Dear Friends

The 18th edition will be Physical .
The festival will take place between 19-28 October 2023

TLVFest has always been the most daring, vivid and bold festival to take place in Israel, never to give in to any obstacles, always looking forward to the future. We will continue working on the festival so that we could all celebrate the LGBTQ+ cinema from all parts of the world on the big screen in Octobeber.

We are committed to continue promoting tolerance, equal rights, freedom of art and of course, to presenting films all across the country.

Yours,
Yair Hochner,
TLVFest founder & Artistic Director

ABOUT TLVFest -

Freedom, justice and tolerance should be the pillars of any society. We believe Israel must guarantee full social and political equality to all, regardless of religion, race, sex or sexual orientation. As committed members of the Israeli LGBTQ+ community, we struggle for equality and respect by creating a serious, often controversial discourse through the medium of queer cinema. The Tel Aviv International LGBTQ+ film festival is the manifestation of this struggle.

TLVFest is recognized for its many local and international achievements. In July 2018, MovieMaker Magazine chose TLVFest as one of the 25 coolest international film festivals in the world. In 2014 and 2015, TLVFest was chosen by Indiewire Magazine as one of the top 10 LGBT film festivals in the world, and Yair Hochner the founder and artistic director of the festival, was invited to be a featured jurist at important international festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlinale Festival and the Guadalajara Festival, the largest film festival in Central and South America.

The only LGBT film festival in the Middle East, TLVFest is a fixture of the Israeli pride week. the festival offers a fascinating look into international and Israeli queer cinematic art. It is also an industry hub of activity. We take pride in the many collaborations and creative work that evolved from TLVFest meet-ups, seminars and workshops over the past decade.

We have come a long way since our 2006 launch. Held in the cramped quarters offered by Ha’Ozen Hashlishit (Hebrew for “third ear”) record store, the first festival opened with a show of Greg Araki’s Mysterious Skin. The venue was fully booked throughout the five-day event; it was clear we had created something that had to continue and grow. A year later we moved into the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. The only openly and committedly gay-friendly cinema in Israel, it has been our home ever since, and an important partner in all of our endeavours. Since then, each pride week sees TLVFest growing, reaching more audiences, diversifying its program and exposing more local and global LGBT issues. And we make it a point to support the more disadvantaged members of our local community – transgender people and LGBTs belonging to ethnic and cultural minorities – by giving their daily experiences and struggles a visible spot on the silver screen.

TLVFest has had the pleasure to host many of the queer cinema industry’s most innovative minds. Over the years our guests have included Alan Cumming, Lea DeLaria, Producer Christine Vachon (Boys Don’t Cry, Carol, Far From Heaven), Bruce La Bruce, Mink Stole, Wieland Speck & Michael Stütz (Berlinale Panorama curator), Kim Yutani (Sundance), Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls, Looking), Lola Quivoron & Antonia Buresi (Rodeo), Lorenzo Vigas (From Afar), Marcio Reolon, Filipe Matzembacher (Tinta Bruta/Hard Paint), Martín Rodríguez Redondo (Marilyn), Jay Brannan (Shortbus), Jamie Babbit (But I’m a Cheerleader), Angela Robinson (D.E.B.S.), Cheryl Dunye (The Watermelon Woman), Mark Christopher (Studio 54), Alanté Kavaïté (The Summer of Sangaile), Daniel Ribeiro (The Way He Looks), Melanie Mayron (Snapshots), Madeleine Olnek (Wild Nights with Emily), Thom Fitzgerald (The Hanging Garden),Gigi Gorgeous, Sherry Vine, Jackie Beat, Joey Arias, Miss Rosewood, & RuPaul’s Drag Race stars: Latrice Royale, Peppermint, Alexis Michelle, Jinkx Monsoon, Sharon Needles and many, many more filmmakers and artists.

TLVFest is more than a regular film festival it’s runs the monthly screening event and other cinema related events throughout the year. The festival purchases theatrical rights of selected LGBTQ+ international films, and distributes them in Israel.

The TLVFest team is already hard at work on the many exciting ideas that will eventually form the next festival. Join us as we continue celebrating Israeli and international queer cinema and promote a more tolerant and respectful Israeli society.

Yours,
The TLVFest team.

Awards & Prizes

Official Competition – International Narrative
Official Competition – International Documentary
Official Competition - Israeli Short Films - 1000 $
Official Competition - International Short Films
Israeli Short Script Competition - 140,000 ₪

The full info in our website www.tlvfest.com

Rules & Terms

2023 ENTRY RULES AND REGULATIONS

GENERAL
TLVFest acknowledges that most of the submissions are made by independent filmmakers, who are making their films without financial support, therefore there are modest submission fees.

HOW TO ENTER
Submit fully-completed entry form.

ENTRY MATERIALS
All entries must include the following:
(1) An official TLVFest “Entry Form” properly completed and submitted;
(2) A link to the film with password (vimeo.com for example) – entries in any other format will not be accepted.

MULTIPLE ENTRIES
Each entered work must be accompanied by its own entry form and by a separate vimeo link.

