Join Us for the Dallas International Film Festival 2026, April 23-April 30, 2026!
DIFF 2026, the 20th annual Dallas International Film Festival, will screen the best narrative and documentary features and short films from across the globe.
The 20th annual Dallas International Film Festival doesn’t just screen films. The interaction between story tellers, audiences and the Texas community is what we strive to develop both during the festival and throughout the year.
DIFF 2026 is a global adventure that features premiere screenings, nightly red carpets, eye-opening documentaries, intriguing short films, filmmaker panels, award presentations, daily filmmaker happy hours, and an enhanced filmmaker hospitality program that includes city tours and a Festival Lounge where filmmakers, screenwriters, film industry leaders, celebrities, sponsors, and our audience can all come together to discuss film.
DIFF supports the beginning and end of the creative filmmaking process from script to screen. DIFF partners with Event Horizon Films to host an annual screenwriting competition where writers can submit their shorts, features or TV pilot scripts. The DIFF Screenplay Competition has been featured by Final Draft, recognized by Script magazine, and named a top "15 Submission-Worthy Screenwriting Competition” by MovieMaker magazine. All scripts are reviewed fully by readers currently working at top representation companies with the potential to get signed at any time. Advancing scripts are read and judged by Oscar winners, Emmy winners and/or blockbuster screenwriters. Winning screenwriters are exposed to high-profile industry experts and receive a variety of networking opportunities and prizes, including a live table read performance of their script at the festival.
We invite you to add your voice to the conversation. At DIFF, filmmakers are invited to the festival to participate in a variety of programs, Q&A sessions, and a series of panel discussions, including sessions with Dallas area high schools, in which filmmakers have the opportunity to discuss their work and careers with a new generation of content creators.
2026 DIFF PROGRAMMING STRANDS:
Narrative Feature Competition
Documentary Feature Competition
Short Film Competition
Texas Competition
Animated Short Competition
Premiere Screenings
Latino Cinema Showcase
DEEP ELLUM SOUNDS (Music Films)
Music Video Competition
Family Films
Faith Based Films
Environment and Sustainability Films
GAME ON (Sports Films)
Indigenous Films
Health Issues and Health-Related Films
Special Presentations
Table Read Performances
Filmmakers of selected films are invited to the Festival to participate in a variety of programs. Question and answer sessions after screenings are well attended and lively, and panel discussions are held throughout the Festival.
The Festival is the signature presentation of DIFF (Dallas Film Society, Inc.), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2006 “to celebrate films and their impact on society; to honor filmmakers and recognize their achievements and contribution in enhancing the creative community; to provide educational programs to students to develop better understanding of the role of film in today’s world; and to promote the City of Dallas and its commitment to the art of filmmaking".
This commitment of the early founders to the art of film and the artists who are its creators continues to guide the organization today. In addition, through curation of the broadest range of expression through film, DIFF is committed to serving as the region’s most powerful platform for diverse, emerging and underrepresented voices. Throughout its history – before DEI was a familiar acronym – DIFF has demonstrated consistent commitment to providing accessible, inclusive, immersive, educational, and entertaining film experiences for all. It is the vision of DIFF that, by promoting wide and thoughtful expression through film, our organization can help foster human connection and greater appreciation for our common humanity and our rich diversity.
