Our festival by the sea has gained a reputation for fostering a relaxed atmosphere where filmmakers and industry veterans alike gather to enjoy a jam-packed weekend of great films, an opening night party and amusement park rides. MovieMaker Magazine named us one of the and "25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" and "25 Coolest Film Festivals"!

Coney Island's independent spirit and irreverent attitude have helped the fest quickly thrive as something distinct from other NYC events. The opening night celebrations pay tribute to Coney Island's renown carnival history with live performances by the Coney Island Circus Sideshow!

Early in 2001, the non-profit arts organization Coney Island USA aligned with indiefilmpage.com founder Rob Leddy to create an annual film festival, to raise funds for the not for profit arts organization, Coney Island USA. That fall, the Coney Island Film Festival became a reality.

The festival is entirely run by film, television and audio/visual professionals, ensuring a high quality standard to the event.

Coney Island's characteristic blend of grit and whimsy has inspired filmmakers for generations. From Thomas Edison's first magical motion pictures of the Steeplechase ride to 2010 Festival Honoree Darren Aronofsky's harrowing masterpiece Requiem for a Dream, Coney has a long and intimate history with American cinema. CIFF represents the latest chapter in that history. The Coney Island Film Festival screens a truly eclectic range of films. Our festival screens films from all genres including the following categories - Drama Short, Comedy Short, Feature, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Horror, Sci-Fi, Music Video, Experimental, Animation. We are as diverse as the neighborhood that we represent.

We have no film premiere requirements or date of completion requirements and all entries are watched in their entirety, by our screening committee. We prefer that your film not be streaming publicly on sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, etc. and films not streaming online are given preference in the selection process. Whether you submit early or late, has no bearing on the selection process. All films are given equal chance for selection, regardless of when they are submitted! We do not invite films to play with us, we rely solely, on our call for entries!

Now in our 25th year, The Coney Island Film Festival has gained a solid reputation from filmmakers and film fans. Check out our FilmFreeway reviews to read quotes from filmmakers and to see our photo galleries (all photos courtesy of Norman Blake).

"Without a doubt, The Coney Island Film Festival has the greatest location in the world. It also gives out the best trophy I've ever received." Darren Aronofsky (Director Black Swan, The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream, Pi)

"A showcase worthy of the neighborhood's amusement-rich history." - Christopher Zara, MovieMaker magazine

Awards & Prizes

Awards:
The festival jury will present awards to films and videos selected as best in these categories: Drama Short, Comedy Short, Feature, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Horror, Sci-Fi, Music Video, Experimental, Animation and "Made in Coney Island",

Rules & Terms

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Entries must be submitted via FilmFreeway's online screener option. Foreign language work must be dubbed or subtitled in English. Entry fees are non-refundable. We have no film premiere requirements or date of completion requirements.

SELECTION & NOTIFICATION
All entries will be viewed by the selection committee. All entry fees are non-refundable. Selected films will be announced on or around March 25, 2025. All entrants will be notified by FilmFreeway's email system. The festival does not pay rental/screening fees for submitted/selected work. For selected films, exhibition file format is .mp4, h.264, 1920x1080, stereo.

For more information email us at info@coneyislandfilmfestival.com. We will respond within 24 hours.

Terms and Conditions:
I have carefully read and understand the complete rules of the festival. By entering your film for consideration for the 2025 Coney Island Film Festival, you authorize that your work is cleared for festival screening and accept full legal responsibility for the intellectual property therein. Entry into the festival constitutes permission to screen your work at the 2025 Coney Island Film Festival. The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless the Coney Island Film Festival, indiefilmpage.com, Coney Island USA and any other agents, owners and employees of said entities from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

157 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
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Networking
  • Kathryn Roake

    Good festival, very interesting films

    August 2024
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  • Kathryn Grant

    This festival is quirky, screenings in the funky, fun, Coney Island Museum, but the quality WOW!!! The program of narrative dramatic shorts was exceptional. Moving, diverse, beautifully rendered films! Congrats to all who made it happen. This was a treat!!

    August 2024
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  • Justin Ho

    I've been procrastinating on writing this review. But I really wanted to so here I am sitting my a** down forcing myself to write this. Honestly I just really wanted to express how grateful I am to this festival for accepting my film. As with any film festival run for a micro budget indie feature with no known actors, I was hit by rejection after rejection. And despite festivals and other people all saying the same thing "It has nothing to do with the quality of the film..." that honestly doesn't help much. I suffer from a lot of self deprecation and self worth issues, mostly due to my loneliness. As a person I feel I'm not wanted and my work is where I'm able to release the pain inside, as any artist does anyways. Not much originality in me as a person... But when I was accepted by this festival that meant so very much for me. And it was a fantastic fest! Yeah the trek to Coney Island took me 2hrs every day but it was worth it. It's a nice short festival, and the location and energy felt so wonderful. I realized I was one of only two feature narrative films accepted into the festival and that also really meant a lot to me. So thank you Coney Island film fest, thank you so much to adding a bit of light into my life. Coney island as a location has always meant a lot to me and now it will mean even more!

    June 2024
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  • Ellen Callaghan

    Thank you Coney Island Film Festival! I had a great time, and it was an amazing film festival to take part in!

    May 2024
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  • Isaac Gabaeff

    This festival rules! Down and dirty films. Exceptional character pieces and Arthaus gems. The most fun I’ve had at a festival. Screening and Q and A was spicy AF, and the festival director was organized and a pleasure to deal with. Don’t miss out on this one. It’s the freak fest you need.

    May 2024
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