Welcome to the 59th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival! We are a 10 day film festival with Premiere screenings, seminars, workshops, mixers, an awards ceremony/gala and closing day celebrations that include a tour of NASA's Space Center Houston and a Day on the Bay with the Houston Yacht Club.

WorldFest-Houston is the oldest independent film festival in the world, founded in 1961 as a film society and evolving into a competitive international festival in 1968. While Venice and Cannes are older, they focus on major studio productions—WorldFest has always celebrated emerging independent voices.

Early in their careers, WorldFest has awarded and recognized amazing creatives such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, Lesli Linka Glatter, Randal Kleiser, Deepa Mehta, Agnieszka Holland, the Coen Brothers, David Winning, Ridley Scott, Oliver Stone, Jane Campion, David Lynch, John Lee Hancock and hundreds more.
Now it's your turn...!
Categories include:
Shorts & Features (Narrative, Documentary, Experimental)
Student Films
Music Videos
Screenplays (PDF upload)
New Media, Television, Commercial, and Business Film
Remi Award Winners receive:
Personalized notification
VIP invitation to the 2026 festival
A complimentary $1,000 Platinum Festival Pass
Deeply discounted passes for guests
Screening on Cinemark’s big screens (for eligible entries)
We prioritize Premieres (World, U.S., Regional)—if your film has screened widely, you may still win a Remi, but screening slots are reserved for Premiere-status entries.

Our mission is to recognize and honor outstanding creative excellence in film and video, support cultural tourism in Houston, and nurture Independent filmmaking worldwide. WorldFest is proudly curated by a team deeply rooted in the arts, with a long-standing commitment to discovering creative excellence. WorldFest is now led by Festival Director Katy Lea (Todd) Cannon, who brings vision, warmth, and a fierce commitment to championing Independent storytellers.
With over 3,500 entries from 70+ countries annually, WorldFest is more than a festival—it’s a legacy. All Remi-winning films are screened in professional theatrical venues—not hotel ballrooms or meeting rooms—on large cinema screens, the way films are meant to be experienced.
Submit your work. Join the legacy.
WorldFest-Houston — Fiercely Independent since 1961.

Awards & Prizes


WorldFest-Houston is proud to honor outstanding creative excellence across 10 major competition categories and over 200 subcategories. Our Remi Awards are earned through a rigorous jury-based scoring process—not comparative ranking alone.
Each eligible entry is scored independently by multiple jury members on a 100-point scale. Each entry is scored by a jury using our creative excellence matrix: Originality, Technical Execution, Storytelling, artistic Impact, and Rewatch Value. Only the highest scoring films earn Remi Awards. Awards are determined by score brackets:

A+ (95–100): Special Jury Award
A (90–94): Platinum Remi
A- (85–89): Gold Remi
B+ (80–84): Silver Remi
B (75–79): Bronze Remi

Only entries earning a score of 75 or above receive an award. No awards are given for lower-scoring submissions, and there is no quota—we celebrate all works that meet our standards of excellence.

Grand Remi Awards

Each of our 10 top categories includes one Grand Remi Award, given to the highest-scoring work within the category. These honors represent the most distinguished entries in their fields. Recent Grand Remi winners include:

"All There Is" – Best Feature
"Migrants" – Best Script
"The Fast Runner" – Best Dramatic Short
"Triptych – Miss Velvet: – Best Music Video
(see full list on our website) www.worldfest.org

Performance & Rising Star Honors
Recognizing excellence in acting and emerging talent.
Craft & Technical Achievement Awards
Honoring achievement in direction, editing, cinematography, music, makeup, costume, and more.

Looking Ahead

We are currently evaluating our awards process to better serve filmmakers and meet the standards for potential Academy Award qualification in select categories. This may include future changes to our ranking structure and premiere requirements.

Remi Award Presentation

Every winner receives a beautifully framed 11"x14" metallic Remi Award Certificate (just pay shipping). Duplicate awards—including upgraded plaques, statuettes, and crystal pieces—are available for purchase by winners.

