Find Your Film a Home – 40 Great Festivals

Written By Katie McCullough

The article appeared in MovieMaker!

Great fests for finding your film a buyer, best friend, or biggest fan Film festivals are a lovely break from your life at home — but they can also be the place your film finds a home.

What do we mean by home? Ideally, a platform that can give your film a theatrical or streaming release, from a reputable business that will love the movie as much as you do. But home might also mean finding a film’s ideal audience, or investors who will take you to the next level. We also love festivals that are good stepping stones to many other festivals, since a groundswell of festival love can be just the thing to score you an offer.

This list skips around the globe, and favors festivals that we know to be welcoming, inclusive and careful to ensure that no filmmaker gets lost in the shuffle. Because we know you don’t want to waste time submitting to hopelessly vague categories, we’ve also prioritized festivals that make things easier for everyone by being clear about what they want. And we’ve broken these 40 festivals into six categories: Indie Darlings, Genre, Format-Specific, General, LGBTQ+, and Focused

Katie McCullough and Ian Bignell, authors of this list, are the film festival strategists of Festival Formula, which helps nurture films to their ideal festivals through an efficient, bespoke process that is transparent, informed, and allows you to focus on filmmaking, not applications. MovieMaker delightedly endorses their selections.

Moviemaker Magazine has commissioned the article and published it in print issue 145!

 

INDIE DARLINGS (8)

The following festivals have a proven record of helping indie filmmakers expand their reach, and are known for putting smaller films on the same stages as bigger, better-known productions.

 
 

  1. Austin Film Festival
    USA, Austin

    Austin saves applicants time by squarely defining categories, including the genre-focused Dark Matters Feature, Comedy Vanguard, Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature. The widely loved conference component makes it a networking hotbed, whether you’re looking for support for the next project or to get your current film under the noses of industry stalwarts. Past juries have included reps from SpectreVision, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Television, Gravitas Ventures and Dogwood. It’s Academy affiliated and offers cash prizes. Go if you can.

  2. Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival
    USA, San Jose, California

    Cinequest boasts a large section of premieres from all over the world and balances big hitters with newcomers. Its track record for films picking up distribution is impressive: Cinequest draws representatives from Magnolia Pictures, Lionsgate, Gravitas Ventures, Oscilloscope Pictures and IFC Films, to name a few. It helps filmmakers focus their pitches with thoughtful categories that include New Visions, for films that “tell original stories or tell them in innovative ways,” and Global Landscapes, which seeks “visions from around the world, and sheds light on regions, territories, or cultures that have a substantial effect on cinema.”

  3. Dublin International Film Festival
    Dublin, Ireland

    Its varied program includes red-carpet commercial premieres as well as unknown talents ready to wow audiences. The industry workshops and talks include people from every part of moviemaking, and a special category for music films honors the city’s tuneful legacy. Dublin is dedicated to developing young regional talent through the shorts-focused Screen8 initiative, and scouts new talent with the Discovery Award and the Documentary Competition. We’re surprised that this festival doesn’t have the industry affiliation it deserves.

  4. Heartland International Film Festival
    USA, Indianapolis

    Heartland deserves special recognition for its skill in combining A-list premieres and undiscovered productions. It keeps audiences entertained with narrative and documentary films, and has recently placed more emphasis on horror. Heartland has an engaged, welcoming audience and boasts significant cash prizes, including the traditional Narrative Feature Grand Prize and Documentary Feature Grand Prize ($20,000 each) and the more specific Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award ($5,000) awarded to a film that “will demonstrate the triumph of the human spirit through determination and the defiance of odds, humble vulnerability, and courage in the face of adversity.”

    It welcomes the impressive likes of A24, Netflix, NEON, Searchlight, Focus Features, MTV Documentary Films and National Geographic Documentary films. It has separated out its shorts program in recent years into the Indy Shorts Film Festival, allowing more focus on features.

  5. Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival
    USA, Providence, Rhode Island

    Flickers’ welcoming scale makes it a great place to get your feature in front of a dedicated audience, and it boasts relationships with the Academy, BAFTA and Canadian Screen Awards. It’s best known for its shorts program, and also has several themed sidebar programs spotlighting genre, LGBTQI+, and children’s films throughout the year. With filmmaker parties each night at varied locations, and concentrated daytime events with special guests, it’s a pleasant mix of big-time and intimate.

