The MENA Film Festival is celebrating its sixth edition in January 2025 and we want you to be a part of it! For five years, MENA has been Vancouver's first and only festival dedicated to films from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) / South West Asia and North Africa (SWANA) region.

We are excited for the chance to continue showcasing stories and experiences from the region, our local and Canadian community, and the global diaspora.

*We acknowledge that our festival is based on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional lands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səlí̓lwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. MENA Film Festival stands in solidarity with the diverse indigenous populations of the MENA/SWANA region including its Palestinian, Armenian, and Sudanese community members among others, their resistance, dreams, and futures.

VISION:

We seek films of any genre, with particular emphasis on original and experimental portrayals of the MENA/SWANA region that challenge stereotypes and bend colonial visions of the region and its diaspora. We welcome submissions from emerging as well as established artists from wherever MENA identities are found and forged.

We welcome all genres and themes with special attention to niche genres, such as horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and experimental moving image. MENA is dedicated to showcasing programming confronting anti-Blackness and anti-racism in the MENA/SWANA region. We strongly encourage artists who identify as Black, women, and/or LGBTQ+ to apply.

Awards & Prizes
AWARDS - as selected by an independent jury of industry and community

Scarlet Pomegranate - Recognizing overall artistry, storytelling, technical achievement and beauty

Buraq - Recognizing films that break the mold, experiment, and help us see the region and its experiences in a new light.

Audience Choice - Top-rated film chosen by audiences through in-festival balloting.

Azure Phoenix - Recognizing an individual contributor-whether writer, actor, director etc.-that represents MENA/SWANA identity across the region and its diaspora amongst the year’s programming.

* When your film is selected, it is automatically eligible for awards.

Rules & Terms

- We consider no cultural or national identity rooted in the so-called Middle East as canonical. Whether as MENA, SWANA, West Asian, and North African (WANA), or any other delimiter of the region, we leave it in the hands of our prospective submitters how they identify with the region. Our programming strives to represent all communities within the region, including those marginalized along the lines of ethnicity, language, or religion: be they aboriginal, nomad, stateless linguistic groupings and language minorities, or other identities that don't fall neatly into any orientalist image of MENA/SWANA.

We also seek immigrant narratives from ethnic and linguistic enclaves across the diaspora: pan-Arabic, West Asian, religiously heterodox, as well as personal identities that interface with postmodern politics: queer, post-colonial, anti-racist, and Indigenous selfhood.

We do not accept films with misogynist, homophobic, transphobic, zionist, nationalist or racist content.

If you have any questions or want to know if your film qualifies, please contact sarah.trad@menafilmfestival.com

CATEGORIES

This festival showcases:

- Feature films (no more than 140 minutes);
- Short films (30 minutes or less);
- Documentary (short or feature length);
- Experimental

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

- Priority is given to films that have MENA/SWANA-identifying people in key creative roles (Director, Writer, Cinematographer) OR whose subject matter centers the region/identity in some significant way (see above for what we mean by MENA/SWANA).

- Films in a language other than English must have English subtitles.

- Due to our capacity, we only accept single-channel films (ie. no art installation, etc.)

- All submissions will be guaranteed at least two reviews during the adjudication process; films by emerging or independent artists who are "breaking into" the industry will be given the same consideration as established artists, as part of our effort for emerging filmmakers to reach a wider audience.

- All genres are welcome, and experimental and original portrayals of the MENA/SWANA region are encouraged (see "VISION" above).

- All submissions will be notified no later than *September 1st, 2024.* If your film is selected for the 2025 MENA Film Festival, you must submit a DCP file and a ProRes 422 Quicktime backup file. Files must be delivered digitally (WeTransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive), and be received no later than *October 7th, 2024.*

- If your film is selected, in addition to the DCP file, the following material is required for promotional use by *September 18th, 2024.*
* Minimum of 2 film stills;
*Film poster;
*A trailer (format: mp4 HD 1920 x 1080);
*A logline (one sentence) and a short film description (100 words);
*Director’s photo and a short bio.

-If you fail to submit all the material by the deadline, your film will be disqualified from screening.

-By submitting you confirm your participation in an online festival which will screen internationally on our online festival platform.

- As a non-profit, we do rely upon submission fees to help cover the costs of reviewing and programming films. Keeping our commitment to young artists and community accessibility in mind, however, we are providing a limited number of *20* fee waivers to filmmakers. While we do not delve into the personal circumstances of each request, we may ask follow-up questions, and we expect that those asking for a waiver be honest about their circumstance and are aware that receiving a waiver may deprive others of the same opportunity.

To request a waiver, please fill out our form: https://forms.gle/kVXPa1PbiQdEGryz5

We will consider waiver requests and respond by May 7th. If you have any questions about waiver eligibility, email us at info@menafilmfesitval.com!

FAQ

DO YOU PAY SCREENING FEES?

Yes, we pay every artist a screening fee in CAD as per 2023 CARFAC rates: https://carfac-raav.ca/2023-en/2023-en-1/ as per A.1.9 Media Arts Screenings and Presentations, depending on the format used to broadcast the films.

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM RUNTIME MENA FILM FESTIVAL ACCEPTS?

Your short film cannot be more than 30 minutes in length, including credits. For features, we accept up to 140 minutes, including credits.

HOW OLD DOES THE FILM HAVE TO BE TO QUALIFY?

All films presented for the 2025 edition must have been completed by January 1st, 2022. However, films completed after January 1st, 2023 will be prioritized.

CAN I EMAIL MY SUBMISSION?

No, we only accept submissions via FilmFreeway.

DO ALL SUBMISSIONS GET VIEWED?

Yes, every single film submitted to the MENA Film Festival gets at least two separate viewings by MENA's programming committee.

CAN I SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE ENTRY?

Yes, however, you will have to pay for each submission.

DO YOU ACCEPT ROUGH CUTS?

Yes, but please make sure to note the submission as a rough cut, include which elements are incomplete (music, sound mix, color, missing scenes) and give us a firm deadline by which the final film will be completed (no less than 3 weeks before the DCP deadline on September 10th, 2024). If you fail to submit by the deadline, your film will be disqualified from screening.

IF MY FILM IS ACCEPTED AND I LIVE OUTSIDE OF VANCOUVER, WILL THE FESTIVAL PAY FOR MY ACCOMMODATION AND PLANE TICKET?

While we are excited to personally host our filmmakers visiting from out of town, as a non-profit organization, unfortunately, we are currently unable to provide individual contributors’ travel expenses. However, we offer a screening fee for each accepted submission (see above).

DOES MENA ACCEPT SUBMISSION WAIVERS?

As a non-profit organization, we rely upon submission fees to help cover some of the costs of reviewing films. However, we are offering a limited number of submission waivers. To request a waiver, please see above.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Fradj Saif

    Awesome experience, that highlights the global south.

    March 2024
  • incredibly supportive and well-organized festival - y'all are amazing <3 <3 <3

    February 2024
  • Hadi Moussally

    Incredible festival with great selection and communication. Thank you so much for the award!

    February 2024
  • Sara Bahramjahan

    Thank you for amazing festival, I so glad to Childfree is part of Mena film festival.

    December 2022
  • Very grateful and happy to have been a part of MENA. Let me just say, one of the qualities that stood out to me was the genuine kindness of Arman, Anaïs and Mahtab and their communication with us, such an excellent opportunity to showcase my work. Ran by great people. The screening quality was very high, and the films chosen were all wonderful. Loved it! I highly recommend applying to this fest.

    January 2022