Finding your way

As a filmmaker, some things are very important: making films, obtaining funding and showing the film to the rest of the world out there! Around the globe there are so many great festivals and events that it is easy to lose track of what is happening. Among everything that is going on, it can be difficult to realistically assess which festival is the right one for your film.

Because of that CineSud Magazine started publishing monthly articles with the most interesting and promising international film festivals that you can submit to the following months. Next to that we give an overview of interesting funding options in the heart of the Netherlands, Belgium as well as Germany.

Film Festivals

Hot Docs

Submission deadline: January 7
Festival dates: April 29 - May 9

Hot Docs, North America's largest documentary festival, offers an outstanding selection of over 200 cutting-edge films from Canada and around the world to Toronto audiences. In the 2020 edition Hot Docs Festival Online presented over 140 official selections, along with pre-recorded Q&As and virtual live events. [Read more]

Seattle International Film Festival

Submission deadline: January 8
Festival dates: April 8 - April 18

The Seattle International Film Festival is the largest film festival in the United States, with nearly 140,000 people attending each year. The 25-day event held each May is renowned for presenting over 400 features, short films, and documentaries gathered from more than 85 countries. [Read more]

Tribeca Film Festival

Submission deadline: January 13
Festival dates: June 9 - June 20

The core of the Tribeca Film Festival program is the main slate of feature and short films, highlighting politically, culturally and socially relevant films from diverse storytellers. [Read more]

WorldFest - Houston

Submission deadline: January 31
Festival dates: April 16 - April 25

The Houston International Film Festival is the third oldest film festival in North America, started in 1961, right after New York and San Francisco. It is the oldest Independent film festival in the world. [Read more]

Funding

Dutch Deadlines

Nederlands Film Fonds:
- Realisering minoritaire coproductie (January 18)
- Netherlands Film Production Incentive (January 18)
- Realisering minoritaire coproductie met VAF (January 25)

Belgian Deadlines

Flemish Audiovisual Fund:
- Internationale promotiesteun Filmfonds (January 4)
- VAF Marketing Partnerschap (January 4)
- Tijdelijk COVID-19-distributiefonds (January 4)
- Gemengde commissie VAF/NFF: documentaire (January 5)
- Gemengde commissie VAF/NFF: Fictie (January 5)
- Minoritaire coproducties CCA: Documentaire (January 5)
- Minoritaire coproducties CCA: Fictie (January 5)
- Pitchcomité: Documentaire (January 5)
- Filmfonds Fictie 1 (January 19)
- Filmfonds Fictie 2: Ontwikkeling (January 19)
- Filmfonds Fictie 2: Productiesteun majoritair lang: grote premie (January 19)
- Filmfonds Fictie 2: Productiesteun majoritair lang: middelgrote premie (January 19)
- Filmfonds Fictie 2: Productiesteun minoritair (January 19)
- Filmfonds Fictie 2: Productiesteun na start opnames (January 19)
- Internationale promotiesteun Filmfonds (January 29)
- VAF Marketing Partnerschap (January 29)
- Tijdelijk COVID-19-distributiefonds (January 29)

German Deadlines

Medienstiftung NRW:
- Vereinfachte Förderung Production (January 14)