SHORT FILM FESTIVALS

FICTION + DOCU

JANUARY - MARCH

Palm Springs International Film Festival

10th – 21st January 2013
The Palm Springs Film Society organises two festivals every year, the well-
known ShortFest and the Feature edition in January. Well followed in North
America, the festival regroups mostly the best festival circuit films of the
previous year, with a programme of films that generally lean towards the end
of their travel, and reaching out to Oscar nominees. This year welcomes the
screenings of Athlete, Son of Babylon and Another Year.
Website | Twitter

Rendez Vous with French Cinema Paris

15th-21st January 2013
For 13 years Unifrance has run the Paris Screenings private market
screenings in Paris attracting about 400 international distributors and
screening almost 100 films. This isnʼt to be mistaken with the identically titled
public RDV public screenings in New York in March and London in June also
funded by Unifrance. RDV represents one of the best opportunities for buyers
to discover the line-ups ahead of Berlinale.
Website | Twitter

International Film Festival Rotterdam

23rd Jan – 3rd Feb 2013
Rotterdam Film Festival is one of the most important film festivals in the world
focusing predominantly on world and international premieres with a large art-
house and experimental focus. This normally sleepy town offers massive
support to the festival, which in 2010 welcomed over 335,000 visitors far
outshining its mainstream rivals. The festival also runs one of the most
interesting grant programs the Hubert Bals Fund. Be sure to attend the daily
filmmaker drinks from 11pm. The 2011 edition will feature a significant
number of Asian works screening in competition, including The Journals of
Musan (Park Jungbum), Bleak Night (Yoon Sung-hyan), The Image Threads
(Vipin Vijay) and Flying Fish (Sanjeewa Pushpakamara).
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Gotterburg International Film Festival

25th Jan – 4th Feb 2013
One of the largest festivals in Scandinavia, Gothenburg screens almost 450
films and welcomes the Nordic Film Market. Each year the festival selects an
ambiguously theme that dictates its programming and seminar choices. Youʼll
notice a large number of films hopping from Rotterdam, to Gotterburg to

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Berlinʼs EFM.
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Slamdance
18th – 24th January 2013
Running in parallel with the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Slamdanceʼs
self-proclaimed ʻanarchicʼ festival aims to bring the underdog independent
films to Park City. Increasingly the festival is being recognized as the ʻindie-erʼ
festival of the two. The 2011 edition will feature Superheroes (Michael
Barnett), Atrocious (Fernando Barreda Luna), Silver Tongues (Simon Arthur)
and The Beast Pageant (Albert Bimey/Jon Mosses).
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Sundance Film Festival

17th – 27th January 2013
Known until 1991 as the Utah/US Film Festival, Sundance is the leading
festival for discovering directorial newcomers. Despite freezing temperatures,
huge queues and phenomenally expensive accreditation and hotel costs, it
attracts a huge number of buyers, particularly those interested in American
indies, and was behind the launch of films like ʻSex Lies and Videotapesʼ and
ʻThe Blair Witch Projectʼ. Sundance is discussing documentary London
screenings at the O2 Centre in the fall. Ralph Fiennes has just confirmed
Coriolanusʼs screening at the festival (ahead of Berlin), as well as a return for
Azazel Jacobs, Kevin Smith and Miguel Arteta and the much-anticipated The
Troll Hunter.
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International Short Film Festival Clermont Ferrand

1st – 9th February 2013
This small city in the picturesque Massif Central in France hosts one of short
films most important dates in the calendar. Commissioners, film students and
short film buyers swarm every year to what is essentially a film market,
conveniently squeezed between Rotterdam and Berlin which makes it part of
the 3 stop business holiday for most international and down-under film
agencies.
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Berlinale – Berlin Film Festival

7th – 17th February 2013
Berlin Film Festival has become probably Europeʼs best-respected film
festival. Awards handed out include the incredibly obscure Panorama Award,
the new Generation Crystal Bear and the cute Teddy [bear] Award for LGBT.
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South by Southwest (Film), 11th – 20th Film, Music and Interactive
Conferences
8th – 17th March 2013
In recent years SXSW film strand has become one of the most important film
events in the world. Combining 250 films, over 2,000 meticulously selected
gigs, and the interactive conference which launched Twitter in 2007, South
Byʼs selection focuses on north American indies, music docs and anything out
of the ordinary.
Website | Twitter

