The Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival is consistently recognized as one of the "50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" by MovieMaker Magazine. Thank you!

The recurring theme of the annual Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival is "Other Places, Other People"; the festival's purpose is to encourage attendees to think broadly (about how huge the world of film is) and deeply (about the universal concerns and desires that unite all people). About 90% of all film selections are non-US productions, helping to fulfill the festival mission of promoting cross-cultural understanding through film.

Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival is an amazing experience not to be missed. Come and join us for 6 days in September.

THE FILMS: The 2025 Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival will present a selection of films from around the globe by International filmmakers. Films drawn from top-notch festivals like Sundance, Berlin, and Cannes, with a few surprises thrown in.

CONVERSATIONS: The movies are just the beginning. Making our festival unique we’ll bring guests from film, media, politics, and art worlds to celebrate, discuss and debate the films’ issues.

WALKING FESTIVAL DISTRICT: Meet the filmmakers, attend special events, cocktail parties, artist showcases, and live music at the festival. Check out the great local shops and restaurants. Enjoy the islands amazing beaches and relaxed charm.

THE ISLAND EXPERIENCE: Although most of the festival will take place in the village of Vineyard Haven, there will be plenty of opportunities to explore our other Island towns and natural beauty. Martha’s Vineyard is the perfect location for our multi-day festival, with its amazing beaches, sunsets, spectacular chefs, unique shops, and a highly influential community.

Awards & Prizes

$2000 Cash Prize for Winning Short film -- jury competition

Rules & Terms

ACCEPTING SHORT FILM ENTRIES -- starting November 1, 2024

International Jury Competition – 10 films will be selected from festival's worldwide entries and screened in the 2025 Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival short film showcase. Jury members will select the winning film for a jury cash prize and presentation at Short Film Finalist showcase program on Saturday, September 6th.

We accept either fiction or non-fiction short films. Our festival's programming is about exploring other cultures/people in the world -- so please keep that in mind before submitting.

PARTICIPATION DETAILS:
Eligible if your short film was completed after July 1, 2024
English language, or with English subtitles
20 minutes or less in length (firm)

Your film must not be in breach of any copyright, including music or sound contained in your entry

An announcement of selected 10 films for competition showcase will be made August 2025
13 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Cengiz Akaygün

    Very Kind Communication. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend.

    December 2022
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  • Josephine Bono

    What an incredible experience! Martha’s Vineyard has a very strong Film community with a beautiful theatre. I’m grateful to have been a part of the festival where my film was very well received!

    October 2022
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  • J.J. Kandel

    Richard and the festival staff are fantastic hosts. The programming is top notch, the theatre venue is beautiful and state-of-the-art. The audience is engaged and incredibly loyal. Sold out screenings seem to be a common occurrence! A wonderful experience overall, I would definitely go back.

    September 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you JJ -- it was a pleasure to have you join us and sharing your wonderful short film SPARING PARTNERS with our audience. Continued success.

  • Susan Hillary

    Its a great film festival. As a filmmaker in the shorts competition it was honor to be included in such a strong group of films. And it was great to see so many great feature length films and to meet other filmmakers. We really appreciated Richard and his team inviting us to Martha's Vineyard and taking such good care of us. Thank you.

    September 2021
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  • Tony Fair

    MVIFF was a great festival experience as a filmmaker. Communication was great and the festival process organized and professional. I had multiple friends share that their virtual experience in 2020 was fantastic. They curate at a high and diverse level. I highly recommend this festival and would not miss submitting my next film.

    March 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Tony. Since you won last year's competition, you get to join us on this year's festival jury. Hopefully we'll meet later this summer. Richard