  6. Florida Film Festival
    USA, Maitland, Florida

    This Academy-affiliated festival puts on a great show with a flair for domestic gems, while simultaneously tapping into international standouts. Fun and laidback, it charms visiting filmmakers with special celebrity guests and great parties, and jurors have included major players from Oscilloscope and Magnolia Pictures. It also narrows things down with helpfully curated programs of Midnight Movies, Florida-focused features and music films. U.S.-based filmmakers should strongly consider its American Independent Competition.

  7. Slamdance
    USA, Park City, Utah

    Unpredictable and unconventional, it takes pride in finding new filmmakers and offers a Breakout section for those further along in their paths. One tool for helping new talent is the $25,000 ABGO Fellowship handed out each year by Anthony and Joe Russo. Given the staunch stipulation that Slamdance films need to have no distributor or release in the U.S., this is a perfect opportunity for those down the road at Sundance to catch an early peek at brand-new indie gems. And with its Academy, BAFTA and Canadian Screen Award affiliation, Slamdance is a surefire step to career-changing conversations.

  8. Whistler Film Festival + Summit
    Canada, Whistler, British Columbia

    Welcoming, friendly, generous, and set in a stunning location, Whistler is always worth the trip. It highlights Canadian talent, and takes special note of local filmmakers with its Mountain Culture Competition films “related to any sports, athletic journeys, adventure filmmaking or environmental impact.” It also programs international narratives and has a World Documentary Competition. The ski paradise is also known for an active summit (no pun intended) that draws industry powerhouses like Entertainment One, Warner Bros, Netflix, Amazon Studios and VICE Media. It also offers sizable cash prizes and several talent labs and fellowships, with a notable focus on Indigenous Canadian content creators.

GENRE (8)

Genre festivals cater to hungry audiences, and programmers often share favorites. Here are a few with strong ties to distributors and passionate followings.

 

Megalomaniac writer director Karim Ouelhaj, winner of Fantasia 2022’s Cheval Noir for Best Feature Film.

 

  1. Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
    Bucheon, South Korea

    “Stay Strange” is the proud slogan of this magnet for homegrown South Korean talent and films from around the world. BIFAN always puts on a brilliantly orchestrated event: The audiences are tremendous, cash prizes flow, and programmers from other festivals pay close attention as they plan their own selections. A supporting member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation, it champions new discoveries that push the limits of genre. 

  2. Fantasia
    Canada, Montreal

    Based in the heart of one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, Fantasia is known for smart, adventurous programming and audiences sophisticated enough to love it. (They often start meowing when the lights go down. We’ve never figured out why, but we like it.) With distributors clambering to pick up projects, it’s a treasure trove for new talent, and a chance to share a bill with some of the most devoted and lauded creators in the field. It’s also covered extensively, so a big premiere in Montreal will soon be the talk of Hollywood. The festival welcomes prominent names like Dreamworks, New Line, Netflix, Blumhouse, just to name a few, waiting to nab the hottest genre discoveries. With Canadian Screen Award affiliation, and as a supporting member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation, this is an absolute must for those working in the genre field, looking to level up.
    Meow!

  3. Fantastic Fest
    USA, Austin

    This massive genre fest brings together hardcore fans, stellar filmmakers, and enthusiastic industry folk. Known for an eclectic mix of films from everywhere, it places new indie voices alongside productions from A24 and Blumhouse, keeping everyone on their toes with exciting secret screenings. It gives filmmakers many options with many award categories ranging from Next Wave to Horror to Fantastic to Comedy. Success at this supporting member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation will start plenty of murmuring about your project.

  4. FrightFest
    UK, London

    Taking over several Leicester Square venues, FrightFest shows no signs of slowing down in its 23rd year. Its First Blood strand focuses on debut British directors and productions, and offers a prominent stamp of approval that can springboard them to other festivals. It enjoys a dedicated cohort of fans, and has welcomed Shudder, The Horror Collection, Second Sight Films and Arrow Video as sponsors.

  5. Lund Fantastic Film Festival
    Lund, Sweden

    Lund has a deep and wide love of genre, embracing films from Amélie to Human Centipede. Another affiliated member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation, it makes sure filmmakers have thought through their submissions, by asking them to explain why their film is a “perfect match” for the festival.

