Under the theme “MIRRORS: Beyond Reflection,” the 2nd AFI International Animal Film Festival explores the possibility of coexistence by reflecting the relationship between humans and animals.
“Beyond Reflection” goes beyond simply mirroring reality—it is an invitation to imagine new ways of living together. It re-examines the interconnected world of all living beings and encourages us to envision a shared future.
Selected films from the International Competition Section will be officially invited for offline screening at ODC26 (June 2026).
The 2026 AFI Awards is AFI’s official awards program that highlights creativity, technology, and ideas shaping a future where humans and animals coexist.
The program consists of three independent categories:
AFI Film Award
AFI GIC Award (details to be announced)
AFI Tech Award (details to be announced)
Films selected in the International Competition Section will be eligible for the AFI Film Awards, with the following prizes:
???? Awards & Prizes
AFI Prize (Grand Prize) – KRW 500,000
NAMs Award (Best Film) – KRW 300,000
Curie Award (Excellence Award) – KRW 200,000
The AFI Film Awards recognize outstanding works that artistically explore the relationship between humans and animals, respect for life, and visions of coexistence.
We welcome creators who imagine a world where all beings can live together.
The 2nd AFI International Animal Film Festival Official Website
[International Competition – Key Dates]
Submission Period: April 16 – May 31, 2026
Official Selection Announcement: June 12, 2026
(via official SNS & individual notification)
[Festival Dates & Venue]
Dates: September 17 – September 19, 2026
Venue: Pie Factory (Exit 2, Children’s Grand Park Station)
441, Gwangnaru-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, South Korea
[How to Submit]
→ Submit via Google Form (application + screener link)
[Eligibility Requirements]
1. Theme: Works addressing respect for life, coexistence, environmental issues, animal rights, or any story reflecting “a world where all beings live together”
2. No restrictions on production year, genre, or running time
3. English subtitles are required
4. The submitter must hold copyright and editing rights
5. Previous screenings at other festivals are allowed
[Contact]
→ raccoon@afinitiative.org
A festival born from creativity
In this second edition, we once again chose to focus on what inspires us most: talent. As part of a creative exercise within the Art Direction course, fourth-year Animation students, guided by our director Blanca Bonet, immersed themselves in a process of exploration full of references, concepts, and possibilities. From that journey, several proposals emerged, which were first voted on by the students themselves and ultimately gave rise to this year’s concept and official poster.
The inspiration for this edition comes from nature: those wild yet mythical worlds that inhabit our collective imagination. References such as Princess Mononoke helped us understand the relationship between the magical and the ancestral, between stone-carved figures that seem to belong to a culture yet to be discovered, and the inevitable question of who, or what being, could have created such extraordinary structures.
The invitation behind this concept is clear: step into this forest with us, lose yourself among its shapes, and let yourself be surprised as you discover the incredible talents that will bring the festival to life.
11th EUREKA UNIVERSITY FILM FESTIVAL 2026
Eureka University Film Festival is a cinematic event primarily organized by students from Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, in collaboration with students from different universities across the country and other professionals.
After 10 years, we have decided to give EUREKA a new direction, reimagining it for this eleventh edition. We aim to expand our horizons regarding filmmaking, both in its forms and creative intentions. In this edition, we are looking for honest cinema that connects with an emotional and/or spiritual need of the human experience.
Without limiting ourselves exclusively to university cinema, we are interested in works with a clear intention to tell their own stories.
We are seeking short films that respond to the question:
“How do we inhabit the unknown?”
We are drawn to films that explore this question in a creative, experimental, and narrative way, through belief, fear, and dreams, with the intention of creating a distinct atmosphere in each screening.
DICFF is about celebrating comedy in film.
So often comedy is overlooked in favour of drama. Drama is in fact easier to write, direct and perform.
Comedy is much more difficult and you know if you've succeeded or failed by how many laughs you get!
So, DICFF is here to ensure comedy gets it's due. We want to support our comedic storytellers and celebrate your craft.
The 12th Carabanchel Short Film Festival at Tarambana is a showcase of short films open to all Spanish production companies with short films made in 2025-2026. This includes production companies and filmmakers with limited resources and budgets (including short films made on mobile devices, for example).
The short films will be screened at Sala Tarambana in July 2026 on Thursday the 16th, Friday the 17th, Saturday the 18th, and Sunday the 19th. All screenings will begin at 8:30 pm. The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday the 22nd at 8:30 pm, where the various prizes will be presented.
Berriozar Films Kultural “Lantzeluze” announces the XVIII Edition of the “International Festival of Social Themed Short Films” in Berriozar, which will take place from October 14th to 17th, 2026.
Category:
Single category. Social theme.
