Festival of Cinema NYC

Elevating Emerging Filmmakers From Around the World
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August 7 - 16, 2026

2026 Poster Contest Image
Design the 2026 Festival of Cinema NYC Poster!

Your artwork can be the face for the 10th anniversary edition of Festival of Cinema NYC

For our 10th Anniversary we are inviting artists and non-artists of all ages and from all over the world to submit an original design that will represent the 2026 Festival of Cinema NYC.

Follow the link below for full list of prize, rules & regulations. But hurry - Deadline to submit your artwork is May 29th!

< Submit your artwork by clicking here >

What Is Cinema NYC
What Is Festival Of Cinema NYC?

Festival Of Cinema NYC is designed to elevate the work of emerging filmmakers and help them get to the next level of their career.

Founded by working independent filmmakers, Festival of Cinema NYC is a fully rounded film festival. The 10-day festival is designed to nurture and help develop the careers of emerging filmmakers and writers by helping to cultivate a working relationship between them and industry professionals who can help advance their careers.

The festival particularly seeks feature films from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd time feature filmmakers, as well as shorts and episodic filmmakers that are looking to develop their work into features or series.

Short films of all genres are programmed thematically (Drama, Comedy, Horror, etc.) or paired with feature films to attract the largest audiences possible. The festival takes pride in helping filmmakers find their audience by helping them land distribution deals through scouts and sponsors that are regularly invited to the festival.

Best In Independent Films
The best in independent films

Truly independent cinema

Festival of Cinema NYC is dedicated to bringing exposure to the independent artists who have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into making their vision come true. No budget is too big or too small.

You'll never see big budget Hollywood blockbusters at Festival of Cinema NYC. All the films screened, including our opening night, closing night and special screenings, come from homegrown truly independent filmmakers.

We champion filmmakers who take creative risks and tell the stories that matter. Our audience comes ready to discover the next breakthrough.

Why submit your film?

Exposure and media coverage

Our press team works around the clock to put your film on the radar of audiences, journalists and industry partners.

Distribution opportunities

Past selections have landed distribution deals and streaming placements after premiering with us.

Industry connections

Meet programmers, producers and creatives through filmmaker lounges, Q&As and afterparties.

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We're Not Just Movies

Workshops, Panels and Talkbacks

Festival of Cinema NYC hosts educational sessions with distributors, guild members, and working filmmakers throughout the festival.

Networking And Afterparties

Happy hours, filmmaker meetups, and community events create the connections that keep the festival energy going long after screenings end.

We're Not Just Movies
Submissions For The 2026 Festival of Cinema NYC are closed.

The 2026 Festival of Cinema NYC will take place August 7 - 16, 2026

Find us on FilmFreeway
Submissions period for the 2026 Festival of Cinema NYC 10th Anniversary Edition are now closed. Good luck to all the filmmakers and writers that submitted their work. Acceptance notifications will be going out in June.

Festival Dates

August 7 - 16, 2026

Submissions will open for the 2027 festival in September. Stay tuned!