2026 Academy Awards Qualifying Film Festival List

Here is the Qualifying Film Festival List for the upcoming Academy Awards.

2026 Academy Awards Qualifying Film Festival List Top Entries

#21
The Beirut Shorts International Film Festival (Beirut Shorts) is an annual event dedicated to celebrating short films.
#22
The Bengaluru International Short Film Festival (BISFF) is a prominent annual event dedicated to celebrating the art of short filmmaking.
#23
The Berlin International Film Festival, commonly known as Berlinale, is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals, renowned for its artistic excellence and political relevance.
#24
The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, established in 2003, is the largest documentary film festival in the American West, showcasing over 150 nonfiction films and supporting filmmakers worldwide.
#25
The BitBang International Animation Festival, established in 2014, is a premier event held annually in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
#26
The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual event celebrating the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and global Indigenous communities.
#27
Bogoshorts is an annual international film festival held in Bogotá, Colombia, dedicated to celebrating the art of short filmmaking.
#28
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) is a world-renowned British institution dedicated to celebrating excellence in film, television, and video games.
#29
The BronzeLens Film Festival (BLFF) is an annual event held in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to celebrating the work of filmmakers of color.
#30
The Brussels Short Film Festival (BSFF) is an annual international event dedicated to celebrating the art of short filmmaking.
#31
The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) is an annual event held in Bucheon, South Korea, dedicated to celebrating genre cinema, with a special focus on fantasy, horror, science fiction, and thrillers.
#32
The Busan International Short Film Festival (BISFF) is one of Asia's premier platforms dedicated to celebrating short films.
#33
The Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) is one of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the Arab world, founded in 1976.
#34
The Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) is a premier annual event in Calgary, Canada, established in 2000 to celebrate cinematic excellence and promote both Canadian and international films.
#35
The Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) is a renowned annual event held in Camden, Maine, dedicated to showcasing innovative non-fiction storytelling.
#36
The Canadian Screen Awards (CSA) is the premier awards event celebrating excellence in Canadian film, television, and digital media.
#37
The Cannes Film Festival, established in 1946, is one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, renowned for showcasing groundbreaking films and celebrating artistic excellence in global cinema.
#38
The Cartagena de Indias International Film Festival (FICCI) is the oldest film festival in Latin America, founded in 1959.
#39
The Chicago International Children’s Film Festival (CICFF) is one of the largest and most prestigious film festivals dedicated to children and young audiences worldwide.
#40
The Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America, founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza.

2026 Academy Awards Qualifying Film Festival List Top Entries

#101
The Israeli Television Academy Awards, established in 2003, celebrate excellence in Israel’s television industry.
#102
The Izmir International Short Film Festival is one of Turkey's premier platforms for showcasing short films from around the globe.
#103
The Jerusalem Film Festival (JFF), founded in 1984 by Lia Van Leer, is one of Israel's premier international film events, held annually in Jerusalem.
#104
The Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (IDFF) is a leading annual event held every October in Jihlava, Czech Republic.
#105
The José Ignacio International Film Festival (JIIFF), founded in 2011, is a celebrated annual event in José Ignacio and Pueblo Garzón, Uruguay.
#106
Kaboom Animation Festival, established in 2019 through the merger of KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival and Holland Animation Film Festival, is the Netherlands' foremost event dedicated to celebrating the art of animation.
#107
The Kraków Film Festival is one of Europe’s oldest film events, spotlighting documentary, animated, and short feature films, held annually in Kraków, Poland.
#108
The LA Shorts International Film Festival, founded in 1997 by Robert Arentz, is one of the largest and longest-running short film festivals in the world.
#109
The Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF), established in 1987, is the largest film festival in England outside of London.
#110
The Kortfilmfestival Leuven, established in 1995, is Belgium's leading short film festival, held annually in the historic city of Leuven.
#111
Founded in 1946, the Locarno Film Festival has long been a cornerstone of European cinema. Known for its eclectic programming, the festival features feature-length narratives, documentaries, shorts, avant-garde works, and retrospectives, offering a platform for diverse cinematic voices.
#112
The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF), founded in 1983 by Visual Communications, is Southern California’s largest film festival showcasing films by and about Asians and Pacific Islanders.
#113
The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) was established in 1997 by actor Edward James Olmos and co-founders Marlene Dermer, Kirk Whisler, and George Hernandez.
#114
The Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), established in 2015, is the UK's largest event dedicated to the art of animation.
#115
The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), established in 1952, is one of the world’s oldest film festivals, following Venice (1932), Cannes (1939), and Berlin (1951).
#116
The Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, originally known as Warsaw Doc Review, was founded in 2004 and has grown to become Poland's largest documentary film festival.
#117
The Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), founded in 2003, is an annual event held in the second week of October in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico.
#118
Mountainfilm, founded in 1979 in Telluride, Colorado, is an annual documentary film festival held every Memorial Day weekend.
#119
The Movies that Matter Festival, initially known as the Amnesty International Film Festival, is an annual international film and debate event held in The Hague.
#120
The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), originally founded as the Sinking Creek Film Celebration in 1969, is one of the United States' oldest and most respected film festivals.

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