Sofia International Film Festival

7th – 17th March 2013
Since 1997 Sofia has hosted whatʼs grown into one of the cultural highlights in
Bulgaria. It programmes a large number of European films which has
promised it continued EU funding support. Youʼre certain to catch an above
average number of Cannes selections at the festival.
Website

Tampere Film Festival

6th – 10th March 2013
One of the worldʼs oldest short film festivals, Finlandʼs inland city of Tampere
hosts over 500 short film screenings every March as well as the Trash Film
Festival aimed at low budget Finnish films.
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Hong Kong Film Festival

17th March – 2nd April 2013
19th – 21st March: Filmart & The HK-Asia Film Financing Forum
A must stop for Asian film acquisitions, the HKIFF sees over 5000 industry
representatives and over half a million cinephiles every year. Despite running
the ever-popular Filmart (film market), and despite heavily subsidized
international delegations, foreign attendants regularly comment on language
barrier stalling deals.
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Ann Arbor Film Festival

19th – 24th March 2013
The artiest festival on the list, the Ann Arbor specializes in experimental and
avant-garde films. In 2006-2007 the festival came under attack by a group
which considered its programming offensive and led to a fall in state funding.
The festival not only launched a very successful fundraise campaign, but took
the case to court over First Amendment violations and won.
Website | Twitter

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APRIL - JUNE

Aspen FilmFest
10-15 April 2012
One of the oldest film festivals in the USA and on the Oscar Qualifying List.

Indian Film Festival Los Angeles (IFFLA)

April

Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival (BAFICI)

10th – 21st April 2013
Specialising in world premieres for Latin American films, the BAFICI also
hosts its own Talent Campus (in association with Berlinale) and Buenos Aires
Lab. In 2009 the Latin American Film Market aka: Ventana Sur was set up in
association with Cannesʼ Marché du Film, which has rapidly become an
important stop in the market circuit.
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Tribeca Film Festival

17th – 28th April 2013
Set up by Robert DeNiro to reinvigorate the TriBeCa area, Tribeca Film
Festival has now become one of the most watched (and best funded) festivals
in the US offering a mix of independent and mainstream US premieres.
Recently Tribeca has been involved (and a naming partner) of Qatarʼs £3bn
investment funding into arts through the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, as well
as supporting documentary filmmakers through the Gucci Tribeca
Documentary Fund.
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San Francisco International Film Festival

25th April – 10th May 2013
Americaʼs oldest film festival is also one of the most risk-taking. Its huge
programme blends both mainstream festival circuit hits as well as out-of-the-
blue indies, which has set SFIFF a bande-apart from other city based
festivals. Though closely watched by industry, its main audience comes from
a huge local and loyal following.
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Udine Far East Film Festival

19th April – 27th April 2013
Udineʼs young festival dedicates itself entirely to far eastern cinema, with
strands focusing on different countries but also retrospectives. The festival is
worth attending for programmers looking at expanding their oriental slate, but
tends to showcase somewhat predictable and festival circuit films.
Website

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Cannes Film Festival
15th – 26th May 2013
The king of festivals, Cannes is the most important date in filmmakersʼ
calendar. Attracting hundreds of parties, glamour, yachts and celebrities, it
also runs in parallel with a number of other festivals all serving under the
same banner. Expect champagne, tuxedos, lots of business cards, business
and lots of bullshit. The festival includes the Cannes Short Film Corner and
Producers Network alongside the below strands.
Website

Transylvania International Film Festival

31st May – 9th June 2013
The youngest addition to the list, Transylvaniaʼs small town festival has
managed to reach some stature amongst the eastern European block both
with its mix of glamour and informality. 2010ʼs programme included a number
of Far East titles that barely screened this side of the Rhine, as well as some
of the best Eastern European films of the year. Definitely worth following.
Website

Krakow Film Festival

28 May - 3 June 2012
Krakow Film Festival is one of the oldest film events dedicated to
documentary, animated and short fiction films in Europe. During 7 festival
days viewers have an opportunity to watch about 250 films from Poland and
abroad. Films are presented in competitions and in special sections like
retrospectives, thematic cycles, archive screenings. Festival is accompanied
by exhibitions, concerts, open air screenings and meetings with the
filmmakers. Every year Krakow Film Festival hosts about 500 Polish and
international guests: directors, producers, film festival programmers and
numerous audience from Krakow.

