Film Invasion Lima showcases wonderful undiscovered films in one of South America's most dynamic cities! FI-Lima has been created in association with the team behind two festivals ranked in FilmFreeway's Top 100 Best Rated list; Film Invasion Los Angeles (FI-LA) and Sherman Oaks Film Festival (SOFF). The team running FI-Lima is dedicated to bringing the same "filmmaker's first" festival experience to Peru!

FI-Lima embraces the work of filmmakers from diverse backgrounds and communities. It is our philosophy to honor their work as filmmakers and not place their work in separate categories based on race, sexual orientation, or gender identification. We have been proud to honor films from every community as Official Selections and Award Winners, honoring their work as filmmakers without being balkanized as "Black filmmakers" or "LGBTQ filmmakers" or "Women filmmakers." At FI-Lima, all of our filmmakers are filmmakers and we honor them equally.

The FI-Lima team is passionate about forming a community around the wonderful work discovered at the festival. We will invite alumni to return as jury members and we hold Filmmaker Mixers throughout the year to foster a creative community.

Podcast + TV Series
FI-LA/SOFF festival runner Jeff Howard established the "Discover Indie Film" podcast in 2017 and has had over 250 filmmakers sit for an in-depth interview. H intends to invite the great filmmakers discovered at FI-Lima onto the podcast as well! In 2019, the TV series "Discover Indie Film" premiered on Amazon Prime Video; DIF TV is an anthology of shorts handpicked from the festival circuit.

Awards & Prizes

Film Invasion Lima will feature some of the following awards:

BEST IN FEST - chosen by the official selection jury, these three awards are given to three films, classified by length.

Best In Fest - Feature Film (over 60 mins)
Best In Fest - Featurette (20-60 mins)
Best In Fest - Short Film (under 20 mins)

GRAND JURY AWARDS - chosen by the official selection jury, these awards are given both to films and individuals, classified by both length and category.

Best Feature Film - Animation
Best Feature Film - Comedy
Best Feature Film - Documentary
Best Feature Film - Drama
Best Feature Film - Experimental/Arthouse
Best Feature Film - Horror
Best Feature Film - Sci-Fi
Best Featurette - Animation
Best Featurette - Comedy
Best Featurette - Documentary
Best Featurette - Drama
Best Featurette - Experimental/Arthouse
Best Featurette - Horror
Best Featurette - Sci-Fi
Best Short Film – Animation
Best Short Film – Comedy
Best Short Film – Documentary
Best Short Film – Experimental/Arthouse
Best Short Film – Dance
Best Short Film – Drama
Best Short Film – Horror
Best Short Film – SciFi
Best Featurette – Animation
Best Featurette – Comedy
Best Featurette – Documentary
Best Featurette – Experimental/Arthouse
Best Featurette – Drama
Best Featurette – Horror
Best Featurette – SciFi
Best Music Video
Best Web Series

Best Director, Feature Film
Best Director, Short Film
Best Actress in a Lead Role
Best Actor in a Lead Role
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Best Performance by a Full Cast
Best Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Screenplay (Produced)
Best Screenplay (Unproduced)

(Note: some awards may not be given if a category is not represented in that year's festival.)

AUDIENCE AWARDS - selected by audience feedback.

Audience Award, Feature Film
Audience Award, Short Film
Audience Award, Documentary Film

FILMMAKERS AWARDS - selected by a jury of filmmakers who are FI-LA and SOPFF alumni.
Outstanding Short Films
Outstanding Directors
Outstanding Screenplay
Outstanding Acting, Cast
Outstanding Acting, Individual
Outstanding Cinematography

PROGRAMMER'S PRIZE
(festival runner's discretion)

Rules & Terms

Technical Requirements:
Video - DCPs are NOT accepted. Projection will be digital and films will need to be provided in .mov or .mp4 format.
Audio - A volume level of -20 LUFS to -18 LUFS during dialog scenes is highly recommended. Your editor should be able to give you an output in this range.

Q&A's:
The makers of each project are welcome to be part of a Q&A session immediately following their screening. Key cast and crew are also welcome to participate.

Online Availability:
Many festivals have a ban against films that are available online but our philosophy is different. If a film is great, we make it an official selection. We believe that screening in a beautiful theater with amazing audio is a little different from being on YouTube or Vimeo.

Promotions:
Participants agree that their project and material related to their project may be used and/or published in the program program, website and for promotional purposes related to the festival.

Submission materials:
Film, video and script submissions are only accepted digitally through FilmFreeway. No physical media or scripts will be accepted at the festival's office address.

Trademark:
If selected, all commercial/private property including all trademark/copyrighted materials shown or recorded on the project is the responsibility of the filmmaker. The festival does not take responsibility for any infringement of copy-written material.

Rules are subject to change at any time without prior notice.

Run Times & Page Limits:

Feature Films: over 60 minutes
Featurettes: between 60 and 20 minutes
Short Films: under 20 minutes
Music Videos: any length
Screenplays: no page minimum or maximum, standard format and standard title page recommended. Movie and Television screenplays are both accepted.
20 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Stephanie Bettman

    Really a nice new growing film festival. Very supportive of the filmmakers. A delightful experience!

    June 2026
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  • Betsy De Fries

    A fantastic inauguration for the festival which is a sister to Film Invasion LA, which is another great film festival. Little Fluffy Clouds had two films in the line-up and both awarded. My take away for other filmmakers is that FI-Lima truly cares about the us and our films. They're respectful of our talent and hard work and every effort is made to produce a great festival. So go ahead, enter your best work and carry this festival forward. Thank you all! ~ Betsy

    June 2026
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  • Benedek Koszorus

    A festival I won’t ever forget and will always stay close to my heart! The communication with the organizers was superb, something you rarely experience at any other festival! Forever grateful, thank you for everything!

    ¡Un festival que nunca olvidaré y que siempre llevaré cerca de mi corazón! La comunicación con los organizadores fue excepcional, algo que rara vez se experimenta en otros festivales. Estaré eternamente agradecido/a. ¡Gracias por todo!

    June 2026
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  • Daniel Robichaud

    The FI-Lima team genuinely cared about both the filmmakers and their films. Their professionalism, thoughtful communication, and warm support created a welcoming atmosphere where artists felt valued and appreciated. It was clear that the festival is driven by a sincere passion for celebrating independent cinema. I am honored that my film Lifted was recognized with an award!

    June 2026
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  • Ming Fen Congdon

    A truly wonderful festival! I enjoyed the process and professionalism they have.

    June 2026
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