50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee 2025

Almost everything in film is subjective, but with our annual list of 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee, we try to be as objective as can be.

It is largely about numbers: How many submissions does a festival receive? How much money, if any, does the festival pay in travel costs? How much does it offer in prizes? How many distributors, other industry representatives, and news outlets attend? 

It’s also about specifics: Who are those distributors? Is the festival Oscar qualifying? Does it offer a screenwriting competition? Great panels? Interesting guests? Rides to the airport? Food?

We’re especially interested in ratios: We think a moviemaker’s best ROI will be found at a high-quality festival with an inviting submission-to-acceptance ratio, where you’ll have a good chance of getting in and meeting people who can help you — not at a loud party, screaming over a VIP rope line you’re not allowed to cross, but in pleasant settings where you can enjoy real human moments. 

So we love hidden gems, and festivals that not only look great on paper, but show heart in person.

Each year, we prepare our list of 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee through questionnaires submitted by festivals, fact-checking with filmmakers who attend them, and, as often as possible, our own visits. We don’t bother including the biggest festivals on this list, because if you’re savvy enough to read MovieMaker, you’re probably also familiar with Berlinale, Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, Toronto, Tribeca and Venice. 

We’ve also skipped a number of very prestigious festivals that receive so many submissions — and accept so few — that they’re real longshots. As always, festivals that are Academy Awards qualifying in at least one category have an “A” next to their name, and those with screenwriting competitions have an “S.” And like we always say, not every festival on this list will be perfect for everyone, but we’re sure at least one will be perfect for you. 

So with that, here’s our list of...

50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee 2025

AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Miami Beach, Florida / June 11-15 / abff.com

A perennial on this list, ABFF is one of the most respected festivals focused on Black artists, and has drawn a who’s who of A-list attendees including Issa Rae (the 2024 festival’s creative director), Halle Berry, Ryan Coogler, Kevin Hart, Will Packer, Anthony Anderson and many more. This year’s event will include Nia Long and Larenz Tate, who will reminisce about Love Jones, which premiered in 1997, the year founder Jeff Friday launched the festival. ABFF draws 5,000 visitors annually and has received backing from Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, Sony, and many more. Some filmmakers’ travel costs are covered through the HBO Short Film Award Competition and the Black & Unlimited Fatherhood Project Director’s Showcase, and the latter includes a $10,000 cash prize, the largest prize offered at the festival. Many distributors have been known to attend, including from Warner Bros, HBO, TV One, Starz, Onyx Collective and Netflix. 

AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY AND ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Palm Springs, California / March and/or April 2026 / amdocfilmfest.com

AmDocs draws some heavy hitters — Sean Penn’s Ukraine documentary Superpower was among the films in 2024 — but it has an inviting submission-to-admission ratio that makes it an especially appealing option for filmmakers who can easily make the 90-minute trip from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. The fest works with filmmakers on travel, offering discounted rooms or participation in its popular Homestay Host Program. It also notes that while a significant number of industry representatives attend, they tend to prefer to keep low profiles and discretely seek out filmmakers who capture their interest. Jockeying is generally discouraged: The festival emphasizes that every film is different, and that moviemakers should support each other by turning out for one another’s films, rather than seeing them as competition. That said, there is a Film Fund Pitch Competition that has helped filmmakers with both financial support and access to industry decision makers: Past AmDocs films have gone on to get industry representation from entities including HBO, Showtime, MTV Films and PBS.

ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL (A, S)

Atlanta, Georgia / April-May 2026 / atlantafilmfestival.com

The festival, which just celebrated its 49th year, is another regular on this list thanks in large part to its Oscar qualifying status, screenwriting competition, and generous hospitality, which includes covering airfare and lodging for moviemakers with feature films in competition and a travel stipend for other films. Distributors in attendance have included Oscilloscope Laboratories, A24 and Tubi. Additional industry representation has included 3 Arts Entertainment, Big Picture Casting, Rose Locke Casting, Vanishing Angle, Seed & Spark, Buffalo 8 and more. It is known for promoting Southern talent, and especially women and people of color, as well as for adventurous programming, including the dialogue-free Finnish feature Giant’s Kettle, which played the latest edition.The festival also hosts parties galore. 

AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (A, S)

Austin, Texas / October 23-30 / austinfilmfestival.com

Especially popular with writers, AFF manages to be packed with events and laid-back at the same time. You’ll meet people at parties, waiting in line for tacos, and walking down the street. Guests this year will include indie icon Christine Vachon, who will receive the Polly Platt Award for Producing, and Living Single creator Yvette Lee Bowser, recipient of the Outstanding Television Writer Award. The films are always top-notch, and placing high in AFF’s screenwriting competition will likely get you the attention of agents and managers. The festival has a challenging submission to acceptance ratio, but getting in means being in the presence of a bevy of distributors and sales agents, including Netflix, Magnolia Pictures, The Coven, Vertical Entertainment and Cinetic Media. The festival also offers airfare and lodging reimbursements of up to $1,000 to the winning films in each category. Adding to the hospitality, each accepted film is assigned a local filmmaker liaison who can help with transportation, screenings, panels, parties, and introducing you to local flavor. 

BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania / July 31-August 3 / blackstarfest.org

Blackstar describes itself as a “care-centered festival exclusively for Black, Brown, and Indigenous filmmakers globally, that is focused on liberation — not just representation.” It stands out for how many things it does right, including helping with travel costs for filmmakers and offering screening fees — $600 for features and $300 for shorts. Distributors known to attend include NEON, AmDOC/POV, Comcast/Xfinity, NBCUniversal, The New York Times and Netflix, and it is known for some of the best parties and panels around, as well a huge prize package for the BlackStar Pitch for non-fiction short films: the winner gets $75,000, and the runner-up $25,000. It also has a not-impossible ratio of submissions to accepted films.

