The Lonely Wolf International Film Festival is a unique online platform dedicated to celebrating and promoting independent creators and storytellers worldwide. It combines the prestige of traditional film festivals with the innovation and accessibility of the online space, offering a myriad of opportunities for exposure to a global audience and industry experts. The festival has earned trust and recognition from the global filmmaker community, with extensive press coverage from important film magazines like MovieMaker Magazine and FilmDaily, showcasing its online prestige and influence.

Moreover, the festival's unique 'wolfpack' community spirit shines through the constant engagement and affinity filmmakers have for the brand. Despite its hybrid and prominently virtual format, Lonely Wolf has successfully created the excitement and buzz typically associated with venue-held festivals, making it a standout champion in the online arena.

The festival is particularly interested in projects that offer character-driven dramas, stories focusing on outsiders or underrepresented groups, and narratives depicting interiority and mental subjectivity. Celebrating diversity, Lonely Wolf is open to audiovisual projects that showcase unique narratives and innovative storytelling techniques, aiming to highlight diverse voices and perspectives in the realm of film and media.

Founder Introduction: Why Lonely Wolf?

​In my previous life as a filmmaker, I yearned for a virtual film festival that truly connected with indie creators and storytellers, providing an uplifting experience for all, regardless of competition status. I also saw the need for a forward-thinking, hybrid film festival that maintains a carefully curated film programme during a traditional week-long cultural event while championing the saturated online film festival space.

The global COVID-19 outbreak in 2020 brought the world to a halt, sparking a surge in low-cost, dead-end online contests that handed out laurels to every participant for a nominal submission fee. As the tide of subpar online film festivals rose, I chose to swim against the current.

Lonely Wolf's Journey

In its brief existence, Lonely Wolf has dedicated itself to crafting the ultimate virtual film festival experience—an unforgettable, inspiring, and motivating journey that evokes the excitement and promise of competing for an Academy Award or BAFTA. Why shouldn't filmmakers experience that level of anticipation and hope?

Creating Lonely Wolf, I constantly put myself in the filmmaker's shoes, asking: how would I want to feel throughout the competition process?

Lonely Wolf is a hybrid festival that combines the prestige and exposure of traditional film festivals with the speed and accessibility of online contests. Our mission has always been to make a lasting impact, much like Netflix revolutionized the streaming circuit and produced Academy-recognized content, leading a wave of streaming giants.

Lonely Wolf aspires to be the beacon in the murky waters of online film festivals, and we are optimistic that other worthy contenders will soon join us in elevating the online circuit. Eventually, Lonely Wolf plans to host cultural week-long events in London again.

Exposure Opportunities

There are two primary ways audiovisual projects can gain exposure with us: by making the Official Selection and entering our digital cinema. Our paid media campaigns enable us to reach 500,000 to 650,000 people during a week once a year. From that paid reach, we attract around 3.5K attendees and 10K film streams!

We were thrilled when Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment team redeemed virtual tickets to access our programme in 2021—a testament to our efforts for INDIE cinema! Besides streaming numbers, we also arrange for the top 60-80 official selectees to be featured in a main article across various press outlets, providing phenomenal exposure.

We strategically stage our announcement process to keep our audience engaged and excited for a good two weeks. There's no better feeling than waking up to check competition results and encountering pleasant surprises!

Our Commitment

We strive to deliver an exhilarating experience that will inspire you to create more stories in innovative ways, so you can relish the thrill of Lonely Wolf repeatedly. Just as the industry's elite hope for Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, you'll yearn to compete for a Wolfie!​

Lonely Wolf is a festival that has proven its credibility and trustworthiness through various means:
· Personalized Communication: Personalized discount codes and email marketing addressing filmmakers by their first names show research effort into their projects.
· Transparent Jury Team: The online presence and clear quality of the festival, reflected in its professionally-made website and festival logo, coupled with the visibility of the jury team, underscore its legitimacy.
· Valuable Achievements: Cash prizes, IMDb-accredited awards and nominations, professional film reviews, and the opportunity to become part of the jury the following year are some of the valuable achievements offered.
· Positive Reviews: Over 500 positive reviews on FilmFreeway and a trending status reflect the satisfaction and engagement of filmmakers and viewers.
· Wikipedia Page and Press Coverage: A Wikipedia page and extensive press coverage underscore the festival's credibility and legitimacy.

