We are thrilled to invite filmmakers from around the world to participate in a celebration of the art of videography. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or an emerging talent, the Filmmaker Global International Film Festival is a platform designed to showcase your creativity and storytelling prowess. Our mission is to bring together a diverse array of cinematic voices while adhering to a set of guidelines that ensure fairness and excellence.

Our Film Festival gathers some of the best videography and filmmaking works globally. Challenge yourself to participate in the contest for the best wedding, elopement, commercial, or short film of the year in a transparent festival with live judging. All official selections of the festival are screened anonymously in a movie theater, discussed, and voted on by an esteemed international jury of Videographers. In a prestigious award ceremony, nine trophies overall are attributed to the winning film directors.
The Film Festival is Open for everyone to submit their films and to attend the live screenings, independently from attending the Conference or not.

A different European City will host the Event every year.
The 1st Edition will take place in Athens, Greece on April 3 - 5, 2024 in Cinema Mikrokosmos.

Please take the time to read the Festival Rules and Guidelines below before submitting your film. We are looking forward to meeting you in person during the live screenings of the finalist films of the Festival.

Awards & Prizes

Filmmaker Global International Film Festival is open to videographers worldwide, with a focus on wedding filmmakers but not limited to this genre.
There are 9 awards in total.

First of all 3 main film categories that will be awarded:

- Wedding Film: Capturing the essence of real wedding moments.
- Elopement Film: Showcasing the intimacy of elopements.
- Open Short Film: Any film genre except wedding films.

5 Special Awards
In addition to the main categories, Special Awards will be presented for the following subcategories:

- Best Cinematography
- Best Sound Design
- Best Editing
- Best Storytelling
- A “Special Jury Award” for exceptional films that score high overall but do not win in any specific category.

- Grand Award
The best film across all categories will receive the prestigious Grand Award of the Festival.

Trophies and Recognition
Winning entries will receive a winner laurel and a trophy during the Award Ceremony. There may be additional prizes by Sponsors of the Festival that will be announced along the way.

Rules & Terms

Film Duration
All films in Open Category should have a maximum duration of 15 minutes.
All Films in Wedding and Elopement Category should have a maximum duration of 10 minutes.

Multiple Entries
Participants may submit multiple entries without limitation.

Eligibility
For Wedding and Elopement Categories, only Wedding Films and Elopement Films featuring real wedding events are accepted—no Styled Shoots.
Premiere status is not required, and all films are qualified to submit.

Submission Deadline
The Regular Submission Deadline is January 3, 2024.
The Final Submission Deadline of the International Film Festival is March 3, 2024.

Submission Fee
There is a nominal submission fee, which will contribute to the festival’s operational costs.
Directors who submit their films before the Regular Deadline will be charged the Regular fee (€80).
The submission fee is non-refundable.

Official Selections – Finalists
All nominated films selected for screening will be recognized as Official Selections of the Festival and will receive an official laurel. These selections will be notified via email in order to provide a a good quality film for the screening of the festival.
If a film is selected for the live screening of the festival, we recommend that the director of the film be able to attend the screening. The festival does not cover any expenses related to travel or accommodation, but attending the screenings and judging of the films is open to the public.

Anonymous Entries
All entries should be submitted anonymously. No distinctive logos or mentions of the director, cinematographer or studio should appear in the films.

Language and Subtitles
Films not in English should include English subtitles.

Jury and Public Voting
The Jury of the International Film Festival is composed of the speakers of the Filmmaker Global Conference. There may be additions or changes to this panel, as deemed appropriate by the Festival organizers.

Official Selections for each category will be screened at the festival venue and judged publicly by the jury. The screening and judging process will be open to the public.

The jury will vote on a scale from 1 to 100, considering the following aspects: storytelling-original concept, cinematography, editing, score-sound design, and total vote.

Winner Selection
Films with a score of 80 or higher will be privately discussed and re-voted on by the jury to determine the winners of each category and subcategory.

Award Ceremony
The award-winning films will be announced during the award ceremony where the trophies will be presented to the winners. If the winners are not physically present, shipping of trophies can be arranged at their own cost.

The award ceremony is open to the public.

Publicity and Promotion
Selected films may be used for promotional purposes for the festival.

Legal Terms
The Filmmaker Global Festival is subject to the following Terms and Conditions and by entering the Filmmaker Global Awards competition, you agree to be bound by them.

- Copyright and Ownership: Filmmakers retain full copyright and ownership of their submitted films.
- License for Submitted Films: By entering, each participant grants Filmmaker Global a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, and perpetual license to use any or all of the submitted films in connection with the Filmmaker Global Awards. This usage may include promotional and marketing activities associated with the Filmmaker Global Festival.
- Liability and Claims: Filmmaker Global Festival does not assume any responsibility or provide indemnity to participants against claims from third parties alleging rights violations in any submitted film. In the event of such a claim, the entrant (copyright owner) is responsible for reimbursing Filmmaker Global for all costs and expenses incurred, including attorney and court fees, damages, and penalties.
- Modification of Competition: Filmmaker Global reserves the right to suspend, cancel, or amend the competition and make changes to its rules at any time without prior notice.
- Disqualification and Recategorization: Filmmaker Global retains the authority to disqualify or reclassify any entry that does not conform to the rules or poses a risk to the integrity of the competition.