Luminous Frames is an international film and photography festival, with seasonal events and live screenings with an annual awards ceremony in Denmark.

Luminous Frames is looking for independent short films in all genres, especially those which have been historically underrepresented. Gender and ethnic diversity, human rights, and environmental issues are all of high interest.

We have four seasons of competition in a year with varying themes. Our professional and international jury panel will judge the submitted projects. The seasonal winners are automatically qualified to compete at the Luminous Frames annual competition.

Discover our unique and interesting categories: "Seasonal Theme", "Minority Report", "The Bounty", "Memento", and "Stargate".

Luminous Frames is one of the few festivals that accepts submissions in each sub-category independently.

We also have a Photography Contest with various categories for passionate and professional photographers, whose work will be judged by an explicit jury panel.

Luminous Frames is a home for independent photographers who are looking for an international platform to showcase their artwork.

Check the Rules & Terms on this page and for more information visit the festival website.

All applicants are eligible to submit their work for multiple categories.

Luminous Frames aims to start its Academy of Education and Film Clubs in Canada, Denmark, Brazil, South Africa, and Turkey.

By attracting university lecturers and creative artists as our professional critics, Luminous Frames intends to establish itself as a reputable web magazine in the field of film and photography reviews.

Awards & Prizes

We have special promotions for our official selections and the winners at the end of each season.

All entries are promoted through our social media and website.

All the winning films will have a live screening at the end of each edition.

All the winners will have a Q&A interview session on our website.

All officially selected projects of each season will receive the Luminous Frames laurel.

All the winners of each season will receive the Luminous Frames certificate.

All the winners in the annual event will receive the Luminous Frames special trophy and special sponsor award.

We pay special tribute to our winners in the Luminous Frames, and all the seasonal winners of the festival will be honorary members of the jury panel for the next edition, and in addition to judging the films, they will receive a festival's special jury badge.

We also have various awards for Photography Contest:

Winners are promoted through our social media and website.
Winners of each genre will receive the Luminous Frames certificate.
All the seasonal winners of the Photography Contest will receive the Luminous Frames trophy at the annual event.
Winners will be showcased at the online Winners Gallery.
Winners of each genre will receive a review of their picture which will be published on the Luminous Frames website.
All the seasonal winners of the Photography Contest will be honorary members of the jury panel for the next edition, and in addition to judging the photos, they will receive a festival's special jury badge.

The categories of awards for movies:

Best Narrative Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Animation Short
Best Experimental Short
Best Music Video
Best Director
Best Short Script
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Actor-Under the Age of 16
Best Actress-Under the Age of 16
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Sound Design
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Visual FX
Best Trailer/Teaser
Best Still Photography
Best Production Design
Best Custom Design
Best Makeup
Best Poster

Rules & Terms

All submitted films should have English subtitles.
All films must have been produced in or after 2016.
Only in the "Memento" category, you can submit shorts from the year 2000.
All genres are accepted with a maximum length of 40 minutes.
You can submit your short film in the sub-category sections independently.
Filmmakers are responsible for the copyright on their own materials and must have the rights to the material (e.g music) used in the film.
By submitting to Luminous Frames, you give us the right to screen your film in front of a live audience.
Luminous Frames have the right to promote clips from your film on social media, based on the press kits you provide us with and excerpts of the original movie.
Luminous Frames retains the right to change the date and venue of the festival under special circumstances. All filmmakers will be informed about any changes through our online platforms.
Entry fees are non-refundable.
Filmmakers own all the rights to their films.
By submitting your projects to the festival you agree to our terms and conditions and you are giving consent to receiving marketing newsletters and discounts about the festival in the form of emails. We will never sell your information to third parties.
We reserve the right to update our terms and conditions.
PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST:
The Luminous Frames Photography Festival has a particular judging panel, which is completely run by a professional jury with proficiency in each category.
You must choose a category on a submission form from the list below.
Categories:
Abstract & Conceptual Photography, Architectural Photography, Black and White Photography, Commercial Photography, Drone Photography, Fashion Photography, Fine Art Photography, Landscape Photography, Macro Photography, Night Photography, Pet Photography, Photojournalism, Portrait Photography, Sports Photography, Still-Life Photography, Surreal Photography, Street Photography, Underwater Photography, and Wildlife Photography. 
The individual photographers retain all copyrights to their creative property.
Visit the festival's website for more information.

23 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Pamela Falkenberg

    We really like the ethos of this festival.

    November 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Pamela, we look forward to watching your next documentaries.

  • Angela Golden Bryan

    We were very pleased with the Luminous Frames film festival. They were very professional and did a great job of keeping us informed via email and social media and were responsive to questions. They were good about streaming their film festival and allowing everyone to celebrate in real time, as well as posting so that people who missed it could view it later. Over all very pleasant experience.

    May 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Dear Angela, We were very pleased to host the noble and valuable film "FIREBURN" at the festival. Keep up the good work!

  • Silvia Gregorova

    Very professional, excellent communication, very deep and professional review..five stars

    May 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Dear Silvia, congratulations on your achievement at the festival!
    In fact, we are very serious and straight about film reviews, and only good films and the professional filmmakers like you have the courage to be analyzed in this way.

  • Gwendolyn Audrey Foster

    I am honored to have my work in Luminous Frames. Thanks for supporting experimental avant-garde filmmaking! Awesome festival.

    May 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thanks Gwendolyn Audrey, we look forward to seeing your next experimental work.

  • Kang Le

    I am very honored to have my photographs selected for honorable mention! I can't wait to the next edition to be part of it!

    May 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Congratulations, keep up the good work!