.revelationfilmfest.org/call-for-entries
Promotional video for 2014 Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
Media City Film Festival– Windsor, Ontario
July 2015
Submission Information: http://mediacityfilmfestival.com/entries/
Trailer for 2014 Media City Film Festival.
Experiments in Cinema– Albuquerque, New Mexico
April 15-19, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.experimentsincinema.org/#!submissions/c1xio
Trailer for “Razglednice/ Postcards,” a film from the 2014 Experiments in Cinema.
Adventure Film Festivals:
Tahoe Adventure Film Festival– South Lake Tahoe, California
December 2015
Submission Information: http://www.laketahoefilmfestival.com/entry.html
Promo doc for the Tahoe Adventure Film Festival.
Danish Adventure Film Festival– Copenhagen, Denmark
December 2015
Submission Information: http://adventurefilmfestival.dk/english/
Opener for 2014 Danish Adventure Film Festival.
Adventure Film Festival– Colorado, North Carolina, Mexico City, Santiago
Dates vary (Touring Festival)
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=4787
Trailer for 2014 Adventure Film Festival.
Sheffield Adventure Film Festival– Sheffield, U.K.
March 20-22, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.shaff.co.uk/awards/film-submission/
Promotional video for 2014 Sheffield Adventure Film Festival.
Chamonix Adventure Festival– Chamonix, France
March 25-28, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.chamonixadventurefestival.com/film_entries/new
2014 opener for Chamonix Adventure Festival.
Music & Film Festivals:
CBGB Music & Film Festival– New York City, New York
October 2015
Music Submission Information: http://www.cbgbfest.com/music-submissions/
Recap of the world’s largest music film festival, CBGB.
Sacramento Film & Music Festival– Sacramento, California
April 14-16, 2015
Submission Information: http://www.sacfilm.com/submissions/
Promotional video for 2014 Sacramento Film & Music Festival.
KAHBANG Music, Art & Film Festival– Bangor, Maine
August 2015
Submission Information: http://kahbangfilmfest.org
Trailer for “Quinoa Soup,” closing feature at the 2014 KAHBANG Music, Art & Film Festival.
On Location: Memphis International Film & Music Fest– Memphis, Tennessee
September 3-6, 2015
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=3990
Video for On Location Memphis’ 2015 New Year Meet & Greet.
Square Lake Film and Music Festival– Stillwater, Minnesota
August 2015
Submission Information: http://www.squarelakefestival.com/tag/submissions/
Promotional video for 2014 Square Lake Film and Music Festival.
Horror Film Festivals:
Dark Carnival Film Festival– Bloomington, Indiana
September 2015
Submission Information: https://filmfreeway.com/festival/DiaboliqueInternationalFilmFestival
Promotional video with Baron Mardi about The Dark Carnival Film Festival.
Toronto After Dark Film Festival– Toronto, Ontario
October 2015
Submission Information: http://torontoafterdark.com/2014/submit-your-film/
Opener for 2014 Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest– Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
October 2015
Submission Information: https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01over.php?festival_id=8322
Trailer for “The Redwood Massacre,” feature film from the 2014 Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest.
Abertoir Wales’ International Horror Festival– U.K.
November 2015
Submission Information: http://www.abertoir.co.uk/contact
Trailer for winner of Abertoir Wales’ International Horror Festival 2014 Best New Feature Film, “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Another Hole in the Head Genre Film Festival– U.S.
December 2015
Submission Information: http://sfindie.com/submit/
Trailer from Another Hole in the Head Genre Film Festival feature film, “Dark Was the Night.”
Check out AudNews’ list of 13 Horror Film Festivals for Halloween.
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