  6. MOTELX
    Lisbon, Portugal

    This Méliès International Festivals Federation-affiliated festival incorporates the revered Cinema São Jorge and earns devoted crowds by balancing a spirit of discovery with retrospectives on the masters. SectionX focuses on experimental horror, while a special Big Bad Wolf program caters to kids. MotelX also offers workshops and a competition for mobile phone-filmed content under two minutes. Though focused on European features, it  welcomes submissions from all over the globe.

  7. Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia
    Sitges, Spain

    Even on a European circuit known for daring genre programs, Sitges is a standout, known for its unflinching programming choices and nuanced sense of what global distributors want. An affiliated member of the Méliès International Festivals Federation and the Academy, it also demands the attention of other festivals. If your film isn’t horror or fantasy, don’t fear: Sitges also broadly embraces thrillers and dark comedies. It has a Sitges Family Label section, and, at the other end of the spectrum, the Midnight X-treme program. A plethora of panels and pitching forums welcome both newcomers and prominent figures in the genre world, and it also lures representatives from the likes of Sony Pictures, Amazon Prime, Manga Barcelona, Dark Star Pictures and Showbox.

  8. Toronto After Dark
    Canada, Toronto
    Lean hard into your genre tropes — or smart subversions of those tropes — and delight in the press and industry attention you can draw. The festival takes a handson approach to helping filmmakers, even after it ends, by sharing contacts with potential buyers. Also? It’s fun, as anyone who has attended Zombie-Themed Night and Pub After Dark can attest. This is a magnificent way to immerse yourself with your audience, fellow creatives, and your peers. Sponsors have included Shudder and Dread Central, and the festival is also affiliated with the Canadian Screen Awards.

FORMAT-SPECIFIC (8)

The following festivals are dedicated to specific formats to ensure that every kind of film gets its due.

 

Diego Bejarano, left, and Brian Lee look into the flames at a bonfire event at The Free Cycles Bike Shop during The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

 

  1. Animafest Zagreb
    Zagreb, Croatia

    Established more than half a century ago, this animation giant offers a sterling program, lectures, workshops and beautiful retrospectives, while incorporating museums and cultural centers. With Canadian Screen Award and Academy affiliation, it also draws plenty of attention from big fish looking for new talent and content.

  2. Annecy International Animation Film Festival
    Annecy, France

    This six-decade-old festival draws films from around the world and industry top dogs from the likes of Cartoon Network, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Sony Pictures Animation, the National Film Board of Canada, the Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon. Canadian Screen Award and Academy affiliated, it’s a key place to see works-in-progress, and enjoy animation’s heaviest hitters pulling back the curtain on their processes.

  3. Bucheon International Animation Festival
    Bucheon, Korea

    Once the only animation festival in Asia, Bucheon now anchors a vibrant scene and serves as a gold mine for new discoveries. It offers six categories — feature, short, graduation, TV & commissioned, Korean short and VR — so every filmmaker has a chance to stand out. Its many draws include Academy affiliation, a global job seminar, and sizable prize packages and plenty of attention from investors and distributors.

  4. Cinanima: International Animated Film Festival of Espinho
    Espinho, Portugal

    Nearly five decades old, this festival is a big draw for animators not just because of the industry networking, but the large and excited audiences. Its emphasis on robust education draws top industry names to lead workshops, and its Canadian Screen Awards and Academy affiliation make it a top destination for artists and executives on both sides of the Atlantic.

  5. Sheffield DocFest
    UK, Sheffield

    Sheffield is a leader in the UK documentary industry, with buzz that draws plenty of executives scouting for talent and projects to acquire. The festival embraces groundbreaking forms and storytelling hybrids, offering a big stage for those working in non-traditional documentary worlds. Its “MeetMarket” is one of many great opportunities to connect with industry representatives from outlets like Sky Documentaries, Channel 4, Paramount+, National Geographic and more. It also has both Canadian Screen Awards and Academy affiliation.

  6. Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
    USA, Big Sky, Montana

    Far from the usual industry cities is this firecracker of a festival with a small-town feel and large-scale operation. Devoted audiences turn out in force, and so do big names like New York Times Video, HBO Documentary Films, CNN Films, PBS and Gravitas Ventures. Big Sky is also closely watched by festival initiatives like the Sundance Film Institute and Tribeca Film Institute. It boasts Academy affiliation, initiatives for young and Native filmmakers, and packed workshops. Its DocShop encourages passionate discussion and thoughtful retrospection, all in one of the most beautiful places in America. 

