FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH - Festival of Future Storytellers has been one of the most important festivals for young filmmakers worldwide since 1981. Each year, it offers young filmmakers from all over the world a platform for presenting their own short films and exchanging ideas about filmmaking. Each November, Munich becomes the focal point of up-and-coming international filmmaking — a place for lively exchange, networking, and discussion.
The short fiction, documentary, and animated films screened in international competition are eligible for valuable prizes, which are awarded by an independent festival jury. In addition, FILMSCHOOLFEST MUNICH will also present a DACH Short Film Competition for the first time in 2024, in which short films from the DACH region will be programmed. An extensive supporting programme with panels and masterclasses complements the film programme.
The International Festival of Children and Youth Film CALIBELULA, FICIJCALIBELULA - is created through a group of friends who love cinema, who see the need to generate new exhibition and training spaces, for a very special audience that is children and young people .
The purpose is to train audiences through cinematographic audiovisual material made by and for children, youth and adults that promotes conflict resolution and peaceful coexistence through the construction of values and principles.
Generate new exhibition alternatives that consolidate processes of formation and creation expressed in the production and audiovisual realization, with understanding and critical sensitivity, trying with this to involve from an early age this target population through the cinema as an artistic expression.
This Festival is a meeting place for the filmmakers, their works and the children's audience as well as a point of formation for young audiences, teachers and professionals of the area, making the Festival a promoter of reflection on the audiovisual media and the role they play with our children.
The Shortfilm Festival "San Rafael in short" aims dissemination, disclosure and the screening of cinematographic works as well as the knowledge of these by the audience. The works presented not opt to a prize or award, only the assessment of the audience.
Nuovi Mondi Film Festival is the SMALLEST MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD.
It takes place in a very small village in the Southern Italian alps: Valloriate (Cuneo). Only 80 persons lives here.
Our challenge is to create an important cultural event with international guests, great films, meetings, art exhibitions that convince people to come up here, in the mountains, and serve as a development engine for these beautiful but abandoned "high lands".
Only by giving life back to abandoned places it is possible to think of a new ability to design, to imagine and to explore new identities, NEW WORLDS
John Balan Fest - Atlantic Films and New Media is a new emerging space that aims to promote the cinema and independent audiovisual creation or at the same time that pays homage to the figure of John Balan, valuing the Marin Town identity and the Parish of Seixo, located in one of the most beautiful corners of Galicia.
Our main objective is to connect the New Galician Cinema to the neighborhood, as well as to seek a connection between local and country creators and creators with other international audiovisual communities. Paying special attention to those who have a strong cultural connection with Galicia in general, and in particular with our town.
CURT’ARRUDA - Arruda dos Vinhos Annual Film Festival aims to present national and foreign cinema, stimulating film production through the attribution of awards for best rural short film and the best short film from Arruda dos Vinhos.
CURT’ARRUDA is a film festival focused on rurality. It is organized by Cultura deGrau – Cultural Association.
TAF, Thessaloniki Animation Festival is an international Animation Festival in Greece which promotes the art of animation through its annual gathering in October. The festival was founded, established and directed by ADDART; a non profit organization that "adds" art & culture everywhere. The creators of the festival are artists themselves, filled with love for the art of animation. Based in the heart of Thessaloniki, TAF aims to encourage and promote all aspects of creativity by hosting local as well as international events and activities for kids and adults alike!
TAF is the only Animation festival in town and every year it grows bigger. We like to showcase innovating films, guests, workshops and Master Classes to Thessaloniki in a great venue and award them for their inspiration and technique!
TAF is a festival free of entrance with a no-fee policy for the filmmakers.
Celaya Experimental Film Fest is a platform for creation and exhibition of experimental films. Works focused on technical, conceptual and narrative experimentation. The festival welcomes artists who have transgressed and transcended the barriers of aesthetics, technique, and the semiticity to break the dominant standards in the industry. We believe that experimental cinema is free, radical and purposeful and that at the same time it responds to the anthropological, social, artistic and philosophical need to explore horizons beyond the great hegemonic forms of cinematographic creation, and finding authentic ways of creating audiovisual art.