ELIGIBILITY
Entrants must fully comply with the following Entry Rules & Regulations, including deadline(s) and entry material requirements, selected film requirements and premiere requirements:

(1) The film should be of LGBTQI interest or depict main LGBTQI characters;
(2) Submitted works must be Israeli premiere.
(3) Submitted works must have their world premiere during 2022-2023
(4) Non-English language films must display English subtitles;

KEY DATES AND DEADLINES
March 5, 2023 – Submissions open
July 31, 2023 – Submissions close

filmmakers will be notified via email by the end of August 2022

19-28 October 2023 – 18th Annual TLVFest: Tel Aviv International LGBTQ Film Festival

Please note: TLVFest does not send notifications to entries which have been declined.

IF YOUR WORK IS SELECTED
You must comply with the following requirements by the date(s) designated by the Festival:

(1) You will submit a properly completed online official TLVFest “Entry Form”;

(2) To respect the festival tickets buyers, after the release of the program, The movie cannot be pulled or canceled.

(3) Your acceptance of an invitation to screen at TLVFest is final. The filmmaker cannot withdraw his/her participation after accepting an official invitation.

(4) By entering a submission you acknowledge responsibility for obtaining any and all clearances necessary to exhibit your film at TLVFest Film Festival and hold harmless TLVFest Film Festival and its affiliates against any claim arising out of the exhibition of your film at TLVFest;

(5) You are responsible for delivery of the exhibition copy of the invited work(s) in one of the Exhibition Formats specified below:

Feature film formats: DCP, Quicktime Prores 422HQ (If the film has a DOLBY-E audio track or surround sound, please note so), 35mm film, Blu-Ray (please inform us regarding the frame rate – 24, 25 or 29.97 FPS)

Short Films can be exhibited in DCP, Prores 422HQ (If the film has a DOLBY-E audio track or surround sound, please note so).

Due to our limited capacity to project 16mm, the Festival reserves the right to request that works originally in that format be provided to us in other formats.
Films which are not in English must provide English subtitles.

(6) You are responsible for delivery of the exhibition copy to the address designated by the Festival. The Festival will arrange for, and cover the cost of, the return-shipping of the exhibition copy after the conclusion of the Festival. We recommend shipment via courier in order to track the delivery of your entry;

FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING
TLVFest programmers will determine the most appropriate section of the festival’s program in which to screen the works that they have selected.

Competition Categories:

World Narrative Features
Open to works from all regions, must be an ISRAELI premiere.
Eligible for: Best Narrative Feature, Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature.

World Documentary Features
Open to works from all regions, must be an ISRAELI premiere.
Eligible for: Best Documentary Feature, Honorable Mention for a Documentary Film.

Shorts (narrative and documentary – under 50 minutes)
Open to works from all regions, must be an ISRAELI premiere.
Eligible for: Best Narrative Short, Honorable Mention for International Short Film.
Shorts will play either in a program of short films, or prior to a feature film.

Israeli Shorts(narrative and documentary – under 50 minutes)
Must be an ISRAELI premiere.
Eligible for: Best Israeli Short, Honorable Mention for Israeli Short Film.

Panorama
Open to works from all regions, Must be an ISRAELI premiere.
Eligible for: Audience Award

By submitting your entry form, acknowledge that if your movie was selected to TLVFest 2023 edition it is impossible to cancel the screening for any reason

By submitting your entry form, you are providing your consent to TLVFest to screen your film, if selected, at the festival. Should your film be selected, TLVFest will send you an acceptance notification and expects an acknowledgement in reply. In cases where no acknowledgement is received, TLVFest will consider your online entry form as providing your permission to screen the film.
7 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Gisela Chicolino

    This festival is really a necessary one. Please keep working on generating this exquisite and outstanding programming for the audiences.

    November 2022
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you very much for your support

  • Myat Noe

    Too bad, with the borders still shut down, many of us outside Israel could come to attend in person. But from the pictures, it looks great! I just wish they also highlight more short films on their social media. Feature length line-ups were impressive.

    November 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Dear Myat, Thank you very much for your important note and we'll do our best to highlight more the shorts that we are showing in the festival. and we're waiting to see more of your amazing work in the future.

  • Alex Hai

    Amazing festival highly recommended as a must do must go , very professionally and really cool. Yair Hochner just nailed it with a multi diverse program which definitely represents the lgbt world in all its forms . I didn’t expected to be selected, it was a great honor . Thank you for working so hard to bring people together against war and fear.

    November 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much, it was a pleasure to show your movie at TLVFest and we're waiting to present your next project and hope for better days free viruses that we can have guests like in the past.

  • Amir Ovadia Steklov

    I was very happy to screen 2 short films at TLVFest.
    One in the Israeli competition and another in the short international animation collection.
    The communication was great and the festival was very well made with amazing films and good queer vibes.
    Highly recommend!

    June 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Dear Amir, it's very moving to read your review, we do our best to please the filmmakers who present their movies at our film festival. We're doing it with a minimum of manpower. Thank you very much and we're waiting to watch your next movies.

  • Kristina Maca

    Always love being a part of the TLVFest and hope to be able to join for many more edition.
    1
    <3

    January 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much Kristina, We hope that more film festivals will show your movies and support your important work for trans visibility in cinema.