Our Festival
Rio de Janeiro World Film Festival
We are a dedicated team of filmmakers and cinephiles wishing to create a forum for quality short-length cinematic works from all around the world.
On the one hand, short-form filmmaking is an often sidelined art form. Delivering concise and meaningful storytelling in a small package requires creativity and determination. On the other hand , independent is the key word for the festvial as it is founded by independent film professionals and focuses on independent artists in cinema, from all over the world. The festvial aims at recognizing, showcasing and spreading-out the most professional, most innovative, and most interesting fresh short international films, while always prioritizing independent short films.
These are also our guiding principles. We wish to celebrate creativity and determination in short-length filmmaking. So send us your ambitious and original short projects and let us help you reach an even wider audience.
The festvial is a seasonal competition. All the seasonal award winners can be further selected for the annual online festvial. The winners of each year can also request for promotion and screening of films.
Films do not have to screen in our seasonal edition for the public and are screened privately through programmers and members of the jury who will select the best of each category every season. This allows the filmmakers to compete without losing their premier status in other festivals. However, all the official selections have the option to promote and screen films through our Channel.
Awards
The festival program will consist of international short films of different genres. All styles, genres and languages are welcome. Our team of judges, who come from filmmaking and academic backgrounds, will select the best films to screen for the audience.
Submission
The time has come. Start your FilmFestival now.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to showcase in the best possible way your film, to spread the news about it and experience a joyful festival atmosphere then Rio de Janeiro Film Festival is what you need. You can do the submission through Filmfreeway..
Rules & Terms
✓ All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles (if in a different language).
✓ All films must have been made in or after 2025.
✓ Short films must not exceed 30 minutes.
✓ Filmmakers are responsible for sorting out the copyright on their own materials.
✓ Nominations: These are all the films that have been nominated for an award in a category. This doesn’t mean that they are yet a selected film of the festvial. Few of the winner projects will be selected for the annual online event.
Official Selection: These are all the winner films selected for annual online event , which will be notified via email. If you received a Nomination email, but no Official Selection email, it means your film will not be screened, but is still a contender for an award in its category.
Award Winners: Chosen from the Nominations (which includes the Official Selection).
✓ We may promote clips from your film on social media, based on the press kits you provide us with.
✓ We retain the right to change the date of the online annual event under special circumstances. All filmmakers will be informed about any changes through email and our online platforms.
✓ We place no restrictions on your work in terms of premiere status or whether your work has been made available online.
✓ Any technical issues with the submitted films are 100% the responsibility of the filmmakers. If, at the time of judging, your video file doesn’t work or doesn’t have English subtitles (if in a language other than English), it will be automatically rejected, without a refund. Please contact the festival team ASAP if there are any issues with the submission process, and a solution will be found.
✓ We cannot provide refunds.
✓ If you have submitted your project in the previous year, please do not resubmit the same project to current edition.
✓ By submitting to us you agree to our terms and conditions and to receiving marketing newsletters and discounts about film festivals in the form of emails.
✓ We reserve the right to update our terms and conditions.
Reviews
Small Moments, Real Impact
Thank you so much for selecting my film "Rosso improvviso" for the Semifinals: I'm proud and happy! Thanks again and have a great day, Patrizia Masi
Patrizia Masi
Thank you, Rio de Janeiro World Film Festival for giving my Freedom script the attention it needed.
Anita Waggoner
Thank you, Rio de Janeiro World Film Festival for giving my Freedom script the attention it needed.
Bea de Visser
What a wonferful experience to be awarded with an Ucranian film doc in Brazil Rio de Janeiro World film !
Pepi ROMAGNOLI
Amazing Festival.. Many thanks to the organizers and the jury for honor be part of the festival and certainly for the Semi-Finalist for our film.
Liora Bronshtein