Finding your way

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

That is why 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

Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg

Submission deadline: December 1 (early bird deadline)
Festival dates: June 4-9, 2023

The 40th Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg (Hamburg Shortfilm Festival) along with the section Junges Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg Mo&Friese (Hamburg Young Shortfilm Festival Mo&Friese) for young audiences will take place from June 4 to June 9, 2024. [Read more]

Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Submission deadline: December 8 (final deadline)
Festival dates: February 7-17, 2024

Now in its 39th year, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization with a mission to engage, enrich and inspire people through film. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven day event held in the seaside city of Santa Barbara, California (90 minutes north of Los Angeles). SBIFF is proud to present a diverse slate of more than 200 films to over 100,000 film enthusiasts. Our audience is a unique combination of film industry professionals, local, regional and International attendees, and a large student population. [Read more]

International Animated Film Festival

Submission deadline: December 17 (regular deadline)
Festival dates: June 25 – July 6 2024

International Animated Film Festival ANIMATOR is one of the three festivals in Poland (and the only animated film festival) to receive Oscar® qualifying status from the American Film Academy. This means that a short film that wins the Festival's Grand Prix, the Golden Pegasus, is on a fast track to being considered for an Oscar® nomination in the Best Animated Short Film category and can compete for this prestigious award.[Read more]

Palm Springs International ShortFest

Submission deadline: December 31 (regular deadline)
Festival dates: June 18-24, 2024

The Palm Springs International ShortFest is one of the largest showcases of short-form cinema in North America. The seven-day competitive festival is Academy Award, BAFTA and Goya-qualifying, annually screening hundreds of shorts from approximately 60 countries. ShortFest accepts submissions up to 40 minutes in duration, in the form of both fiction and non-fiction shorts. Categories include Animation, Documentary, and Live-Action. [Read more]

Funding

Dutch Deadlines

Nederlands Film Fonds:

For all deadlines, visit Filmfonds.

Belgian Deadlines

Flemish Audiovisual Fund:

- Film Funds Documentary (December 5)

- Wildcards Script (December 23)

For all deadlines, visit VAF.

German Deadlines

For updates, visit the official NRW-website.

Are you up-to-date?

You don't want to miss any deadlines or activities from the region? Then check our program.