We welcome you to the 3rd Edition of Manikarnika International Film Festival, Varanasi a celebration of quality independent film making, awards, and industry events in front of a live audience of film critics, enthusiasts and producers. Join us for two memorable nights of screenings, networking and red-carpet treatment.

We believe quality film making should be celebrated and awarded, regardless of the budget. This is why our dedicated team of international programmers focus on creating the most diverse screening selection. Why our nominated filmmakers are guests of honor. Why seeing and hearing the audience react to your cinematic work is just one of the many ways your work is being rewarded.

We are passionate about supporting up-and-coming directors, producers and actors, and providing them with worthwhile, memorable screening experiences. These include Q&As with filmmakers, industry round tables, and audience awards.

We are accepting submissions for a number of categories and are open to all languages, as long as films in a language other than English are subtitled in English. All submissions must come through FilmFreeway

Awards & Prizes

SHORT FILM AWARDS
1. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
2. BEST EDITING
3. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
4. BEST SCREENPLAY
5. BEST ACTOR
6. BEST ACTRESS
7. BEST DIRECTOR
8. BEST SHORT FILM
9. JURY AWARDS

FEATURE FILMS
1. BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
2. BEST EDITING
3. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
4. BEST BACKGROUND SCORE
5. BEST SCREENPLAY
6. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
7. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
8. BEST ACTOR
9. BEST ACTRESS
10. BEST DIRECTOR
11. BEST FEATURE FILM
12. JURY AWARDS

Rules & Terms

★ All films must be with English subtitles.

★ Filmmakers are responsible for sorting out the copyright on their own materials.

★ By submitting to us, you give us the right to screen your film in front of a live audience at Varanasi.

★ Nominations: All films nominated in any category.
Official Selection: Films selected for screening will be notified via email. If you received a Nomination email, but no Official Selection email, it means your film will not be screened, but is still a contender for an award in its category.
Award Winners: Chosen from both the Nominations and the Official Selection.

★ We may promote clips from your film on social media, based on the press kits you provide us with.

★ We retain 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.

★ We place no restrictions on your work in terms of premiere status or whether your work has been made available online.

★ Any technical issues with the submitted films are 100% the responsibility of the filmmakers. If, at the time of judging, your video file doesn’t work or doesn’t have English subtitles (if in a language other than English), it will be automatically rejected, without a refund. Please contact the festival team ASAP if there are any issues with the submission process, and a solution will be found.

★ We cannot provide refunds.

★ By submitting to us you agree to our terms and conditions and to receiving marketing newsletters and discounts about film festivals in the form of emails. We will never sell your information to third parties.

★ Trophy will only be given to the filmmakers present, we don’t courier the trophies.

★ We reserve the right to update our terms and conditions.