Southeast Asia International Film Festival

2026 SEAIFF OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!
SEAIFF OFFERS MORE TO FILMMAKERS THAN OTHER FESTIVALS!
GREATER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FILMMAKERS TO GAIN RECOGNITION!
HOLLYWOOD VET & BAFTA WINNER MATT DEARBORN WELCOMES ALL!

PATTAYA, THAILAND--Matt Dearborn, program director, encourages filmmakers of all nations to come together for 2026 SEAIFF. We ae bringing recognition and awareness to filmmakers from many countries--including Thailand, USA, Iran, Russia, Ukraine, China, all Southeast Asian and Asian nations, European, North and South American, and many more.
A Hollywood veteran, Matt has worked for all the major studios as a writer, director, producer and has earned a BAFTA award and three Emmy nominations. SEAIFF encourages all nationalities, ethnicities, minorities, professionals, young filmmakers, and students to submit your films and scripts. We are grateful and generous to all who make 2026 SEAIFF the best it can be!

SEAIFF FILLS THE NEEDS OF FILMMAKERS & SCRIPTWRITERS WORLDWIDE!
ENHANCE YOUR MARKETING VALUE WITH CARE & APPRECIATION FROM SEAIFF!

As a filmmaker, what do you want from your film festival submissions: Acceptance? Recognition? Fair and impartial judging? A personalized experience with long-standing potential? Greater exhibition opportunities? SEAIFF is one of the few festivals worldwide that can offer you all the above. So what are you waiting for? Make your dreams come true--and meet your festival marketing needs!

From around the world, SEAIFF is accepting entries from filmmakers seeking impartial, fair, and professional judging as well as additional benefits for award-winning submissions. With judges who exist on both ends of the industry, from micro-budget independent filmmaking to the highest quality of Hollywood productions, SEAIFF offers a personalized touch that gives its filmmakers more than most festivals.

Hollywood veteran Matt Dearborn heads SEAIFF's team of distinguished judges. As the festival director, he is a major part of the submissions and awards process. Matt has worked for all the major Hollywood studios as a director and script writer and has earned three Emmy nominations and a BAFTA award. He has a special interest in the script competition, along with shorts and features--so send in your films and scripts to be reviewed by an industry insider.

From the independent side, Tim Lee serves as festival coordinator. Tim has produced micro-budget music videos and award-winning grindhouse horror movies. The SEAIFF team is always on the lookout for high-quality, cutting-edge horror and comedy short films for anthology distribution opportunities.

For further information about distribution opportunities, please contact Tim at seaiff@yahoo.com.

2026 SEAIFF supports filmmakers of all ethnicities and nationalities. We welcome films from our host nation of Thailand as well as films from all Asian countries. We greatly support international films and those by minorities, feminists, LGBTQ, environmentalists, social activists, and students. We welcome all filmmakers with the passion and skills to bring a new experience to the world!

SCREENING POLICY: SEAIFF has a multi-layered screening policy. As with all festivals, we cannot screen every film. Unlike many festivals, we do not charge a screening fee. First, we screen live in the Pattaya Holiday Inn Movie Theater short films by attending filmmakers and worldwide selected works. Second, longer and award-winning films are screened on-line during the festival weekend for attending filmmakers, international filmmakers adhering to festival requirements, and on-line participants. If you have questions about requesting a screening your film, please contact Tim Lee at seaiff@yahoo.com.

PREVIOUS ARTICLE (01/05/26):

PATTAYA, THAILAND -- Mark Starks of the United States is an award-winning documentarian, and 2026 SEAIFF is proud to welcome him again as we build long-standing relationships with our filmmaker friends from around the world!
From among the early worldwide submissions, Mark has followed up last year's award-winning short doc Marilyn the Bookworm with this year's short doc entry--Glaciers: Nature's Resilient Water Towers.
"For generations, glaciers have stood as silent sentinels, vast and seemingly immutable, providing the lifeblood for rivers, ecosystems, and billions of people worldwide," said Mark. " Yet, as our planet warms at an unprecedented rate, these majestic 'water towers' are receding, revealing a stark and urgent truth: what we once considered permanent is now profoundly vulnerable."
Officially endorsed by the Uniter Nations, "Glaciers" production took Mark to some of the remotest corners of the world, including the Himalayas. "Glaciers" has been honored by the Academy of Film Archive (AFA).
Early entries for 2026 include films from Thailand, USA, China, Russia, Iran, South Korea, China, Dominican Republic, and Asian and European countries as 2026 SEAIFF brings the world together in an artistic collaboration of expression.
In addition, Matt Dearborn continues to serve as festival director. Matt has worked for all the major Hollywood studios as a writer, producer, and director and has won a BAFTA award and earned three Emmy nominations. Matt encourages screenwriters worldwide to contribute to 2026 SEAIFF.
"We wish to thank our partner Film Freeway for helping to make 2025 SEAIFF a success," said Mr. Lee.

