Cinemoon Film Festival

WHAT IS A 'CINEMOON'?
Nostalgia... it's truly a powerful thing… that soft ache for the past... the memories we romanticise... the eras we crave... the moments we wish we could rewind.
A Cinemoon is any film that captures that feeling.

For Cinephiles like us, that feeling may be old school cinema. For many, it may be a home video that is a capsule into the past.

Our film festival celebrates two sides of nostalgia:

1. Retro, Grit & Grindhouse
The wild soul of the 80s and 90s. Film grain, analog charm, neon grime, VHS fuzz, punk chaos, exploitation attitude. If your film feels like a lost tape rescued from an old video store… we want it.

2. Real Love, Real Memories
All around us there are filmmakers who work for couples to tell their romantic biopics. They strive to turn real romance into cinema. Weddings, pre-shoots, “how we met” stories, honeymoon diaries, meeting-the-in-laws, or any personal love story crafted with narrative flair.

These could be heartfelt documentaries, cheesy reenactments or even a music video.
As long as it means something to a couple and has a narrative, we want those!
If it’s a romantic memory told cinematically, it’s a Cinemoon.

DO WE ONLY TAKE CINEMOONS?
No, we have awarded other categories of film in the past. Cinemoon Film Festival was originally born as a not-for-profit love letter to filmmakers who spread laughter, excitement or love.

We warmly receive any positively themed comedy, romance, romantic comedy, spiritually uplifting film or anything that excites or brings joy to people. The only type of film that we won't consider are slow-burns and depression-inducing films or films that are divisive or hateful towards anyone. We respect the craft, but it is not for our festival.

WHERE DOES IT TAKE PLACE?
Held annually in London, our festival focuses mainly on romance, comedy, and spiritually-uplifting films, while also offering space for exceptional works from other genres in separate showcase sections.

IMDb?
We get that being listed on IMDb means a lot to film makers and we are proud to say that Cinemoon Film Festival is now officially listed on IMDb, meaning award-winners and nominees will be recognized on the platform.

From the 6th edition we are also active reviewers on IMDb and Letterboxd. Hence, if you submit for a review we will grace you with a true review as long as you are willing to accept criticism. (We will keep overly harsh criticisms to private conversations)

PREMIERE & RELEASE DATE CRITERIA?
We believe hard work deserves its spotlight. Whether your film is fresh, older, or already online, you are welcome here. Just be honest with us about its release status. (e.g. if your film is already streaming online but it is exceptional, we will still consider it)
We hence do not expect premiere status.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
In our screenings, even films that don't get an official play selection may also get an honorable mentions within which 1 min previews from the selected shorts will be screened.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
By the way, this is Cine-moon, not Phone-y-moon, hence No vertical films. No AI-generated slop and No Brain-rot. Strictly Real-Cinema and Serious-Filmmakers only!