The 9th annual French Riviera Film Festival (FRFF) will recognize and celebrate short-form content created for film, television, Web and all digital platforms. In the glamorous South of France setting, FRFF invites filmmakers from around the globe to participate in the two-day festival that includes screenings, awards ceremony, and closing gala party. FRFF will place the spotlight on the best short-form filmed content during the time period of the annual Festival de Cannes. A prestigious jury panel will select Best Drama Short, Best Comedy Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation Short, Best Experimental Short, Best Lifestyle Short, Best Fashion Short, Best Music Video, Best Female Filmmaker Award, Best Director Award, Best Actor Award, Best Actress Award, Best Activism Short, Best Micro Short Award, Best AI Award, Industry Excellence Award, and Lifetime Achievement Awards . Attendees and participants will include filmmakers, industry executives, celebrities, media, and influencers.

Awards & Prizes

Best Drama Short
Best Comedy Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Animation Short
Best Experimental Short
Best Lifestyle Short
Best Fashion Short
Best Music Video
Best Sci-Fi/Horror Short
Best Activism Short
Best Micro Short (1 minute - 10 minutes)
Best AI Award
Best Director Award
Best Actor Award
Best Actress Award
Best Student Film
(NEW) Best Commercial
(NEW) Best Screenplay
Industry Excellence Award
Lifetime Achievement Award

Rules & Terms

– Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway.
– Entry fees are non-refundable.
– Applicant can submit more than one film to the festival.
– Each submission requires an entry fee.
– Content submitter must be 16 years of age or older.
– Submissions must be the intellectual property of the submitter, and/or their team. No proxy submissions.
– All short films are eligible to submit with production dates from May 1, 2023 forward.
– Content cannot exceed 40 minutes in length.
– Please choose the genre that best represents your series even if your series can be classified under more than one category.
– Duplicate submissions under a different category are allowed, but a separate submission form and payment must be made.
– Entries that are not in English must have English subtitles.
– By submitting to FRFF, you confirm that you hold the rights to (or are authorized to use) any and all audio and video in your short film.
– FRFF will not be held responsible for any claims stemming from the failure of the creator/submitter to properly obtain the rights to material submit and/or screened.
– All decisions made by FRFF are final.
– By participating in the FRFF, each participant agrees to hold FRFF and its employees, directors and representatives harmless from any and all losses, damages, rights, claims and actions of any kind in connection with the event or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of any prize.
– Entrant grants FRFF the right to use the name, logo, and content of content for awards presentations, highlight reels and promotional material.
– FRFF reserves the right to amend guidelines, selection criteria, awards, screening, and activities if necessary.
47 Reviews
Overall Rating
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Networking
  • Ginger Johnston

    The French Riviera, Cannes, great films, paired with a wonderful group of creatives! Perfect. Thank you to all who made this possible.

    May 2026
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  • Stacey Simon

    The French Riviera Film Festival was truly a wonderful experience and an absolute honor to be part of. I was incredibly grateful for the Official Selection and Special Mention recognition for my short film Believe In Love.

    Although I was unable to attend in person in Cannes, the festival team made me feel very included throughout the event. Following along through their beautiful social media updates, screenings, and festival coverage from the South of France was such a joy and made the experience feel very special even from afar.

    The festival showcases a diverse and talented international lineup of filmmakers and creates a classy, elegant, and supportive platform for independent cinema. Communication from the team was warm, professional, and thoughtful throughout the entire process.

    A heartfelt thank you to Nicole and the entire French Riviera Film Festival team for this beautiful opportunity and recognition. I would absolutely recommend this festival to filmmakers around the world!

    May 2026
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  • Amber Nelson

    Fabulous event in the heart of Cannes!

    May 2026
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  • 冬弥 草森

    Let me be precise: I submitted from Chiba, Japan — not Tokyo, not Cannes, not even from a place most French people could locate on a map (most Japanese people can't either, to be fair). And yet FRFF made me feel less like a distant applicant and more like someone whose work actually mattered, which, if you think about it, is the entire point of cinema, and also the entire point of festivals that aren't just selling you a laurel for your poster.

    The team — Kate in particular — communicates with the kind of speed and clarity that would make Bresson weep (he wept at very little, which is precisely why this comparison works). The categories are genuinely forward-thinking: Micro Short, AI, Fashion. This is a festival that has read the room — or rather, read the algorithm, the TikTok, the generative model — and decided to curate rather than gatekeep. A crucial distinction that most festivals (politely) fail to make.

    Does it help that the whole thing takes place on the Côte d'Azur during Cannes? Of course it does. Geography is not ideology, but it's not nothing either. Having your name on a winners list while the Croisette is doing its annual theatre of red carpets and sunburn — there is something structurally poetic about that, in the way Godard would have appreciated and immediately denied appreciating.

    Five stars. I'll be back. Assuming Chiba still exists by then (it will; it always does, quietly).

    May 2026
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  • Trinette Faint

    Thank you for honoring Party Pants with a special mention. There were communication issues at the beginning - the email said my film would screen live at the event, then I received another one that it would only screen virtually. Overall, everything was fine, but they need to double check their messaging in the future.

    Regardless, I was glad to be a part of the festival and even more glad that I was able to attend the reception in person.

    May 2026
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