WHO WE ARE

Humans of Film Festival is a sociocultural film festival, based in cinema Het
Ketelhuis in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with a focus to cater to a broad and diverse audience.

Taking inspiration from the act of portraying individuals through photography, Amsterdam-based Humans of Film Festival has been dedicating itself since 2020 to helping stories with and without a Dutch release find an audience and spread their message.

We want to untangle today’s pressing social issues by listening to the most affected ones. Narratives from the cinematic peripheries brought to the rich cultural landscape of Amsterdam. Through stories on a micro level, we question the global currents of our time. Intimate, to the point, and nurturing.

HoFF doesn’t stop with just programming films. Raising awareness through dialogue after the screenings is a vital part of our festival DNA; the same goes for our dedicated volunteers’ community.

*** JURY AWARD | AUDIENCE AWARD | OFFICIAL SELECTION ***

Films that are selected in the festival are eligible for the Jury Award and Audience Award (ceremonial awards).

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Format
We are open for submissions of films that are
- FEATURES (at least 60 minutes)
- SHORTS (between 5 and 30 minutes)
- Fiction features, documentary features, fiction shorts, and documentary shorts are accepted.

Content
KEY ASPECT: To untangle today’s pressing social issues by listening to the most affected ones. Through stories on micro-level, we question the global currents of our time.

Your film is one of the following:
- Micro-level story concerning an individual, group, or community that needs to be heard, but faces difficulties in expressing its voice;

OR

- The portrayal of a situation that shows how the environment reverberates on humans.

And contains at least one of the following themes:
- Environmental or ecological stories
- Stories about racism or discrimination
- LGBTIQ+ stories
- Migrant stories
- Female-centered stories
- Social (in)justice stories
- Stories about mental or physical impairments

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUBMITTING THE FILM
- The film was released between 2020 and 2022;
- The film has not been screened (online or theatrically) or broadcasted (online or on television) in the Netherlands before;
- The film has English subtitles available (even if it’s spoken in English);
- The film has a DCP (physical or (preferably) digital).

>>> If your film is missing any of the above-listed requirements, your film is not eligible and will not be taken into consideration.

SUBMISSION FEE
To avoid spam and films that do not follow the submission guidelines we ask filmmakers for a symbolic fee. This fee goes directly to making the organization of the festival possible.

For filmmakers that are in a difficult position or are located in certain regions, we offer a waiver or discount. Please see the next section for more information.

Submission fees and deadlines
Early bird | February 28, 2022 | 4 Euros
Regular deadline | April 30, 2022 | 5 Euros
Late deadline | May 31, 2022 | 6 Euros

HoFF submission waivers and discounts
A waiver or discount can be given to filmmakers in need, who face one or more of the following situations:

- Filmmakers from impoverished countries (for example: the currency rate makes it impossible to afford the fee);
- Filmmakers living in Iran or Venezuela.

Copy this link to go to the waiver and discount form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDDnzPUxUsiKF9GJnH8M8O9UEumLFO31SLGbMm107nffxGmg/viewform

DEADLINE
The regular submission deadline is: April 30, 2022.

We are looking forward to your submission!

If you have any questions or trouble submitting, please send us
an email to: submissions [at] humansoffilmfestival.com

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • María Lobo

    Honoured because our film was part of the festival, touched after an emotional Q&A session, amazed and thankful after receiving the Award from the audience <3 I just wish to be able to assist physically for next edition, thanks so much!

    November 2021
  • Eddie Shieh

    Had honour of screening my film HOME FREE as well as some meaningful conversations with Feargal. Human is a wonderful festival with a greater purpose. I hope to be back and in person. Thank you again,

    October 2021
  • Catherine Meyburgh

    Such an important festival. Thank you for a great Q&A and all the support.

    October 2021
  • Tal Amiran

    Humans of Film Festival is a fantastic festival, with excellent programming and great communication. Due to Covid I wasn’t able to attend the festival this year but I was grateful that my short doc Dafa Metti won Best Short Film at the festival. Highly recommended festival!

    October 2021
  • Victoria Malinjod

    AMAZING FESTIVAL!!! Thanks again for everything!

    October 2020