BUSAN INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (A, S)

Busan, South Korea / 2026 / bisff.org/eng

This festival, established in 1980, just wrapped its latest edition — so you have plenty of time to apply for next year. If you can make your way to South Korea’s second-largest city — known for beautiful beaches, bustling markets and serene temples — the festival helps with three nights of lodging for invited filmmakers. It welcomes distributors from across South Korea, and past guests have included representatives of Blackmagic Design, the Korean Film Council, and more. Films come from all over the world, including Italy’s “The Birthday Party,” by Francesco Sossai, which earned Academy Award qualification last year by winning the Grand Prix in International Competition. Other 2024 highlights included a talk by Emmy-nominated director Vanessa Crocini, who also served as a jury member. With filmmakers’ permission, their films continue to be shown long after the festival ends: Following the main festival in April, BISFF organizes screenings in Busan and other South Korean cities. The 2025 edition of the festival was just starting as we went to press, and has ended by the time you read this.

CALGARY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Calgary, Alberta, Canada / September 18-28 / ciffcalgary.ca

Calgary is one of the fastest-rising film hubs in the world — it just cracked the top five big cities on our annual list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker — and the festival reflects its growing importance. The programmers’ excellent taste includes programming the world premiere of the comedy Micro Budget, a story of disastrous DIY moviemaking that anyone in film will enjoy. The festival helps with travel costs for many filmmakers, and gets good press turnout, as well as industry attention from entities including the National Film Board of Canada and Raven Banner Entertainment. Its Industry Week panels have included insights into casting, approaching actors for indie films, punching up scripts, and rolling with industry ups and downs. The festival also hands out around $30,000 in prize money each year.

CHILLIWACK INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL 

Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada / November 19-23 / ciff.ca

Chilliwack, a largely agricultural community of roughly 100,000 people that’s about a two-hour drive from Vancouver, is surrounded by stunning rivers, meditative hiking trails and snowcapped mountain peaks, which means you can start your day with nature and then get down to the business (and pleasure) of film. Last year, for example, director Lawrence Jacomelli went out to watch eagles snatch salmon from a stream in the hours before Chilliwack world-premiered his grindhouse homage Blood Star. Last year’s event also included a screening of Longlegs, shot in Vancouver, and two very substantive talks with its director, Osgood Perkins, who explained how he shot the film and The Monkey in the region. Chilliwack thrives at highlighting the adventurous work of local and Canadian filmmakers — Jerome Yoo’s Mongrels, shot near Chilliwack, won 2024’s Best Feature Film award, and Matthew Rankin’s French and Persian Universal Language, Canada’s latest Oscar submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar, won Chilliwack’s Best of Fest award. The fest also cares deeply about the next generation of indie film: It gave the Best Fraser Valley Film award to “Rat King,” made by students at Chilliwack’s GW Graham Secondary. The festival has many intimate, unpretentious parties and panels where you can meet industry representatives. Those who attended last year included representatives from Elevation Pictures, Raven Banner Entertainment and The Coven, one of the companies behind Terrifier 3. Chilliwack is a fast-growing place and fast-growing festival with an inviting submission-to-admission ratio. 

CINEQUEST (A, S)

San Jose and Mountain View, California / March 2026 / cinequest.org

This Silicon Valley festival is dedicated to using technology to boost filmmaking, distribution and exhibition, but has a very human touch: Cinequest vows to treat every filmmaker like a star, and it’s a true discovery festival that offers an inviting admission-to-submission ratio and programs roughly 90 percent of its films from submissions. Distributors in attendance, always seeking the next new thing, have included A24, IFC, HBO, Roadside Attractions, Magnolia, Netflix, Oscilloscope and more. Other industry attendees include producers, managers and sales agents, and the hospitality package offers hotel deals, food and drink, lounges, and more. The fest also offers transportation allowances on a case-by-case basis. Even the biggest skeptics of technology will benefit from learning more about it, and Cinequest obliges with panels on subjects like AI and creativity, as well as traditional talks about storytelling and producing. 

CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Cleveland, Ohio / April 9-18, 2026 / clevelandfilm.org

Known for crowd pleasers and huge prize packages — it hands out 35 awards totaling more than $130,000 — Cleveland draws a wide array of terrific films to the sprawling and historic Playhouse Square. In addition to programming films, it pairs them with local nonprofits to encourage robust discussions about their subject matter. Representatives of Cleveland’s own Gravitas Ventures are known to attend, as are industry representatives from AMC Networks, ESPN, and more. It offers travel stipends for both features and shorts, and this year’s smart programming included Wendy Lobel’s feature documentary Anxiety Club, about comedians dealing with anxiety, and Cincinnati filmmaker Maureen McEly’s “Golden Hour,” a tightly devastating five-minute short about loss and digital exploitation. Cleveland also offers a reasonable submission-to-admission ratio, so a great film has a good chance of getting in. Its latest edition wrapped in April.