Los Angeles Film Fest

June 13-23
Like its parent organization, Film Independent (and also like Sundance), LAFF
treats the documentary lineup with the same care that it does its narrative
strand. The richest competition prize of any festival - $50K for the winning
filmmaker - and a decent amount of attention from LA-based press and
national buyers. Films actually get bought here. The focus on premieres can
make for a somewhat uneven line-up at times, although recent winners like
DELIVER US FROM EVIL, TARNATION and BILLY THE KID showcase a
range of styles and tastes without losing focus on quality. The fest is
notorious for its hospitality - filmmakers are flown to a pre-festival retreat at
Skywalker Ranch - and its 2006 move to Westwood has been a huge
success, both in creating a community and in differentiating LAFF from LA's
other huge film festival, AFI Fest.

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Palm Springs Shortfest and Film Market
18th – 24th June 2013
Palm Springs Shortfest is the most important short film festival in North
America. Combined with the Film Market, it offers a chance for debut
filmmakers to be discovered and an important stepping stone in the short film
circuit, alongside Clermond Ferrand and Cannes Short Film Corner.
Website | Twitter

Edinburgh International Film Festival

19th – 30th June 2013
One of the leading (and oldest) festivals alongside Venice and Cannes, the
EIFF is innovative in showcasing both art-house and mainstream discoveries
alongside. More recently the festival was beset by politics, changed dates
from the Edinburgh Fringe festival in August to mid-June, moved away from
its traditional programming and lost its main funding partner. Despite much
eyebrows being raised over recent changes, EIFFʼs British film showcase
remains second to none.
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Moscow International Film Festival

21st – 30th June 2013 (TBC)
Russiaʼs leading film festival, the Moscow Film Festival – for its first few years,
divided itself bi-annually with Karlovy Vary. Hosted with a certain level of
muscovite glamour the festivalʼs highlight is its European film strands. Despite
never really having any following in the West it garners significant attention
from the Balkan or Eastern European states – for which it is one of the first
points of call in the festival circuit.
Website

London Indian Film Festival

June
The London Indian Film Festival is a film festival established in 2010 to
showcase Indian independent film. The festival attracted media attention in its
first year, premiering films such as "Love Sex aur Dhokha" by Dibakar
Banerjee. Awards given at the festival include a short film competition award
and an Audience Prize.

Karlovy Vary Film Festival

28th June – 6th July 2013
Czech Republicʼs world renown festival Karlovy Vary was set up in 1946
communist run Czechoslovakia, and for several years alternated with the
Moscow IFF. Their submission guidelines (determined by Paris based FIAPF
(Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films)) –
comprises films that ʻhave not screened in competition at any other
international festivalʼ.
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JULY - SEP

Indian Film Festival Stuttgart

July

NZIFF Auckland (7 July – 16 November 15 cities)

+ World Cinema Showcase
18th July – 25th August 2013
Good luck budgeting this one; the Auckland International Film Festival and
Wellington Film Festival are now merged as the New Zealand International
Film Festival, and since boast a further 13 city runs. Its main outfit is the
Auckland stretch over 3 weeks in July, whilst the remaining film prints will
stretch as far across until mid November. In most part a best of fests festival,
its programming team is split between Paris and Wellington, and the festival
offers the rare opportunity to catch even mainstream foreign/art-house films in
a country which sees relatively few released.
Website

Melbourne International Film Festival

25th July – 11th August 2013
Australiaʼs highlight festival, MIFF is as much known for stirring controversy
as for launching homegrown talent. In 2010 the world premiere of Bruce
LaBruceʼs L.A. Zombie was banned by the conservative Australian censors,
and the screening of Son of Babylon caused a hissy for director Richard
Moore, who demanded payment when the producer decided to pull it from the
programme. In that same time the festival came under the funders
microscope with its review, setting up two senior positions: an internal
promotion for the senior programme, whilst the director left for Brisbane. The
festival screens a large number of festival circuit ʻbest of festsʼ complemented
by a fantastic homegrown strand. Its market, the MIFF South Market, brings
together an important number of Asian and EU based companies, and is
partnerered with Londonʼs Production Finance Market.
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Festival del film Locarno

