After several years without changes, in February 2017, we learned about new Oscar-qualifying festivals; there were 9 festivals.
It seems that the Hollywood Academy continues its policy of expanding the number of festivals each year. In the last week, I have learned about three new festivals that have announced their recent inclusion in the list of qualifying festivals.
These are not yet official data, as the Academy’s list has not yet been updated, and there will surely be more. But for now, you can take note of these festivals to start preparing your distribution strategy this year:
#1 Interfilm Berlin
This is one of the most important short film festivals in Germany and on the European circuit, with 33 editions under its belt. In this case, both the Animation and Fiction awards qualify, bringing the number of German qualifying festivals to 5, along with the Berlinale, Oberhausen, Leipzig for Documentary, and Stuttgart for Animation.
Take good note of this festival’s dates, as the call for entries just opened a few days ago, last Thursday, February 1, and closes on June 24. Submissions are made exclusively through the Shortfilmdepot platform, and the festival runs from November 19 to 25.
Apart from the platform’s submission fees (around €3 per short), the festival itself remains free of charge, with a maximum duration of 20 minutes.
If you are in the midst of the distribution process, submit to this festival soon, as there are not many qualifying festivals that remain free, so the number of submissions may increase significantly this year.
Here is the link to the news published by the festival on its official blog.
#2 Cinelebu
One of the biggest surprises this year, the Lebu International Film Festival becomes the first Chilean festival to qualify for the Academy Awards. It will be held in a few days in Concepción (Biobío region), from February 23 to 28.
Last year, the submission deadline was November 15 via the Movibeta platform, and it is also free.
#3 Animayo
A new animation festival joins the list, becoming the first specialized one in Spain. Our country consolidates its position as one of the most important for the Oscars, with no less than 6 qualifying festivals.
Animayo takes place in Gran Canaria in May, and the call for entries is now open through its own form on the festival’s website. The deadline is March 1.
Stay tuned
In 2017, the official list with new additions was published in mid-February, so we will have to keep a close eye on it in the coming days, as we will surely find new festivals.
The good news is that these festivals remain free, with no direct submission costs from the festival. One of the trends we saw last year was that some of the new Oscar-qualifying festivals introduced submission fees, as happened with Go Short in the Netherlands.
Upon my return from the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market, where I am this week, I plan to publish an updated list of qualifying festivals, ordered by deadline, which is available for download from the blog.
This month marks one year since I shared these lists, which you can download using the form below.
Do you know of any other new qualifying festivals this year? Do you usually consider them for your festival distribution strategy?