Film Submissions
The Aegean Film Festival has the mission to explore, discover, and promote films, ideas, and stories that further our kindness and tolerance, our understanding and sensitivity towards each other, and the environments that surround us.
For this reason, we strive to present bold new voices from all over the globe and to support the next generations of filmmakers.
The Aegean Film Festival is a celebration of cinema, making sure our official curated programmes have perfect screening conditions, while the filmmakers and guests are invited to join us on the islands for 12 days every July, since 2010.
Awards & Prizes
Best Aegean Short Film, Jury Award
(including a cash prize of €3,000 – Premiere Status Required)
Aegean Special Mention, Jury Award
(Premiere Status Required)
Sustainability Award
(Distribution Option and a seat at the next Rescript The Future Competition Jury)
2024 Film Jury:
To be announced 40-60 days before the Festival
Perks
All Selected Filmmakers in the competition programme also receive:
1. Accommodation for three nights (single occupancy).
2. Festival Guest Pass providing access to all screenings, seminars, and events.
3. Access to dedicated industry seminars and the “Filmmaker’s Brunch” – presented by industry partners.
4. Film promotion and press focus covered by the Festival’s Media Sponsors.
5. The option for the films to travel and be screened as part of curated programmes with affiliated festivals.
6. AegeanFF Partners Offers, including discounts of up to 30% on ferry tickets, restaurants, bars, rentals, and hotels.
7. Additional Festival Passes: 40% discount for plus ones to accompany the filmmakers to the islands.
Programme Categories
We welcome feature, narrative, documentaries, environmental documentaries, short films, and animations.
Entries are submitted to the following categories:
Feature Length Films & Documentaries
(duration of 50 minutes or longer)
Short Films & Docs
(duration of less than 30 minutes)
Environmental Feature Length or Short Films and Documentaries.
(duration of 50 minutes or longer for features & duration of less than 30 minutes for shorts)
Deadlines
Earlybird: November 30th, 2023
Regular: February 26th, 2024
Late: May 17th, 2024
Notification Date: June 10th, 2024
Submission Fees
For feature length film and documentary entries:
€28 / €37 / €47
Early / Regular / Late
For short film and documentary entries:
€14 / €19 / €24
Early / Regular / Late
How to submit your work
To be eligible, films submitted must have been completed at most 18 months before the event or after January 2023 for the 2024 edition.
- Films with significant non-English dialogue must be accompanied by on-screen English subtitles.
- Preview files must be sent only as protected links.
- The Festival DOES NOT accept DVDs or BD screeners.
Please read all the eligibility criteria and terms & conditions on FilmFreeway.
You can submit your film through FilmFreeway:
For any questions, please email [email protected]
Programming Team
The selection of the AegeanFF programmes is carried out by 3 independent teams.
A. The pre-selection team, consisting of a diverse group of 20 people from more than 10
countries including experienced and emerging filmmakers, artists, film critics, past festival team
members as well as cinema students.
B. The advisory board, contributing with suggestions and ideas for invited shorts and
features.
C. The Programming Team, curating the official programmes from the top rated submitted or invited films.
Advisory Board Members:
Alexander Payne (Film Director, Producer, Script Writer)
Alin Tasciyan (Deputy General Secretary, FIPRESCI)
Elizabeth Woodward (Film Producer, Willa Productions)
Frederic Boyer (Artistic Director, Tribeca Film Festival, Les Arcs Film Festival)
Jesper Jack (Documentary Producer, House of Real)
Marco Frazier (Industry Executive)
Nicolas Brown (Documentary Director)
Nicole Guillemet (Festival Development, Programmer)
Poppy Mason-Watts (Chief Growth and Impact Officer Waterbear Network)
Robert Dick (Festival Development, Sundance Film Festival)
Thanassis Karathanos (Film Producer, Twenty Twenty Vision)
Programming Team:
Babis Tsoutsas – Festival Director
Annita Nitsaidou – Head of Programming
Amina Ferley Yael – Programming Coordinator
Anna-Katri Kulmala – Echoes Programmer
Nikhil Sekaran – Junior Programmer
Lea Pietrosante – Junior Programmer
Preselection Team:
Abram Cerda
Bill Malcolm
Dimitris Karagiannis
Georgia Iro Vetsi
Jacopo Milana
Katerina Zachou
Louise Gerbelle
Matteo Severini
Minni Karttunen
Panagiotis Fragiskakis
Riccardo Rizzi
Sam Howard
Taki Vlahopoulos