Lonely Wolf has received extensive press coverage from notable outlets like MovieMaker Magazine, FilmDaily, and CineVue to name a few:
· https://www.moviemaker.com/lonely-wolf-film-festival-23lwiff-announces-additional-line-up-and-renowned-jury-for-2024/
· https://indiewrapmag.com/awards/lonely-wolf-film-festival-23lwiff-announces-additional-line-up-and-renowned-jury-for-2024/
· https://www.moviemaker.com/best-of-lonely-wolf-23lwiff/
· https://www.moviemaker.com/best-of-lonely-wolf-22lwiff-poetic-hysteria-regret-and-dystopian-worlds/
· https://www.moviemaker.com/best-of-lonely-wolf-film-festival-spring-2022-edition/
· https://cine-vue.com/2022/05/lonely-wolf-film-festival-2022-programme-announced.html
· https://filmdaily.co/indie-film/film-festivals/lonely-wolf-international-film-festival-london-2022/
· https://www.indieactivity.com/best-of-lonely-wolf-2022-spring-edition/
· https://www.fantastictv.pt/2020/10/benedita-pereira-vence-premio-de-melhor.html

Awards & Prizes

Awards Categories

One of the key features of the awards at the Lonely Wolf International Film Festival is that they are IMDb-accredited, adding a layer of prestige and recognition for the filmmakers. With around 40 award categories, each with one winner, nine nominees, and ten semi-finalists, the festival offers a wide range of opportunities for recognition. Results are presented three times every year, as the festival is trimestral, aligning with the hosting of its competition rounds and virtual film programmes. This ensures a shorter waiting period for results, which is especially appreciated by filmmakers eager to plan and respond quickly to the outcome of their submissions.

The festival features a comprehensive list of awards categories, including...

Best Picture
Best Feature Film
Best Medium-Length Film
Best Short Film
Best Micro-Short Film
Best Student Film
Best Experimental Film
Best Queer Narrative Film
Best Dance or Poetic Film
Best British Film
Best Feature Documentary
Best Short Documentary
Best Series or Pilot Episode
Best New Media or Commercial Film
Best Music Video
Best Original Song
Best Original Podcast
Best Feature Screenplay
Best Short Screenplay
Best TV Script
Best Directing
Best Directorial Debut
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Lead Actor
Best Lead Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Editing & Sound Design
​Best Original Score
Best Production Design
Best Makeup + SFX
Best Drama
Best Comedy or Musical
Best Action, Sci-Fi or Fantasy
Best Horror or Thriller
​Best Animated Film
Best CGI & Visual Effects
Best Character Design
Best Created Environment

Powerful Incentives for Competing at Lonely Wolf

1. Online Prestige: Lonely Wolf offers a blend of traditional festival prestige with online contest accessibility, making it an essential platform for indie storytellers worldwide. Its IMDb accreditation, transparent processes, and positive reviews on FilmFreeway reflect the trust and engagement of the filmmaker community.
2. Expansive Reach: The festival’s impressive audience statistics and vast media reach match the influence of traditional venue-held festivals. This expansive reach is amplified by comprehensive paid media campaigns, sponsored posts, and an active social media presence, ensuring filmmakers get the visibility they deserve.
3. Professional Reviews and Promotions: Filmmakers can opt for professional film reviews or press coverage, offering invaluable marketing materials to boost their profile and projects.
4. IMDb-Accredited Awards and Cash Prizes: The festival presents around 70 award categories in its three competition rounds, all IMDb-accredited. This recognition, along with cash prizes, adds significant value to the filmmakers' achievements.

Impressing the global jury team at the Lonely Wolf International Film Festival can open doors to a myriad of opportunities. Filmmakers can secure film distribution deals and management with Mojo Global Arts, gain funding through the Filmfinity Fund, engage in co-productions, receive press coverage, and establish invaluable connections within the industry. The festival's extensive press coverage, including notable mentions by MovieMaker Magazine and FilmDaily, underscores its credibility and influence in the global filmmaker community. By participating in the Lonely Wolf International Film Festival, filmmakers not only get a chance to showcase their work to a global audience but also an opportunity to propel their careers to new heights. With a jury team as distinguished as this and the potential opportunities that come with impressing them, the Lonely Wolf International Film Festival is an essential platform for indie storytellers worldwide.

For more information, visit https://www.lonelywolffilmfest.com/about.html

Rules & Terms

Rules are reasonable and pretty straightforward to enter the Lonely Wolf competition (and join our 'wolfpack'!).
We only expect a few things from you which you automatically agree to upon entering your work into the competition...

​​BY SUBMITTING TO LONELY WOLF YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING...