  7. DOC NYC New York
    USA, New York

    DOC NYC is one of the best, buzziest hives of industry attention, drawing scores of carefully, conscientiously vetted applicants and serious buyers looking for content. Its passionate, plugged-in audiences appreciate categories like the Kaleidoscope Competition, for projects that swing towards the especially thoughtful and poetic, and the New York City-focused Metropolis. It works with industry heavyweights including Apple Original Films, Netflix, Hulu and Showtime Documentary Films, to name a few.

  8. Ottawa International Animation Festival
    Canada, Ottawa, Ontario

    Founded by the Canadian Film Institute, this well-established festival does an exemplary job of balancing screenings with great workshops and exhibitions. It also strikes an admirable balance between fostering homegrown talent and giving a stage to creatives around the world. The events are fun — pumpkin carving, anyone? — and you’ll find opportunities aplenty to work with top draws like Disney Television Animation, GKIDS and CBC.

GENERAL (4)

These festivals are known for choosing movies that can play to any crowd, but maintain their indie sensibility.

  1. Calgary International Film Festival
    Canada, Calgary, Alberta

    Calgary elegantly mixes tentpole features and emerging filmmakers, and deserves props for making clear what it wants, with categories like Late Show Feature and Music on Screen Films. It also offers sizable cash prizes in categories like Best International Narrative and Best International Documentary, and has Canadian Screen Awards and Academy affiliation. Calgary is a big player that keeps getting bigger. Very welcoming to filmmakers, it’s consistently ranked one of the most livable cities on earth. The festival is a great excuse to visit a place that you might someday want to call home.

  2. Cleveland International Film Festival
    USA, Cleveland

    Now in its new home in the city’s arts district, this well-run festival is a crowd- pleaser in every sense. It has a jam-packed program, films that aim to please, and receptive crowds who return year after year. (So do many of the volunteers.) The festival takes good care of industry professionals, alums and audiences, and boasts Canadian Screen Awards and Academy affiliation. Cleveland’s array of awards includes Reel Women Direct, the Central and Eastern European Competition, and the Global Health Competition.

  3. Galway Film Fleadh
    Galway, Ireland

    The competition is tough, but if you get in, it’s a festival you won’t forget. But the networking is so strong that you might want to attend even if you aren’t accepted. With industry panels that hone in on co-productions, film sales and development, you can soak up helpful information. The days are filled with networking breakfasts and pitching opportunities, and the marketplace is a fantastic opportunity to meet people. Many a deal has been signed over a pint in one of Galway’s ubiquitous pubs.

  4. Palm Springs International Film Festival
    USA, Palm Springs, California

    Combining desert relaxation with Hollywood prestige, it draws major press attention and a stellar guest list. Its positioning in early January makes it an essential stop on the awards circuit, so your film has a strong chance of being seen by visiting A-listers. Palm Springs does an admirable job of using its formidable pull to raise the profile of Hollywood’s next generation of breakthrough talents.

LGBTQ+ (5)

The LGBTQ+ festival circuit is one of the best established in film. In recent years it has expanded from major cities to areas that haven’t always been welcoming, where they provide a beacon and a model of solidarity and change.

  1. Frameline
    USA, San Francisco

    Frameline, which was established in 1977 and wrapped its latest edition in June, is the longest-running festival focused on queer cinema. It’s deeply respected and an ideal stop for serious conversations with fellow moviemakers and interested buyers, and draws large and engaged crowds. Attendees represent big names like Warner Bros. and Showtime, as well as more niche — but important — entities like The Film Collaborative and Wolfe Video. Frameline also has its own distribution arm, and has BAFTA recognition. A winner all around.

  2. aGLIFF / Prism Film Festival
    USA, Austin

    Resisting the urge to focus on tent poles, aGLIFF is committed to finding new voices in narrative and documentary. It’s an endlessly accessible and supportive festival where filmmakers on the rise will find themselves on an equal footing with bigger names. And it just wrapped its 35th edition, a testament to its vitality.

  3. BFI Flare
    UK, London

    The British Film Institute’s springtime festival is both vibrant and accessible, with daily networking events, talks and panels. DJ sets and the Big Gay Film Quiz make sure you’re always mixing fun with business, which of course increases your chances of making deals. Entertaining as it is, its BAFTA affiliation is a testament to its status as a serious player respected by buyers and distributors looking for undiscovered talent.

