Unless you have been living under a rock, you might have been bombarded with glamorous images of celebrities walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.
The whole idea of a quaint French riverside town where people watch films all day is so fantastical.
You want to go there with your new film. You want that seven minute (or longer!) standing ovation. You want the cinema elite to watch your film at your premiere.
Yes, it does sound romantic and dreamy. But if we stop dreaming, what is there to live for?
Cannes is not the only festival, of course. If you want to be seen or better yet, picked up for distribution, you need your film to be seen at the right film festival.
In this article I have picked the top 25 film festivals in Europe with all the necessary details about them. These twenty five festivals have proven their merit over the years and are worth the entry fee.
If you want to know about the film festivals in North America, do check our other article out :
Here’s the complete list (click a link to know more about that particular film festival):
- Cannes Film Festival
- Venice Film Festival
- Berlin International Film Festival
- BFI London Film Festival
- Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci)
- Film Festival Ghent
- Munich International Film Festival
- Leeds International Film Festival
- Stockholm International Film Festival
- The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage
- Transilvania International Film Festival
- Zurich Film Festival
- Locarno International Film Festival
- San Sebastian Film Festival
- International Film Festival Rotterdam
- Gothenburg Film Festival
- Warsaw International Film Festival
- Galway Film Fleadh
- Raindance Film Festival
- ACID (Association of Circulation of Independent Films) Cannes
- Sofia International Film Festival
- Reyjkavic International Film festival
- Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
- IndieLisboa – International Film Festival
Let’s jump right into it, starting with the Cannes Film Festival.
Important!
All fees and schedules are as of 2023 and are subject to change. Please visit the official websites for correct information.
1. Cannes Film Festival
- Festival Location – Cannes, France
- Typical Festival Month – May
- Typical Deadline Month – March
- Fees – $55 (DVD) / $328 (DCP)
- Year Established – 1946
- Website – Cannes Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The big daddy of all film festivals in the world. If your film releases here, you will definitely grab the right eyeballs.
The Cannes Film Festival has competitive and non-competitive categories for films of every kind, including documentaries, short films and films by new directors. The major awards are the Palm d’Or, the Grand Prix and the Prix Un Certain Regard, to name a few.
Some of the popular films that have premiered here are Pulp Fiction, E.T., Moonrise Kingdom etc.
We were at the Cannes Film Festival this year. To read about our first hand experience of navigating the film market at Cannes, do check this out:
Venice Film Festival
- Festival Location – Venice, Italy
- Typical Event Month – September
- Typical Deadline Month – June
- Fees – $164
- Year Established – 1932
- Website – Venice Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The oldest film festival of the world held in the ‘City of Canals’. Could it get any better?
Actually yes, it could. This is the time to be in Venice as the festival is a part of the Venice Biennale, one of the world’s oldest exhibitions of art, created by the Venice City Council in 1893. The range of work at the Venice Biennale covers Italian and international art, architecture, dance, music, theatre, and cinema.
Some of the popular films that have premiered here are La La Land, Birdman and Spotlight.
Berlin International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Berlin, Germany
- Typical Event Month – February
- Typical Deadline Month – September
- Fees – $191
- Year Established – 1951
- Website – Berlin Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The third pillar of the ‘Big Three’ of European film festivals, the Berlin International Film Festival has an outstanding reputation of its own among filmmakers and audiences alike. The Golden Bear and the Silver Bear awards are credible enough to make sure a filmmaker goes places.
The European Film Market (EFM), a film trade fair held simultaneously to the festival, is a major industry meeting for the international film circuit. Also noteworthy is the Berlinale Talents which is a week-long series of lectures and workshops and a gathering of young filmmakers held in partnership with the festival.
The Grand Budapest Hotel and Before Sunrise are a couple of very popular films that have premiered here.
BFI London Film Festival
- Festival Location – London, United Kingdom
- Typical Event Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – June
- Fees – Not accepting International feature films this year.