7th – 17th August 2013
Locarno Film Festival is as much daring as it is initiative in its selections of
films. A key festival for discovering films, Locarno is one of the worldʼs oldest
festivals. Be sure to book accommodation ahead as hotel prices soar sky
high.
Website
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Norwegian International Film Festival Haügesund
15th – 22rd August 2013
The unlikely location for Norwayʼs leading state funded festival, Haügesundʼs
sleepy town comes alive every August for the masses of international
delegates and press, with many filmmakers scouting through the books of
commissioners in attendance. Mainly focused on festival circuit films, the
festival does however also host its own co-production forum and competitive
awards The Amanda Awards.
Website

World Film Festival Montreal

22nd August – 2nd September 2013
Alongside Montreal Fantastic, the Festival Des Films du Monde/World Film
Festival is one of the largest film events of its kind. One of the greatest public
focused film festivals, the WFF (sometimes known as Montreal International
Film Festival) sees almost 400,000 attendees, one of the cityʼs largest money
generating events. The festival showcases the most impressive line up of
British and Francophone Canadian films of the year.
Website

La Biennale di Venezia, Venice Film Festival

28th August – 7th September 2013
Venice Film Festival is the worldʼs first and most exclusive film festivals.
Specializing in world premieres, the festival has been ruled under the tight
regime of Marco Müller since 2004, a time in which the festival has witnessed
one of its most turbulent times since its incepting years. With the setting up of
the Rome Film Festival in 2006, the Venezia has undergone some change,
halted its development of the new cinema, and responded to the funding cuts
by selling premiere tickets to the ubber rich – which has resulted in a festival
even more difficult to attend (as a professional) and, sadly, increasingly
catering for the Nikki Beach members (across from the Palace on the Lido)
than its core audiences.
Website

Telluride Film Festival

29th August – 2nd September 2013
Now in its 37th year, Telluride Film Festival has established a sort of North
American cinephile frenzy. Announcing its lineup barely 24hrs before its
launch each year, the festival launches some of the yearʼs competing box
office mainstream films (in 2010 Venice opener Black Swan, Danny Boyleʼs
127hrs and Stephen Frearsʼ cringeworthy Tamara Drew). Though maybe not
the best places for film buyers, the festival is an important publicity generating
exercise for both EU and US based distributors, and has been described as
one of the funnest festivals in America.
Website

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Toronto International Film Festival
5th – 15th September 2013
Formerly named the ʻFestival of Festivalsʼ, Toronto was set up to promote
tourism in downtown Toronto, showcasing only the best films from other
festivals. When the festival rebranded in 1984 it had already grown a
significant audience following, and with a huge inwards investment from both
the government and various foundations, managed to cement a year-round
facility the Bell Lightbox in 2010. Particularly since the early ʼ90′s Toronto has
become an equally important festival to Cannes, running screenings in over
300 venues. Both its festival screenings and market screenings have proved
equally as important a launching ground for films, and Toronto has become
one of the few unmissable film festivals in world.
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Filmfest Oldenburg / Oldenburg Film Festival

14th – 18th September 2013 (Unconfirmed)
Branding itself as a festival of discovery, Germanyʼs northern town of
Oldenburg hosts one of the few European festivals strong enough to focus
purely on independent filmmaking.
Website

Helsinki International Film Festival

19th – 29th September 2013
Founded in 1988, the Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy
has been held annually ever since. The aim of Finlandʼs biggest film festival is
to promote the artistry of filmmaking alongside inventive, controversial and
visually stunning new films. The festival also seeks to screen films that would
otherwise not be seen in Finnish theatres.
Website

Pyongyang International Film Festival

20th – 27th September 2013 (Unconfirmed)
The strangest inclusion into this list, a quick peak at their website leaves as
much to wonder about the festival as their enigmatic host country. This said,
Pyongyangʼs small international delegation welcomes most visitors with free
hotels, chauffeurs, guided tours of the city and special dinners in attendance
of political representatives. Films are dubbed to pay special homage to their
ʻdear leaderʼ who is a self-confessed cinema enthusiast and specialist (his
book On The Art Of Cinema is supposedly a best-seller).
Website