1. Copyright: You confirm that your work is cleared for festival exhibition (all music, fonts, visuals etc. are cleared worldwide, in perpetuity, multi-platform), and the intellectual property is yours, or if acting as distributor, you have acquired permission from the copyright owner.
2. Use of Stills / Clip Fragments: You consent to the posting of stills and short clip fragments from the film on the festival's website/platform plus social media channels, for solely promotional, non-commercial and educational purposes.
3. Downloading: You consent to the festival director having access to download your film(s) to facilitate offline study and the festival's programming/curation needs and functions.
4. Virtual Cinema / Critique Journal: Upon entering the competition, you grant permission to exhibit your film publicly under multi-DRM encryption and password-protection.
5. IMDb: Lonely Wolf's team will sync up your awards/nominations to your IMDb pages, but will not create your film pages from scratch if they're not already in place.
6. Code of Conduct: You agree to treat others the way you want to be treated.
7. Feedback: Individual feedback on every entry will not be provided unless you opt for a critical review.
8. No Refunds / Sportsmanship: If unhappy with your work's final verdict, no refund will be offered.
9. One-Time Fee for All Categories: A flat fee ensures your work is considered across all of the festival's competition categories for awards/nominations.
10. Accepted Submission Types: We accept a wide range of submission types.
11. Submission Permissions: Same team of filmmakers can submit multiple film projects within the same competition round.
12. Submission Restrictions: Films already submitted in one edition can't be submitted again.
13. Programming Decisions: Not every film that gets nominated or selected will make Lonely Wolf's digital cinema straight away.
14. Policy on Free Waivers: Student filmmakers and disabled filmmakers are entitled to a discounted entry, and in exceptional cases free waivers will be permitted at the festival's sole discretion.
15. Film Reviews: Your film must have participated within the competition to opt for a film review.
16. Official Selection: Entering the competition does not mean you're automatically 'Official Selection'.
17. Mailing List: By entering Lonely Wolf, you will automatically join our mailing list.
Complete Credits List: You confirm your credits list is as complete as possible.
​18. Right to Disqualify: Lonely Wolf reserves the rights to disqualify any film on certain grounds.

Privacy Policy

1. Newsletter and Promotional Communications Opt-In: By submitting an entry to our film festival ("Festival"), you agree to be automatically included in our mailing list.
2. Opt-Out Rights: You have the right to opt-out or withdraw your consent to receive these electronic communications at any time.
3. Use of Personal Information: Your personal information will be stored and used in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
4. Changes to this Clause: We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy Clause at any time.
5. Contact: If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy Clause, please feel free to contact us.

By submitting an entry to the Festival, you agree to abide by the terms set forth in this Privacy Policy Clause and have read and accepted Lonely Wolf's rules and regulations.​
568 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Mike Madigan

    Thank you again for having us be a part of this exciting film festival and community of creatives, its a very exciting creative venture and looking forward for more to come!

    September 2023
    Helpful
  • Sangeet Prabhaker

    Great to be part of this festival, Adrian was great to communicate with

    September 2023
    Helpful
  • Cynthia Fridsma

    Dear Lonely Wolf #23LWIFF,

    I am ecstatic and honored to be nominated for the category Animation for my work Pandemic: Chaos is Bleeding. This is an unbelievable honor and I am very thankful for this opportunity.

    I would like to thank the organizers, the sponsors, the jury, and the audience of Lonely Wolf #23LWIFF for hosting this amazing event and for celebrating the diversity and creativity of independent cinema. You have created a vibrant and inspiring platform for filmmakers from all over the world to share their stories and visions. I am thrilled to be a part of this festival and I hope to entertain and challenge you with my work.

    I would also like to thank my family, friends, and fans for their unwavering support and love. They have been my source of strength and inspiration throughout this journey and they have helped me achieve my goals. Without them, I would not have been able to create Pandemic: Chaos is Bleeding, which is a reflection of my passion and dedication.

    Pandemic: Chaos is Bleeding is a thriller/horror animation that tells the story of Sybil Crewes, a former ATU agent who hasn’t left home since the COVID-19 pandemic. She joins a secret mission to stop a deadly virus outbreak that threatens to unleash chaos in the world. I created this animation using professional 3D software such as iClone 8, Character Creator, Poser 12, Carrara Pro 8.5, and Daz Studio. I wanted to create a captivating and engaging narrative that explores the themes of isolation, fear, and hope.

    I am overjoyed that you liked my animation and that you appreciated my efforts. This recognition means a lot to me and it inspires me to continue creating more animations in the future. Thank you once again for this honor and for your generous words.

    Sincerely, Cynthia Fridsma

    September 2023
    Helpful
  • Liela Ibrahim

    Fantastic Film festival. Well organised very good in communication.

    August 2023
    Helpful
  • Ellen Rooney

    Thank you Wolf Pack -- you are the best. I will be forever grateful.

    August 2023
    Helpful