The festival had its first edition in 2013 and has been organized annually since then by Associação Cultural Periferias in Portugal and Gato Pardo in Spain.
The project was born from a citizen initiative, supported by the municipality of Marvão from the beginning, and grew thanks to the support of diverse sponsors and collaborators.
Meanwhile, a new step was taken with the inclusion of Valencia de Alcântara (Spain) on the Festival map, thanks to the interest and involvement of the local government, Filmoteca de Extremadura and Diputación de Cáceres.
It is the intention of the organizers to contribute to an effective cultural decentralization.
We want to make accessible goods and services traditionally concentrated in big cities and which hardly reach rural populations.
EYESIGHT
We believe that it is possible, with this strategy, to locally implement a film culture that, in the medium term, allows for the creation of a more conscious audience endowed with a plural thinking that promotes contact with art, not only as a space for leisure, but as a critical thinking platform that reflects and interacts with today's world.
The organization of the festival, with all the activities and logistics involved, constitutes a significant boost to economic activity in the most diverse areas.
We offer an opportunity for the promotion and dissemination of local products and brands. We create conditions to attract tourism flows, especially tourism that is more committed to cultural and ecological aspects.
We contribute to the local, national and international dissemination of the brand and socio-cultural identity of the municipalities of Marvão and Valencia de Alcântara.
An important milestone for the International Humorous Short Film Festival State aKorti, between laughter and the other, we arrived at the 19th Edition
The show, as always, is open to film makers and directors of all nationalities. Participation is free.
It's India's one of the prestigious film festivals. aims to support and encourage budding Indie-filmmakers & low-budget filmmakers.
This section will showcase short films, feature films, Indie-web projects, documentaries, etc. Specially designed to help Indie-filmmakers/Documentary filmmakers. It also helps to place projects to the audience by providing sales support & distribution support.
Cuenca International Film Festival 2026
Where the world's stories find their echo in the Andes.
The Cuenca International Film Festival (FICC) is one of the pioneering film events in Ecuador. With more than twenty years of history, it has become a strategic meeting point for international filmmakers, producers, distributors, and programmers, consolidating Cuenca as an epicenter of cinema in Latin America.
Throughout its history, the FICC has featured important figures, names that reaffirm the festival's mission to build bridges between the global industry and local narratives.
In 2022, the festival expanded its reach with the creation of Shortfest Cuenca, a platform specialized in short films that functions as a laboratory for narrative innovation and the discovery of new talent, thus consolidating its role in the international film ecosystem.
Competitive Sections 2026
• Latin American Feature Film Competition (a window to the region's cinema).
• International Feature Film Competition (works over 40 minutes, all themes, genres, and styles).
• International Short Film Competition (a space for experimentation and new voices).
• National Short Film Competition – Ecuador and Cuenca (a development engine for the local industry).
Non-Competitive Sections
• Fantastic Visions: dedicated to genre, fantasy, and horror films.
• Cinema and Human Rights: with a focus on ecology, feminism, and social justice, responding to the most pressing debates of our time.
FICC 2026 – A Platform for the Industry
The festival is not only an exhibition space, but also a networking and co-production platform, connecting Ecuadorian and Latin American cinema with international players: producers, distributors, platforms, and allied festivals.
Cuenca: City of Cinema
FICC 2026 will be held in July in the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, Cuenca is transformed each year into a living cinematic stage, where tradition and modernity intertwine at every screening.
Vent del Nord – Film Festival is the festival of the Puig de les Basses prison.
This festival will aim to choose the favorite short film rated by the inmates.
The selected ones will be chosen by a small group conformed of film lovers, and the winner will be chosen by the audience of inmates attending during the final day show.
Biophilia is a concept based on respect and love for life and living beings.
Our essence is hidden in the earth, inside everything converges, an infinite cycle that reveals being: sprouting, intertwining, flourishing, and later, being a seed that fell to germinate again. We celebrate the connection of man with the earth, and how from this link, we are able to perceive and build our surroundings, recognize ourselves in the gaze of the other, or ignore a little about our being.
The festival activities will take place in the month of November, we will carry out face-to-face and online activities creating links in trhee states of Mexico: the State of Mexico, Mexico City.
We receive cinematographic and audiovisual works that address the following concepts:
Biophilia, ecology, nature, native peoples, traditions, collective memory, cosmogony and rituals. The extension is free as well as the genres: fiction, non-fiction, animation, experimental and hybrids.
