The world’s great film festivals — where the year in cinema is discovered, debated, and awarded. Coverage from Cannes to SXSW and beyond.
Cannes Film Festival
Palme d’Or • Festival de Cannes • Cannes, France • est. 1946
The world’s most prestigious film competition, held each May on the French Riviera.
The Palme d’Or is cinema’s highest festival honour — past winners include
Parasite, The Tree of Life, Apocalypse Now, and Bicycle Thieves.
Coverage by year
Venice Film Festival
Golden Lion • La Biennale di Venezia • Venice, Italy • est. 1932
The world’s oldest film festival. The Golden Lion is among the most coveted prizes in
cinema. Venice has launched Oscar campaigns for Joker, Roma,
The Shape of Water, and Nomadland.
Coverage by year
Berlin International Film Festival
Golden Bear • Berlinale • Berlin, Germany • est. 1951
One of the world’s leading film festivals, held each February in Berlin. The Golden
Bear is among the most prestigious prizes in international cinema, with a tradition
of honouring politically engaged and artistically daring films.
Coverage by year
Sundance Film Festival
Grand Jury Prize • Park City, Utah • est. 1978
The United States’ most prominent independent film festival, held each January in
Park City, Utah. Grand Jury Prize winners include Whiplash, Fruitvale Station,
Winter’s Bone, and Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Coverage by year
Toronto International Film Festival
People’s Choice Award • TIFF • Toronto, Ontario • est. 1976
One of the most influential film festivals in the world, held each September in Toronto.
TIFF’s People’s Choice Award is a reliable Oscar bellwether — winners include
The King’s Speech, 12 Years a Slave, and Nomadland.
Coverage by year
Telluride Film Festival
Telluride, Colorado • est. 1974 • No competitive awards
An invitation-only festival held over Labor Day weekend in the Colorado mountains.
Telluride is a traditional launch pad for Oscar contenders — world premieres
include The Brutalist, Nomadland, Marriage Story, and The Fabelmans.
Coverage by year
SXSW Film & TV Festival
Grand Jury Prize • South by Southwest • Austin, Texas • est. 1994
Austin’s annual convergence of film, TV, music, and technology. SXSW is a premier
launch platform for independent films — past discoveries include Get Out,
Whiplash, and Napoleon Dynamite.
Coverage by year
Film Independent Spirit Awards
Best Feature • Film Independent • Los Angeles • est. 1986
The premier celebration of independent American cinema, held the day before the Oscars.
The Spirit Awards honour risk-taking, bold storytelling, and films made outside the
Hollywood studio system.
Coverage by year
IDFA — International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
IDFA Award • Amsterdam, Netherlands • est. 1988
The world’s leading documentary film festival, held each November in Amsterdam.
IDFA presents international documentaries, animation, and interactive works, and is
a key marketplace for non-fiction cinema.
Coverage by year
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival
Grand Jury Prize • Toronto, Ontario • est. 1993
North America’s largest documentary festival, held each spring in Toronto. Hot Docs
screens hundreds of documentaries from around the world and is a major marketplace
for non-fiction film.
Coverage by year
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Grand Jury Award • Durham, North Carolina • est. 1998
One of North America’s premier documentary festivals, held each spring in Durham,
North Carolina. Full Frame presents feature and short documentaries to audiences of
filmmakers, critics, and enthusiasts over four days.
Coverage by year
Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Grand Jury Award • Hot Springs, Arkansas • est. 1991
One of America’s longest-running documentary festivals, held each October in Hot Springs,
Arkansas. The festival spotlights non-fiction filmmaking across feature and short formats,
with prizes awarded by an independent jury.
Coverage by year
New Zealand International Film Festival
NZ Film Awards • Wellington, New Zealand • est. 1972
Founded as the Wellington Film Festival in 1972, NZIFF is New Zealand’s premier
celebration of international and local cinema. Wellington screenings run each August
at the Embassy Theatre and surrounding venues, with competitive prizes for NZ filmmaking.
Coverage by year
