Arctic Open

DEAR FILMMAKERS, WE ARE FORCED TO PUT THE 2025 ARCTIC OPEN IFF ON HOLD FOR LACK OF FUNDING. THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING YOUR FILMS. WE HOPE TO CONTINUE FULL-FORMAT NEXT YEAR. Read more: https://arctic-open.com/en/news/ix-mezhdunarodnyj-kinofestival-arctic-open-v-arhangelske-menyaet-formaty/

Welcome to ARCTIC OPEN International Film Festival!
Now heading into our ninth season, we are happy to open the Fest for submissions.

The 9th ARCTIC OPEN IFF will be hosted in Arkhangelsk, Russia on December 4-7, 2025 and is looking to showcase the feature films, live action shorts and documentaries released in 2024-2025 and dedicated to the life and culture of northern communities, indigenous peoples, fragile Arctic nature, or challenges faced in today’s world - the sort of films that tell a story and would make people think. Or laugh, or cry, shock or surprise.

ARCTIC OPEN screens local and international professional or first-time filmmakers, celebrating the best in the Arctic-related filmmaking from across the globe. All submissions and participation are free of charge.

Spread over 4 days in December, this year's festival features 15 screening venues in six municipalities of Arkhangelsk Province and not only. Our program includes retrospectives and special selections - "ARCTIC OPEN Children" "ARCTIC OPEN Barrierless", "Big Cinema to Smaller Screens", Arctic Outdoor Cinema, Festival Films Night, VR Cinema, meet-the-artist sessions, and more.

ARCTIC OPEN aims to:
- select and promote the best films made in 2024-2025 domestically and globally;
- provide filmmakers with the opportunity to interact with audiences during Q&A sessions, screenings, and social events;
- provide networking opportunities to film community members;
- provide training opportunities to ealry-career filmmakers;
- give filmmakers and production teams a chance to travel to a destination known for its Northern Russian hospitality, which once was Russia’s first and only gateway to the Arctic.

The films accepted in our official selection and non-competition program will be shown as part of our Film Marathon event into 2026, including in Saint-Petersburg, Moscow, and the Komi Republic's Syktyvkar. We offer publicity across a wide range of regional and federal media (print and social).