The Snowdance Independent Film Festival is the national and international most respected "new" festival in Germany. It mainly shows productions made with little or no state funding. Furthermore, Snowdance prefers films which are not dominated by the influence of TV stations or major studios. Snowdance sees itself as the main German festival for independent, free-thinking film makers.

Recently located in the city of "Essen / Ruhrgebiet", it offers Germany's largest and most beautiful art house cinemas as well as the catchment area of 5 million people.

Supported by important creatives of the German film scene, Snowdance grows in its first seven years to one of the hottest und most passionate indie film festivals in Europe.

Festival Director Thomas "Tom" Bohn realized "Straight Shooter" with Dennis Hopper and parts of the "Tatort" tv-series as a filmmaker. Snowdance's special guests have been the famous national actors Heiner Lauterbach, Til Schweiger, Harald Krassnitzer, Götz Otto, Peter Lohmeyer, Nora Tschirner, Hannes Jaenicke, Ulrike Folkerts, Max Tidof, Axel Milberg, Valerie Niehaus, and many others.

The Snowdance Independent Film Festival is made by engaged film creatives for engaged film creatives and their audience. Snowdance does not offer any red carpet or any VIP-corner. But it's a meeting and melting point for actors, directors, producers and all sorts of people who are interested in film.

Come and have a look !

Awards & Prizes

Snowdance Award for the best feature film
Price money : 1.000,- Euro

Snowdance Award for the best documentary
Price money : 1.000,- Euro

Snowdance Award for the best Short Film
Price money: 500,- Euro

Snowdance Award for the best young director (less than 30)
Price money: 500,- Euro

Snowdance Award for the best direction

Snowdance Award for the best script

Rules & Terms

1. We do not offer any discounts or fee waivers.

2. SUBMISSIONS
When submitting to SNOWDANCE you are agreeing to screen the submitted film during the dates of the festival. SNOWDANCE will not pay any screening fees for presentation of the film during the festival.

3. ENTRY REGULATIONS
SNOWDANCE is a competitive showcase for domestic and international feature films and documentaries. SNOWDANCE reserves the right to determine the eligibility of any project submitted. Only works completed in the last two years are eligible for selection.
We only accept online-Screeners (FilmFreeway). When you send DVDs, BluRays or any other material before being invited, SNOWDANCE will not judge it and will not send it back. SNOWDANCE does not accept additional e-mail informations about your film.

4. FILM/VIDEO ENTRIES
All non-english language entries must have English subtitles. Works in progress will not be judged. From SNOWDANCE selected screening material will be returned, press and any application materials will NOT be returned . All features and documentaries submitted must be available in BluRay or DCP for festival presentation.

5. COMPETITION
The SNOWDANCE Film Festival is a competitive event and unless notified otherwise, all films officially selected are eligible for competition. All films are nominated and voted upon by an impartial jury of filmmakers, industry professionals, festival programmers and film aficionados.

6. PRESS MATERIALS
If selected, SNOWDANCE will require an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) to include high-resolution production stills, key art, bio and filmography of the director, production notes and full cast and crew credits.

7. LIABILITY
Although every possible care will be taken with tapes, films, drives and files while in our possession, we cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage. Do not send original or master prints, tapes, files or drives. Please keep SNOWDANCE notified of any address/phone number changes.

8. SHIPPING
The cost of shipping all entries and films to the festival must be paid by the entrant. SNOWDANCE will resent the prints of the shortlist back to the filmmaker. SNOWDANCE will not be responsible for expedited or overnight shipping charges to other organizations. Also, SNOWDANCE cannot guarantee shipment of prints to other festivals during the days of the festival. All international entries must be sent 'free domicile' to the SNOWDANCE office with all transportation charges, duties, and taxes prepaid by the shipper.

9. REPRODUCTION AGREEMENT
Submission of an entry gives SNOWDANCE permission to have excerpts of accepted work, including film trailers, shown in all promotional activities realted to the festival.

10.NOTIFICATION
Films selected for SNOWDANCE will be notified no later than December 12, 2022.

68 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Craig Miller

    It was a wonderful experience attending this festival and a privilege to have my film Cuba My Soul screened amongst such excellent company. The team were very friendly and helpful, the networking and festival activities were great and I felt I was part of a vibrant filmmaking community. Thank you Snowdance!

    February 2023
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  • Daniel Popat

    Einfach geil! Die Leute, die Filme, abends zusammen feiern, klasse Orga, und Essen als Stadt - alles richtig gemacht. Cheers! Daniel

    February 2023
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  • Phil Dunn

    This is an EXCELLENT festival. I predict that it will go on to become a filmmaker favourite among the European festivals. It is professionally run by a lovely team, with fantastic cinemas, and a proper awards event at the end. We were so happy that our film THE STUPID BOY won Best Short Film and Derek Elroy (our actor) and I both hugely enjoyed attending, meeting lots of other filmmakers and seeing their films. The screenings were all full, and the Q&A was the best we have had so far. Thank you Snowdance and all the team - you should be very proud of yourselves!

    February 2023
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  • Jack James

    Snowdance is my personal favourite festival of all I've had the good fortune to be able to attend. It is run by passionate, conscientious people who go so far out of their way to ensure audiences and filmmakers are having the best possible time. They create a special atmosphere that allows people to discuss and share thoughts and ideas on film, and make special efforts to make sure everyone feels included and a part of the festival through frequent meets up from breakfast through to the evening and interactive events of the festival. The programming is superb - the shorts programs were of a really high calibre and it was great to see so much attention and focus given to each filmmaker who presented their work in person at these events. The feature and feature documentaries programs felt diverse and brilliantly unpredictable; showcasing a range of different styles and approaches over the course of the week made for an exciting experience which I really loved and made me feel proud to be a part of. Alongside these were other events such as the Fassbinder screenings (which was a personal favourite), acting events and yoga classes, which were all organised across the beautiful setting of Essen in picturesque theaters and cinemas.... I couldn't recommend this festival enough, as a filmmaker and an audience member, it genuinely offered everything you could ever want from a festival. Loved every moment of this festival and was sorry when it came to an end.

    February 2023
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  • Julian Isfort

    Great Festival. It was a pleasure!!!

    February 2023
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