- Year Established – 1957
- Website – BFI London Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The biggest film festival of UK, the BFI London Film Festival is organized every year in collaboration with the British Film Institute.
One of the most fun things about this festival is the surprise screening, as the festival screens an unannounced film every year. For their 50th anniversary they showed 50 unannounced films. Some popular surprise films have been in the festival are Silver Linings Playbook, The Grand Master, Lady Bird, Uncut Gems etc. So, they do take the ‘film’ part of film festivals very seriously.
They also have the Sutherland Trophy – for the most original and innovative first feature in the festival. Named after the BFI’s patron, The 5th Duke of Sutherland, this award boasts recipients as noteworthy as Ray, Bertolucci, Fassbinder, Godard and Antonioni.
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic
- Typical Event Month – July
- Typical Deadline Month – February
- Fees – $77
- Year Established – 1948
- Website – International Film Festival Karlovy Vary
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
This is Central and Eastern Europe’s biggest and oldest film festival and promotes a lot of art of that particular region.
Of the two very interesting events that they have, one is Imagina, which is for films with an unconventional approach to narration, style and a distinctive and radical vision of film language. The other is Out of the Past for films which are classic, cult, rare and unfairly overlooked, screened in their original and restored versions.
Valladolid International Film Festival (Seminci)
- Festival Location – Valladolid, Spain
- Typical Event Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – July
- Fees – No Entry Fees
- Year Established – 1956
- Website – Seminci
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci, is one of the longest-standing film festivals in Spain. It stands out in the area of films d’auteur and independent films.
A great fact about this festival is that it has no entry fees for the pre-screening, which makes it very accessible for the young filmmakers of the world.
Film Festival Ghent
- Festival Location – Ghent, Belgium
- Typical Event Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – August
- Fees – $82
- Year Established – 1974
- Website – Film Fest Ghent
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The Film Festival Ghent has grown to become the largest film festival in Belgium.
The festival also puts the spotlight on film music. Since 2001, it has hosted the World Soundtrack Awards, a series of prizes for the best soundtracks for film and television.
Film Festival Secrets: The Ultimate Handbook for Independent Filmmakers
Munich International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Munich, Germany
- Typical Event Month – June
- Typical Deadline Month – Invite only
- Fees – Invite only
- Year Established – 1983
- Website – Munich Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – N/A
The Munich International Film Festival is the largest summer film festival in Germany and second only in size and importance to the Berlinale. It presents feature films and feature-length documentaries. The festival is also proud of the role it plays in discovering talented and innovative young filmmakers.
With the exception of retrospectives, tributes and homages, all of the films screened are German premieres and many are European and world premieres.
Leeds International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- Typical Event Month – November
- Typical Deadline Month – August
- Fees – $72
- Year Established – 1987
- Website – Leeds International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF) is the largest film festival in England outside London.
LIFF is a qualifying film festival for the Academy Awards and the winning films in Short Film City’s Louis Le Prince International Short Film Competition and World Animation Award may thus be eligible for the academy’s Short Film Awards. The festival’s British Short Film Competition is BAFTA qualifying.
Stockholm International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Stockholm, Sweden
- Typical Event Month – November
- Typical Deadline Month – September
- Fees – $77
- Year Established – 1990
- Website – Stockholm International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
Stockholm Film Festival was founded in 1990 by three film enthusiasts Git Scheynius, Kim Klein and Ignas Shceynius and has since been an avid supporter of independent cinema across the globe.
An interesting fact about this festival is that the winning film in the international competition section is awarded the Bronze Horse, which at 7.3 kgs, is the heaviest film award of the world.
The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage
- Festival Location – Torun, Poland
- Typical Event Month – November
- Typical Deadline Month – May
- Fees – Free
- Year Established – 1993
- Website – Camerimage
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography or Camerimage, is a festival dedicated to the celebration of cinematography and recognition of its creators, the cinematographers.
