After months of prep, weeks of shooting, and hours and hours spent at the editing bay, locking your film is such an exhilarating feeling. It’s done. You did it. And now…you need to get people to see it. That’s where film festivals come in, and your submission strategy can vary wildly depending on your goals.
We’ve covered great options for maximum networking opportunities, as well as the upper echelon of fests that guarantee access and exposure. Next up: Take a look at these eight eclectic festivals that offer everything from super-targeted selections to gorgeous locales.
Fantastic Fest
Most people think that there are only two major film festivals in Austin—the Austin Film Festival and South by Southwest. Wrong. There is a third, and it is the largest genre film festival in the United States. For 20 years and counting, people have flocked to Fantastic Fest to see some of the best in horror, fantasy, science fiction, action, and more. Here, it’s all about genre, and nothing is off-limits—from bloodsoaked splatter films to slow-burn sci-fi shorts.
Fantastic Fest’s next run will be Sept. 18–25. Submit here.
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Before Coachella Valley is besieged by music festival enthusiasts, the region is taken over by Hollywood. Held at the beginning of each year—just before Sundance—Palm Springs International screens around 200 films from across the globe. The Palm Springs International Film Society, the nonprofit behind the event, notes that its mission is to “cultivate and promote the art and science of film through education and cross-cultural awareness.” One thing, though: This festival doesn’t include short films. For that, you’ll want the Palm Springs International ShortFest.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival’s next run will be Jan. 2–13, 2026. Submit here.
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Located just two hours north of Los Angeles (depending on traffic, of course), this festival brings filmmakers to the “American Riviera”: Santa Barbara, California. SBIFF is particularly focused on education and diversity, screening more than 200 films alongside free filmmaking and storytelling workshops “directed toward the underrepresented and underserved communities within Santa Barbara County.”
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s next run will be Feb. 4–14, 2026. Submit here.
American Black Film Festival
This Miami Beach–based festival is held annually in the middle of June, showcasing films, TV shows, web series, and documentaries created by Black artists. The five-day event aims to get Black writers, directors, and actors in the room with industry professionals so they can have their voices heard and stories told. In addition to screenings, the American Black Film Festival offers panels, Q&As, and master classes that exemplify its five pillars: education, artistic expression, collaboration, access, and recognition.
The American Black Film Festival’s next run will be June 11–15.
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Located in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the HSDFF is North America’s longest-running documentary film festival. For nine days in October, the best documentarians gather to watch around 100 nonfiction features and shorts from across the world. It is, perhaps, the film festival for up-and-coming documentarians—and it all takes place in “one of the most unique vacation destinations of the American South,” says its FilmFreeway page.
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival’s next run will be Oct. 10–18. Submit here.
Garden State Film Festival
Over the past few years, New Jersey has become a hotbed for Hollywood production (thanks to some enticing tax incentives). Movies like James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” and series like Apple TV+’s “Severance” were partially shot in the Garden State. It’s never been a better time to be a filmmaker in New Jersey, and the GSFF is the state’s premier destination for independent creatives. Held each March in both Asbury Park and Cranford, the festival is serious about its mission to “pay tribute to New Jersey’s legacy as the birthplace of the American filmmaking industry,” with the fest taking place just 40 minutes south of “Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratories, where he invented the first film cameras and projectors.” Each selected project must be making its New Jersey premiere.
The Garden State Film Festival’s next run will be March 26–29, 2026. Submit here.
Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival
This U.K.-based festival is not only one of the largest celebrations of LGBTQ+ film, it also offers the most substantial short film prize in the world. That would be the Iris Prize: £40,000 awarded to the winner to make their next LGBTQ+ focused film in Cardiff, Wales. But even beyond that, all filmmakers and attendees are guaranteed a slate of the best in queer cinema (both features and shorts) from around the world. “We are renowned for our open, friendly, and collaborative atmosphere, which sees hundreds welcomed into our worldwide Iris Family every year,” the festival writes on FilmFreeway.
The Iris Prize LGBTQ+ Film Festival’s next run will be Oct. 13–19. Submit here.
NFMLA Monthly Film Festival
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles presents one of the more unique festivals on this list because it doesn’t just happen once a year—it happens every month. Yes, the NFMLA Monthly Film Festival provides its relatively small slate of monthly selections (fewer than 20) with “maximum attention and commitment from the Festival audience, participants, and staff,” according to its FilmFreeway page. Not only are you getting your work out there, but NFMLA facilitates meetings with industry folks and press opportunities—and you do not need to be an L.A. resident to submit.
The NFMLA Monthly Film Festival has four deadlines per year. Submit here.