Zurich Film Festival

26th September – 6th October 2013
An extremely well funded film, Zurich Film Festival is also one of the fastest

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growing which gained international prominence in 2008 when Roman
Polanski was arrested in Switzerland when attending the festival. The
programme has turned a few heads, but is predominantly covered by press
for the quality of guests, rather than for introducing any new films to the circuit.
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San Sebastian International Film Festival

20th – 28th September 2013 (Unconfirmed)
Originally set up to only honor Spanish cinema, San Sebastian has become a
powerhouse of world cinemas in large part due to its commitment to
showcasing Latin American and Spanish films. As glamorous as Cannes, San
Sebastian is generally seen as one of Europeʼs best publicity generating
festivals.
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RAINDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

25th September – 6th October 2013
The UKʼs largest independent film festival will be running its 19th edition. The
festival focuses on first time filmmakers and independent films and is closely
watched by acquisitions representatives due to the discovery, bold and
alternative nature of its programming. UK premieres have included The Blair
Witch Project, A Serbian Film and Memento. The festival also runs the British
Independent Film Awards.
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Reykjavik International Film Festival

26th September – 6th October 2013
The second biggest crowd-pleasure after the insanely fun Iceland Airwaves
music festival (aka. Reykjavik Festival), the annual and young Reykjavik
International Film Festival has reached a growing position on the festival
circuit.
Website

New York Film Festival

TBC September/October 2013
In almost 50 years NYFF has built itself as a significant publicity generating
festival. Its programme is predominantly festival circuit films, with an absurdly
large number of Cannes selections but the most interesting appeal lies in its
Avant Garde strand, almost unmatched anywhere else in the world.
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Tri Continents Film Festival

TBC September/October 2013
A festival thatʼs benefited from emerging trend with socio-political
documentaries, Tri Continents roots originated in Buenos Aires, but is now run

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through several partnerships based between South Africa and London based
onedotzero.
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OCT – DEC

Pusan Film Festival/Asian Film Market

3rd – 12th October 2013
Since 1996 Pusan Film Festival has become Asiaʼs flagship festival. In 2010
its 73year-old founder Kim Dong-ho stepped down, news which was received
with many questions about succession and who could match
accomplishments reached over the last 15years: a funding budget of over
$5million, one of the worldʼs few major film markets, and changing the face of
the industrial port town of Pusan (Busan) as a hub for the arts. With the
announcement of the construction of a new arts centre in the vibe of the TIFF
Lightbox, the Dureraum. The festival emphasizes both an art house and
commercial programme, and is stringent on filmmaker attendance –
supported by generous hospitality offers for participating films.
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Ghent Film Festival (Internationaal Filmfestival van Vlaanderen-Gent)

8th – 19th October 2013
Belgiumʼs Flemish film festival has been supporting Belgian films since the
70s, and after many stages of restructuring over the years is now considered
one of Belgiumʼs leading festivals. Over the years Ghent Film Festival has
tried to determine its focus, at one time bringing films that were unlikely to
screen otherwise, but 2009ʼs edition was astoundingly predictable, which
suggests a different focus.
Website

Adelaide Film Festival

10th – 20th October 2013
Despite its short history and being held bi-annually Adelaide Film Festival has
found a comfortable spot competing with its older rivals Melbourne and
Sydney to which it pays them almost no attention. Itʼs programming is bolder
and more daring, setting it as a much better festival for discovery and as a
result has gained some prominence down under.
The festivalʼs development fund has been attached to some exciting debut
projects.
Website | Twitter

Chicago International Film Festival

10th – 24th October 2013
Americaʼs oldest competitive festival has been presided over by Michael
Kutza since 1964. Presenting a fair range of both indie art-house and

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Cannes/festival circuit films, the festival is an important publicity generating
festival primarily for the Illinois region and gains a strong following of North
American despite its timing over the busiest festival weeks in the calendar.
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Abu Dhabi Film Festival

