The Paris Film Festival (17)

Festival start: 03 July 2027      Festival end: 08 July 2027

For 16 years, we have built an outstanding international reputation for film curation, expert speakers, distinguished judges, and truly useful industry events.

We have become a trailblazing festival in Paris, serving both French short filmmakers looking to export their talent and international filmmakers in search of a genuine festival offering real industry access.

While our name is changing to reflect our evolution, our mission remains exactly the same: to discover outstanding films from around the world, create real and actionable opportunities for filmmakers, and support the making of your next movie.

The next chapter starts now.

Welcome to The Paris Film Festival.

We started the PAMA 16 years ago to mix the American-style entertainment and ambition with the high-quality expectations that French cinema is known for.

Our judges (from Monica Cruz to Mark Dacascos), attending A-list stars (Sharon Stone, Hugo Becker, Melanie Doutey, Samuel Arnold), rising filmmakers and guest speakers (James Morrison, William Baldwin) all joined in for a tradition of mixing talents, whatever your position or recognized accomplishments in our industry.

That mission lives on, and in current times of Hollywood crisis, we strive to be a part of the solution, from networking to insightful panels, from screenings to mentorship.

Our mindset is that we are a network, not a business.
The PAMA is organized by filmmakers for filmmakers.

FILMS WE SCREEN GOT TO THE OSCARS AND MORE

"The Fisherman's Diary" won twice at the PAMA in 2020, and is now selected to the 2021 OSCARS, to represent its country.
"Game Changer" won an OSCAR, his director Aviv Mano then worked on Disney’s COCO and TOY STORY 4 (2018).
"The Wishgranter" won an OSCAR, an EMMY AWARD, and a BAFTA (2016).
"Legacy of Lies" is distributed by Lionsgate (2020).
"Sgt Stubby", an unlikely hero, got a distribution deal at PARAMOUNT (2018).
"Curpigeon" got selected to TRIBECA, won the AMAZON VIDEO DIRECT Film Festival Stars (2016).
"Whisper" screened at FILMQUEST (2015).
"None of That" was STAFF PICK by VIMEO (2015).
Picture credits: Thore Siebrands; David Shankbone; Frédéric Ballart; Georges Biard; Loic Bartolini; Adele Godefroy.

Cash Prizes: 500€

Juried awards are determined through an independent evaluation process led by experienced film industry professionals. Our juries bring together a range of expertise, including studio and production representatives, producers, distributors, cinematographers, editors, writers, music composers, and filmmakers whose work has received significant industry recognition. This diverse professional perspective allows each film to be considered from both creative and technical standpoints, with awards based on the quality, originality, and overall impact of the work.

DATES

Our listed dates are anticipated dates.
Dates may change depending on venues availability and best dates for press promotion.

Our 2026 edition may be in-person.

SUBMISSION & SUBMISSION FEE

We accept all genres and nationalities and language for all international categories.

Work may be entered into more than one category and will be reviewed separately for each category entered. All entries entered into multiple categories will be eligible for recognition in each and will be judged accordingly.

You are allowed to have multiple entries and submit to multiple categories, with the same or different films. Each category requires its own fee.

Entries are non refundable.

Please check the recommended lengths.

We do not provide free submissions.

We do not provide free submissions to movies from Iran.

We sometimes offer discounts : follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

We do not review movie submissions sent directly to us by email, unless we requested it. We only accept online digital submissions via selected platforms.

Each entry and submission category must have its own submission fee. 


Films or pieces submitted to the PAMA must be dated from 2 years maximum before the date of the festival.

If you submitted to the wrong category, contact us (there may be a fee).

If selected, you grant the PAMA the right to utilize any image, excerpt, titles, words you submitted to us, for promotion purposes.

The festival organizers may refuse any illegal, non-artistic, fake, false, incomplete entries.
Each student film submitted has to provide proof of studies. If you do not provide, your entry may not make it to selection and be set to incomplete or end up disqualified.

Animated short films (even student made) must submit to animated category.

Animated features (even student made) must submit to feature category.

A documentary (even student made) must submit to the documentary category, Works in progress are not accepted.

SPOTLIGHT
This is an additionnal category. For consideration, you must submit to the category-ies of your choice and then ad the “Spotlight” category.