CORONADO ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL (S)

Coronado, California / November 5-9 / coronadofilmfest.com

Hollywood’s love affair with Coronado Island goes back more than a century, when the Hotel del Coronado, the festival’s presenting sponsor, began establishing itself as a playground for movie stars — among the guests over the years were Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Mae West, Katharine Hepburn and many more. Each year the festival basks in that history while looking to the future. It has a very inviting submission-to-acceptance ratio, generously puts up invited filmmakers, and provides prizes ranging from $500-5,000. Last year’s honorees included biopic masters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who received the Screenwriting Award at the Leonard Maltin Industry Tribute Gala that is hosted within the festival, and Jane Seymour, who recalled her journey from chorus girl to superstar as she accepted the Legacy Award. Screenings include Oscar contenders as well as inspired and idiosyncratic docs, many of which nod to the San Diego area’s strong ties to the military and veterans. Distributors known to attend have included Searchlight Pictures, A24, Amazon Studios and Tangled Bank Studios.

CUCALORUS FILM FESTIVAL

Wilmington, North Carolina / November 19 -23 / cucalorus.org

Cucalorus is not a festival where you’ll be wined and dined by distributors, handed prize money, or granted Oscar eligibility. But because all those things are off the table, you might get something more valuable: friendships that can turn into partnerships that can result in art for the sake of art. And great art — once you stop worrying about rewards — often, ironically, brings rewards. We can also promise you’ll take home priceless recipes for cheese grits and fried cornbread, a renewed sense of worth, and memories of laughing very hard while at the festival’s beloved venue, the community theater Jengo’s Playhouse. Chief instigating officer Dan Brawley will make sure everyone has fun watching weird, daring, inspiring films, paired with music and comedy and performance art pieces. And you can pay tribute to the late, great David Lynch by checking out the local locations for Blue Velvet, one of many masterful movies shot in Wilmington.

DENVER FILM FESTIVAL

Denver, Colorado / October 31 - November 9 / denverfilm.org

Known for hospitality — including generous help with transportation and accommodations — Denver draws an impressive guest list which last year included The Bear co-showrunner Joanna Calo and media outlets including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair and more. Distributors in attendance included Vertical Entertainment, and the awards-season lineup included September 5, The Brutalist and Nickel Boys. The festival is also generous with cash prizes: its Music on Film-Film on Music Documentary Grant Program, for example, provides $20,000 annually in finishing funds for U.S.-based documentaries, specifically for licensing, scoring, and composition. Last year’s event included acting workshops, live podcast recordings, and private dinners for select filmmakers. The submission-to-admission ratio is fairly welcoming.

EL DORADO FILM FESTIVAL

El Dorado, Arkansas / Feb 25 - March 1, 2026 / eldofilmfest.com

El Dorado is named for a lost city of gold — perfect for a festival where hidden treasures abound. A brand-new addition to our list, El Dorado is a former oil-boom town of less than 20,000, located between Little Rock (120 miles north) and Shreveport (95 miles southwest.) You could easily overlook it. But just off the main commercial drag is the South Arkansas Arts Center, the elegant home of the El Dorado Film Festival, and just a few minutes away is a revitalized, elegant downtown filled with history. On our trip to the latest edition of the festival, we found ourselves captivated, again and again: by a 40th anniversary screening of the horror classic Fright Night, featuring a Q&A with star (and El Dorado native) William Ragsdale; by daring, thoughtful films by University of Central Arkansas filmmakers; and most of all by an entrancing walking tour by raconteur and South Arkansas Historical Preservation Society curator Darrin Riley, which featured the secret histories of Gone With the Wind and True Grit, which was based on the novel by El Dorado native Charles Portis. The tour ended with a treasure trove of Hollywood memorabilia that a local resident collected over the decades without anyone knowing. This is the kind of small, intimate festival where you see a producer on the rise pull a student filmmaker aside to talk to him for an hour. We also got inside tips on financing and distribution from Vanishing Angle vice president Ben Wiessner, and feasted on snacks from a friendly local, Delaine Gates, who later turned out to have been the drama teacher for multiple filmmakers in attendance, including festival executive director Alexander Jeffery. The movie lovers of small-town America deserve more events like this. And we haven’t even told you about the secret speakeasy hidden in a comic-book store.

EL PASO FILM FESTIVAL

El Paso, Texas / September 25-27 / elpasofilmfestival.org

Three days of fun, smart, spirited films in a borderland city packed with the stories of three cultures: Texas, Mexico, and the fascinating places where they intersect. But that may be underselling it: El Paso also has a close rapport with nearby Las Cruces, New Mexico, another fast-rising film hub. This is still a smaller, intimate festival with a very favorable submission-to-admission ratio, so a great movie has a great chance of being accepted. Those who get in will find themselves quickly embraced by a film scene that emphasizes cheering everyone on and raising all boats. It assists filmmakers with airfare, lodging and local transportation, as well as very good food. Festival founder and artistic director Carlos F. Corral — himself a local filmmaker — keeps the good feelings going, sometimes surprising filmmakers onstage with awards during their Q&As. It’s also known for cut-to-the-chase workshops and panels presented by the El Paso Film & Creative Industries Commission at Visit El Paso. Recent films to screen at the fest include the festival darlings Breakup Season by H. Nelson Tracey and “Heart of Texas” by Gregory J.M. Kasunich. 

EVOLUTION MALLORCA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (S)

Palma de Mallorca, Spain / October 21-29 / evolutionfilmfestival.com

EMIFF draws fabulous guests, is set in one of the most beautiful locations in the world, and has an attractive submission-to-acceptance ratio. What’s not to like? Guests to this paradisiacal event on the shimmering Balearic islands capital of Palma are drawn to unforgettable vistas and event venues, and also to its theme of “bridging cultures — bridging people.” Festival founder Sandra Lipski, who has ties to Los Angeles, Spain and her native Germany, both embodies and evangelizes the idea that film can connect people to bring about important changes on a global scale. The festival fulfills that idea with in-depth talks on subjects like how to shoot films sustainably. It has welcomed distributors including Magnolia Pictures, IFC Films, Roadside Attractions and A24, and past award honorees have included Mads Mikkelsen and Ana de Armas. The festival is generous in helping toward travel costs and with prizes, handing out nearly $30,000 in in-kind grants from Mallorca’s production and equipment rental house Palma Pictures. It’s a regular on this list for reasons that go well beyond its gorgeous setting.