The festival opens its international submissions to all artists with original or personal proposals that go beyond conventional standards, exploring the limits of cinematographic language and searching for an essence or unitary mark within any work of their authorship.
Submissions for artists from Celaya and around Guanajuato can submit their films for free for all available categories.
Celaya Experimental Film Fest is an experimental film and contemporary art festival that seeks to promote the creation of new platforms and exhibitions of experimental and contemplative audiovisual language. It is also the space for expression and exhibition of sister arts such as performance, sound art and visual arts in a contemporary language and through the arts and cinematographic culture, all publicly and free of charge on the Mexican Bajío.
The third edition of CELAYA EXPERIMENTAL FILM FEST will take place in Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico from Octuber 2nd to 7th, 2023, with the most outstanding selection and impressive audiovisual films within our festival, and with a specialized jury who will be in charge of awarding the films that accomplish its proposals to show experimental cinema as a discipline.
What is Zinetika Festival
Zinetika is a multidisciplinary festival that explores the relationships between dance and audiovisual arts, body and technology, creating together in search of different artistic experiences. The Festival hosts proposals of dance films, performance, masterclasses and workshops around this theme.
All this makes Zinetika a platform for cultural experiences shared by organisations and creators from different artistic fields and origins, both local and international. The festival is held in Pamplona/Iruña, San Sebastian/Donostia and Bilbao/Bilbo.
AWARDS
Best Film Zinetika 2022: 500 €
Best director Zinetika 2022: 500 €
The films that will be part of the Zinetika Official Selection will be projected in the three cities where the festival will take place.
Dundead is based at Dundee Contemporary Arts in Dundee, Scotland and has been running since 2011, screening the best in new horror and genre films, as well as cult classics. Traditionally, the festival runs at the end of April/start of May.
Bucharest Short Film Festival [BSFF]
Independent is the key word for Bucharest Short Film Festival [BSFF], as it is founded by independent film professionals and focuses on independent artists in cinema, from all over the world. Bucharest Short Film Festival aims at recognizing, showcasing and spreading-out the most professional, most innovative, and most interesting fresh short international films, while always prioritizing independent short films.
Bucharest Short Film Festival will showcase some of the finest short international film in Narrative, Animation, Student, Experimental, Documentary, Music Video and Human Rights. We take to heart the amount of work put into each film. Therefore, the festival rules ensure that each movie is reviewed at least two times and well-debated by our team. Some of the awarded films will also be screened at other international film festivals.
Independent artists and their short films will meet an effervescent, and a quite experienced with cinema and film festivals audience, ensuring quality networking, and engaging opportunities, while the selected films will be determined by a panel of industry experts.
Bucharest Short Film Festival is building a strong community of interest around international independent film professionals and film lovers, in the heart of one of the most interesting emergent capitals of arts and culture, a city that never sleeps – Bucharest.
The festival will run film screenings, preceded or followed by artists Q&A, or networking side events, and, surely, parties, that all take place in various conventional and unconventional stages around Bucharest, as in cinemas, open spaces, and even summer theatres. Bucharest, you’ve heard about it, eventually – a city for young people. Well known for different things – like “Old Paris” nickname, in its bourgeois times, before the communism decades, or the world’s biggest parliamentary building [and one of the largest buildings of any kind], from its communism times, new architecture, or the explosive contemporary art scene, and the also quite impressive underground arts and music and nightlife communities, in its current times.
Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre (BARS) is an international film festival devoted to the genres of HORROR, science fiction and fantasy.
Born in 2000 to put focus on independent genre film, and since 2004 in the form of a competitive festival.
Contest is open to everyone !
Topic of the contest is "The Dream life".
You can submit your any type of film up to 15 minutes max.
Festival Atmospheres uses all kinds of art forms in order to arouse afterthought and commitment to an accessible and constructive sustainable development.