Submit to “Spotlight” and you will be considered for our regular live streams (monthly, then weekly all along 2021) destined to promote new submitters and Alumni members.

Being selected to “Spotlight” does not guarantee a selection at the festival, but guarantees your appearance during a live stream before the Festival starts.

If you submit only to the “Weekly Spotlight” category you will not be considered. You must submit to the category of your choice, and ad the “Spotlight” category.

When selected to SPOTLIGHT you'll receive a confirmation email with link and technical details. This is a live show: all instructions must be followed.

Late arrival on the day will have your appearance cancelled, publicly announced, not rescheduled, and your film submission will be disqualified. No refunds.

Submitting to SPOTLIGHT you agree to all the rules listed on this page, including waiving your rights, authorizing the festival and its affiliates and partners to use and broadcast the content created.

OFFERS
Special offers, discounts, invitations do not guarantee a selection.

The 50% discount code 50ACTORS is exclusive to the Best Actress and Best Actor categories. Any other use of this code will be considered fraud and result in an immediate disqualification with no refund.

MATERIAL
You Festhome profile must include :
- your country
- a poster of your project (whether it is a film, a script, or any piece of work. You don’t have one -> We can recommend a couple of designers).
- minimum 5 lines about your project (synopsis)
- a biography of the director or the artist.
- at least 2 pictures from the film with no watermarking.
- a trailer will be used. Your trailer must be on YouTube OR any other platform so we can embed it to our website and to our press releases. If you have no trailer: we can recommend several editors.

If an element goes missing: contact us.

Your Festhome profile must NOT include
- the type of work next to the title of your film.
Examples : “ASTONISHING CLIFF EDGE -Music Video-“ is wrong.
“THE LIFE OF JAMES I a short film by Benny Lugosi” is wrong.
“ASTONISHING CLIFF EDGE” and “THE LIFE OF JAMES” are correct.

The names, title, country and all elements you fill your Festhome profile with will be used if you get selected to the festival. Fill your profile fully and careful.

ALL communications are sent to the email address you provide. The festival is not responsible for any lost communication whatsoever.

Your Festhome profile must provide a direct access to your work (video, film, photo) at all times. If your film or video disappears from your profile, your submission may be set to incomplete or even disqualified, if the incident happens after the official selection.

SOCIAL
We strongly recommend you have a Facebook and/or Twitter and/or Instagram page for your project or film so we can fully promote you.

SCREENINGS
Screenings at movie theaters like the Grand Rex require a DCP. We offer very accessible DCP services via our Paris studio, ask us.
Screenings at other venues require a HD digital file, sent by WeTransfer, following these specifications : .mp4, H264. Films below 5 minutes : less than 500MO. Films 5 to 10 minutes : less than 1G. Films 10 to 30 minutes : less than 2G. Feature films : less than 5G.
NO .mov will be used.

It is your responsibility to provide with the proper screening file, whether this demands a DCP or a special format. If you do not provide, you will be disqualified, regardless you have been nominated or not. Example : the movies CONTACT and AVE MARIANNE in 2018 were disqualified for not providing the files and DCPs.

French subtitles are mandatory for ANY screening film not french speaking that has dialogs by May 30. We may contact you in advance of that date if the selection committee of the festival feels you may provide the subtitles sooner. If you do not provide, your film may be selected, but will not screen, nor win.

ALUMNI NETWORK
The festival management alone validates the past and present Alumni Members. For more on this, please check our website.

DISQUALIFICATION & PLAGIARISM
Over the years, we dealt with some disqualification cases and some rare cases of plagiarism.

If your film raises some concerns about illegal copy or plagiarism, the case will be discussed. You may face public announcement. If the management team feels so, the submission platform will be alerted.

Once the decision of the festival is made on a case, it is definitive. Our decisions are made and remain public.

ATTENDANCE
If you are selected or win, you are expected to attend the festival and the Award Ceremony. If you cannot attend the ceremony, you must find someone in Paris to represent you and claim your award, on stage.

We do not ship trophies.

ACCOMMODATION & TRANSPORTATION
The festival does NOT take care of travel nor accommodation expenses. We provide with a list of serious addresses.

AWARD CEREMONY
Award winners are responsible for picking up (or a representative) trophies or covering the shipping costs if delivered.

