A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online.
Films may be of recent date and, depending on the festival's focus, can include both international and domestic releases. Some film festivals focus on a specific format of film, such as documentary, or runtime, such as short film festivals, or genre, such as horror films, category of filmmakers, such as women, production country/region or subject matter.
Film festivals can be competitive or non-competitive, and are often regarded within the film industry as launchpads for new filmmakers and indie films, as well as boosters for established filmmakers and studio productions. The films are either invited by festival curators or selected by festival programmers from submissions made by the filmmakers, film producers, production companies, sales agents, or distributors. Often, audiences have the opportunity to watch films premiering months before their commercial release, or films that may not benefit from a wide release and would otherwise be hard to find.
The oldest film festival in the world is the Venice Film Festival. The most prestigious film festivals in the world, known as the "Big Five", are (listed chronologically according to the date of foundation): Venice, Cannes, Berlin (the original Big Three), Toronto, and Sundance. Other major festivals include Karlovy Vary, Locarno, San Sebastián, SXSW, Taormina, Telluride, Tribeca, Raindance Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, Glasgow Film Festival, Slamdance Film Festival, Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival, and the three largest and most prestigious genre festivals, Sitges, Fantasia and Fantastic Fest.
History
The Venice Film Festival in Italy began in 1932 and is the oldest film festival still running.
Mainland Europe's biggest independent film festival is ÉCU The European Independent Film Festival, which started in 2006 and takes place every spring in Paris, France. Edinburgh International Film Festival is the longest-running festival in Great Britain as well as the longest continually running film festival in the world.
Australia's first and longest-running film festival is the Melbourne International Film Festival (1952), followed by the Sydney Film Festival (1954).
North America's first and longest-running short film festival is the Yorkton Film Festival, established in 1947.
The 1948 Cleveland, Ohio Film Festival was the first film festival in the United States to recognize educational, industrial, training, travel, and other types of sponsored films.
The longest continuously running film festival in the United States is the Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, also known as The Chris Awards, which began in 1953. According to the Film Arts Foundation in San Francisco, " 'The Chris Awards' is one of the most prestigious documentaries, educational, business, and informational competitions in the U.S.; it is the oldest of its kind in North America and celebrating its 54th year". It was followed four years later by the San Francisco International Film Festival, held in March 1957, which emphasized feature-length dramatic films. The festival played a major role in introducing foreign films to American audiences. Films in the first year included Akira Kurosawa's Throne of Blood and Satyajit Ray's .
Today, thousands of film festivals take place around the world—from high-profile festivals such as Sundance Film Festival (Park City, Utah), Newport Beach Film Festival and Slamdance Film Festival, to horror festivals such as FrightFest, Screamfest, Telluride Horror Show, and the Park City Film Music Festival, the first American film festival dedicated to honoring music in film.
Film Funding competitions such as Writers and Filmmakers were introduced when the cost of production could be lowered significantly, and internet technology allowed for the collaboration of film production.
Film festivals have evolved significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic. Many festivals opted for virtual or hybrid festivals. The film industry, which was already in upheaval due to streaming options, has faced another major shift, and movies showcased at festivals have an even shorter runway to online launches.
Notable film festivals
In the film industry, the 'Big Three' has historically referred to the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice festivals. The term 'Big Five', which adds Toronto and Sundance to that list, can also be used.
The Toronto International Film Festival is the most popular festival in North America. Time wrote it had "grown from its place as the most influential fall film festival to the most influential film festival, period".
The Seattle International Film Festival is credited as being the largest film festival in the United States, regularly showing over 400 films in a month across the city.
Competitive feature films The festivals in Berlin, Cairo, Cannes, Goa, Karlovy Vary, Locarno, Mar del Plata, Moscow, San Sebastián, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Tallinn, Tokyo, Venice, and Warsaw are accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) in the category of competitive feature films. As a rule, for films to compete, they must first be released during the festivals and not in any other previous venue beforehand.
Genre films
Sitges Film Festival in Spain, Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada, and Fantastic Fest in the United States are generally considered to be the three largest and most prestigious festivals for fantastic and horror films. Other important genre festivals include Beyond Fest, Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Fantaspoa, Fantasporto, FilmQuest, FrightFest, Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival, Nightmares Film Festival, Overlook Film Festival, Screamfest, Telluride Horror Show and Toronto After Dark.
