Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series is the first Academy Qualifying Film Festival for short narratives devoted to women of color across the globe. Founded by African Voices magazine in 1997, Reel Sisters (www.reelsisters.org) accepts films written, directed, or produced by women/non-binary filmmakers of color. Reel Sisters presents in person and virtual screenings. Films showcased virtually are in competition for all awards including our Oscar qualifying award.

Reel Sisters is an IMDb qualifying film festival. Reel Sisters celebrates our 29th Anniversary in 2026. Dates and venues will be added, our festival season begins with our Harlem kick off!

APPLICATION INFO:

YOU MUST SUBMIT PRODUCTION STILLS/PHOTOS and a TRAILER for your submission to be ELIGIBLE AND COMPLETE. You can screenshot photos from your film if you were unable to hire a photographer.

Please make your film downloadable upon submission to Reel Sisters. If you are accepted, it assists our production team in presenting your film in our showcase.

Reel Sisters is a competitive festival and films are selected by an independent jury. Please submit films early as deadlines are final. The festival provides quality customer service and does not offer fee waivers. The fee covers a small fraction of the administrative costs for running a professional Oscar qualifying film festival.

Reel Sisters accepts all genres and formats with a special interest in submissions from animated and web series producers. Send us films that will make our audience “cry, dance, laugh, sing and explore." The festival curates events throughout the year so all entries will be considered for Reel Sisters Tea & Cinema series.

Join our worldwide community of film professionals in celebrating stories produced, directed and written by women of color!

For complete application visit www.reelsisters.org

REEL SISTERS HIGHLIGHTS

• Listed in Film Daily's Top 10 Women Centered Film Festivals (2018)

https://filmdaily.co/news/female-focused-film-festivals/

• Profiled in Bushwick Daily, Shadow & Act, Film Daily, the Washington Post, Latin Times and Black Enterprise for presenting outstanding films by women of color from across the globe!

• Reel Sisters is a top tier film festival Oscar qualifying film festival that provides a chance for women to gain distribution, network and access to opportunities in the film industry.

Awards & Prizes

Reel Sisters screens original films by women across the globe each year — the festival has screened over 10,000+ films since its inception. Awards for Best Director, Best Documentary, Best Screenplay, Best Experimental, Best Animation, Best Feature, Best Short, Best Narrative, Best Web Series, Best Original Soundtrack and the Reel Sisters Spirit Award are selected by an independent jury composed of filmmakers, community leaders and artists. Reel Sisters has given over $80,000 in cash awards, fellowships and scholarships since our inception.

CASH AWARDS FOR 2026

Best Narrative Short - $1,000
Best Director - $500
Best Screenplay - $300
Best Animation - $200
Best Documentary Feature - $150
Best Documentary Short - $150

Rules & Terms

GENERAL RULES

TRANSLATION: Your film must be English dubbed or have English subtitles if it is in any other language.

PRODUCTION STILLS & TRAILERS: Please make sure you upload production photos with your submission and a trailer. If you do not have photos, you can screen shot a photo by pausing a scene in your film to create one. Your submission will not be complete without all promotional materials uploaded.

NO WAIVERS: Entry fees cover a small portion of the festival’s administrative costs for processing submissions and are non-refundable. We do not offer waivers.

OUR REFUND POLICY: Our entry fees are non-refundable. It is the responsibility of the filmmaker to read our guidelines and policies to ensure that they are eligible to submit to our festival.

TO SUBMIT A FILM to REEL SISTERS:

- Please read our guidelines carefully before submitting your film as we do not issue refunds for entry fees. It is your responsibility to ensure your film meets our criteria and submission guidelines. We rarely accept films longer than 90 minutes. Your film must have a women of color as co-producer, co-director or co-writer, if the lead producer/director is male.

- We only accept films via FilmFreeway. PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL US ANY VIDEO LINKS. If you submit to FilmFreeway via a Vimeo link, you must provide a passcode to view. You must make your film downloadable for our production staff if your film is accepted. If you do not make your film downloadable by the requested deadline, your film will not be eligible for consideration. We discourage Youtube links.

- Please contact FilmFreeway staff if you have any issues uploading your film and making it downloadable for our production staff if you receive an acceptance letter.

- We will need downloadable trailer links from FilmFreeway or Vimeo to help promote your film in our festival. You must submit the trailers and photos with your application. If your materials are not submitted with your application, your film will be disqualified.

- Complete the details required, providing brief synopsis of the film, credits, production stills and trailers. We accept photographs in all formats including JPEGs, TIFFs and EPS (electronic photos must be 300 dpi resolution for promotional purposes).

- All accepted films will be notified via email. Please make sure ALL of your Contact Information is up-to-date. If your email changed between the time you submitted your film and our Notification Date, please update it ASAP so we can correspond with you.

- Entries must be delivered by the deadline.

**Failure to deliver a digital screening file on time Forfeits any previous accepted invitation.
41 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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Networking
  • Festival Formula

    With a focused remit and rally cry, this festival curates effectively spotlighting female creatives as well as issues. We were delighted to have our client's touching sweet comedy short HAIR screen in 2024.

    November 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    It was truly an honor to have HAIR showcased in Reel Sisters 27th Anniversary season! We look forward to seeing future films by Wendy Mateo and Lorena Diaz!

  • Pelin Keskin Liu

    Amazing selection of shorts, of which we were proud to be a part of. Thank you so much for including us.

    October 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for being a part of Reel Sisters 27th Anniversary season! It was a privilege to share your film with our audience!

  • jessica Care moore

    Screening in Brooklyn inside Kumble Theater was incredible! I also enjoyed catching the short films the next day at The Center For Fiction. Talk back was awesome too:) Thank you!!

    October 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Hosting your NYC premiere was an absolute privilege and pleasure! Glad you attended and enjoyed the films at The Center For Fiction — it was a perfect venue for our audience and filmmakers! Wishing you the best with He Looked Like A Postcard, it's a film that is deserving a wider audience!

  • Sunita Prasad

    Thank you, Reel Sisters, for a wonderful audience and a conversation that was exactly the kind we hoped the film would spark!

    October 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Sunita,

    You are welcomed! It was a pleasure having your film in Reel Sisters 27 Anniversary season! Our team wishes you continued success!

  • Olubayo Jackson

    This was such a wonderful film festival. I felt supported and well treated. It was my first film festival and I’m so thankful for the opportunity. Having my short film selected was a honor and the whole thing felt like a family affair.

    November 2023
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Olubayo, you are a part of Reel Sisters Family! It was a true honor presenting your film in our 26th Anniversary season at the Miller Theater in Harlem! We wish you the best as your film continues to receive the light and audience it deserves!