For aspiring and established filmmakers, finding ways to get in front of audiences and industry professionals is key to finding success in the industry. Festivals such as The Cannes Film Festival in France, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Tribeca Film Festival are massively popular, drawing in submissions from aspiring filmmakers from all over the world.
It’s not impossible to get accepted into these festivals, with NYFA alums like Janek Ambros, Fernando Broce, Tabitha McDonald, Meshal Al Jaser, Alex Kahuam, as well as Mariko Ide and Aaron Latta-Morrisette, screening their work. However, these festivals are incredibly competitive, and for new and emerging filmmakers, may not be the best fit.
Top Film Festivals to Submit to
Film festivals are an ideal place for visual storytellers, including directors, producers, cinematographers, screenwriters, and actors, to put their work on display. These events provide priceless promotion for filmmakers while allowing them to network and connect with their peers.
Here are just a few of the many festivals that have proven to be exceptional foundations for filmmakers.
Wyoming International Film Festival
The Wyoming International Film Festival is an independent film festival held in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The festival celebrates film in the Old West, and 2024 marks its 10th Anniversary. While submissions are closed for this year, the event will be held from July 9-14. The 48-Hour Film Festival, a segment of the festival, will screen on July 14th at Laramie County Community College. Selections for this year’s festival include Weave of Culture, A Little Family Drama, Wishful Thinking, and many more.
Recently, the Executive Director of the Wyoming International Film Festival, Rudi Womack, joined Crickett Rumley, Senior Director of NYFA’s Film Festival Department for a conversation. The discussion included insight into how films are judged, advice on how to avoid mistakes new filmmakers make, and what to do once your film becomes an official selection. Womack is an editor, producer, and director who has worked for Marvel, Disney, Lionsgate, and DreamWorks. Filmmakers can learn more about submitting here.
Tallgrass Film Festival
The Tallgrass Film Festival is the largest independent film festival in Kansas and is held annually over a four-day period. The festival also offers the Wichita filmmaking community year-round support and resources and has a program for local aspiring storytellers from 8th grade through high school seniors. The festival accepts films in the categories of Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Narrative Feature, and Narrative Short. Crickett Rumley, the head of The Film Festival Department at NYFA, is the Panels Director for Tallgrass. For more information about the submission process, prospective submitters can see their website or film freeway.
Raindance Film Festival
As the largest independent film festival in the UK, the Raindance Film Festival is recognized by major film organizations including BAFTA, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the British Independent Film Awards. This year, the festival occurred from June 19-28 and was held in London’s West End film district. This year’s selected entries included NYFA alum Zhang Chong’s film Green Ocean, which screened at Genesis Cinema in London in the “Shorts Programme: Relative States” section of the festival.
In an interview for NYFA’s alumni network, Chong discussed his inspiration for the film, saying, “I recall overhearing a conversation in my family with a young mother who regretted not being able to continue her studies. She didn’t complain, but there was a sense of confusion in her voice about why she became a mother so young and couldn’t study further. Reflecting on these memories, I realized how the invisible rules of traditional culture constrain people’s thinking.
This became the basis of the film. I began to wonder: If she had another chance to study, what choices would she make? What choices would we expect her to make? Is there a right or wrong in her decisions?”
Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
Founded in 1983 by Linda Mabalot, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival is a platform to promote Asian Pacific American and Asian international cinema. As the largest film festival in Southern California dedicated to screening films by and about Asians and Pacific Islanders, the festival is held during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (May). This year’s festival marked its 40th anniversary.
At this year’s festival, Paper Marriage, written and directed by Jeff Man, made its debut. Starring NYFA MFA Acting alum Effy Han, the film explores the complexities of a green card marriage.
Dark Red Film Festival
Dark Red Film Fest, created to support a community of filmmakers dedicated to indie filmmaking and enthusiasm for horror is held annually in Albuquerque, NM. The three-day festival accepts both short and feature films and is still accepting films for this year. Founded by NYFA alum Tabitha McDonald, the 2024 festival will be held on October 25-27th, 2024.
McDonald is no stranger to festival success, as she produced the film Sunlight, along with the teams at Anyway Content, Metro International Entertainment, and INSPIRADO. The film was screened at the 2024 Cannes Great 8 showcase. Prospective filmmakers can learn more about submitting to the Dark Red Film Festival via FilmFreeway.
Nordic International Film Festival
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF). The festival, launched in 2014, is the largest Nordic film festival outside of Europe, and promotes Nordic film, accepting entries from all over the world. The film festival has categories for narrative features and shorts, as well as documentary features and shorts.
NYFA alum Linnea Larsdottir co-founded the festival, which is held annually in New York City. Last year, Scandinavia House and Fotografiska hosted the event, which included a filmmaker’s lounge. Visual storytellers can learn more about submitting to NIFF via FilmFreeway.
New Filmmakers LA
New Filmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) welcomes international filmmakers and visual storytellers to submit documentaries, features, as well as short films. The organization, which has accepted 3,000 films from 85+ countries, holds a monthly film festival, with each event centered around a theme. Held at South Park Center, the monthly festival includes the screening of films and Q&As with directors where audience members can have conversations and network. NYFA recently partnered with New Filmmakers, supporting filmmakers all over the world. FilmFreeway provides more information about submitting to New Filmmakers LA.