  4. Iris Prize
    UK, Wales, Cardiff

    One of the most desirable festivals in Europe, Iris is revered for its cash awards, relationship with the British production company Film4, and partnerships with festivals around the world. A stamp of approval from this festival provides the perfect springboard to chat to distributors and sales agents — they might even reach out as soon as Iris announces your selection. It may be just ending as you read this, so plan for next year!

  5. OutFest Los Angeles
    USA, Los Angeles

    A smart programmer of new discoveries like Todd Flaherty’s Chrissy Judy, Outfest is a major draw that gets press from all the big guns. Throw in its BAFTA and Academy affiliations, and you can understand why everyone wants to screen here. It’s also known for its brilliant Outfest Fusion program, which takes place as a separate festival entity and focuses on BIPOC creators. Its L.A. location makes it a very obvious place to get industry attention, and partners include HBO and Netflix. Its latest edition was held over the summer.

FOCUSED SPOTLIGHT (7)

The following festivals want to celebrate specific types of films, and have established themselves as the best in their areas of interest.

 

Quarantine Kids, directed by Bilal Motley and Bria Motley, was awarded the first ever Love+Grit Philadelphia Filmmaker Award at the Blackstar Film Festival

 

  1. Bentonville Film Festival
    USA, Bentonville, Arkansas

    Bentonville was created to promote “inclusion on and off screen” long before that became a rallying cry of almost every festival. The presence of Geena Davis at the helm helps raise the profile of the event and its films, and it does more than provide lip service about diversity – it dives deep with panel discussions with titles like “Fat in Front of the Camera.” The latest edition included a Bike & Film Social in which people went for a ride, enjoyed a happy hour, then watched a local film.  

  2. BlackStar Film Festival
    USA, Philadelphia

    Academy-affiliated and newly BAFTA recognised too, BlackStar is one of the coolest and best-programmed festivals focused on BIPOC artists. Philadelphia is a thriving city artistically and BlackStar is a joyous reflection of it. It draws press and high-profile industry representatives, and offers thoughtful, specific panels on subjects like accessibility, sound in horror, and presenting childhood onscreen. 

  3. Doc’n Roll Film Festival
    UK, Various cities

    Possibly underway as you read this, Doc’n Roll combines two of our favorite things, music and documentaries, with a twist. Backed by the BFI Film Audience Network, this festival is based in London but includes screenings across Brighton, Nottingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Exeter, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool and Cardiff. The biggest draw for filmmakers, though, might be its boutique consultancy division, which helps them in their sales and distribution journeys. An additional pull is the attendance (or outside eyes) of international programmers from festivals like HotDocs, CPH:DOX and more, as well as scouts for broadcast and streaming companies.

  4. IFF Ekotopfilm - Envirofilm
    Bratislava, Slovakia

    Half a century old, the International Festival of Sustainable Development Films Ekotopfilm is organized with partners including the Slovak Environment Agency, so you have the attention of not just open-hearted audiences, but also government officials. The focus is on nature, sustainability and the environment, and there are plenty of opportunities to strategize about how to get your messages out. .

  5. imagineNATIVE Festival
    Canada, Toronto

    A festival that supports Indigenous voices while educating audiences of all cultures, imagineNATIVE is dedicated to inspiration and connection. It is likely underway as you read this, but it offers year-round initiatives, a digital interactive space, and a tour that this year focused on animation, shorts, documentaries and drama. Its stellar website, imaginenative.org, offers free films, links to mentorships and pitch competitions, as well as recommendations for other indigenous-focused festivals.

  6. Urbanworld Film Festival
    USA, New York City

    This Academy-affiliated, well-established, BIPOC-focused festival offers star power and opportunities galore, as you’d expect given a founding partner like HBO. It’s known for international programming across the board, as well as a wide range of categories including Original Web Series, U.S. & World Cinema Feature, Screenplays, and Experimental and Environmental Social Impact. 

  7. Wildscreen Festival
    Bristol, England

    A must for any filmmaker interested in the natural world, Wildscreen is interested in everything from wildlife to climate change. It offers robust resources and networking opportunities year-round, thanks to a dedicated team and hardy collection of programmers. Its extremely helpful Wildscreen Exchange is a library of nature images that allows photographers and filmmakers to collaborate affordably.

Katie McCullough
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