TBC October 2013
Formerly the Middle East International Film Festival, Abu Dhabi Film Festival
was created in 2007, only three years after Dubai Film Festival, in an attempt
to compete for the Middle Eastern festival gap. In its young history the festival
has quickly attracted some of the years most talked about films.
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Hamptons International Film Festival

13th – 17th October 2013
Based about 2hours outside NYC, Hamptons International Film Festival is
generally seen as a prestigious festival, focusing on the better known indies
youʼd normally expect to find circling the criticsʼ awards or Academies the
following Spring. Its in-house labs are one of the biggest pulls for filmmakers
in attendance, and the festival boasts an impressive lineup of (maybe not so
indie) guests.
Website

London Film Festival

TBC October 2013
Easily one of the worldʼs most glamorous festivals, the London Film Festival
gathers the yearʼs best of festivals films. Over the years the festival has
consulted heavily on its industry reach which led to the creation of the London
Production Market in parallel with the festival. LFF is one of Europeʼs most
important publicity generating festivals.
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Tokyo Film Festival

TBC October 2013
In its 23 years the Tokyo Film Festival has reached a notable position,
particularly thanks to its programme of new Japanese cinema. Over the last
few years TIFF has hosted a green eco-theme with its green ʻred carpetʼ, and
is one of Japanʼs most closely watched festivals. Films compete for the
renown Grand Tokyo Sakura prize for best film.
Website

Sao Paulo International Film Festival

TBC October 2013
With over 400 films screening over a two-week period the Mostra
Internacional De Cinema is Latin Americaʼs most important film festival –

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whilst the largest Film Market is reserved by Ventana Sur in Argentina. Sao
Pauloʼs increasing funding levels has made it one of the worldʼs premiere
showcases of the new releases of the year.
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International Film Festival of India

November
Since its beginnings in 1952 the IFFI has been the biggest event of its type in
India. Subsequent IFFIʼs were held in New Delhi. From the 3rd edition in
January 1965, IFFIʼs became competitive. In 1975 the Filmotsav, non-
competitive and to be held in other filmmaking cities in alternate years, was
introduced. Later, Filmotsavs were merged in IFFIʼs. In 2004 the IFFI was
moved to Goa. Since then the IFFI has been an annual event and competitive.

MIFF
November
Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation
Films (MIFF), is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai (Bombay) by the
'Films Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It
was established in 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation
films.

Rome Film Festival

TBC November 2013
Rome Film Festival was the cause of some contention when the Berlusconi
government announced it would be set up, with some funding diverted away
from Venice and political reasons pointed out to be the main motivations.
Despite some protests, Rome Film Festival soon emerged as one of Europeʼs
most talked about festivals, with an immediate ability to discover new indie
and art house releases (in part Venice turned obsessed with Hollywood
blockbusters) thanks to its requirements of a European premiere, which
caused grumbles from a few other leading EU festivals.
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Thessaloniki Film Festival

2nd – 11th November 2013
Thessaloniki is the host of two festivals, the headline Film Festival, followed
with the documentary festival in mid March. The festivalʼs been best known for
supporting independent talent and recently has proved a hub for many far-
eastern filmmakers. It has traditionally focused on Balkan filmmaking and
steers away from the festival circuits you might expect to screen at Athens
Film Festival.
Website

Cinema Tous Ecrans, Geneva Int. Film Festival

TBC November 2013
One of the highlights of Genevaʼs cultural calendar, Cinema Tous Ecrans

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always includes a much more daring programme than its new rival Zurich
whilst cherishing new talent through a wealth of short film programmes.
Readily one of the most diverse festival programmes around, Tous Ecrans
has also steadily embraced new media platforms.
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival

TBC November 2013
Despite the political rivalries between Taiwan and China, the Taipei Film
Festival is one of the Chinese-speaking worldʼs most influential festivals and
is committed to a strong Chinese focus every year. Other than that the festival
has no obvious agenda, with almost spontaneous strands, 3D presentations
(Avatar in 2010), and some international grasp. That said the Asian selections
are second to none and supported by phenomenal attendance figures.
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Torino Film Festival / Turin Film Festival