International categories
Germans
Shorts under 59 seconds
Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid genres
Sap
Videoclip
Between 1 and 8 minutes
Cortex
Fiction, animation and experimental short films
Under 29 minutes
Xilema
Experimental short films
Under 29 minutes
Root
Non-fiction short films and hybrid genres
Under 29 minutes
Rhizome
Medium and feature films
Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid genres
Between 30 minutes and 150 minutes
National category
Seed
Emerging Mexican filmmakers
Fiction, documentary, animation, experimental and hybrid genres
Under than 20 minutes
Complementary to the exhibitions and programming, workshops will be given and there will be talks and master classes with specialists in cinematography, these activities will be carried out online and in person (if pandemic conditions allow it), and are planned for attendees and the interested public. , seeking to promote new authors. As well as special activities for the authors of the winning short films in each category and the honorable mentions.
D Golden Protagonist is built on the belief that cinema has the power to spark imagination, provoke dialogue, and connect cultures. Rooted in Malta yet open to global voices, it welcomes filmmakers who craft stories shaped by bold vision, emotional depth, and unforgettable characters. The initiative creates a space where creative minds can meet, experiment, and challenge one another, nurturing a community that values both artistic risk and refined craft.
Our mission is to cultivate a platform that elevates distinctive storytelling and celebrates filmmakers who push narrative and visual boundaries. Each year, D Golden Protagonist highlights works that ignite conversation, bridge diverse perspectives, and expand what cinema can mean to audiences today. It is a home for creators who believe in the transformative power of film and the lasting impact of a protagonist who stays with you long after the credits roll.
“Vôti Véi” is a typical expression from the city of Araçatuba and its surrounding region, in the countryside of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, used to express astonishment and surprise.
VÔTI VÉI! The Araçatuba International Fantastic Film Festival is dedicated to films within the fantastic genre, including fantasy, horror, and science fiction. The festival features competitive short film sections and special screenings of feature films, bringing together Brazilian and international productions.
The event will take place from August 20 to 23, 2026, at Teatro Castro Alves, in Araçatuba – SP, Brazil. It is the first festival dedicated to fantastic cinema in the Araçatuba region.
TAF, Thessaloniki Animation Festival is an international Animation Festival in Greece which promotes the art of animation through its annual gathering in October. The festival was founded, established and directed by ADDART; a non profit organization that "adds" art & culture everywhere. The creators of the festival are artists themselves, filled with love for the art of animation. Based in the heart of Thessaloniki, TAF aims to encourage and promote all aspects of creativity by hosting local as well as international events and activities for kids and adults alike!
TAF is the only Animation festival in town and every year it grows bigger. We like to showcase innovating films, guests, workshops and Master Classes to Thessaloniki in a great venue and award them for their inspiration and technique!
TAF is a festival free of entrance with a no-fee policy for the filmmakers.
The International Film Festival of the Central University (FICUC) and the Central University’s film program are once again present to invite students, alumni, and the public to the ninth edition of FICUC.
This year’s vision will be an invitation to reflect on a cinema that embraces Latin American diversity, rather than pursuing a model tailored to satisfy those colonial perspectives that seek to dictate what cinema in our continent should be.
The ninth edition of FICUC opens its call for submissions to all types of national and Latin American short films created during academic periods at the undergraduate, graduate, master’s level, etc. Likewise, short films produced outside academic periods will be accepted, provided they are certified by the participants’ university (such as creation labs, research groups, etc.). In the same way, Colombian feature films that align with the curatorial line will also be accepted.
The 27th Kinoarte Film Festival, to be held from October 30th to November 8th, is receiving applications for its competitive sessions of short films. Films up to 25 minutes long, produced from January 2025 may participate in the Ibero-American, National, Paranaense and Londrinense competitions.
Patrofest is a film festival where you can participate to see your work on the big screen and spend a relaxing time talking about cinema. We want to give a push to young authors who are taking their first steps in this world.
The festival will be held in the emblematic modernist theater "El Patronat", located in the old town of Premià de Mar.
The Lebanese Independent Film Festival (LIFF) is an independent festival born in Lebanon, the land of diversity. It emerges from the Mediterranean region and aims to reach a global audience.
The vision of the LIFF is to establish Lebanon as a center for local and international filmmakers to share global perspectives as well as independent thoughts to a large audience through film.
The mission of the LIFF is to promote independent film culture and encourage its development.
It is a platform to support and display the work of artists and filmmakers; a networking event that will bring together international and local professionals along with festivalgoers in a beautiful setting.
Its goal is to enhance cultural growth. With independent films and panels on various topics addressed to a diverse audience, the festival will ensure the promotion of diversity and present an alternative healing tool for the Lebanese society.
It also aims to attract a broader audience and make the festival accessible to those interested in movies but that may live in farther regions.
The LIFF Lebanese Independent Film Festival is in partnership with A Night Of Misfit Films Film Festival Arizona-USA, CIFF The Canadian Independent Film Festival and the Fantasy Film Festival Paris-France.
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