MovieMaker
50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2026
The purpose of our annual list of 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee is simple: to save you time and money.
All moviemakers want to get into a big festival that will land them press coverage, an agent, and a multimillion-dollar distribution deal. But in reality, the festival circuit is like a ladder: The people you meet at one festival may become your collaborators on another film that gets you into a more prestigious festival where you meet a mentor who guides you into yet another festival where your dreams finally come true.
Since you’re potentially investing days and hundreds if not thousands of dollars on every festival trip, we’re trying to help you avoid the worst feeling you can have at a festival: The feeling of What am I doing here?
It’s the feeling you get when your film screens in a near-empty theater, and you then take the stage for a 10-minute Q&A with six other filmmakers onstage before attending a cash-bar party where everyone is very nice but no one can help you or your film. (You’ll obviously get more help if you help other people, too.)
As we do every year, we compile this list based on data provided by festivals, independent research, and, whenever possible, attending the festivals in person. We take into account factors like how many films are submitted to a festival vs. how many it accepts, how much a festival helps with travel costs, whether there’s potential prize money, and the presence of distributors, other insiders, and press.
We also like learning opportunities: Does a festival promote yet another hourlong “master class” (which used to just be known as “a short talk”), or are there real opportunities to learn from people you want to emulate?
We also tend to prefer smaller festivals where you can get quality time with potential collaborators and friends to bigger festivals where you spend a lot of time sweating in line. And we don’t bother listing highly selective festivals you’re probably already familiar with if you’re reading this, like Berlinale, Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, Toronto, Tribeca and Venice. If you get into one, obviously, you should go.
Like we say every year, festivals that are Academy Awards qualifying have an “A” next to their name, and those with screenwriting competitions have an “S.” And like we also always say, not all of these festivals will be perfect for everyone, but we’re sure at least one will be perfect for you. And finally, we went slightly over 50, due to ties.
Here’s our 2026 list of 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee.
SANTA FE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (A)
Santa Fe, New Mexico/ October 14-19 / santafe.film
Santa Fe just marked its fourth consecutive year as the top smaller city on our list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker, and the festival does a great job of highlighting many of the things that make New Mexico such a top filmmaking destination. Santa Fe is home to many filmmakers who like their privacy, but they come out in force for this stellar award-season festival led by the brother-sister duo of artistic director Jacques Paisner and executive director Liesette Bailey. They preside over packed parties, insightful talks, and one of the most moving award ceremonies on the festival circuit — last year’s included literal tears of joy. The screenings included major awards contenders like Frankenstein and Train Dreams, but also quietly powerful shorts like “Blackfeet Buffalo Yo-Yo Ma,” in which the renowned cellist plays “Amazing Grace” as buffalo run across the Blackfeet Nation. Indigenous films have a strong presence at the festival, where Eva Thomas’ Nika and Madison, about two Indigenous women on the run, and Free Leonard Peltier, a true story of an Indigenous man’s long fight for freedom, won last year’s top awards. Venues include the chic Violet Crown and the classically styled, George R.R. Martin-owned Jean Cocteau Cinema and Coffee House. Attending the festival is a great way to test the waters if you’re considering a New Mexico move.
by Tim Molloy