TBC November 2013
Torino Film Festival maintains an impressive number of (in some cases
European) premieres – and sizeable reputation thanks to its focus on
relatively independent films and has set itself as one of the leading festivals in
Italy.
Website

Stockholm Film Festival

TBC November 2013
One of the most popular city festivals in Europe, Stockholm Film Festival
comprises of some of the yearʼs most predictable entries and offers no
opportunity for discovering new films.
Website

International Film Festival Marrakech

NOVEMBER

River to River Florence Indian Film Festival

November
River to River - Florence Indian Film Festival had its first edition in
October 2001 at the Rondò di Bacco Theatre of Palazzo Pitti in
Florence, Italy. The aim of River to River is to promote only films
from and about India and it is the first Festival of this kind in the
world.

Cairo International Film Festival

TBC 2013
One of the first Middle Eastern film festivals to be set up, Cairo is best known
for offering some of the best networking opportunities in northern Africa, whilst

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catering specifically for encouraging co-productions through the Cairo Film
Connection.
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Dubai Film Festival

TBC December 2013
Barely in its 7th year that Dubai has set itself as one of the hubs in the
international film circuit (or at least as long as the hospitality budgets last).
The 2010 festival launched with The Kingʼs Speech, and included a slate of
films screened just about everywhere else before it. That said its Arab film
slate was of some interest. The festival runs in parrallel to Dubai Film Market.
Website | Twitter

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 DOCU ONLY FESTS

Helsinki DocPoint - January 24-29, 2012

Helsinki DocPoint Festival is noted for its eclectic programming of
international socially relevant documentaries about a wide range of subjects
and issues. In 2011, DocPoint developed a huge following in the US because
of its significant programming outreach in New York City to mark the festival's
tenth anniversary. The festival also has strong pitch sessions and filmmaker
workshops.

Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

Feb
Awkwardly positioned between Sundance, Rotterdam, Berlin, the Oscars and
True/False, Big Sky has nonetheless drawn strong crowds and a minor
industry/press presence with its mix of new films (including many from locals)
and fest veterans that may play Big Sky even after a theatrical run (provided
the film never reaches Montana).

True/False Film Festival

28th Feb – 3rd March 2013
One of the fastest growing documentary festivals in America, True/False has
slowly pushed its dates away from mid-February/Sundance and has turned a
few heads with its impressive curate.
Website | Twitter

Salem Film Fest - March 1-8, 2012

Salem Film Fest stands out as a vibrant gem of manageability and moderation
for filmmakers and audiences. Screening documentaries-only, the film festival
is held in March of each year in the historic town of Salem, Massachusetts,
and presents a superb slate of thirty-some nonfiction features and shorts
during its week-long duration.

Cinema du Réel
21st March – 31st March 2013
One of Franceʼs largest documentary showcases held every year in Paris, the
Cinema du Reel (not to be confused with Genevaʼs Vision du Réel) screens
about 200 relatively unseen.
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MipTV
8th – 11th April 2013
Itʼs easy to get confused with all the MIP conferences held in Cannes every
year, but they are definitely one of the best known and attended largely due to
their extensive marketing worldwide. Specifically aimed at television MipTV is
also a stop for a decent number of sales agents selling directly to television
but also as a meeting stop for discussing upcoming productions.
Website

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Full Frame Documentary Film Festival - April 12-15, 2012 Set in the
historic town of Durham, North Carolina, the Full Frame Festival is staged in
venues within a four-block radius, so there it's easy to get from one event to
another, and there is a lot of opportunity for interaction and community-
building between filmmakers, film industry professionals and the general
public. An ongoing project of the Center for Documentary Studies, the Full
Frame Festival is a central resource for young and established documentary
filmmakers.

Visions Du Reel
April 19-26, 2013
Changing to new management in 1995, Visions du Réel quickly became the
important “must-see” event for documentary films. The festival opens its doors
to a variety of interpretations of documentary films, or cinema du réel, with
experimental films, essays, family films, major reports, historical inquiries, and
epic or fragmentary stories.
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Hot Docs
25th April – 5th May 2013
The worldʼs most important documentary festival, Hot Docs in Toronto
screens the whoʼs who of the documentary releases of the year. Hot Docs has
kept clear from steering into the television realm, which has kept it leaps
ahead of its closest rivals IDFA and Leipzig. Its huge international delegation,
conference and market makes this the Cannes of the documentary world.
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Festival Internacional de Cine de Gijon

April-May
The fest on the northern coast of Spain is geared toward a younger audience
and the nonfiction line-up accentuates the point. Still relatively unknown, the
fest has been growing in recent years by reaching out to and inviting North
American filmmakers who may already be on the continent for IDFA. Word is
starting to get out.