SELECTION & NOTIFICATION
We may announce the first nominees before the notification date. This does not mean the selection is complete, this means we may make a first wave of selection to facilitate attendance.

When you receive the first platform update as a selected submission, that means you are selected, and you get an Official Selection Laurel. The selection does not grant a screening in every case, please check our website.

We cannot give each submitter a personal answer regarding their selection.

The selected talents receive an email with a link to the laurel center and all information about the festival.

If you're not selected, your movie status will be updated on Festhome.

SCRIPTS
Accepted scripts are un-produced and produced, if your film is of 2017, 2018 or 2019. If your film is produced, you have to send us the script.

SCORE & SOUNDTRACK
When you submit a score or a soundtrack, we judge the music, not the film, this is why we request music only.

You must then submit with a single .mp3 file within. No other format is accepted.

If your score or soundtrack includes more than one track, please have all the songs / tracks rendered in the same single final bounce as a .mp3 file.
If you submit to score and/or soundtrack with a movie : you will not be considered to this category.

If you want to submit your film as Best Film and the score of your film as Best Score, you must submit two times, with two different profiles.

SPECIFICS
The New Media category includes : Web Series / New Medias / Phone Made / 360° / Extreme GoPro Made / Virtuality / Other special production linked to new media, new technology.

Soundtrack means pre-existing music used in a new film. You must have the rights.

Soundtrack song is a song, with lyrics, composed especially for a film. You may submit the film that includes the song, or the music track itself.
Score is original music composed for a film.

LENGTHS including credits.
- shorts > 30 minutes max, recommended under 15 minutes
- features > 105 minutes max, recommended 80-90 minutes
- music videos > 10 minutes max, recommended is the usual 3-4 minutes
- documentaries > under 15 minutes for short docs, under 85 minutes for feature documentaries.
- experimental and visual arts in motion > under 5 minutes
- animation > under 10 minutes
- scripts : feature > under 120 pages ; shorts > under 10 paDATES & VENUES
All listed dates and anticipated venues are indicative and may evolve depending on local conditions in Paris, venue availability, and optimal timing for press and public engagement.

SUBMISSIONS

We welcome submissions of all genres, formats, languages, and nationalities across our international categories.

Projects may be entered into multiple categories and will be reviewed independently in each. Multiple submissions are allowed, whether for the same or different works. Each category requires a separate submission and fee.

Submission fees are non refundable. Filmmakers are welcome to reach out by email at any time with questions or requests for clarification.

Submissions are accepted exclusively through designated channels. If you wish to submit outside of the standard platforms, please contact us in advance.

We encourage all filmmakers to take advantage of our early deadlines and benefit from lower submission fees. Discounts or special offers may occasionally be available but do not influence selection outcomes.

Discounts and/or fee waivers may be offered to low income filmmakers, festival alumni, participants in recognized partner programs, and applicants facing specific social or humanitarian circumstances, including situations involving displacement, conflict, or human rights concerns. All requests are reviewed on a case by case basis according to written criteria approved by the Board and are subject to a two step review process. Fee waivers or discounts have no bearing on the evaluation or selection of films.

ELIGIBILITY, CATEGORIES & PREMIERE STATUS

For selection in competition, at least Paris premiere status is required for Best International Short, Best French Short, and Best Animated Short Film.

Projects must be submitted to the category that best reflects their format.

**Best International Short**
Narrative, live action short films of 40 minutes or less. Any country except France, genre, format, language, and nationality are eligible. Films must have been completed within the two years preceding the current edition. Paris premiere status is required.

**Best French Short**
Narrative, live action short films of 40 minutes or less. All genres are eligible. Films must be produced in or originate from a Francophone country, and at least 51% of the film’s dialogue must be in French. Films must have been completed within the two years preceding the current edition. Paris premiere status is required.

**Best Animated Short Film**
Animated films of 40 minutes or less. All animation techniques are accepted, excluding generative AI. At least 80% of the film must be animated. Any country is eligible. Films must have been completed within the two years preceding the current edition. Paris premiere status is required.

Accepted techniques include 2D, 3D, CGI, stop motion, rotoscoping, paint on glass and glass drawing, sand animation, pixilation, cutout and collage, and programmed or code based animation, excluding generative AI.

**All Other Categories**
Any country is accepted. Premiere status is preferred but not required.

Student submissions may be asked to provide proof of enrollment.