Stafford Film Festival (SFF) is an IMDb qualifying competition for filmmakers, musicians and photographers worldwide which takes place at The Met in Stafford, United Kingdom. We support creative individuals from all backgrounds, whether beginning their careers or leaders in their field.
Our curators are film industry specialists who have worked on projects from no budget to box office blockbusters such as the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises. These professionals chose and announce semi-finalists, finalists and winners.
Our judges evaluate the quality of filmmaking, music and photography creation for creativity, and storytelling ability.
La Asociación Cultural MARES DA FIN DO MUNDO organiza la VI Mostra Internacional de Cine Documental ‘Mares da Fin do Mundo’, que se celebrará en el Ayuntamiento de Outes (A Coruña) del 1 al 5 de noviembre de 2023. Las sedes principales del festival serán la Casa de la Cultura (Serra de Outes), el Centro Náutico Municipal (O Freixo) y el Estaleiro Ciprián (Broña). MDFDM es la única muestra internacional de cine documental de Galicia centrada en el medio ambiente marino y la pesca sostenible. Se trata de un evento de contrastes, con un fuerte apego local pero con amplia proyección internacional, enfocado en la puesta en valor de oficios tradicionales desde una perspectiva global y moderna. Una muestra comprometida con el medio marítimo y con el sector pesquero, que busca crear conciencia sobre la necesidad de cuidar uno de nuestros recursos naturales más valiosos: el mar.
The Palm Springs International Horror Film Festival is brought to you by the producers of the highly respected Palm Springs International Comedy Festival. We aim to showcase the best of the best and promote our winners by exposing them to the biggest decision-makers in the Entertainment Industry.
Palm Springs International Comedy Festival has been covered regularly by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, NPR, XM Radio, Netflix Radio, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Desert Sun, and many, many more, just to name a few. We also have many celebrities and industry execs from major studios and networks participating in our festivals. We had over 60 celebrities participate in our last festival and over 25 major industry players. So, although the Palm Springs International Horror Film Festival is new, you can be sure we will be bringing the same caliber of industry to this festival, as well as the same media coverage we do with our other fest. We are new, but we will be announcing many exciting details for this festival as time progresses, so please follow all of our social media platforms to stay informed of all upcoming exciting news.
Palm Springs has been a hot spot celebrity getaway since the 1920's when the biggest stars of the silent film era decided to make this beautiful sunny desert oasis their 2nd home. Since then, the entire Palm Springs desert area from Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, to Indian Wells and Coachella, has become the home of the biggest celebrities and the wealthiest people in the world. The beautiful landscape and sunny year-round weather make this area the most desired vacation destination in the world. We look forward to having you join us here and celebrating the amazing genre of Horror and your films. Bring your bathing suits and get ready to party and mingle with the industry!
The IV International Devotional Film Festival will take place between August 8 and 11, 2025 and the call for entries will be open until July 5.
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.
The Mairena del Aljarafe Short Film Festival, Mairena Film Festival (here in after MAIFF) will be a cultural event with a program that will host different activities (meetings with industry professionals, 36h short film making rally, projections of the official section...). The festival will be held from October 18 to 26, 2024 in the Seville town of Mairena del Aljarafe.
Open Call – International Experimental Film Festival 2025
The 3rd International Experimental Film Festival (IEFF) – 2025
organized by the Institute for Experimental Arts
“The future of film is female and experimental. We need to destroy and reconstruct cinema itself.” – Maya Deren
About the Festival The 3rd International Experimental Film Festival is an international encounter dedicated to experimental film art, announcing its call for submissions. The festival will take place in Greece, creating a dynamic space for screenings, installations, performances, conferences, film concerts, and workshops. The festival seeks to expand the possibilities of film beyond traditional formats and spaces, creating a zone of creative contagions between cinema and the visual arts, historical works and current production, analog and digital, filmmaking and critical thinking.