DOXA Vancouver
3rd – 12th May 2013
Overlapping Hot Docs by a couple days, DOXAʼs selection in recent years
has included both a number of Hot Docs re-runs, but has also offered some of
the most original and carefully curated films of the year which has garnered
the festival particular focus from distributors from around the world.
Website | Twitter

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BritDoc
June
A kind of English cousin to True/False, BritDoc is often compared to its
American relative in terms of fun, intimacy and opportunities for connecting
with others. Plus, it has a pitching forum, although bear in mind that it is
exclusively reserved for Brit filmmakers. Only 10 international films are
screened, but worth attending even if you don't have a film in the festival as
the pitching forum draws a stellar line-up of major international doc players
and there's none of the crush that greets them in Amsterdam. Plus, there's
the summer camp vibe - staying in the Oxford dorms, eating in the Harry
Potter dining hall and drinking late into the morning at the on campus bar.
Working out some funding issues and newcomer kinks (this will be its 3rd
year), but hard to beat on lots of levels.

Silver Docs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Film Festival

19th – 23rd June 2013
Created in 2003 by AFI and held in Maryland, about an hours drive from
Washington DC, the week-long festival is split between the Discovery
Communications HQ and AFI owned Silver cinema. In parallel to the festival
they host the International Documentary Conference, focusing on seminars
and worshops for various industry and participants.
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Sunny Side of the Doc, La Rochelle

June 25-28, 2013
Aside from the public screenings, the festival caters specifically to the industry
with several workshops and forums available. The event also offers the
opportunity for filmmakers to meet with commissioning editors, buyers and
new talents. Sunny Side of the Doc hosts an Asian edition in Tokyo in March
and in Mexico City for Latin America in the beginning of November.
Website
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DocuWeeks
TBC August 2013
Over the last 15 years International Documentary Associationʼs DocuWeeks
has quickly gained momentum as one of the worldʼs best steps into the Oscar
race. Splitting its two week runs in both Academy Award qualifying LA and NY
for a lucky 15odd documentaries, some of this yearʼs selected Oscar
contenders include Waste Land and This Way Of Life.
Website

Camden International Film Festival - September 27 - 30, 2012

Taking place in Maine's scenic coastal towns of Camden and Rockport, the
festival's program is known for presenting projects that show dedication to
craft, are socially relevant and find unique artistic approaches to telling good

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stories. Films are selected each year because of their ability to stimulate
discussion about documentary film as an art form, as catalyst for social
change and as expressions of independent voices.

Morelia International Film Festival/Ambulante

Oct
An exquisite fest in Mexico has been steadily increasing industry and press
presence over the past few years while simultaneously supporting Ambulate,
Mexico's traveling documentary film festival. The combination is creating a
true documentary culture in Mexico, supporting both homegrown as well as
international talent. Strong crowds and a beautiful setting make Morelia a
festival in ascent.

Leipzig
October 29 – November 4, 2012
Founded in 1955, Leipzig is one of the oldest Documentary Festivals around.
It has become the central meeting point for German documentary film with a
widespread international presence. To help German and international
producers with networking, the event offers them access to potential project
financers and television program editors.
Website
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CPH:Dox
November 1-11, 2012
This 10 day long festival is the largest of its kind in Scandinavia. Entertaining
participants with art exhibitions, concerts, and professional seminars, the main
attraction includes the 200+ selection of documentary films from all over the
world.
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International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)

November 14-25, 2012
As the worldʼs largest documentary film festival, IDFA offers a wide selection
of diverse competition and non-competition films. The festival typically
premieres major international documentaries that eventually make their way to
some of the big-name festivals including Sundance. Incorporated into the
festival are a series of sidebar events to promote audience and professional
appreciation for documentary films.
Website
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