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Festival Alert: March '23

Festivals on the nonfiction horizon, open for you to submit to!

Video Consortium

The Video Consortium March 15th, 2023
Festival Alert: March '23

VCers, we want to see your work make it out into the world. Just for you, a monthly list of some impactful film festivals open (and opening) to submission.



  • Cannes Film Awards 🎟️ is open to submissions until Mar. 10th 2023 (shorts) or Mar. 24th 2023 (features).


  • Filmmakers challenging definitions of what a documentary can be, pushing boundaries between art and technology, this one’s for you. The IDFA DocLab 🥼is open for submissions for the 2023 Festival. More info here! Deadline: March 24th, 2023.



  • Doclisboa International Film Festival seeks to imagine reality through new cinematic forms of perception, reflection and action. 👁️🪞🎬 Now you can be a part of that too. Submit and see your film screened in Portugal! First Deadline: March 31st, 2023.


  • The 20th edition of the Reykjavík International Film Festival will take place between September 28th and October 8th, 2023. Submit now to make the Early Bird Deadline: March 31st, 2023


  • Submit to Toronto International Film Festival before the early bird deadline! Early Bird Deadline March 31st. Standard Deadline May 12th.


  • Submissions for Odense International Film Festival, an academy-award qualifying week-long festival in Denmark 🦢 , are open to filmmakers of all genres. Deadline: Apr. 1st, 2023.


  • DOC NYC 2023 🍎 , one of America’s largest film festivals, is open for submissions! Submit now and expect to hear back from them in September. Deadline: April 3rd, 2023.



  • Portland Film Festival 🚲🎞️ has a variety of prizes and opportunities available for documentarians. Hungry for one of them? Well then, prepare your submission! Deadline: April 5th, 2023.


  • HollyShorts Film Festival has been around for 19 years and offers filmmakers thousands of dollars worth of prizes. 💵 Submit your documentary film today. Deadline: Apr. 7th, 2023.


  • Raindance Film Festival is looking for the very best in film from the UK and around the world. Could that be you? 🗺️ (PS. Early deadlines have the cheapest submission fees.) Early deadline: Apr. 10th, 2023.


  • Woman-identifying filmmaker? Submit to Female Eye Film Festival. Deadline: April 14th, 2023.


  • The Champs-Élysées Film Festival is one of the most popular events for independent French and American filmmakers. Submit your film today. 🥐 Deadline: Apr. 23rd, 2023.



  • The History Film Festival is looking for documentaries that confirm how exciting history can be while still promoting diversity, tolerance, intercultural dialogue and reconciliation. 🏺📜 Extended Deadline: April 30th, 2023.



  • Want to share your independent film with South Africans, and screen in cities like Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town? Lucky for you, the SA Independent Film Fest is open for submissions! Early Bird Deadline: April 31st, 2023.



✌️ Want to share your film with the rest of the VC community? Send an email or submit here to screen at an upcoming local gathering or get featured in Field Notes or on social.

The Video Consortium, by and for documentary filmmakers and visual journalists, is rapidly expanding across the globe. Follow along on social, sign up for our newsletter, attend upcoming events — events are FREE for VC Gold members! — and find collaborators near you. Meanwhile, drop the team a line if you're interested in bringing VC to your own community or if you have ideas for new workshops, initiatives, or the like.
As a 501(c)3-registered nonprofit, VC depends on your generosity and support to keep our programs running; support the future of nonfiction video with your tax deductible donation today. ❤️

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