FANTASIA FILM FESTIVAL

Montreal, Quebec, Canada / July 17 – August 3 / fantasiafestival.com

Spanning two weeks, Fantasia is a testament to the power of seeing a film in a theater with an audience. Some of the most daring movies we’ve ever seen — like Alex Phillips’ All Jacked Up and Full of Worms and Scooter McCrae’s shocking Black-Eyed Susan — were in packed Fantasia screenings, where everyone buckled in and committed to bold, cathartic viewing experiences. The Fantasia audience, known for meowing when the lights go down, is one of the most sophisticated on the planet, knowingly laughing at every subverted trope or particularly audacious kill. Founded in 1996, the festival is generous with travel costs, lodging and ground transportation, and has drawn such industry movers and shakers as Arrow Films, Elevation Pictures, IFC, Mongrel Media, Music Box Films, Raven Banner Entertainment, Shudder, Universal Pictures, Vinegar Syndrome, XYZ Films, Yellow Veil and more. Artistic director Mitch Davis is one of the best in the festival world, known to elegantly extrapolate, in English and French, on the history and importance of genre filmmaking. Last year’s event included special book events for Kier-La Janisse’s Cockfight: A Fable of Failure and Heidi Honeycutt’s I Spit on Your Celluloid, as well as a retrospective on the Canadian genre classic Cube with director Vincenzo Natali in attendance, and artist talks with Mike Flanagan and Gary Pullin. The festival also hosts the international co-production market Frontières, which welcomes big, bold pitches. 

FANTASPOA

Porto Alegre, Brazil / April 2026 / fantaspoa.com

Porto Alegre means “joyful harbor,” and Fantaspoa offers just that: a place for filmmakers to party and unwind at a genre-focused festival with an emphasis on audacious films. Last year’s lineup included the world premiere of Michael Pierro’s brutally efficient automation-and-alienation horror movie Self Driver. The festival helps with lodging and local transportation, as well as food and drinks. (In its application for this list, let it be known that it put an exclamation point after the latter.) Festival director Joao Fleck personally selects films for the festival’s press partner to pitch to news outlets.And while the festival makes no promises about industry attendance, distributors-in-the-know do pay attention to its lineup: See page 14 of this magazine, which explains how Ethos Releasing found Neal Dhand’s Dark My Light via Fantaspoa. The festival is also known for seeking long-term friendships, noting that it doesn’t like to program a film and never see the filmmakers again — its goal is to hang with them through long careers. It also offers a quite inviting submission-to-acceptance ratio. 

FILM FEST KNOX

Knoxville, Tennessee / November 6-9 / filmfestknox.com

This is a young festival, only in its third year, but it is making a mark with its emphasis on “showcasing and advocating for personal, ambitious regional cinema,” a pledge placed prominently on its homepage. Film Fest Knox is notably one of the very few festivals that can promise a theatrical run: The winner of the American Regional Cinema Competition plays on big screens to general audiences thanks to the fest’s partners at Regal. The fest offers $18,000 in total prize money, which includes $5,000 to the winner of its Elev8or Pitch competition and smaller prizes  for second and third place. Another welcome attribute is an appealing submission-to-admission ratio, and the fest provides generous help with travel costs. Last year’s attendees included C. Mason Wells, director of distribution for MUBI. Selected films included Tracie Laymon’s Bob Trevino Likes It and Yen Tan’s All That We Love. 

FILMQUEST (S)

Provo, Utah / October 23-November 1 / filmquestfest.com

What if an ’80s slumber party were a film festival? That’s our best description of FilmQuest, where an almost all-filmmaker audience gathers in a wholesome, clean-living Utah mountain town to watch some of the most wonderfully depraved movies ever made. People who meet at the fest one year have been known to return the next as collaborators. But the best part of FilmQuest is watching long late-night shorts blocks, where your brain melts into the insanity of one shocking film after another. It’s a mind-bending, cult-like experience, and a total joy. Festival founder Jonathan Martin is the charisma machine who holds it all together, making everyone feel like an honored guest and instant friend. Also, we never visit Provo without eating the delicious, creative ice cream at Rockwell, down the street from Velour, the festival’s screening venue. 

FULL FRAME DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Durham, North Carolina / April 2026 / fullframefest.org

One of the world’s most respected documentary film festivals, Full Frame is known for excellent curation and making filmmakers feel appreciated even before they arrive. In addition to offering hotel accommodations and screening fees, it assists with travel planning so documentarians can focus entirely on the festival experience. Thanks to Full Frame’s hospitality, roughly 60% of the films at the fest have a filmmaker present for a post-screening Q&A. It also offers several awards that each include a cash prize of $5,000. Distributors in attendance have included ESPN, Netflix, HBO, Working Films and more. Oscar-nominated Nickel Boys filmmaker RaMell Ross was among recent jurors. The festival isn’t easy to get into, but those who are accepted can expect a very welcoming experience among fellow filmmakers at the top of their craft. 

