AFI Fest

AFI Fest

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AFI Fest is the film festival of the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, held each autumn at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Its programme combines Red Carpet Premieres and Special Screenings with curated sections of fiction and nonfiction features – Luminaries, Discovery, World Cinema, Documentary and After Dark – a selection chosen by a Guest Artistic Director, a showcase of AFI Conservatory work, and panels and conversations with filmmakers. Past Guest Artistic Directors include Pedro Almodóvar, Agnès Varda, David Lynch, Ava DuVernay and Greta Gerwig.

Features are invited by the programming team, while the Short Film Competition is open to submitted fiction, documentary and animated shorts of 40 minutes or less. AFI Fest is a qualifying festival for the short film categories of the Academy Awards. The 2026 edition, the festival’s 40th year, takes place on 21–25 October 2026.

Country

United States (USA)

Categories

Animation, Documentary, Feature, Short

Dates

21 October 2026 — 25 October 2026

Awards and prizes

The Short Film Competition presents Grand Jury Awards for Live Action, Documentary and Animated Short. The winners are eligible for the Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary Short and Best Animated Short categories of the Academy Awards. AFI Fest is also a qualifying festival for BAFTA and BIFA in the British Short Film category.

Festival rules

Submissions are open only for short films: fiction, documentary and animation of 40 minutes or less. Feature-length films are invited by the programming team and must be Los Angeles premieres, not screened in the Greater Los Angeles area before the festival. For the 2026 edition, shorts must have been completed or premiered after 1 October 2025. Shorts have no premiere requirement: television broadcast or online availability does not make them ineligible. Non-English films need English subtitles or dubbing. Promotional, instructional and industrial films and raw recordings of performances are not eligible. Entries are submitted through FilmFreeway with a secure online screener; each film needs its own application and non-refundable fee. Works in progress can be submitted if the final cut is ready by the stated date. A previously declined film can be resubmitted only after significant changes (60% or more) and with the programmers’ permission. A limited number of fee waivers is available to AFI Conservatory Fellows and Alumni and AFI Festivals Alumni. Selected films deliver a DCP or final film file.

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