Submissions Closed
Submissions for AKFF 2026 are now closed. Thank you to all filmmakers who entered their work.
Our team is reviewing all submissions and will contact selected filmmakers soon.
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Festival entries
The fifth edition of AKFF 2026 will take place on 8, 9 and 10 May 2026. Short film submissions will be accepted from 1 August 2025 until 15 December 2025, 23:59 CET . Feature lenght film submissions will be accepted from 1 November until 15 January 2026, 23:59 CET.
FAQs
Have questions about submitting your film to the Kurdish Film Festival? We’ve gathered the most common ones here.
Who can submit a film?
We welcome filmmakers from all backgrounds and nationalities. Whether you’re Kurdish or not, if your work is about the Kurds, Kurdistan, or Kurdish issues and stories — we’d love to see it. We also warmly welcome international films by Kurdish filmmakers, even if the subject matter is not specifically Kurdish themed.
What are the eligibility criteria for films to be submitted?
Submissions for AKFF 2026 are open to short and feature-length fiction films, documentaries and animations completed between 2023 and 2026.
The film should be about the Kurds, Kurdistan or Kurdies issues and stories, or an international film by a Kurdish filmmaker. The film must have English subtitles.
Do you accept submissions by email?
All submissions must be made through our official submission form. This ensures we receive all the required information in the correct format and can review your film efficiently. Submissions sent by email will not be considered under any circumstances.
Is there a submission fee?
No, we believe stories should travel freely. Our submission process is completely free of charge.
How do I submit my film?
What happens after I submit?
Every film submitted is watched, deliberated, and selected by the AKFF Programming Team. If your film is selected, you will be notified immediately, and it may also be chosen for our competition program. All filmmakers will receive a final notification about their submission status by mid-April 2026. Please note, AKFF cannot provide individual comments or ratings on submissions.
Can I submit a film that has already been screened elsewhere?
Absolutely. We accept films that have been screened at other festivals or released online, as long as you hold the screening rights.
Do you accept works-in-progress?
No. We only accept completed films that meet our eligibility criteria.
What are the selection criteria?
We watch every eligible submission in full and give it fair consideration. Alongside meeting our eligibility requirements, we look at the film’s overall quality, story, performances, direction, cinematography, audio, and subtitles and how it connects with the spirit and themes of the Amsterdam Koerdish Film Festival.
Will I get feedback if my film is not selected?
Unfortunately, we cannot provide individual comments or ratings for films submitted to the festival, but we do watch every film in full.
Can I submit more than one film?
Yes! If you have multiple works that fit our guidelines, feel free to submit them separately.
What’s the maximum length for a short film?
A short film submission should be no longer than 40 minutes, including the title and end credits.
Will my film be eligible for awards?
Each year a range of films will be carefully selected to be in the honorary award competition. An independent and international jury will make a decision regarding the awards. The filmmaker will be notified if it’s film will partake in the competiton. There are four award categories: Best Short Fiction, Best Short Documentary, Best Feature Fiction and Best Feature Documentary. The winner of each category will receive the honorary AKFF partridge award and an AKFF laurel.
What formats do you accept for screening?
We prefer DCP for cinema screenings, but we also accept high-quality digital files in common formats such as MP4, ProRes, or .MOV.
How will I know if my film is selected?
Every film submitted is watched, deliberated, and selected by the AKFF Programming Team. If your film is selected, you will be notified immediately, and it may also be chosen for our competition program. All filmmakers will receive a final notification about their submission status by mid-April 2026. Please note, AKFF cannot provide individual comments or ratings on submissions.