Some general film festivals also have sections for genre films, the most prestigious ones being the Midnight section at Sundance Film Festival, the Midnighter section at SXSW, the Midnight Madness at TIFF and the Midnight section at Tribeca Festival.
Experimental films Ann Arbor Film Festival started in 1963. It is the oldest continually operated experimental film festival in North America and has become one of the premier film festivals for independent and, primarily, experimental filmmakers to showcase work.
Independent films In the U.S., Telluride Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, Austin's South by Southwest, NYC's Tribeca Festival, Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival and Slamdance Film Festival are all considered significant festivals for independent film. The Zero Film Festival is significant as the first and only festival exclusive to self-financed filmmakers. The biggest independent film festival in the UK is Raindance Film Festival. The British Urban Film Festival (which specifically caters to Black and minority interests) was officially recognized in the 2020 New Year Honours list.
Sponsored films The 1948 Cleveland Film Festival was the first film festival in the United States to honor educational, industrial, training, travel, and other types of sponsored films. In June 1948, six hundred people watched one or more of the 65 films screened at the one-day Cleveland Film Festival held in General Electric’s Lighting Institute at Nela Park.
In the second year of the Cleveland Film Festival, 99 16 mm films were shown and “Oscars” were awarded in eleven classifications.
Having an entry, or better yet, winning an award at the Cleveland Film Festival, was a significant event. Ads for studios and dozens of movies appeared in "Business Screen Magazine" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, promoting the film or studio as a winner at the Cleveland Film Festival.
By 1956, sponsored film festivals had become ubiquitous. In addition to dozens of city-sponsored film festivals, many organizations sponsored film festivals.
In 1957, the Cleveland Film Council, the organizers of the Cleveland Film Festival, ceased operation of the festival. Sponsored film festivals continued on, but never meant as much after that.
Subject-specific films
A few film festivals have focused on highlighting specific issues, topics, or subjects. These festivals have included mainstream and independent films. Some examples include military films, health-related film festivals, and human rights film festivals.
There are festivals, especially in the US, that highlight and promote films made by or about various ethnic groups and nationalities or feature the cinema from a specific foreign country. These include African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Arabs, Jews, Italian, German, French, Palestinian, and Native American. The Deauville American Film Festival in France is devoted to the cinema of the United States. LGBTQ+ and Women's film festivals are also popular.
North American film festivals Tribeca Festival, one of the most prestigious in North America, ranks first worldwide in terms of audience attendance and 11th in terms of media attendance.
The San Francisco International Film Festival, founded by Irving "Bud" Levin in 1957, is the oldest continuous annual film festival in the United States. It highlights current trends in international filmmaking and video production with an emphasis on work that has not yet secured American distribution.
The Newport Beach Film Festival, founded by Gregg Schwenk in 1999, has emerged as the largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California, attracting over 56,000 attendees to Orange County, California. The Festival partners with over 40 non-profit organizations and pairs each with a film that aligns with their mission. The films featured include World, North America, U.S., and West Coast premieres, as well as the International Spotlight Series, which celebrates foreign language films.
The Vancouver International Film Festival, founded in 1958, is one of the largest film festivals in North America. It focuses on East Asian films, Canadian films, and nonfiction films. In 2016, the audience reached 133,000 and the festival featured 324 films.
The Toronto International Film Festival, founded by Bill Marshall, Henk Van der Kolk, and Dusty Cohl, is one of North America's most important film festivals, and is the most widely attended.
The Chicago International Film Festival, founded in 1964, is North America's longest-running competitive film festival. The 60th Chicago International Film Festival, scheduled for October, will host over 40,000 attendees from around the world. The Festival's program, screening 175+ films from more than 50 countries, is presented in sections including the International Competition, New Directors Competition, Documentary, Black Perspectives, City & State, and Special Presentations.
The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF), founded in 1977, is the largest film festival in Ohio and among the longest-running film festivals in the United States. The film festival is held at the Playhouse Square, which are a series of elegant theaters built in the early 1920s, and the largest performing arts center in the United States outside of New York City (only Lincoln Center is larger).
The Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, abbreviated OCanFilmFest, was co-founded by Ottawa-based filmmakers Jith Paul, Ed Kucerak, and Blair Campbell in 2015. It features films of various durations and genres from filmmakers across Canada.
The Sundance Film Festival founded by Sterling Van Wagenen (then head of Wildwood, Robert Redford's company), John Earle, and Cirina Hampton Catania (both serving on the Utah Film Commission at the time) is a significant festival for independent film.