Do you color outside of the lines?
Do you have a unique vision?
We have an audience for your film.

We are drawn to well-crafted films with a strong point of view and welcome bold choices and thoughtful risks. We prioritize meaningful conversation over spectacle and we don’t program bloopers or BTS gag reels. We prefer a Queens premiere.

Queens World Film Festival champions films that take risks, challenge assumptions, and reflect a strong point of view. We curate with intention, grouping films thematically into provocatively titled blocs that explore shared ideas and questions.
• Bold storytelling
• Thoughtful risk-taking
• Strong directorial voice
• Attention to craft and intention
We welcome work that challenges us and our audiences.

The Queens World Experience
Queens World offers a filmmaker-forward festival experience rooted in community and dialogue with a robust pre-festival season full of opportunities for filmmakers to connect with fellow artists, industry allies, media, and collaborators.

At the festival, Queens World programs films thematically, grouping works into provocatively named blocs that explore shared ideas and questions. Our screenings are designed as conversations. Each screening is hosted by a Queens World Film Festival team member and followed by an engaged, filmmaker-centered Q&A. Our audiences come ready to listen, respond, and connect.

Filmmakers accepted to screen at Queens World can expect a robust pre-festival season designed to build community and connect filmmakers with peers, industry allies, media, and collaborators along with opportunities for interviews, promo shoots, and press engagement.

First of all, every film that is selected is considered nominated in the category it was entered in. We will not announce nominations in any category. If a film is accepted, it is nominated for an award in the category it was submitted in and will receive those nomination laurels.

Queens World curates the festival with our signature thematic programming, grouping films together that are exploring similar themes in bloc’s with provocative names. Each bloc will be hosted by a festival supporter ready to lead the Q&A between the exhibiting filmmakers and our loyal audiences.

You can expect a robust pre-festival season with free events designed to position you well for the upcoming festival by introducing you to our community, the other filmmakers, our industry supporters, elected officials, and collaborators.

The Queens World kickoff party will bring us all together for a potluck event featuring dishes that reflect the films in the line up. We will break bread, shoot live promos, and schedule you for other upcoming opportunities.

The Queens World Presser is an exciting event that brings participating filmmakers and members of the media together at Queens Borough Hall in Queens. Along with these events are photo opportunities, promo shoots, interviews and more so that by Opening Night, you know us, we've helped you build a house and you are ready to take advantage of your festival experience with us. These are just some of the reasons MovieMakerMagazine feels we are one of the 50 festivals worth the submission price.

We will finish by telling you that now is not the time to put your cameras down.
We need storytellers now more than ever.
We are looking for films that are well-crafted.
We like challenges.
We want to see something we haven’t seen before.
We appreciate a Queens Premier.
We do a Q&A after every screening!
We do a Q&A after every screening!
Sometimes, we have to repeat ourselves.
We love a film that takes a risk.
We do not like bloopers or gag reels.
We want to see what you see.
Bring it.
Welcome to Queens World.

You will read this in our Rules and Terms - but we are putting this here juuuuuuuust to make sure: ONCE YOUR FILM HAS BEEN ACCEPTED/SCHEDULED INTO QUEENS WORLD, YOU MAY NOT WITHDRAW YOUR FILM. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! CONSIDER ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS WITH OTHER FESTIVALS BEFORE SUBMITTING TO QUEENS WORLD.

Awards & Prizes

Every film that is accepted is nominated in the category is submitted in. Each accepted film will receive nomination laurels when they are accepted. Award winners will be announced online and in person on the last day of the festival run.

There will be other prizes awarded for films of special or notable merit.

You will read this in our Rules and Terms - but we are putting this here juuuuuuuust to make sure: ONCE YOUR FILM HAS BEEN ACCEPTED/SCHEDULED INTO QUEENS WORLD, YOU MAY NOT WITHDRAW YOUR FILM. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! CONSIDER ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS WITH OTHER FESTIVALS BEFORE SUBMITTING TO QUEENS WORLD.

Rules & Terms

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY
You've read it before, but here it is again:
ONCE YOUR FILM HAS BEEN ACCEPTED/SCHEDULED INTO QUEENS WORLD, YOU MAY NOT WITHDRAW YOUR FILM. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! CONSIDER ANY POTENTIAL CONFLICTS WITH OTHER FESTIVALS BEFORE SUBMITTING TO QUEENS WORLD.

By submitting material to the Queens World Film Festival you and all others associated with the submission attest to the possession of the rights to all images, sound, music, interviews, promotional materials, third party images and all other materials involved in the film and the promotion of the film.

If your film is accepted for screening during the Festival then you attest to the right for the Festival to use any portion of the film in promotion of the Festival in all media in perpetuity.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
All submissions must be an online screener and if there is an issue playing the material, we will give you every opportunity to get us a playable submission. Foreign language work must be dubbed or subtitled in English.

SELECTION & NOTIFICATION GUIDE
All films are screened by multiple members of our screening committee who assess craft, technique, execution, material, originality, and overall professionalism. High-scoring films are moved into the Jury process which involves re-screenings and re-scorings.

Those who will not be screening with us are notified first, followed by notifications to those who will be screening with us. We will use the email you provided in your application. When the schedule is on our website, each film will have a page created for them based on the materials in your application.

SCREENING MATERIALS
If selected you must supply us with your materials in one of the following formats:
For live screenings: ProRes.mov or H264.

DAMAGED DRIVES
QWFF cannot accept responsibility for drives damaged or lost during shipping.

SCREENING FEES
The festival does not pay rental fees or screening fees for submitted work.

The opinion(s) expressed in the film are those of the filmmakers not the Queens World Film Festival, its Board, or its associates.
173 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Blake Merriman

    I couldn’t have asked for a better world premiere for my short film, The Escort, than at the 2025 Queens World Film Festival!

    Katha and Preston's passion has been overwhelming and infectious. For the duration of the festival I have felt a wonderful sense of support, of community, of family. I had the pleasure of attending 6 blocs at QWFF, and the attention to detail and the level of quality in the programming has been top-notch. They really do care and it shows! From the moment at the meet-and-greet potluck when Preston held up his notecards and talked about considering the first and last images for blocs, days, and the entire festival, I knew I had to be there from the beginning to the end and I was not disappointed!

    There’s been so much love and enthusiasm all around for the work and the people behind the work, and it’s clear this team hustles like nobody’s business to champion everyone and everything involved.

    Thank you thank you thank you! For the spectacular films, for the supporting events, for the incredible teamwork, for constantly going the extra mile for all of us. I cannot wait to make another film so I can share it "in the darkened caves around the flickering lights" in Queens!

    May 2026
    Helpful
  • mohammad rasai

    I hope you are healthy and happy.
    I am grateful to you and all the loved ones who were kind enough to make the short film Aqrab Jeninah. At a time when I was not even allowed to work in my own country, you were kind enough to accept our presence and my prayers are with you.
    It is an honor to be with you.
    Queens would film
    💙
    Wishing you and all the artists continued success for your festival.

    January 2026
    Helpful
  • Daniel Florio

    Nice festival with great screening, networking, and outreach. Would definitely submit in the future.

    December 2025
    Helpful
  • Lindsay Nyman

    Incredible festival. Amazing team, organization, and communication. The lineup of films was fantastic. I felt so supported as a filmmaker and so lucky to be part of it. I am also grateful that our film They Call Me The Tattoo Witch received the Best Documentary Short Award. Thank you, Queens World!

    December 2025
    Helpful
  • Douglas Forrester

    Thanks so much to team Cato and everyone from Queens World for celebrating our film and independent film in NYC!

    November 2025
    Helpful