Founded in 2006, the Leiden International Film Festival (LIFF) has become one of the leading film festivals in the Netherlands showcasing feature films that examine the border between arthouse and mainstream from all over the world. The 2025 edition lasted 11 days.

The 21st edition of LIFF will take place from 8 to 18 October 2026.

Awards & Prizes

For all the three subsections of shorts will be a prize in the form of €250,-, which is a contribution to the production budget of the winner’s next film.
Our three sections are these:
Bonkers! Shorts
American Indie Shorts
OOGST: New Dutch Shorts

Rules & Terms

Length: max 20 minutes.

Production must have ended after October 1st, 2025.

All languages are accepted as long as the film is eligible for the intended category, but English subtitles are required with non-English spoken films.

Entry fee is nonrefundable.

More than one entry may be submitted. Each must be submitted separately.

Documentaries are not eligible for selection.

DVDs and entry materials (if appropriate) will not be returned.

Filmmaker will assume shipping costs of material and print to the Leiden International Film Festival.

Films that are accepted in the program will be notified at least one month before the festival.

The selection committee's decisions are final.

LIFF reserves the right to make any necessary changes in event scheduling or programming.

Entrants agree to indemnify and hold us, including our employees, our officers, and our partners and affiliates harmless against all claims arising out of entry or participation in the Leiden International Film Festival.

All responses by LIFF will be made by email.

By submitting your film to the Leiden International Film Festival you agree that you have read, understood, and agree to all the aforementioned festival rules and guidelines.

For more information on our shorts programs, contact Thomas Foster: thomas@liff.nl or via info@liff.nl.

For questions about our feature programs, you can reach out to Jetske Breedeveld via jetske@liff.nl.

12 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Kathy Meng

    I traveled from another country to attend LIFF in person for my short film. I was assured that my badge would be ready, but upon arriving, neither ticketing staff nor the programmer seemed aware, leaving me initially unable to attend screenings. Eventually the badge issue was resolved, but this was frustrating.

    The other attending filmmaker in my section and I were not informed of any networking events. I later learned that events such as filmmaker dinners did take place, which was disappointing given that connecting with other filmmakers was a key reason I attended.

    My film won the Audience Award which I was honored to receive. I promptly submitted my bank details for the cash prize, however, more than two months later, I have not received the award, nor any response despite multiple follow-up emails to both the programmer and the executive director.

    As a filmmaker who has worked very hard to make a film that won an award and has also worked at festivals, I understand that post-festival wrap up can be difficult. However, the prolonged zero communication nor updates is highly unprofessional and disappointing. I've never experienced such "ghosting" behavior from another festival. I hope LIFF improves its communication and hospitality moving forward.

    December 2025
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  • Emil T. Jonsson

    Leiden International Film Festival is a gem. Our short Night Games screened in the International Shorts program, and the LIFF team took amazing care of us, from a filmmaker dinner and comfortable accommodations to helping us catch sold-out screenings and hosting great Q&As and late-night hangouts. The audiences were engaged, the programming was great, and the city itself made the experience even more special. Huge thanks to everyone involved!

    October 2025
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  • Melle Windig

    Thank you Leiden International Film Festival for providing us the opportunity to share our short stop motion animation film Cell Buddies with your audience. Unfortunately we could not attend but some friends and family could and they thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere in Leiden. We loved the clear communication and for sure hope to meet in person with one of our next films.

    October 2025
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  • Lilit Umedyan

    LIFF is an absolutely amazing festival!
    Incredible curation with a strong and diverse selection of films, vibrant screenings, insightful Q&As, and unforgettable special events. I'm super happy to have premiered my film "Perfect Failure" here!
    Huge thanks to the amazing LIFF team for making this such a memorable experience!

    October 2025
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  • John Giordano

    I wish I could have been able to attend! Thank you for everything.

    November 2024
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