The Main International Film Festivals
A Calendar of the World’s Principal Movie-Screening Events
Jun 2, 2009
Exact numbers differ significantly, but it is estimated that there are currently between 1,000 and 2,500 film festivals held every year. At the conservative end of the scale, this averages over 80 per month. Even film festival devotees would have trouble attending a fraction of these. To make planning easier, below is a list of the principal international film festivals taking place each month.
January
Sundance is held every year for ten days in Park City, Utah. Established in 1985, it is regarded as the premier American showcase for national and international movies.
February
The annual Berlin International Film Festival is also known as the Berlinale. Over a two-week period up to 400 movies are screened, ranging from mainstream and independent films to German productions and shorts.
March
The South by South West (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is as much a film festival as it is a marketplace for working filmmakers and industry pros. Held in Austin, Texas it showcases around 150-200 of the best independent films produced in the previous year.
April/May
Started in 2001 and held annually for 12 days in April and May, Tribeca is a relative baby compared to many other major film festivals. Founded by Robert de Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff shortly after 9/11, its aim was to revitalize the lower Manhattan district where the terrorist attacks had taken place. Despite its youth, however, visitors to this up-and-coming festival have already topped two million.
Held each May in southern France, Cannes is arguably the world’s most prestigious film festival, and the stars’ arrival on the red carpet is almost as highly anticipated as the movies themselves.
June
Moscow International Film Festival dates back to 1959. It was originally held every second year, alternating with the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, but has been annual since 1999. The festival’s top prize is the Golden George, a statuette of Saint George slaying the dragon, the same image that appears on Moscow’s Coat of Arms.
July
The Karlovy Vary Film Festival in Prague, the Czech Republic has been through some bumpy times since its inception in 1946, the result of political upheaval, financial troubles and falling visitor numbers. However, a management reorganization, inspired programming and some high-profile guests, including Salma Hayek, Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone, have breathed new life into the festival over the past decade or so, making it an important cinematic event in Central and Eastern Europe.
August/September
The Locarno Film Festival is held in the Swiss town of the same name. Situated between the French, German and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland, the festival tries to reflect its unique position in its open-minded, often highly original choice of films. One of the highlights is the open-air screenings on the vast Piazza Grande which can hold 8,000 people.
Held in late August or early September, the Venice International Film Festival is the world’s oldest. The award given to the best actor and actress is the Volpi Cup, named after Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata who founded the festival in 1932.
What started out in 1976 as a 'festival of festivals', screenings of a selection of movies from other festivals, has grown into the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the world's largest cinematic events and arguably North America's answer to Cannes.
October
The United Kingdom’s largest independent film festival, Raindance runs in Central London for 12 days in late September or early October. An offshoot of the Raindance filmmaking school, it aims to support new indie filmmakers as well as providing a platform for established directors. Films that premiered at the festival and went on to find success include Memento and Oldboy.
November
The Argentine Mar del Plata was established in 1954. It is now one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals in South America, but difficult economic and political periods in the country over the last half century meant the festival could not take place every year. It is currently approaching its 24th edition.
December
The International Film Festival of Kerala is held each year in Kerala, India. Another relatively young film festival, started in 1996, it is nonetheless regarded as one of the leading events of its kind in India. Movies submitted to the competition are restricted to those produced in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
An extensive list of international film festivals can be found on Britfilms.com.
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