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

#141
The St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF), founded in 1992, is an annual celebration of cinema held in St. Louis, Missouri.
#142
San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF), established in 1957, is the longest-running film festival in the Americas, renowned for celebrating cinematic excellence and diverse storytelling.
#143
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival (SFJFF), founded in 1980, is the world's oldest and largest Jewish film festival, dedicated to celebrating the richness of Jewish life, culture, and identity through cinema.
#144
The San Jose International Short Film Festival (SJSFF) was founded in 2009 by two Silicon Valley businessmen passionate about filmmaking and the arts.
#145
The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF), founded in 1993 by attorney Mary A. Harris, is a highly regarded annual event held in San Luis Obispo, California.
#146
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), established in 1986, is an 11-day annual event showcasing over 200 films, honoring cinematic excellence, and celebrating diverse storytelling.
#147
The Santa Fe International Film Festival (SFiFF), founded in 2009, is a distinguished annual event held in the artistic hub of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
#148
The Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF), founded in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo, has emerged as Southeast Europe’s leading film festival and a significant cultural event globally.
#149
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), founded in 1976, is one of the largest and most renowned film festivals in the world.
#150
The Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival (SDFF), founded in 2007, has grown from its regional roots in Sonoma County and the San Francisco Bay Area to become a globally recognized event.
#151
The Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA), founded in 1999 by Japanese actor Tetsuya Bessho, is one of Asia's largest and most prestigious short film festivals.
#152
Show Me Shorts is Aotearoa New Zealand’s premier international short film festival, established in 2006.
#153
SIGGRAPH, founded in 1974 and organized by ACM SIGGRAPH, is the preeminent annual conference dedicated to computer graphics and interactive techniques.
#154
The Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), founded in 1987 by Geoffrey Malone and L. Leland Whitney, is Singapore's longest-running film event.
#155
The Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, founded in 1968 as the "1st International Week of Fantasy and Horror Movies," is one of the world’s most renowned film festivals dedicated to fantasy, horror, science fiction, and thriller genres.
#156
The Slamdance Film Festival, founded in 1995, runs concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and is renowned for its commitment to showcasing independent films by emerging filmmakers.
#157
South by Southwest (SXSW), established in 1987, is an iconic festival blending film, music, and interactive media, renowned for spotlighting innovation and emerging talent in Austin, Texas.
#158
SPARK ANIMATION, founded in 2008, is Western Canada's leading animation festival, celebrating the art and innovation of animated storytelling.
#159
The Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), founded in 1982, is a globally renowned event celebrating the art and craft of animation.
#160
The Sundance Film Festival, established in 1978, is America’s holy grail of independent film festivals, showcasing groundbreaking films and launching the careers of prominent filmmakers worldwide.

2026 Academy Awards Qualifying Film Festival List Top Entries

#81
The Hiroshima International Animation Festival (HIAF) is one of the most prestigious animation festivals in the world.
#82
The HollyShorts Film Festival is a premier short film event in Hollywood, showcasing innovative works and providing a platform for emerging talent to gain recognition in the film industry.
#83
Hot Docs is the largest documentary film festival in North America, held annually in Toronto, Canada.
#84
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival (HSDFF) is one of the most celebrated documentary film festivals in North America, and it holds the distinction of being the longest-running all-documentary festival in the region.
#85
The Huesca International Film Festival, founded in 1973, is one of the most celebrated festivals in Spain dedicated to the art of short filmmaking.
#86
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), established in 1976, is one of Asia’s oldest and most prominent film festivals.
#87
The Imaginaria Film Festival is an annual event held in Conversano, Italy, dedicated to celebrating the art of animated films.
#88
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is one of the most prestigious documentary film festivals globally.
#89
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival is the largest Indigenous film and media arts festival in the world, held annually in Toronto, Canada.
#90
In The Palace International Short Film Festival is an annual event held in Bulgaria, dedicated to promoting short films, new media, and digital arts.
#91
Established in 2018, the Indy Shorts International Film Festival is an annual six-day summer event in Indianapolis, Indiana, dedicated to showcasing the art of short films.
#92
The Interfilm International Short Film Festival Berlin is one of the most prestigious short film festivals in Europe.
#93
The International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) is an annual event held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, organized by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.
#94
Sheffield DocFest, established in 1994, is a premier international documentary festival held annually in Sheffield, England.
#95
The International Festival of Documentaries and Short Films of Bilbao, commonly known as ZINEBI, is a prestigious annual festival held in Bilbao, Spain.
#96
DOK Leipzig is the oldest documentary film festival in the world and one of the most prestigious platforms for documentary and animated films globally.
#97
The International Short Film Festival Oberhausen is one of the most renowned short film festivals globally, established in 1954 in Oberhausen, Germany.
#98
The Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur is Switzerland’s premier short film festival and a key event in the European film calendar.
#99
The Irish Film & Television Awards (IFTA) are presented annually by the Irish Film & Television Academy to honor outstanding achievements in Irish film and television.
#100
The It’s All True – International Documentary Film Festival (É Tudo Verdade - Festival Internacional de Documentários) is Latin America’s premier documentary film festival.

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