Welcome to the Arctic Film Festival, the world’s northernmost celebration of independent filmmaking!

From the same team that brought you the successful Oslo Film Festival, Arctic Film Festival aims to recreate the familiar cozy atmosphere and rigorous programming in Longyearbyen, 650 miles from the North Pole.

It's dark for four months of the year and light for another four months, but we’ll be welcoming adventurous filmmakers from all around the world to Kulturhuset in Svalbard while the sun still rises above the horizon. We’re preparing a programme that includes both outdoor activities in the daylight, and quality international screenings in the evening.

Our festival provides not only a diverse cinematic experience for audiences and filmmakers alike, but also an opportunity to reflect on the future of our planet as well as our role within it. Our main goal with Arctic Film Festival is to increase the audience reach and engagement of select independent filmmakers who challenge and reflect on global scale problems. This is a unique opportunity to screen your work in one of the most outstanding venues and locations in the world!

In addition to live screenings, we offer:
❄ Networking events
❄ Filmmaker roundtable
❄ A worldwide network of filmmakers and collaborators
❄ A guided tour exploring the magnificent natural surroundings of Svalbard

We accept films of all genres and lengths, released in or after 2019, but we prioritise works that push the boundaries of human endeavour. We’re excited to review and showcase adventure films, social impact documentaries, and films with a focus on human rights.

❄ For our special focus on social impact films, we have created a discounted category celebrating work that promotes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity is interconnected – often the key to success on one will involve tackling issues more commonly associated with another. Read more about the SDGs → https://bit.ly/2T1asec ←

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Arctic Film Festival is organised by HF Productions, an international production company that runs several film festivals around the world. A collective of filmmakers, producers and marketing professionals with a common goal: to support and promote independent filmmaking at every step of the way.

You can also find us on Wikipedia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_Film_Festival

Awards & Prizes

There are three stages to the process:

» ​Nominations – Films nominated in any category will be contacted on the notification date, and listed on our website and social media pages. Nominated filmmakers are invited to join the event, although only the films in the Official Selection (below) will be screened.

» Official Selection – Films selected for screening will be notified if they have been considered to be part of Arctic Film Festival’s Official Selection on the notification date. Screening materials will be requested and more information about the event will be provided.

» Winners – Award winners will be selected from the Nominations & Official Selection and announced at our festival, after the screenings, and online the following day.

Awards will include Certificates, Treats, and exclusive online Distribution deals, and will be given in the following categories:

Best Feature
Best Short
Best Feature Documentary
Best Short Documentary
SDG Films - Goal 13: Climate Action
SDG Films - Goal 14: Life Below Water
SDG Films - Goal 15: Life on Land
Best Student Production
Best Animation
Best Adventure Film
Best Norwegian Production

In addition to the above-listed categories, we also offer the option of a Film Critique. Criticism may not always be agreeable but it is always necessary. Filmmakers require constructive feedback at every stage of their development, whether they're just starting out or they've been making films for decades. We offer you the opportunity to get your film project critiqued by one of the qualified film critics we collaborate with on our festivals. Regardless of whether or not your film is selected for screening, by submitting to the Any Category + Film Critique category, you receive an in-depth review (1-2 pages). The critique can be more or less general, or focus on particular elements - you choose.

Rules & Terms

✓ All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles (if in a different language).

✓ All films must have been made in or after 2019.

✓ Short films must not exceed 30 minutes.

✓ Filmmakers are responsible for sorting out the copyright on their own materials.

✓ By submitting to us, you give us the right to screen your film in front of a live audience.

✓ Nominations: These are all the films that have been nominated for an award in a category. Not all nominated films will be screened.

Official Selection: These are all the nominated films selected for screening, which will be notified via email. If you received a Nomination email, but no Official Selection email, it means your film will not be screened, but is still a contender for an award in its category.

Award Winners: Chosen from the Nominations (which includes the Official Selection).

✓ We may promote clips from your film on social media, based on the press kits you provide us with.

✓ We retain the right to change the date and venue of the festival under special circumstances. All filmmakers will be informed about any changes through email and our online platforms.

✓ We place no restrictions on your work in terms of premiere status or whether your work has been made available online.

✓ Any technical issues with the submitted films are 100% the responsibility of the filmmakers. If, at the time of judging, your video file doesn’t work or doesn’t have English subtitles (if in a language other than English), it will be automatically rejected, without a refund. Please contact the festival team ASAP if there are any issues with the submission process, and a solution will be found.

✓ We cannot provide refunds.

✓ If you have submitted your project in the previous year, please do not resubmit the same project to current edition.

✓ By submitting to us you agree to our terms and conditions and to receiving marketing newsletters and discounts about film festivals in the form of emails. We will never sell your information to third parties.

✓ We reserve the right to update our terms and conditions.
8 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Ricardo Homuth

    This is a warm Festival !!

    April 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Ricardo :-)

  • Bea de Visser

    What a nice festival location! A festival with a mission. Thank you festival team for screening my film 'The animal that therefore I am'.

    April 2020
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  • Amy Elliott

    What a gem of a festival. Obviously the location is truly spectacular, but in addition the AFF was really well run - tech was great, large engaged audience and warm hospitality from the festival pros who run it. This is well worth applying to/attending.

    October 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Amy! We had such a blast with you and the other filmmakers. Good luck on your upcoming projects!

  • Lisa Black

    We were honored to be included

    October 2019
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  • Max Baring

    This was an extraordinary and unusual festival experience miles inside the arctic circle in Svalbard. It was a festival wrapped up in an adventure to a place you would otherwise never visit. In its first year, screening a diverse set of films in one Saturday evening session, there were films focussed on the arctic and others from locations that chimed in more lateral ways; from Yemen, Australia and Greece. Showing a film set in the Arctic I found there was just enough interaction through the films themselves and the festival goers with the issues facing the Arctic. Svalbard has no indigenous population but I still would have welcomed more connection to the local town through the governors presence and I belief that the festival organisers will work on this next year. It would be good to have had a response from this small community to some of the issues that face the arctic.

    The organisers were amazing and brilliant and set up a fascinating tour for the film makers who made it all the way to the festival. It was great fun! Thanks guys!

    September 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you very much for your thoughtful and inspiring review, Max, and thank you for joining us in Svalbard! We're very excited to continue developing this event and we hope you'll be able to join us again in the future! 🌎