Hej! Welcome to Bergman's country. We have it all, serene countryside, Strangers meeting on a train to self rediscovery, strawberries that grow wild in the ever expanding fields. Sweden and Swedish film makers have made their mark on world cinema from the Sjöstrom's silent era to politically charged 60's when Mai Zetterling's THE WAR GAME got a BAFTA nomination and also got a silver lion.

We at SWEDISH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, are excited to announce that we are here to reintroduce Sweden as the go to destination for celebration of European and world cinema. We would like to join us as we embark on this journey filled with ambition and nostalgia.

Awards & Prizes

All entries are promoted for free through our social media and websiteunless submitter prefers not to. For this purpose, we recommend that projects must be fully entered on FilmFreeway, including synopsis, and downloadable poster and trailer.

All selected entries receive Official Selection Laurel. Winners will receive Official Certificate, Laurel.

OFFICIAL SELECTION (Eligibility List): Qualifies to be considered under the competition category for monthly awards.

FINALIST (FIRST ROUND OF SELECTION) : Shortlisted films from official selection to be considered under the competition category for monthly SIFF awards.

WINNER (SELECTED FOR SCREENING) : All the monthly winners will be screened initially on our website.

SCREENING IN SWEDEN : Our judges will handpick the films from our monthly winners to screen before a live audience. The Live screening will take time. The final selection of films is entirely decided by our Jury pannel. Our First Physical screening will take place in October 2021at a beautiful little town in Sweden. Dates is TBD.

Rules & Terms

1. Make a film. We accept and screen SHORTS and FEATURES of any genre. Length of films screened are from 10 seconds to 3 hours!

2. The films must include English subtitles (unless the spoken language is English).

3. We also accept submissions that have premiered elsewhere and that may have distribution agreements already in place.

4. All films for consideration must be submitted online through FilmFreeway.com

5. Multiple entries from the same submitter are accepted. A separate submission and a separate entry fee must accompany each entry.

6.By submitting your project to SIFF you confirm that you own the rights of the work submitted. Participants films must follow copyright laws for music, footage or any other form of material used in their films. The Festival won't take any responsibility.

7.All selected films and winners will receive the laurels by email.

8.All the winners of each category will receive an award certificate by email.

9. We provide No fee waiver. All entry fees are non-refundable.

10. All Selected Filmmakers must attend the Live Screening event at Bio Kaskad, Sweden.

11. The festival reserves the right to cancel the screening of any particular film if the Film has no representation on the day of Screening at the venue.

12. Lastly, we will promote your film across globally. It's very important that you follow us on social media to get the attention.

428 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Eugene Hattingh

    🏆 Best Feature Script (Escape to Alcatraz) | 🏆 Best Screenwriting (7 D.B.S.)

    The Swedish International Film Festival is an exceptional, world-class platform that treats writers and filmmakers with the utmost respect. Communication throughout the process was incredibly clear, and the notification process was absolutely seamless.

    To have their esteemed jury review my work and award me both Best Feature Script for my horror-comedy Escape to Alcatraz and Best Screenwriting for my dark comedy/drama 7 D.B.S. is a massive milestone on my current festival run. It is clear that this festival draws highly competitive international talent, making these honors incredibly meaningful.

    I am profoundly grateful to the selection committee, readers, and jury for their time, dedication, and for championing original narratives. I highly recommend SIFF to any independent filmmaker or screenwriter looking for a festival that genuinely values and elevates international storytelling. I will absolutely be submitting future projects here, quite possibly my parallel sequel to Escape to Alcatraz, Escape to Catalina!

    Thank you again for an incredible experience!

    July 2026
    Helpful
  • Magno Brasil

    Being selected for the SIFF was a truly wonderful milestone. It is an exceptionally well-organized, welcoming, and communicative festival that treats filmmakers with immense professional courtesy from start to finish. The selection of films is beautiful, reflecting a deeply discerning and sophisticated curation process. It is a fantastic, world-class platform that I highly recommend to independent filmmakers from around the globe!

    June 2026
    Helpful
  • Gregory Hall

    Thank you so much SIFF for the wonderful way in which you have handled our "Marvelous, a Musical Opera: an Opera-Film!" From initial selection, up through our award for Best Original Music, you have been very generous and informative.

    Much appreciated!

    June 2026
    Helpful
  • AR RATHOD

    The overall experience was good enough to get the best short drama film.

    July 2026
    Helpful
  • Tim Nyquist

    I was so moved by the Swedish International Film Festival's selection of my screenplay for their competition. I'd been overly self conscious and nervous about sharing my story, but their response and feedback was so supportive and I couldn't be more appreciative. My ancestors emigrated to the United States from Sweden and this has felt like reaching back to my past and finding healing. Thank you so much for the experience.

    May 2026
    Helpful