“I make films to prevent myself from disappearing. Each frame is an act of resistance against the prescribed narratives.” – Chantal Akerman
Our Vision of Experimental Cinema Experimental cinema is a free, radical, and purposeful cinema that responds to the aesthetic, political, or philosophical need to see and explore cinematic horizons, away from large industries and hegemonic formulas of creation. It is through experimental cinema that we find authentic ways to create audiovisual art.
“Experimental film is not just about breaking rules – it’s about proving those rules never really existed.” – Barbara Hammer
We celebrate a cinema that breaks the narrative, and most of all visual, bounds to which we’re used. A cinema that elaborates on film medium to its fullest, by including even the most extreme possibilities. A cinema that confronts, disrupts, and reimagines. As John Cage said it well: “an experimental action is one the outcome of which is not foreseen” – the cinema we’re looking for is a cinema of the unpredictable.
“The experimental is political. Every frame can be an act of rebellion.” – Agnès Varda
FESTIVAL MISSION
The 3rd IEFF continues to be the pioneering space in the exhibition of experimental content in cinema, which seeks to show excellence and innovation in the independent production of the film world. We celebrate aesthetic diversity, new narratives, and new media and formats; a program that reveals the complexity of social, cultural, and artistic phenomena. We understand experimental cinema as a divergent cinema that vanishes the boundaries with art, emphasizing the experimental modes of creation.
“In experimental cinema, we find the freedom to imagine different futures and to remember different pasts.” – Trinh T. Minh-ha
Special Focus for 2025
- Feminist Experimental Practices
- Gender and Technology
- Body Politics in Digital Age
- Queer Experimental Narratives
- Decolonial Experimental Cinema
- Eco-feminist Approaches to Film
- Cross-disciplinary Collaborations
- Digital/Analog Hybrid Works
- Experimental AR/VR Projects
ABOUT
The Institute The Institute for Experimental Arts was founded in 2008 in Athens, Greece as a non-profit platform of creative expression and research in the fields of theater, performance art, digital media, installation, poetry and art theory. The Institute is committed to existing as an open meeting point for poets-writers, directors, actors, theater engineers/technicians, performance artists, photographers, video artists and the writers who develop new analytical tools on contemporary art, media & communication.
CRITICAL DISCOURSE
The festival will always see the development of the cinematic language with critical thinking, regardless of the terms ‘cinema industry’ or independent cinema. For this reason, the 3rd IEFF will bring a critical discourse through curatorial programs, symposium, and public lectures to broaden the knowledge of the ever-changing cutting-edge cinema aesthetics.
“Cinema is not neutral. Experiment is our way to fight back.” – Sally Potter
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
We accept all works that fit into the experimental film category and all its sub-genres including:
- Found footage
- Essay film
- Expanded cinema
- Experimental animation
- Abstract film
- Experimental documentary
- Video art
- Virtual reality
- Direct animation
- Any other experimental approaches
There are no genre, topic or length restrictions.
The 3rd IEFF features Avant-Garde and Experimental films of any length.
IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS
+ All films with dialogue must have ENGLISH or GREEK subtitles
+ Submissions without subtitles will be considered incomplete
+ Films that have screened before are eligible
AWARDS
We believe in culture as a pluralistic and intangible value. The awards assigned by our diverse jury are purely symbolic. Selected films will be judged by an exceptional jury and seen by a vast audience of film lovers.
Golden Arrow Awards Categories
- Best Film
- Best Short Film
- Best Director
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Music
- Best Performance
- Best Picture
Submission Deadlines and Fees Deadline:
August 15, 2025
Submission fee: 25 euro per video or media project
Program Announcement: October 2025
Contact Information For any questions: theinstitutecontact@gmail.com
RIGHTS
The International Experimental Film Festival reserves the right to use small portions and stills of accepted films for promotion of events.
We actively encourage submissions from women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming filmmakers, as well as creators from underrepresented communities. Our commitment to diversity extends to our jury selection and programming decisions.
“The revolution will be filmed experimentally.” – Su Friedrich
The 3rd International Experimental Film Festival is a project of the Institute for Experimental Arts, celebrating the radical potential of cinema to transform our understanding of art, society, and ourselves.