A lot of people who have won the Golden Frog award, the highest prize that the festival gives to cinematographers, have the record of being nominated for the Academy Award for the Best Cinematography.
It also has a Student Panorama section for student films which could not make it to the main competition.
Transilvania International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Typical Event Month – June
- Typical Deadline Month – February
- Fees – $44
- Year Established – 2002
- Website – Transilvania International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English and Romanian
The Transilvania International Film Festival is the first international feature film festival in Romania, which is held annually in the historic capital of Transylvania, Cluj-Napoca.
Since February 2011, TIFF has been accredited by the FIAPF as a “competitive festival specialized on first and second feature films”.
Zurich Film Festival
- Festival Location – Zurich, Switzerland
- Typical Event Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – June
- Fees – $100
- Year Established – 2005
- Website – Zurich Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The claim to unprecedented fame for this award might be because of the infamous Roman Polanski accident but the festival’s main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only the first, second or third directorial works are admitted.
The Woman King starring Viola Davis had its European premiere here.
Locarno International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Locarno, Switzerland
- Typical Event Month – August
- Typical Deadline Month – April
- Fees – $146
- Year Established – 2005
- Website – Locarno Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
Another promoter of independent cinema and a heavyweight in the festival circuit, this festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, short, avant-garde, and retrospective programs.
San Sebastian Film Festival
- Festival Location – Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain
- Typical Event Month – September
- Typical Deadline Month – June
- Fees – $110
- Year Established – 1953
- Website – San Sebastian Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
This is the most prestigious film festival in Spain and a name of repute in the world, and it does that while maintaining one of the lowest budgets of any major festival. So, the spirit of independent cinema is the heart and soul of this festival.
It has hosted several important events in the history of cinema, such as the international premiere of Vertigo, by Alfred Hitchcock (who attended the Festival) and the European premiere of Star Wars. It has also helped advance the professional careers of filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Bong Joon-ho and Pedro Almodóvar.
The FIPRESCI Grand Prix, a top award in the filmmaking circuit, is presented every year at the San Sebastián Film Festival.
International Film Festival Rotterdam
- Festival Location – Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Typical Event Month – February
- Typical Deadline Month – September
- Fees – $72
- Year Established – 1972
- Website – IFFR
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
Since its foundation in 1972, it has maintained a focus on independent and experimental filmmaking by showcasing emerging talents along with established auteurs. The festival also focuses on presenting cutting edge media art and arthouse film, with most of the participants in the short film program identifying as artists or experimental filmmakers.
IFFR also hosts CineMart and BoostNL, for film producers to seek funding.
Gothenburg Film Festival
- Festival Location – Gothenburg, Sweden
- Typical Event Month – January
- Typical Deadline Month – October
- Fees – $38
- Year Established – 1979
- Website – Göteborg Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The Gothenburg Film Festival, formerly Gothenburg International Film Festival, is an annual film festival in Gothenburg, Sweden and the largest film event in Scandinavia.
It puts an emphasis on promoting local artists and gives out the Dragon Award for the best Nordic filmmaker of that year. It also gives out the the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award for debut directors.
Warsaw International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Warsaw, Poland
- Typical Event Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – July
- Fees – $61
- Year Established – 1985
- Website – Warsaw International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
Another festival which is accredited as a competitive film festival specializing in first and second features and films from Central and Eastern Europe.
The 2015 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film from Poland, ‘Ida‘ had premiered here.
Galway Film Fleadh
- Festival Location – Galway, Ireland
- Typical Event Month – July
- Typical Deadline Month – May
- Fees – $44
- Year Established – 1989
- Website – Galway Film Fleadh
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
This is Ireland’s largest film festival which showcases both domestic Irish films as well as international features.
The festival also includes the Galway Film Fair, a focused film market which allows filmmakers with projects in development to meet with a large number of potential producers, financiers, and distributors
In 2006 the Galway Film Fleadh was the site of the first screening of John Carney’s film Once, one of Ireland’s biggest global hits and also an Oscar winner.