If a submission is entered in an incorrect category, the festival may adjust the category, or the submitter may request a modification.

COMPLETION DATE

Projects must have been completed within the two years preceding the current edition.

For the 2027 edition, any project completed on or after June 1, 2025, will be eligible for consideration in competition. Older projects may still be submitted but may be selected out of competition.

Works in progress are not accepted.

MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS

Our selection committee conducts thorough reviews and values context about both the project and the filmmaker.

We recommend that your submission profile include:

• Country of origin
• Project poster
• A short synopsis, minimum five lines
• A short biography of the director or artist
• At least three textless still images, with no watermarks, laurels, or logos, and preferably actual screenshots from the film
• A trailer hosted online, such as YouTube or a similar platform, if available

The absence of one or several required or recommended items may result in a submission being marked as incomplete and may cause it to be stopped during the consideration process.

Incomplete or inaccessible materials, such as broken links or corrupted files, may affect consideration. If your online materials change, please update your submission profile accordingly.

If an element is missing, the submission may be marked as incomplete to notify you.

The information and materials provided in your profile may be used for official communications and, if selected, for festival promotion.

LENGTH GUIDELINES

Runtime includes credits.

To compete in the official selection, runtimes are:

• Short films: up to 40 minutes
• Feature films: up to 105 minutes
• Documentaries: under 40 minutes for shorts, under 100 minutes for features
• Animation: under 40 minutes
• Experimental: under 15 minutes
• Music videos: up to 7 minutes
• Scripts: features under 110 pages, shorts under 10 pages

SELECTION & NOTIFICATION

Films are reviewed through the PFF’s established pre screening and programming process.

Selected projects receive an Official Selection laurel along with additional information via email. In some cases, selections may be announced in stages to assist with planning.

Due to the volume of submissions, individual feedback is not provided.

SCREENINGS

Screening formats vary by venue. Some theaters require DCP, while others accept HD digital files with specific technical guidelines. Final requirements and deadlines are communicated to selected participants.

Incomplete or late delivery of materials may affect screening eligibility.

Films not in French that contain dialogue are expected to include burned in French subtitles.

The festival maintains a curatorial standard for public screenings. If submissions within a category do not meet the expected quality level, a screening for that category may not be scheduled.

ATTENDANCE

The festival places strong value on in person participation. Selected filmmakers and award recipients are encouraged to attend screenings and the award ceremony, or to arrange for a representative to attend on their behalf.

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION

Travel and accommodation are not covered. Recommendations for local options may be provided.

SCRIPTS, SCORE & SOUNDTRACK

Scripts may be submitted whether produced or unproduced, provided they meet the applicable eligibility criteria.

For score and soundtrack categories, submissions focus on the music itself. A single .mp3 file is required.

If submitting both a film and its score, each must be entered separately.

RIGHTS & PROMOTION

By submitting, participants authorize the festival to use provided materials, including images, excerpts, and descriptions, for promotional purposes related to the event.

Screenings may be organized at the festival’s discretion, with or without ticketed admission and without revenue sharing.

AWARDS

Awards and/or Official Selection status may be revoked or rescinded by the festival at any time, including, but not limited to, cases involving plagiarism, misconduct, aggression, or disrespect toward the festival, its representatives, staff, filmmakers, guests, or any other individual.

For liability reasons, the festival does not ship awards. PDF versions of certificates will be provided by email.

The use of non official laurels in promotional or public communications may result in the festival declining to promote, share, collaborate on, or support the project’s promotional content.

If inaccurate or unauthorized laurels continue to be used after the festival has provided reasonable notice and guidelines, the project and submission may be removed from the festival program, and all Official Selection benefits may be revoked. Public disqualifications will be published.

Any unlawful, misleading, fraudulent, or biased use of the festival membership letter may be referred to the festival’s legal representative.

GENERAL TERMS

The festival reserves the right to decline incomplete or ineligible submissions.

In rare cases involving rights or originality concerns, submissions may be reviewed and addressed accordingly.

All decisions made by the festival are final.ages
- score and soundtrack > submit your MUSIC ONLY. No length limit.

We accept short movies, feature, short script/screenplay, feature script/screenplay, drama, horror, fantasy, comedy, web-series, documentary, animation, student, music video, experimental...