Rules & Terms

By submitting a project to the 2026 WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the following:

GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
• All films must have been completed after April 1, 2023.
WorldFest no longer accepts any projects that are not completely finished. Such as Work-in-Progress (W.I.P.)
• We accept submissions via FilmFreeway. Screeners may be hosted on FilmFreeway, Vimeo, or YouTube, but must remain accessible with current passwords through April 2026.
• Foreign language films must include English subtitles. We appreciate subtitles being available for all films for accessibility.
• We do require at least a Texas premiere (but World or North American are even better!) and we only screen award-winning films. All public screenings are by invitation of the festival programming team.

SELECTION PROCESS
• All entries are reviewed by a panel of qualified jurors. Each submission is scored in key areas including originality, technical execution, storytelling, artistic impact, and audience engagement.
• Scores determine the level of award (Special Jury, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze).
• A single Grand Remi is awarded in each top category (Feature, Script, Student Short, Animation, etc.). Multiple films may receive Special Jury Remi Awards if scoring within the top range.

IF SELECTED
• All selected films will be required to submit an exhibition copy via BluRay, USB, or DCP (we do not screen from screener links).
• Selected films are asked to provide electronic press kit with high resolution .png stills, posters and social media handles.
at least one still photo from the film (in .png)
a synopsis of the film in English
a brief biography of the director’s in English
director’s photograph (in .png)
film official poster
film credits
• Films will be shown on cinema-grade screens (not laptops or meeting rooms).
• Accepted films grant WorldFest-Houston the right to:
Exhibit the film during the festival
Use stills or excerpts for promotional purposes (unless otherwise requested in writing)
• Films will have the opportunity to opt in to our online screening platform.

RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITIES
• You must hold all necessary rights, including music and third-party footage, and take full legal responsibility for any issues related to your submission.
• You retain full ownership of your intellectual property.
• WorldFest-Houston is not responsible for damage, theft, or loss of materials submitted.
• No screening fees will be paid for accepted films.
• WorldFest-Houston reserves the right to remove, reschedule, or delay any film at its sole discretion and is not responsible for any refund or claims resulting from such changes. In the event of technical or operational issues that prevent a screening, no refunds or compensation will be provided to the filmmaker or affiliated parties.

OTHER NOTES
• Scripts are accepted as digital submissions only (no hard copies). Please submit a clean script without writer’s name to maintain anonymity and judging integrity. You will be asked to resubmit the script and may not be judged if you do not comply.
• The festival is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational organization. Box office proceeds support festival costs and operations.
• Entry fees are non-refundable.
By submitting, you agree to be bound by these rules and to accept the decisions of the festival jury as final.

415 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • d.b. Roderick

    Wow! I am humbled and full of gratitude to be honored with the 59th WorldFest-Houston International Grand Remi Award for "Best Screenplay."

    May 2026
    Helpful
  • Richard Guthrie

    The most incredible experience and what a wonderful bunch of people to meet, the host and staff at the event; Katy Lea Cannon, Lawrence, Vanessa and team, and also all the film makers and associates within the film festival itself who make the experience what it is.
    We had the most amazing time for our first trip to Houston and to the best film festival held there nonetheless.
    What a privilege to be selected and win an award for Grizzly Jim, and the whole festival from start to finish was a joy to be a part of.
    Thank you so much again WorldFest Houston, an absolute pleasure!

    May 2026
    Helpful
  • Steve Brumwell

    For such a huge event, the team still take the time to make you valued.

    May 2026
    Helpful
  • Toshio Sekine

    We sincerely thank you for awarding our film Shambhala Story the Best Actor Award and the Platinum Remi Award.
    Although we were unfortunately unable to attend, we were deeply impressed by the thoughtful communication and the warm, friendly organization of the festival.
    From Japan, we wish you continued success and growth in the years ahead.

    May 2026
    Helpful
  • Jordan Destin

    Great Festival, Thank you for everything.

    May 2026
    Helpful