GREATER OPPORTUNITIES: 2026 SEAIFF is now offering greater value for high-quality horror and comedy shorts. For further information about distribution opportunities, please contact Tim at seaiff@yahoo.com.

2026 SEAIFF supports filmmakers of all ethnicities and nationalities. We welcome films from our host nation of Thailand as well as films from all Asian countries. We greatly support international films and those by minorities, feminists, LGBTQ, environmentalists, social activists, and students. We welcome all filmmakers with the passion and skills to bring a new experience to the world!

SCREENING POLICY: SEAIFF has a strict screening policy. As with all festivals, we cannot screen every film. Unlike many festivals, we do not charge a screening fee. However, we only screen in the Pattaya Holiday Inn Movie Theater complex short films by attending filmmakers. Longer and award-winning films are screened on-line during the festival weekend for attending filmmakers and on-line participants. If you have questions about screening your film, please contact Tim Lee at seaiff@yahoo.com.

2025 SEAIFF ANNOUNCES INTERNATIONL AWARD WINNERS!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL CONTRIBUTIONS!

PATTAYA - In the cooperation of FilmFreeway, 2025 SEAIFF is proud to announce this years award-winning films and scripts :

AWARD WINNERS: Tomorrow Get Rich, How Can Women Own a Poem, Broken Reality, Arson, Ghost Talk, Desert Rose, Seoul Hearts, Silenced, Forgotten Guardians, Clementine, Stuck in the Spaceport, Life – Living in Fear Every Day, Alone, BTF Thinking about film techniques through parody, Ray the Rug; God bless America, Baby; Homecoming: A Journey to Ghana, Lanaya, Meeting the Buddha, Ikanari; Counter Climate Crisis, Save Coral Reefs; 14 Weeks, Just an Ordinary Day, Ida Rolf - Mother of Fascia, Let Me Put It This Way, Marilyn the Bookworm, Rhythm of Dammam.

FINALISTS: Town Glitch, Mirror Child, Where the Shadows Wait, The Legend of William Boucher, Kharon, Foredoomed, The Red Light, The First to Three, The Last Tribe of China, Hani, The Lama’s Son, The Noise Beneath, MENtal, To Be Born, The Other, Half, In captivity of finger +2, CARTEPESTO: CARNIVAL OF FANO, Excess, When the Veils Dance, Of Stone, Middle, White Orchid, Daedalus, A Dream on the Water, Red, So to Speak, I Love You, Mexico Day Zero.

SEMI-FINALISTS: Lady Boy Blues, The Piano Prodigy, Red Market, Ring Ring, Herd of Cows, Merry Christmas Mithras, Analogue Digital Dead Alive, Whispers in the Cloud, Wicked Bro, After Link, AOSHO! Voices in Bloom, Introduction; 21 Days, 21 Lemons; MANN AASAI, The Sweety Perfume, Homes for the Homebills, The Family Photo, SUPAIKU Mother of Pearl, Waking Prospects, White Monkey, Longing Bayshore, At the Doorway, Hoy no espero a nadie, Cats, Seeds of Sovereignty, Blind Spot, Crazy Bitch.

QUARTER-FINALISTS: 5 Kings; Framed, Principal of the Year, No Soliciting: Aliens, The Ugly Sweater, Monoski Murder, The Red Situation, Going Home for the New Year, Nether Road, The Last President, Missing, Ali Nassar Untitled; Na hora de por a mesa, eramos cinco.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: The Loudest Sound; Live, Laugh, Love!; Moonridge Manor, Villain, Tormented From the Shadows, Scaffold, The Watcher, Scriven, The House of Kappa, In Out, My Turn, The Steps,

Please download award laurels at the FilmFreeway link:

https://filmfreeway.com/laurels/73854/SoutheastAsiaInternationalFilmFestival

2025 SEAIFF GREAT SUCCESS AT HOLIDAY INN MOVIE THEATER!
FEATURED INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKERS & HOLLYWOOD VETERAN!
2026 SEAIFF OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS! ALL WELCOME!

