1631 festivals worldwide
The world's most prestigious film festival. The Palme d'Or is the highest honor in cinema. Extremely selective — roughly 20 features chosen for competition.
One of the 'Big Three' European festivals alongside Cannes and Venice. Known for politically engaged cinema, strong LGBTQ+ programming, and the Generation section for youth film.
The oldest film festival in the world (est. 1932). The Golden Lion is one of cinema's highest honors. Key awards-season launchpad alongside TIFF and Telluride.
Known for discovering emerging filmmakers. The iconic open-air Piazza Grande screening (8,000 seats) is one of cinema's great experiences. Pardi di Domani section for shorts.
The Sundance Film Festival, held annually in Park City, Utah, is the largest independent film festival in the United States. Founded by Robert Redford in 1978, it is a premier showcase for new independent dramatic and documentary films.
Central Europe's most important festival. Strong Central/Eastern European cinema focus. Does NOT accept short films — features only (60+ min).
Spain's premier international film festival and one of the oldest FIAPF A-list festivals (since 1957). Strong Ibero-American cinema focus with the New Directors section for debuts.
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, held annually in September in Toronto, Canada. It is widely regarded as a key launchpad for Academy Award contenders and features over 300 films from around the globe.
The world's largest documentary film festival, founded in 1988 in Amsterdam and dedicated entirely to creative non-fiction. IDFA screens nearly 250 films from over 76 countries, attracts 295,000 attendees and 3,500 industry professionals annually, and is both Oscar-qualifying and BAFTA-qualifying.
A noncompetitive, invitation-only festival founded in 1963 and presented by Film at Lincoln Center, NYFF is one of the world's most prestigious curated showcases for international art cinema. Known for its highly selective Main Slate of 25–30 films, it consistently premieres works that define the global awards season.
The world's largest short film festival — 9,400+ submissions annually. Oscar-qualifying. Shorts ONLY. The Short Film Market runs simultaneously. Submissions via ShortFilmDepot only.
The world's most important animation festival. Animation ONLY — all forms (2D, 3D, stop-motion, experimental). MIFA market runs alongside. Oscar-qualifying since 1997.
The world's oldest documentary and animated film festival, founded in Leipzig in 1955 and now in its seventh decade. DOK Leipzig presents roughly 200 films annually, with winning Golden Dove documentaries qualifying for the Academy Awards and BAFTA, making it one of the most historically significant non-fiction film events in the world.
The largest film festival in the Nordic countries and Northern Europe, Göteborg Film Festival presents roughly 250 films from 80 countries across 10 days each January, with a Dragon Award prize of one million Swedish crowns among the world's largest festival prizes. Its Nordic Documentary and Swedish Shorts competitions are Academy Award qualifying.
The Hiroshima International Animation Festival, established in 1985 near the Peace Memorial Park, was one of the world's four great animation festivals alongside Annecy, Ottawa, and Zagreb, held biennially in even years until 2020. Its successor, the Hiroshima Animation Season (launched 2022), continues the biennial tradition and holds the distinction of being the only Academy Award qualifying animation festival in Japan, run in the spirit of peace and international friendship.
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), established in 1977, is Asia's oldest continuously running international film festival and one of the region's most significant, screening over 200 titles from 50+ countries each March–April across ten major venues. It holds Academy Award qualifying status for its Documentary and Short Film Firebird Award winners, and is organised by the charitable Hong Kong International Film Festival Society.
The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), founded in 1976 by the Canadian Film Institute, is the largest and oldest animation festival in North America, drawing over 25,000 attendees each September. It holds Academy Award qualifying status, making its Grand Prize winner eligible for Oscar nomination in the Best Animated Short Film category.
The UK's leading documentary festival and one of the world's most influential markets for non-fiction film, founded in 1994 in Sheffield. Running each June, it screens over 116 films including 50+ world premieres, and its short film and feature competitions carry both Oscar and BAFTA qualifying status.
Part of the massive SXSW conference. Strong for genre, independent, and emerging filmmakers. Midnight section is a must for horror/sci-fi. Grand Jury winners Oscar-qualify.
The Tribeca Festival, held annually in New York City, was founded by Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal in 2002 to revitalize Lower Manhattan after 9/11. It showcases independent films, documentaries, shorts, and immersive storytelling across multiple venues in Manhattan.
A leading international documentary festival founded in 1969 in Nyon, Switzerland, dedicated to singular and formally adventurous non-fiction filmmaking. Held each spring, both its International Feature Film Competition and Short Film Competition are Oscar and BAFTA qualifying, and the festival is a key member of the European Doc Alliance.
The largest and most important film festival in Asia. Strong gateway to Asian markets and distribution. Shorts competition limited to Asian short fiction only.
The Arab world's oldest and only FIAPF Category A competitive film festival, founded in 1976, and the sole international competitive festival on the African continent recognized by FIAPF. It remains the most prestigious film event in the Middle East and North Africa.
China's only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film festival, founded in 1993 and accredited in 1994, making it the first internationally recognized film festival in mainland China. It screens over 400 films annually across 40 venues and attracts more than 2,000 submissions from over 100 countries.
The largest film festival in Northern Europe and the only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film festival in the region, founded in 1997 by Tiina Lokk. POFF gained FIAPF A-list status in 2014 and screens over 250 feature films and 275 short films from more than 79 countries annually. Its POFF Shorts sidebar is BAFTA and Oscar qualifying.
Asia's premier FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film festival, held annually since 1985 in Tokyo and organized by the non-profit UNIJAPAN. It is the only Japanese festival recognized by FIAPF and serves as one of Asia's most important platforms for international cinema discovery.
The UK's premier film festival. Strong prestige programming with Experimenta strand for artist film. 247 films from 79 countries in 2025 with 230,000+ attendance.
Asia's largest genre film festival, held annually in July, focusing on horror, thriller, mystery, and fantasy films with a particular emphasis on Asian cinema. Founded in 1997 as PiFan (Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival) and renamed BIFAN in 2015, it is a key discovery platform for East and Southeast Asian genre filmmaking.
FESPACO (Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou) is Africa's largest and most prestigious film festival, founded in 1969 in Burkina Faso and held biennially in late February. Dedicated entirely to African cinema and its diaspora, its top honour — the Étalon d'or de Yennenga — is regarded as the continent's most coveted film prize.
Founded in 1979 to promote Latin American and Caribbean cinema, the Festival Internacional del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano is the premier gathering for the region's filmmakers, distributing around 40 Coral Awards across fiction, documentary, animation, and short film categories each December in Havana.