Amsterdam Independent Film Festival

The glitz and glamor of showbusiness in the mainstream film festival can sometimes detract from the true purpose of the event — the celebration of creative film-making. While the red carpets, the champagne parties, and the high admission prices may be good for grabbing headlines and driving profits, they may also prevent the dissemination of art to the audience.

We take pride in our astute selection process. The Amsterdam Independent Film Festival is known for discovering hidden gems that later go on to successfully thrive at A-list festivals, with some films even catching the eye of the Academy Awards. In 2021 for example, we selected 'Ala Kachuu – Take and Run', directed by Maria Brendle, which was nominated in 2022 for an Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category.

At the Amsterdam Independent Film Festival, we focus on film. The festival will also bring independent artistic visions to an audience that demands a more fulfilling experience than the latest Hollywood fare.

In Amsterdam’s Lab 111 — a cult cinema located in a former anatomical pathology hospital — we’ll be screening the world’s best independent films free of charge, giving film-makers the widest possible exposure and freedom from commercial constraints.

We’ll also pay tribute to the masters of the independent film industry and explore their creative journeys. In 2018 we looked into the work of Jim Jarmusch and in 2019 our focus was the early work by David Lynch. In 2020, we look at famed Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman (1950-2015). A pioneer of modern feminist cinema, her oeuvre explores the mundanities of everyday life with a clear, personal eye and has left a considerable mark on avant-garde cinema.

Alongside our showcase of independent film will be the carefully-curated “Red Lights” selection, featuring the best of modern erotic cinema. This presentation of unique and original art will be a tasteful exploration of human sexuality — demonstrating the full spectrum of human experience through the medium of motion picture.

No red carpets. No elitist audiences. No distraction from the art itself. The Amsterdam Independent Film Festival will provide an intimate environment for film-makers and film lovers to come together and share in the beauty of artistic expression.

Join us in October 2024 with your own independent work, and embrace a new type of film festival — one where the films take center stage.

Amsterdam Independent Film Festival is
- An IMDB qualifying film festival
- Named as one of the Top 50 Emerging Film Festivals worldwide by iFilmFestival.com.
- A 'Climate Neutral Film Event', powered by TreePlan.org.
- An official festival partner of The Producer's Night Los Angeles (producersnight.com).

‘OFF ON’ SELECTION
Next to our physical screenings we’ll also be screening online with the special OFF ON SELECTION. The OFF ON Selection will go online one week prior to the opening of the physical part of the festival and will stay online until the last day of the festival. Viewers will be able to watch, but not download your film. If needed we can geo-block your film to our region.
We’re open to any genre (narrative, web series, made for tv, documentary, experimental …) and especially any duration (which is always an issue for the physical part of the festival). Selected filmmakers will receive all official selection perks (The Tarkovski Grant, The Producer’s Night nomination, …) and are in the running for any of the award titles. When you submit your film for consideration to both a physical section and the Off On Selection it is possible to be selected for both, but this is of course not guaranteed.
Filmmakers that submit their film only to any of the other sections (so any other than the Off On Selection) will not be selected for an online screening.

PROUD PARTNER OF THE BIGGER SCREEN
Amsterdam Independent Film Festival is supported by The Bigger Screen, an organization that aims to make film as an art form more accessible and more inclusive. A short overview of their projects:

- SUPPORTING FILM FESTIVALS: Film festivals are not only a place to share films, but they are a safe haven for film makers to connect, share, and learn. The Bigger Screens supports and engages with over 25 respected international film festivals from mainstays like the 61st Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Brussels Independent Film Festival to emerging events such as the Venice Film Week and The Producer’s Night Los Angeles. These events bring filmmakers and filmgoers together, providing that place to connect and engage in a comfortable setting, away from Hollywood glitz and glamour.

- CONNECTING CULTURES PROGRAM: Each year, The Bigger Screen selects at least ten countries and grants filmmakers from those areas the ability to submit their work free of charge to partner festivals all over the world. This opens the door of film exposure to those who may not otherwise be able to enter. As we support inclusivity and shareable films, this program exemplifies our mission. Check out https://www.connectingculturesprogram.com to see if your country is included in this year’s program and submit your work for free.

- LOCAL FILMMAKERS PROGRAM: To encourage rising talent, we lowered the festival submission fee to local talent and even made it for free when submitted before the Extreme Early Bird Deadline. This provides a great opportunity for local filmmakers to enter the international film scene. Think global, act local, right?

- INCLUSIVE AUDIENCE PROGRAM: Our screenings are always low or even free of charge to provide opportunity for interested film goers to view up and coming, challenging, and inspiring pieces of art, encouraging students, seniors, and those in underprivileged environments to share the experience of film and cinema. We welcome film goers, regardless of income and financial status.

- THE TARKOVSKI GRANT: All selected filmmakers will receive The Tarkovski Grant, a film festival submission fee waiver package with an average value of about $500. This not only saves you a lot of money, but it also recognizes your work as something to watch for during the selection procedure, making a selection with another partner film festival more likely - but of course, never guaranteed. The Tarkovski Grant supports hundreds of filmmakers each year in their challenging journeys as independent filmmakers, by promoting existing films, no matter the genre, style or length.