GALWAY FILM FLEADH (A, S)

Galway, Ireland / July 8-13 / galwayfilmfleadh.com

Located in an utterly charming city on Ireland’s West Coast, the fleadh (Gaelic for “festival,”) rejects red carpets. Instead it offers dreamy, walkable streets where you’ll bump into filmmakers from all over the globe. Besides inviting screening venues, it provides a relaxed, informal environment for buying and selling films. The Film Fair, which runs parallel to the fleadh, draws a wide range of industry representatives from Shudder, BBC Films, Fi?s E?ireann/Screen Ireland, Lionsgate, RTE?, Sky Cinema, Studio Canal, MUBI, Netflix, and more. Last year’s screenings included the Irish premiere of Rich Peppiatt’s unconventional music biopic Kneecap, which won three awards, including the Audience Award, and the festival presented its Galway Hooker award to Brian Cox. You can clear your head with walks along the gorgeous unspoiled coastline or the ripping River Corrib.

HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (A, S)

East Hampton, Southampton and Sag Harbor, New York / October 3-13 / hamptonsfilmfest.org

HIFF could easily coast on its starry awards-season guest lists — its “In Conversation With…” series has included everyone from Steven Spielberg to Martin Scorsese — or on its storied East End locations. It could also rest on its prize packages, which total more than $100,000, including cash and in-kind goods and services. But as easy as it would be for the festival to kick back and bask in being an awards-season stalwart in a rich people’s playground, it also makes a serious effort to discover and promote new talent. This is a hard festival to get into, but make the cut and you’ll have the chance to gather in a casual, close-knit setting with agents, managers and producers who can help bring your next script to the screen. Distributors in attendance have included A24, Apple, Cinetic, Dark Star, Focus Features, NEON, Netflix, and many more. 

HAWAI’I INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Honolulu, Hawai’i / October 16-30 / hiff.org

Located in one of the most breathtaking locales of any festival, HIFF offers a one-of-a-kind hospitality and celebration of Asian-Pacific and international film. Unsurprisingly, the festival doesn’t have a hard time attracting great guests: Last year’s included legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins, as well as Hong Kong superstar Sandra Ng and Boba Fett himself, Temuera Morrison. It’s also a big industry draw, attracting distributors like Netflix, Fox Searchlight, Amazon, Well Go USA, Sakka, and Film Movement. Recent jurors have included Chris Kekaniokalani Bright (screenwriter of Lilo & Stitch), and prizes for filmmakers total more than $20,000. HIFF is also known for presenting the NETPAC award, which promotes Asian and Pacific cinema by celebrating exceptional talents. And its submission-to-acceptance ratio is more favorable than you might expect, given the obvious appeal of the location. You’ll want to allow yourself plenty of time for hikes, bikes, kayaks, surfing and rock climbing.

HEARTLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 

Indianapolis, Indiana / October 9-19 / heartlandfilm.org

INDY SHORTS (A)

Indianapolis, Indiana / July 22-27 / heartlandfilm.org/indyshorts 

The nonprofit arts organization Heartland Film puts on both the feature-focused Heartland in the fall and the shorts-focused Indy Shorts in the summer, and both are among the most friendly festivals you’ll find anywhere on the planet. The organizers, starting with Heartland Film president Michael Ault, take care to welcome everyone and show off the best of Indianapolis — including the sprawling Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, site of many screenings. The other excellent venues include the Living Room Theaters, one anchor of the thriving Bottleworks District. Heartland has a welcoming submission-to-admission ratio, and while Indy Shorts is tougher to get into, both are well worth the trip, and both festivals are generous in helping with travel. Major distributors to attend have included Netflix, National Geographic Documentary Films, Searchlight Pictures, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, IFC Films, NEON, Prime Video and Magnolia Pictures, and both festivals offer generous prize packages: about $60,000 for Heartland, and $35,000 for Indy Shorts. The latter is Oscar qualifying, and Heartland re-showcases the three grand prize-winning films from Indy’s Oscar-qualifying categories: Documentary, Live Action and Animation. Heartland regularly shows award-magnet films — last year’s included Emilia Perez, September 5 and A Real Pain — in addition to DIY standouts. Indy Shorts is known for a mix of crowd pleasers and very adventurous programming, like the Finnish “Bright White Light,” an animated Finnish film documenting near-death experiences. Both Heartland and Indy Shorts are among the very few festivals on not only this list but also our list of the 25 Coolest Festivals in the World.

HOLLYSHORTS FILM FESTIVAL (A, S)

Los Angeles, California  / Aug 7-17 / hollyshorts.com

You want to screen your films for the HollyShorts audience: This is a very strong discovery festival that draws not only distributors — including Netflix, Lionsgate, Short of the Week, Omeleto, ESPN, and more — but also agents from Gersh, CAA and WME. Representatives from Monkeypaw, Vanishing Angle, LB Entertainment and the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge have also attended. And HollyShorts welcomes representatives from several festivals on this list, like NewFilmmakers Los Angeles and the Evolution Mallorca International Film Festival. Jurors have included Rosario Dawson, Rachel Brosnahan, Matthew Modine and David Dastmalchian. And the stunning prize package is valued at more than $175,000, including a $60,000 Panavision camera package and $10,000 in Kodak film stock. Company 3, meanwhile, gives out $80,000 in color correction work. The festival also spawned the short film streaming site BitPix and the festival offshoots HollyShorts Comedy and HollyShorts London. Last year’s films included Victoria Warmerdam’s “I’m Not a Robot,” which went on to win the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. The festival, which just celebrated its 20th year, is the real deal in every possible sense.

HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Hot Springs, Arkansas / October 10-28 / hsdfi.org

This filmmaker-focused festival offers an intimate, rejuvenating setting near Hot Springs National Park where documentarians can celebrate each other’s work and strategize about the future of documentary filmmaking. It offers a fairly welcoming submission-to-admission ratio, generous help with travel costs, and access to a wide swath of industry representatives, including such distributors as ESPN Films, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and NatGeo Documentaries. Other industry attendees have included the Southern Documentary Fund, Kartemquin and Reel South. Last year’s films included a who’s who of celebrated docs, including No Other Land, winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The festival’s Wellness Series invites filmmakers to fully appreciate the beauty of the locale with hiking, yoga, and meditations. 

JULIEN DUBUQUE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 

Dubuque, Iowa / April 2026 / julienfilmfest.com

Julien Dubuque promises “communication, filmmaker appreciation and respect” to all, epitomizing unpretentious Midwestern hospitality. It’s a budget-friendly, centrally located festival known for free transportation to and from the surrounding airports (including Chicago), bountiful free food, and lodging that includes the highly regarded HomeStay program, in which filmmakers can stay free in locals’ homes. The fest is designed to be walkable and offers free shuttles, and festival executive director Susan Gorrell goes out of her way to be accessible to all. Representatives from LeoMark Studios and Circus Road are among the industry professionals who have attended. The festival also hands out more than $20,000 in prize money, and its panels include daily coffee talks about filmmaking and industry insights, as well as a discussion where filmmakers can hear firsthand from jurors about how they select winning films. Finally, the admission-to-submission ratio is fairly welcoming.

LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Locarno, Switzerland / August 6-16 / locarnofestival.ch

This high-prestige festival is selective, yes, but not impossible to get into with a great, bold film — and the benefits of attending are obvious even aside from its stunning location along Lake Maggiore and the Alps. Locarno provides generous assistance with lodging and ground transportation, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes. You’ll also be a part of history at this fest, founded in 1946, when you join the 8,000 people who gather each night to watch films on one of Europe’s largest screens on the Piazza Grande. Among the many ways Locarno incubates talent is its Locarno Academy for young people, and it champions the film experience with its Open Doors programs for regions where independent cinema faces its greatest challenges. The festival unsurprisingly has a huge industry presence: Distributors known to attend include MUBI, Bande à Part Films, RTS Radio Télévision Suisse, France 2 Cinéma, StudioCanal, Sony and more. And the press team stands out, offering five press agents covering France, Germany and Austria, Italy, Switzerland and International, for films that don’t have their own publicist. 

LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Los Angeles, California / 2026 / vcmedia.org/festival

Established in 1983 to promote the films, videos, and digital mediaworks of Asian and Pacific Islander artists, the festival just wrapped its 41st edition. It follows core values that include serving as an agent rather than an impediment of change, and prioritizing community building over individual ego inflation. It also emphasizes “R3:NEWAL” — Regeneration, Reciprocity, and Renewal — to help filmmakers connect with and inspire each other. It is generous in assisting with travel costs, and has drawn industry representatives from NBCUniversal and Sony, among others. Recent films have included the world premiere of Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement, from the Japanese American National Museum and PBS SoCal. The festival has a very encouraging submission-to-acceptance ratio and hands out a bevy of awards, including for emerging filmmakers.

LOUISIANA FILM PRIZE

Shreveport, Louisiana / October 15-19 / prizefest.com/film

Perhaps the most unique of any film festival, this short-film competition requires that all entries be made in Louisiana. They vie for a $25,000 prize that goes up to $50,000 if the film is shot in Caddo Parish, where Shreveport is located, or nearby Bossier Parish. The entrants are whittled down to 20, who attend a weekend of screenings and other events that include street parties, food tastings, live comedy and much more. Though it’s a competition, the feeling is extremely convivial and collaborative — you frequently see the director of one film pitching in to be the cinematographer or cameraperson on a friend/rival’s short. While everyone is hoping for the $50,000 (or $25,000), many smaller prizes are handed out as well. It also welcomes filmmakers at all experience levels, from people who’ve never made a film to people who’ve made many, so it’s an ideal opportunity for those looking to break in. Festival founder and executive director Gregory Kallenberg and director Chris Lyon make everyone feel welcome, even remembering details like your favorite drink. If you aren’t from Shreveport, you’ll go home wishing your town had an event that brings the community together like the Prize. 

MAMMOTH LAKES FILM FESTIVAL (S)

Mammoth Lakes, California / May 2026 / mammothlakesfilmfestival.com

Devoted to finding unique, innovative and personal stories, MLFF packs screenings with audiences hungry for risky films, especially from previously overlooked filmmakers. Its commitment to diversity includes diversity of thought, style, and inspiration, and the festival cares more about heart than pedigree. Festival director Shira Dubrovner and her team create a warm atmosphere that includes trips to the local hot springs. Distributors in attendance have included Greenwich Entertainment and Indican Pictures, and last year’s guests included producer Tim Moore of Clint Eastwood’s Malpaso Productions and Oscar-nominated May December co-writer Alex Mechanik, who took part in a Saturday morning panel and also met with 10 screenplay competition finalists. Festivals can be gateways to other festivals, and that’s very much the case with the highly regarded Mammoth Lakes: programmers from Slamdance, Sundance, and Tribeca all attended last year. The submission-to-admission policy is selective but reasonable, and Mammoth Lakes also offers a total of more than $40,000 in cash and other prizes. The latest edition just wrapped.

