We have compiled a list of 10 film festivals in North America which have proved their mettle in the years gone by and are still worth every penny that they charge.
If you want to submit your films to festivals in Asia, Australia and Africa, you can check this article out :
Here’s the complete list (click a link to know more about that particular film festival):
- Sundance Film Festival
- Toronto International Film Festival
- SXSW Film Festival
- Tribeca Festival
- Slamdance Film Festival
- Austin Film Festival
- Vancouver International Film Festival
- Festival Du Nouveau Cinema
- Ann Arbor Film Festival
- Telluride Film Festival
So let’s just jump right into it, starting with Sundance Film Festival.
Important!
All fees and schedules are as of 2023 and are subject to change. Please visit the official websites for correct information.
1. Sundance Film Festival
- Festival Location – Park City, Utah, USA
- Typical Festival Month – January
- Typical Deadline Month – September
- Fees – $90
- Year Established – 1978
- Website – Sundance Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The Mecca of independent cinema, Sundance Film Festival needs no introduction as such. Taking place in the scenic Sundance Resort, this is the largest independent independent film festival in USA. It is organized by Sundance Institute, founded by actor Robert Redford, who took over the dying U.S. Film Festival and turned it around.
They promote independent artists all around the world and also organizes spin-off festivals in London and Asia. So Sundance is everywhere, and if you are in Sundance you’ll have the chances of reaching everywhere, as is very evident from its Oscar presence.
It has given the platform to a lot of first-time directors and films which did not have any backing like Reservoir Dogs, American Psycho and The Usual Suspects to name a few.
2. Toronto International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Typical Festival Month – September
- Typical Deadline Month – May
- Fees – $135
- Year Established – 1976
- Website – Toronto International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
With a mission statement to ‘Transform the way people see the world through film’, the Toronto International Film Festival or TIFF is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals of the world.
It has been acknowledged by the media of being second only to Cannes in terms of raw star power that the event witnesses and also straight up being the most influential festival currently, based on the impact that it has on the Oscar ‘buzz’. This has been noted as the recipients of its People’s Choice Award, an award based on audience balloting, have gone on to win various other accolades in the awards season.
Some of these multiple award winning films which were first showcased at TIFF are Jojo Rabbit, Black Swan, 127 Hours and American Beauty.
3. SXSW Film Festival
- Festival Location – Austin, Texas, USA
- Typical Festival Month – March
- Typical Deadline Month – October
- Fees – $110
- Year Established – 1987
- Website – SXSW Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
SXSW, an abbreviation for South by Southwest in an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, music festivals and conferences.
A very integral part of this festival are the conferences and talks that it hosts by renowned artists in their respective fields. So priceless knowledge can really be something that you might take home with you, apart from their awards. Big studios also take this festival’s response as a barometer for judging the impact of their comedies.
Some of the films that premiered here and have gone on to make it big are 21 Jumpstreet, A Quiet Place and the recent phenomena Everything Everywhere All at Once.
4. Tribeca Festival
- Festival Location – New York City, USA
- Typical Festival Month – June
- Typical Deadline Month – April
- Fees – $85
- Year Established – 1995
- Website – Tribeca Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff to boost the economy of Lower Manhattan after the terror attacks of September 2001, Tribeca Festival has quickly made itself to be an important pit stop in the US festival circuit.
It is connected to the Tribeca Institute which supports and promotes young and independent filmmakers across the globe. It also has a section called Tribeca Immersive which is at the forefront of showcasing immersive reality projects to the world.
Some of the huge films that have premiered here are Begin Again, Inception and The Divine Order.
5. Slamdance Film Festival
- Festival Location – Park City, Utah, USA
- Typical Festival Month – January
- Typical Deadline Month – August
- Fees – $85
- Year Established – 2002
- Website – Slamdance Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
Founded by a group of friends after they had been unsuccessful in their attempts to submit their films to Sundance, this was made for even more DIY filmmakers who have the vision and who stop at nothing to put it out to the world.
This festival gives a lot of regard to first time filmmakers and to experimental cinema in general, applauding the genuinely good and independent work out there.
Some of the films that were first showcased here are Paranormal Activity, The Dirties and Fishing Without Nets.
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6. Austin Film Festival
- Festival Location – Austin, Texas, USA
- Typical Festival Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – May
- Fees – $70
- Year Established – 1994
- Website – Austin Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
Happening in the home town of indie wizard Richard Linklater, Austin Film Festival is another very popular film festival of America which attracts both independent and established directors from all over the world.
A special feature of this festival is the emphasis it puts on screenwriting by holding their very prestigious screenwriting competition which attracts scripts from talented writers all across the globe. Another great event that they have are conferences which have educational sessions and workshops, which have proven to be very valuable to aspiring filmmakers who have the chance of reaching there.
This festival has also seen a lot of films premiere here which have gone on to become very big internationally, notably Boyhood, Juno, Silver Linings Playbook and Nightcrawler.
7. Vancouver International Film Festival
- Festival Location – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Typical Festival Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – April
- Fees – $55
- Year Established – 1958
- Website – Vancouver International Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
One of the oldest film festival of the world, the Vancouver International Film Festival is among the five largest film festivals of North America.
They put special emphasis on East Asian cinema and films by the indigenous communities, making it one of the few festivals to specifically have competitions for them. The VIFF industry exchange is also a huge opportunity for filmmakers all around the world to network and find distribution for their films.
8. Festival Du Nouveau Cinema
- Festival Location – Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Typical Festival Month – October
- Typical Deadline Month – March
- Fees – $40
- Year Established – 1971
- Website – Festival Du Nouveau Cinema
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
An Oscar qualifying festival for short films, the Festival Du Nouveau Cinema is an independent festival which puts special emphasis on innovative, experimental and boundary pushing cinema.
It also appreciates the new technology coming into cinema embracing and exploring newer mediums of storytelling like virtual reality and augmented reality.
9. Ann Arbor Film Festival
- Festival Location – Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States
- Typical Festival Month – March
- Typical Deadline Month – September
- Fees – $40
- Year Established – 1963
- Website – Ann Arbor Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
The oldest experimental film festival, the Ann Arbor Film Festival continues to one of the most welcoming places for the experimental filmmaker in you.
They have a very diverse programming curating various themes and genres including abstract films, narrative experiments, documentary essays and multimedia installations.
They also engage with the local communities by organizing workshops and panel discussions which help them gain an insight into the world of experimental cinema.
10. Telluride Film Festival
- Festival Location – Telluride, Colorado, United States
- Typical Festival Month – September
- Typical Deadline Month – July
- Fees – $95
- Year Established – 1974
- Website – Telluride Film Festival
- Mandatory Subtitle Language – English
This festival happens between Cannes and Toronto and thus witnesses some of the more glamorous premieres of the world. There is an informal rule that the films being showcased here should be at least American Premieres.
Some of the most famous premieres that have happened here are Brokeback Mountain, Mullholand Drive and Moonlight.
So this brings us to the end of North America’s film festival circuit. If you want to know about the top festivals in Europe please do check this article out.
Hope this article helped you in making some tough choices. Do let me know when you send a film to one of these or also if you think I’ve missed an important festival from this list.
Stay tuned for more practical and useful filmmaking tips. Adios!
