About The Festival

The Oakland Film Festival is an online, seasonal international film festival dedicated to showcasing emerging talent and celebrating cinematic creativity and innovation. It aspires to become one of North America’s leading platforms for international filmmakers.
The festival presents a diverse selection of short and feature films across all genres and formats, offering audiences a unique opportunity to discover the future of cinema. It brings together directors, producers, writers, actors, and crew members from around the world in a dynamic and engaging international environment.

Open to all genres, the festival places a special emphasis on independent, low-budget films and bold new voices. It aims to provide a meaningful alternative to commercial cinema, support independent filmmakers, and promote the art of filmmaking.
Founded with the belief in cinema’s power to foster intercultural understanding, the Oakland Film Festival seeks to create a shared artistic experience that connects filmmakers and audiences across borders.

Each season, submitted films are evaluated by an international jury based on their artistic and technical merit. Selected finalists may be chosen for online screening and awards.

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Review repot about June 2025's edition:
https://universalcinema.net/oakland-film-festival-announces-winners-of-june-2025-edition/

Awards & Prizes

Awards :

Best Short Film
Best Documentary Short
Best Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Sci-Fi Short
Best Horror Short
Best LGBT Short
Best Experimental Short
Best Student Short
Best Animated Short
Best Short Short
Best Music Video
Best Comedy
Best Director
Best First-Time Filmmaker
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Script
Best Unproduced Script

Rules & Terms

All films in all genres will be considered. We consider a short to be under 50 minutes. Filmmakers certify they have the rights to music used in their films. Please upload a digital screener to FilmFreeway.


Requirements
Premiere Status:
No premiere status is required. So, don’t wait to submit your film.

Rights:
We require films to have all necessary rights and releases secured for us to feature them. Yes, this includes music.

Free to View:
We only select films that are free for audiences.

What We Look For
We look for great stories that brave new territory. We value great characters, interesting new worlds, and stories that surprise us over fancy visual effects, famous actors, or silly one-liners that often feed much of online videos.

What We Avoid
We have no hard and fast rules. Every film is different and there are always exceptions.

Refund Policy
Unfortunately we cannot refund a submission fee once you’ve submitted your film. Please make absolutely sure you want to submit your film before doing so. As with other festivals, your fee is paid for your film to be considered. By no means does submitting your film guarantee that your film will be accepted. If your film is not accepted, your submission fee is not refunded.
81 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Richard Dye

    Oakland is my home town and I am honored to have been entered into the festival. Honest reviews are what helps creators refine their craft.

    April 2026
    Helpful
  • Camy De Mario

    Thank you so much to the Oakland Film Festival for recognizing my short animated film "A Tale of Two Tails" as a Semi-Finalist.
    Great experience!

    April 2026
    Helpful
  • Gianluca Galimberti

    Oakland Film Festival was professional and very good level.
    Many thanks for selecting my feature screenplay "What We Don't Say" as a Semi-Finalist.

    April 2026
    Helpful
  • David James

    Many thanks to the Oakland film festivasl for nominating The Bard Bites back, a comedy starring William Shakespeare's ghost, intent on setting the record straight about who wrote his plays. It is greatly appreciated.

    April 2026
    Helpful
  • Al Calderaro

    Many thanks to the Oakland Film Festival for selecting our documentary feature The Judge - Character. Cases. Courage.as a Semi-Finalist.
    Al Calderaro, Executive Producer

    April 2026
    Helpful