Key West FF Named One of “The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” by Moviemaker Magazine!

Come be part of the unforgettable Key West experience, where passion meets paradise!

As filmmakers, film educators, and film lovers ourselves, we at the Key West Film Festival know that a truly great festival achieves two things: It provides real value to filmmakers whose works we show as well as entertainment and cultural enrichment to audience members and the community.

In this laid-back, tropical setting of Old Town Key West with its historic theaters within walking distance of each other, the bars of Duval Street and the famous nightly sunset celebration at Mallory Square, celebrity guests have included: Marisa Tomei, Harmony Korine, Mariel Hemingway, Billy Corben, Tom Berenger, Kimberly Peirce, Burt Reynolds, Ondi Timoner, Alan Cumming, Corey Glover, John Waters, Sebastian Junger, Celia Weston, Mark Bridges, Anson Mount, Joely Richardson, Paul Haggis, Lois Smith, and many more.

NEW FOR STUDENT FILMMAKERS: The fest has announced cash scholarship awards totaling $3000, to be presented at this November’s Key West Film Festival. All student selections will be in competition for the Kimberly Peirce Scholarship for Student Filmmakers, presented by the Diana King Foundation. Peirce is best known as director of the Oscar winning film Boys Don’t Cry, starring Hilary Swank.

Having your film selected by our programmers, and attending the festival as a filmmaker or film fan—which always takes place the (long) weekend before Thanksgiving—is valuable for many reasons:

1 - ACCESS TO TOP FILM CRITICS: We’ve cultivated strong relationships with writers for the LA TIMES, ROLLING STONE, NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, WALL STREET JOURNAL, FILMMAKER MAGAZINE, BUZZFEED, TIME OUT NY, INDIEWIRE and others. We kick off each festival with an informative and entertaining "critics chat,” and the long weekend provides ample opportunity to meet these industry influencers.

2 - ARTIST TALKS: Nurturing emerging talent goes hand-in-hand with celebrating those at the pinnacle of their careers, and are interrelated strands of our mission. In depth interviews and Q&As with seasoned names in the industry about their careers, as well as many informal opportunities to chat, make our festival unique.

3 - AWARDS COMPETITION & CEREMONY: Films selected to be shown are automatically in competition in all categories for which they qualify. Winners are announced at our closing night ceremony and party.

4 - SEE GREAT FILMS IN A GREAT ENVIRONMENT: Our locale of the beautifully-preserved and vibrant Old Town Key West, with its boutique cinemas clustered close together, along with our ideal tropical climate mean that you can big-screen binge-watch Oscar contending features and great shorts programs while in between take a dip in the ocean or hotel pool and then grab a local brew or mojito at Sloppy Joe’s or any number of lively bars on historic Duval Street.

5 - WHICH LEADS TO THE PARTIES & FILMMAKER EVENTS: Key Westers love a party—and our festival is local. Every day and night we organize filmmaker breakfast meet-ups, sails, after-parties, and spontaneous after-after hangouts, in the historic homes and lush gardens of famous-Conchs-past like the Hemingways, James Audubon, and President Truman’s Little White House, in the rustic distilleries and breweries of Old Town, aboard majestic sailing ships docked in the bay...

6 - ENJOY A CARIBBEAN HOLIDAY: Bring your crew—be they film crew, boat crew, friends, or family. Or come solo and find a new crew here, while soaking up the warm sunshine and local vibe of our island home in its most beautiful season. Sail, dive, jet ski, kayak, enjoy live music on Duval Street, visit our historic museums and art galleries... It’s all here, walk- & bike-able and definitely flip flop-friendly. For any age and lifestyle, Key West and our festival are a warm and welcoming respite.

7 - NO-STRESS NETWORKING: All of the above give filmmakers and VIP pass-holders lots of opportunity to meet, mingle, talk film, pitch ideas, make deals, make love, or all of the above!

8 - FILM SCREENINGS AND SPECIAL EVENTS: Our ethos is inclusive, fun, & community-building: All selected films get two FILMMAKER badges granting access to all parties and special events, and film screenings (per availability). We are all makers or patrons of the art of cinema, and building and celebrating community is key in Key West.

Join our truly unique community, which celebrates our pride of place in South Florida, the Keys, and the Caribbean islands, while welcoming the best from around the country and world.

SHORT FILMS (award categories may vary from year to year):
Florida Narrative Short Award
Florida Documentary Short Award
World Narrative Short Award
World Documentary Short Award

STUDENT FILMS (award categories may vary from year to year):
Florida Student Short Award
World Student Short Award

FEATURE FILMS (award categories may vary from year to year):
Florida Feature Film Award
English-language Feature Film Award
Foreign-language Feature Film Award
Documentary Feature Award

SPECIAL AWARDS (award categories may vary from year to year):
LGBTQ Feature Film Award
Film Critics' Choice Award
Golden Key for Excellence in Costume Design
Golden Key Award for Excellence in Filmmaking

-Short films must be under 59 minutes in duration.

-Feature films must be 60-180 minutes in duration.

-Florida films must be written, directed, or produced by filmmakers who currently reside in Florida, OR shot at least 50% of the film in the state of Florida.

-World premiere must have occurred no earlier than January 1, 2022.

See specific categories for further details.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Kevin Sharpley

    The Key West Film Festival was phenomenal. It's my second time having a film in the festival and I can say it's one of the most unique festivals there is. From the films to the events, the way they connect with the filmmakers and everyone that is there for the festival, it's truly extraordinary. The feel is distinctively Key West, conch and funky! I mean the pink extreme of the Barbie Party and then having the incredible costume designer of the film there (she is a two time Oscar winner) and wax poetic about her journey, the critics panel, the filmmakers cruise, the rum runner distillery, I could go on and on. Thank you KWFF for a rip roaring good time and for giving one of the best festivals in the land!

    February 2024
  • Noah Salzman

    Key West Film Festival is a filmmakers festival. The curation is top-notch, the programmers have really watched the selected films and know about your work before you arrive, plus they make sure you're having fun and I'm not just saying this because my feature 'Clocked' won Best Florida Feature. It was a pleasure to screen here, and I can't wait to submit whatever I do next here as well.

    December 2023
  • Cassidy Rast

    This is truly the greatest festival to attend as a filmmaker. The programmers selected the best of the best and they treated all of us so wonderfully and truly made it a week in paradise to remember forever. This is definitely the festival worth submitting to!

    November 2023
  • Jon Ryan Sugimoto

    Probably one of my most memorable experiences at a film festivals. Unlike many festivals felt like we were all in this together. Some really heavy hitters were at the festival and also accessible to talk to if you wanted to. There seemed to be very little ego at this festival which was incredibly refreshing. If you are able to take time off of work and experience the location too it's quite beautiful.

    November 2023
  • Justin Hollis

    Loved the Key West Film Festival. Everyone was so nice and inclusive on top of the beautiful location that is Key West. The films selected were very beautiful and I am so grateful to have my film shown at this festival.

    November 2022