Raindance Film Festival
- Festival Location – London, United Kingdom
- Typical Event Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – May
- Fees – $79
- Year Established – 1989
- Website – Raindance
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
An unmissable event, this is an independent film festival and a film school which operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels.
This festival held the world premiere of Memento and the European premiere of Pulp Fiction. Hence, it is an indie cinema paradise.
ACID (Association of Circulation of Independent Films) Cannes
- Festival Location – Cannes, France
- Typical Event Month – May
- Typical Deadline Month – March
- Fees – $66
- Year Established – 1993
- Website – ACID Cannes
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
ACID is an association of film directors promoting independent cinema which, since 1992, has been promoting the cinema distribution of independent films and encouraging debates between authors and audiences.
Every year it sends a selection of films at Cannes, which is among one of the only ways that a fairly unrecognized independent filmmaker can secure a seat in Cannes.
Sofia International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Sofia, Bulgaria
- Typical Event Month – March
- Typical Deadline Month – November
- Fees – $38
- Year Established – 1997
- Website – Sofia International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
This festival which started as a thematic music festival is now the only film festival in Bulgaria which is recognized by the FIPRESCI.
It has also been accredited by FIAPF as a competitive festival which specializes in first and second feature films.
Reyjkavic International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Reyjkavic, Iceland
- Typical Event Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – June
- Fees – $60
- Year Established – 2004
- Website – Reyjkavic International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
Another festival accredited by the FIAPF as a competitive festival which specializes in first and second feature films. The main award is the Discovery of the Year award, also called the Golden Puffin, given by an international jury. The up and coming director Chloé Zhao (Nomadland, Eternals) won it in 2017 for her film ‘The Rider‘.
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
- Festival Location – Tallinn, Estonia
- Typical Event Month – November
- Typical Deadline Month – July
- Fees – $100
- Year Established – 1997
- Website – Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English and Original Language
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, or PÖFF, is the only festival in Northern Europe or the Baltic region with a FIAPF accreditation for holding an International Competitive Feature Film Program. That places it alongside 14 other non-specialized competitive world festivals including Berlin, Cannes, Venice and San Sebastian.
Running concurrently with the festival is Industry@Tallinn and the Baltic Event Co-Production Market, the biggest audiovisual industry meeting in the region.
IndieLisboa – International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Lisbon, Portugal
- Typical Event Month – May
- Typical Deadline Month – December
- Fees – $33
- Year Established – 2003
- Website – IndieLisboa – International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
IndieLisboa focuses on bringing independent cinema closer to the audiences, showing films that do not reach the regular distribution circuit. The festival aims to draw the spotlight to worldwide productions and also to the discovery of Portuguese films (some even works in progress) through its competitions and industry-oriented activities.
Istanbul Film Festival
This is the 26th festival, which is your bonus for making it this far.
- Festival Location – Istanbul, Turkey
- Typical Event Month – April
- Typical Deadline Month – January
- Fees – 0
- Year Established – 1982
- Website – Istanbul Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English and Turkish
The Istanbul Film Festival is the first and oldest international film festival in Turkey, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. The festival aims to encourage the development of cinema in Turkey and to promote films of quality in the Turkish cinema market.
This festival also has a good record in terms of independent films being picked up from distribution from here, which is something you might want to think about if applying to these festivals.
So this brings us to the end of Europe’s film festival circuit. If you want to know about the film festivals of Asia, Australia and Africa, check this article out :
Hope this article helped you in making some tough choices. Do let me know when you send a film to one of these or also if you think I’ve missed an important festival from this list.
Stay tuned for more practical and useful filmmaking tips. Adios!
2 replies on “The Best 25 Film Festivals in Europe for Feature Films”
It’s great infos, love it!! Just to correct a tiny mistake. Reyjkavic is not in Ireland but in Iceland. It’s subtle but make a huge difference in latitude.
Thank you! Sorry for the typo. Fixed it. Can’t have Reyjkavic secede just for a festival!