PATTAYA, THAILAND -- Filmmakers from around the world attended the 2025 SEAIFF film festival Dec. 13 at the Holiday Inn movie theater in North Pattaya. With the support of FilmFreeway, national and international filmmakers presented their films along with a presentation from Hollywood veteran Matt Dearborn to a full theater audience.
“We welcomed filmmakers from multiple countries to beautiful Pattaya, including from America and Iran” said Tim Lee, program coordinator. “SEAIFF gave these filmmakers a greater voice all artists wish for. We greatly appreciate everyone’s contribution to this year’s festival.”
Leading the Thai national film showcase was Green Light Films of Bangkok with an award-winning short script by Aina Rita Swart titled Desert Rose and Nan Yee Aye's award-winning short film—Tomorrow Get Rich.
Also representing Thailand were Mohammad Ali Shakeri with his award-winning short film Ray the Rug, Sayuri Mai Durkan with her award-winning short Just an Ordinary Day, and Chita Wisespanthurangsi with his award-winning horror short Alone.
International filmmakers from around the world included actor Max Gauduchon representing the Malaysian award-winning short film Life - Living In Fear Every Day, Adrienne Aku Shika Acquaye of the United States with the award-winning T.V. series Homecoming—A Journey to Ghana, Clyde Capistrano of Philippines with his award-winning feature Lanaya, and Manoj A B S with the award-winning short documentary Forgotten Guardians. All filmmakers spoke about their productions and answered questions.
Highlighting the festival was a special appearance by Mr. Dearborn, the festival director. He has worked with all the major Hollywood studios and has earned three Emmy nominations and a BAFTA award. He premiered his short comedic film produced in the Philippines: The Summer I Turned ... . Mr. Dearborn also spoke about his experiences pitching motion picture projects to top Hollywood executives as well as the making of his new film and the future of the industry.
2025 SEAIFF supports filmmakers of all ethnicities and nationalities. We welcome films from our host nation of Thailand as well as films from all Asian countries. We greatly support international films and those by minorities, feminists, LGBTQ, environmentalists, social activists, and students. We welcome all filmmakers with the passion and skills to bring a new experience to the world!
"We wish to thank our partner Film Freeway for helping to make 2025 SEAIFF a success," said Mr. Lee.
In addition, SEAIFF soon will announce horror and comedy showcases offering award-winning filmmakers a chance for greater opportunity!
For further information, contact Mr. Lee at seaiff@yahoo.com.

2026 SEAIFF OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS! ALL WELCOME!
OFFERING GREATER BENEFITS TO WORLDWIDE FILMMAKERS!

2026 SEAIFF is now open for submissions. Please submit on FilmFreeway according to standard regulations and procedures. Good wishes to everyone!

SEAIFF wishes to establish long-standing relations with all filmmakers we work with. To that end, we encourage you to join our international art collectives for horror and comedy short films in order to build social media co-marketing that will open up greater opportunities. For more info, please contact Tim Lee at seaiff@yahoo.com

Screening Policy: On the day of the event, we only screen in the movie theater works of attending filmmakers. Short films (plus 30 minutes), feature films, and other award-winning films are screened online for attending parties at the discretion of the filmmaker. We do not charge a fee for screening films. During the year, we conduct early acceptance periods so international filmmakers have additional time to make travel plans.

Awards & Categories:
All official selections will be eligible for awards, including Best Short Film, Best Screenplay, and SEAIFF jury prizes, along with honors in the following categories:

Filmmaking:
Drama, Comedy, Horror, Action, Musicals, TV Series, Documentaries, Experimental, Music Videos, Animation, Student Films, Influencers, Instructional, and YouTube Programs.

Scriptwriting:
Awards include recognition for Feature Film, Short Film, Feature Documentary, Short Documentary, and Genre Films, as well as special Achievement Awards.

Submissions:
Filmmakers worldwide are encouraged to submit via FilmFreeway, where full guidelines, fees, and deadlines are listed:

Deadline: December 10, 2026

Features: $75

Shorts: $50

For details, visit FilmFreeway or contact Tim Lee, festival coordinator at seaiff@yahoo.com.