American Black Film Festival
The American Black Film Festival, which takes place in Miami, celebrates the accomplishments of Black visual artists. The festival features content created by and for individuals of African descent, providing a showcase for filmmakers. Founded in 1997, the festival accepts narrative and documentary features, as well as short films. The festival also hosts The Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project, a competition designed to feature films about Black men as fathers.
Each year, the ABFF conducts networking events, screenings, and awards nights in South Beach, Florida, near the NYFA Miami campus. This year, three master classes were hosted at the NYFA Miami campus, and two were conducted by NYFA instructors Patrice DeGraff-Arenas and Miguel Parga. DeGraff-Arenas’ course, entitled, “Act It Out: Scene Exploration with Patrice DeGraff-Arenas”, was an intensive, two-hour long workshop focused on Acting for Film. Parga’s course, “Low Budget, Big Film: Filmmaking with Miguel Parga,” tapped into the art of filmmaking in a packed room of festival goers and students.
In attendance at this year’s ABFF, Mike Gauyo and Amy Aniobi, writers on hit shows Ginny & Georgia and Insecure, respectively, taught a third master class called, “Write Here, Write Now! A Mock Writers’ Room with Mike Gauyo & Amy Aniobi”, which focused on screenwriting for television. NYFA alum Issa Rae’s Insecure, was the Creative Director of the American Black Film Festival this year and NYFA is thrilled to have the opportunity to reconnect with her. Rae is an alum of NYFA LA’s 4-week filmmaking program from 2005 and with this year’s event, NYFA was able to help support her creative vision for the festival as well as host a writer from her well-known HBO series, Insecure, as a masterclass co-teacher on NYFA Miami’s campus.
Dances with Films
Dances With Films, founded in 1998, screens more than 200 annually, including narrative features, documentaries, shorts, music videos, and web content. The festival is held over 11 days from June 20th to 30th at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. This year, NYFA alum Andrea Figueroa Chavez, who graduated with a BFA in Filmmaking and was a part of the Gold Rising Program, had the US premiere of her film Lillo at the festival. December 2024 also marks the expansion of the festival to New York City.
James Valdez, an MFA Cinematography graduate from NYFA, wrote and co-produced Canto Santiago, which also screened at the 2024 festival. Abraham Ampka, who attended NYFA Los Angeles, graduating with a Master’s degree in Film and Media Production, had the world premiere of his film Ghost Walker, which he directed, wrote, co-produced, and starred in. Potential submitters can learn more about Dances with Films on FilmFreeway.
Colombian Film Festival
The Colombian Film Festival in NYC was created to support and promote the film industry in Colombia. Founded by Juan Carvajal in 2012, a Colombian filmmaker, the festival has categories for fiction, documentary, and short films. This year, NYFA MFA Filmmaking alum Felipe Holguín Caro screened his film La Suprema, which he directed and co-wrote.
The film, his debut feature, has had a lot of success in the 2024 festival season, winning the Coral Post award in La Habana and the Silver Colón Audience Award at the Huelva Film Festival. To learn more about submitting to the Colombian Film Festival, filmmakers can follow them on Instagram and visit their website.
The Brooklyn Film Festival
The Brooklyn Film Festival promotes the independent production of films, putting Brooklyn on the center stage of film. Every year, the festival accepts submissions for Narrative Features, Narrative Shorts, Documentary Features, Documentary Shorts, Animation, and Experimental.
NYFA BFA in Filmmaking alum Amalia Fuzulova, an Uzbekistan-born filmmaker and video artist based in New York City, premiered her film Garden Of Aiden at the 27th Brooklyn Film Festival. Fuzulova directed the film and NYFA Cinematography alum Ilaria Serantoni served as Director of Photography. Information about submitting to the festival is available on FilmFreeway.
The Philadelphia Latino Film Festival
Founded in 2012, The Philadelphia Latino Film Festival (PHLAFF) is Philadelphia’s only festival dedicated to Latine/x/a/o filmmakers. The international film festival brings audiences into the unique stories of Latino storytellers, accepting short films, narratives, documentaries, animation, and full-feature films. The festival takes place over the course of a few weeks, with the 2024 festival taking place over six weeks. The event also includes a Youth Salon open to youth under 22 years (see details here), as well as a Cultural Producer Residency Program.
This year, NYFA alum Felipe Holguín Caro screened his film La Suprema at The Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, in addition to The Colombian Film Festival in NY (mentioned above). FilmFreeway has more information about submitting to PHLAFF.
Develop Your Festival Strategy at NYFA
Understanding the process and entry requirements is why NYFA established the Film Festival Department. Matriculated students and NYFA’s long-term program alums who have worked with NYFA’s Film Festival Department have been selected by festivals like Sundance, the American Pavilion at Cannes, and the BFI London Film Festival, winning awards, nominations, and shortlisted for the BAFTA Student Film Awards, the Student Academy Awards, the Directors Guild Student Awards, and more.
Ready to learn more about our filmmaking programs and the opportunities available with the assistance of our Film Festival Department? Request more information today!
Cover image generated with Midjourney AI and logos via Tallgrass Film Festival, Philadelphia Latino Film Festival, Brooklyn Film Festival, and American Black Film Festival.