MIAMI JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Miami, Florida / January 15-29, 2026 / miamijewishfilmfestival.org

Welcoming more than 50,000 film lovers a year — about a third of whom are not Jewish — the festival is a platform for connection and cultural exchange through storytelling. It isn’t the easiest festival to get into, but selected filmmakers receive a standout experience that includes very generous travel packages and the opportunity to explore attractions like Miami Beach and the Wynwood Arts District. Distributors known to attend include Greenwich Films, Menemsha Films, and Briarcliff Entertainment, and the festival notes that three to five films are picked up for distribution from the festival each year. The festival also offers a large prize package totaling more than $60,000, including $18,000 each for the winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Documentary Achievement Award. (The winners should be substantially of Jewish interest and/or produced in Israel.) Another major prize, the Torchbearer Jury Prize, awards $10,000 to a film centered on the Holocaust, and the resilience and fortitude of victims and survivors. 

MONTCLAIR FILM FESTIVAL

Montclair, New Jersey / October 17-26 / montclairfilm.org

Montclair, an affluent bedroom community for many who commute to Manhattan, has one of the most receptive audiences of any festival: It is filled with industry and media veterans who have seen it all and are up for challenging material — and reap the emotional and intellectual rewards of engaging with it. The festival’s reputation for stellar programming and proximity to NYC helps it draw a large industry presence, including such distributors as Netflix, A24, Focus Features, NEON, Lionsgate, and more. It also draws a large media turnout and packs its juries with journalists from the likes of EW, The Associated Press, and Rolling Stone. Attendees look forward to thoughtful filmmaker Q&As, some of which are led by Stephen Colbert, whose wife, Evelyn McGee Colbert, is president of the board of Montclair Film. The festival’s devotion to uplifting new talent includes giving the $5,000 Mark Urman Award For Fiction Filmmaking to an early-career filmmaker. 

NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL (A, S)

Nashville, Tennessee / September 18-24 / nashvillefilmfestival.org

Nashville is now not just a music but film-and-TV industry town, which is reflected in the turnout for this highly respected, fairly selective festival: In addition to distributors like Oscilloscope and Paramount+, it has been known to draw production companies like Monarch Media and Riverside Entertainment, as well as agents from UTA and news outlets including USA Today. It helps narrative and documentary feature filmmakers with a $500 travel stipend for airfare and local transport, while covering their lodging. The fest’s Creators Conference includes a mix of locals and Hollywood visitors for panels on subjects like indie film success and film and TV music — this is Music City, after all. Another highlight is the Pitch Competition, in which 10 finalists pitch their ideas for feature films or shows to industry representatives. One recent festival success story is Tracie Laymon, whose screenplay Bob Trevino Likes It was a finalist in the 2022 Screenwriting Competition and became a film that debuted at SXSW last year, kicking off a long festival run that included Nashville before the film’s theatrical release in March. Laymon returned to Nashville last year as a Pitch Competition juror, sharing her experiences and expertise. The festival also offers cash prizes that include at least $2,000 for the winners of the Narrative, Documentary, Music Documentary and New Directors Feature categories.

NEVADA CITY FILM FESTIVAL (S)

Nevada City, California / June 20-22 / nevadacityfilmfestival.com

Located in the gorgeous and bewitching Sierra Nevada foothills, this festival works tirelessly to cultivate and promote rising and mid-career filmmakers, with a special emphasis on discovering and sharing bold short films. Like many of our favorite festivals in beautiful locales, it offers the chance to simultaneously boost your work and relax and reflect in thought-clearing, restorative environs — the town offers a storybook blend of Victorian architecture, Gold Rush history, and abundant trees. The strong support for moviemakers includes screening fees, splitting online revenue, lodging, good food, and travel stipends, and the career-enhancement opportunities include workshops that have, in past editions of the festival, covered subjects from documentary ethics to horror and sci-fi filmmaking to the roles of producers, music supervisors, editors, distributors and more. Every award includes money, totaling $10,000. But the best part of the festival may just be meeting fellow artists and film lovers under the maples, elms and dogwoods. 

NEWFILMMAKERS LOS ANGELES

Los Angeles, California / Monthly / newfilmmakersla.com

We can promise that filmmakers will get media coverage from this festival — because we’re among the outlets that provide it. Every month we feature interviews with NFMLA filmmakers on moviemaker.com, where they go in-depth on their inspirations and approaches to storytelling. Unlike the other festivals on this list, NFMLA holds events monthly, often focusing on a different slate of underrepresented filmmakers. Examples include the InFocus: Middle Eastern & Arab Cinema Program, InFocus: Indigenous Cinema, and Indigenous: Veteran Cinema Program. Co-founder and executive director Larry Laboe makes everyone know they’re appreciated and welcomed, and the joys of playing NFMLA include screening at a 500-seat theater, pre- and post-screening receptions, and industry meetings for those whose films are official selections. Distributors known to attend include A24, Amazon, Kino Lorber, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, 20th Century Studios, Max, Paramount and more. 

NEW HAMPSHIRE FILM FESTIVAL (A, S)

Portsmouth, New Hampshire / October 16-19 / nhfilmfestival.com

Leave extra room in your luggage if you think you might win something: The Granite State festival hands out 20-pound-plus engraved and polished granite bricks as awards. That’s one of many distinctive traits of this festival, held during one of New England’s prettiest times of the year, when the leaves are exploding with color. The winner of the Grand Jury Narrative Award receives a private industry meeting with Oscilloscope Laboratories, one of many distributors known to attend. Others include Metrograph Pictures, Factory 25, A24, MUBI, Music Box Films, Roadside Attractions and more. As part of its commitment to growth, the festival recently merged into The Music Hall, a non-profit arts institution that has been a festival partner since 2004.It offers a reasonably inviting submission-to-admission ratio, and works with filmmakers to assist with travel when possible, including by offering luxury coach travel for some New York City-based filmmakers.

NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL (A)

New Orleans, Louisiana / October 23-28 / neworleansfilmfestival.org

NOFF’s passion is to nurture Southern filmmakers and amplify their voices around the world, and it does that not just by showcasing films, but providing grants and funding. Its key initiatives include South Pitch, the Emerging Voices Directors Lab, and the Southern Producers Lab, all of which provide chances for regional filmmakers to tell their stories. The festival also welcomes key representatives in funding and grant programs, including the Catapult Film Fund, Tribeca Studios, and Sundance Institute, and evangelizes about talented filmmakers to other festivals including BlackStar, Tribeca, DOCNYC, Cleveland, Atlanta, Maryland, SFFilm, and Provincetown. (Yes, festival people talk to each other.) The festival also facilitates meetings between artists and industry representatives to create career launchpads. Distributors in attendance have represented entities including Searchlight Pictures, NBCUniversal, Black Public Media, POV/American Documentary, and MSNBC Films. Additionally, last year the festival offered more than $50,000 in prizes, including $10,000 each to winning documentary and narrative pitches. The festival also provided camera rental packages in partnership with Panavision, Light Iron, and Keslow Camera. It offers help with travel costs, keeps things as walkable as possible, and pays screening fees of $125 to $250. It’s not an easy festival to get into, but those that do can expect strong support. Last year’s films included A King Like Me, Matthew Henderson’s look at New Orleans’ Zulu Club, the nation’s oldest Black Mardi Gras krewe, and the world premiere of Zac Manuel’s Ghetto Children, a celebration Southern rap culture, as well as RaMell Ross’ Oscar-nominated Nickel Boys and Edward Berger’s Oscar-winning Conclave.

NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL 

Newport Beach, California / October 16-23 / newportbeachfilmfest.com

Say yes to everything if you get into this award-season festival, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and provides a glamorous, fashion-focused escape from the frenetic pace of nearby Los Angeles. You’ll see A-listers feted at spectacular settings like the Pelican Hill Resort, which hosted a sunset Q&A with Ewan McGregor for the festival’s latest edition, and attend unforgettable events like a yacht party or open-to-everyone retrospective between Carol Burnett and designer Bob Mackie, held at the Fashion Island shopping mecca. The long-list of celebrity honorees last year included Nicholas Cage, Colman Domingo, Margaret Qualley, Christoph Waltz, Terry Crews and Peter Saarsgard, who followed up an incisive Q&A by introducing his gripping journalism drama September 5. But in addition to seeing many stars, you’ll also find programming gems like last year’s short film “Reunion,” Zainab Jah and Timothy Naylor’s complex story of a West African immigrant meeting the former child soldier who destroyed her family. The festival has an appealing submission-to-acceptance ratio and offers very discounted hotel and transportation options. Co-founder and CEO Gregg Schwenk does a lovely job of making sure everyone feels comfortable and welcome, paying close attention to details. Screenings are packed with audiences known for thoughtful, engaged questions, and the many parties include exceptional food from local restaurants. 

OUT ON FILM (A, S) 

Atlanta, Georgia / September 26-October 6 / outonfilm.org

The festival just held its first Queer Film Summit, featuring four days of panels and workshops on artistry, yes, but also on the cold realities of getting your movie made. It offered detailed discussions on fundraising, contracts, and marketing, among other crucial details. The festival also offers expansive Q&As, featuring as many representatives of a film as possible, and is generous with travel assistance. Out on Film also gives any filmmaker who can’t attend the chance to tape a Zoom Q&A that promotes their screening and stays up on the festival’s YouTube channel. Not only Oscar but also BAFTA qualifying, the festival strives to make all guests feel recognized and appreciated from the moment they arrive. It also offers an attractive submission-to-acceptance ratio. Last year’s lineup included director Andrea James’ Becoming a Man in 127 Easy Steps, based on the one-man show by Scott Turner Schofield, and Didi Paulini’s Transcendence. 

PROVINCETOWN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (A)

Provincetown, Massachusetts / June 11-15 / provincetownfilm.org

Years ago we praised PIFF for “exquisite taste in an exquisite place,” and we honestly can’t improve on that. Cape Cod’s Provincetown, aka PTown, is an LGBTQ+ and arts capital known for elegantly preserved homes, excellent food, and fascinating history — it’s where the pilgrims first landed. It’s also home to a thriving, well-curated film festival blessed with John Waters as its patron saint. He’s known for campy and magnificent fundraisers. It has attracted distributors including HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery, Magnolia Pictures, and Strand Releasing, and last year’s award recipients included Colman Domingo, Joel Kim Booster and Andrew Haigh. Attendees have included Eugene Hernandez, director of the Sundance Film Festival, and manager and producer Adam Kersh, whose clients include Sean Baker. We’ve had some of our favorite film experiences in PTown, including watching B-movies at a drive-in event hosted by Waters. The festival is particular about what films it selects, which results in a slate of challenging films without a dull one in the bunch. 

SALUTE YOUR SHORTS

Los Angeles, California / August 15-17 / saluteyourshortsfest.com

If you’re wondering what Salute Your Shorts looks for in submissions, you can read a thoughtfully detailed piece from festival co-founder and artistic director Erin Brown Thomas on page 18. Many festivals embrace the idea that festivals are like going to camp, but Salute Your Shorts takes that idea further than most: Brown Thomas even invites filmmakers to bonfires at her home. (And of course the fest shares a name with an early ‘90s summer camp-focused Nickelodeon series.) The intimate-getaway feel extends to screenings: They’re held on one screen, in one building, with one courtyard, on one weekend. Attendees are offered catered food between showings to encourage them to stick around. As much fun as the festival has, it’s very serious about craft, offering talks with such indie film inspirations as Mark Duplass, the Vanishing Ang