Ghent Film Festival
TypeFeature film and short film festival
ThemeInternational festival
LocationBelgium
PeriodOctober
Event presentation
The Ghent Film Festival was established in 1974 as a students' film festival, and has since developed into one of Europe's most prominent film events. Every year in October, the festival presents some 100 features and 30 shorts from all across the world to an audience of over 110,000 spectators. The festival is recognised as a competitive festival primarily geared towards the 'impact of music on film'.
With its focus on film music, the Ghent Film Festival has its own unique place in international festivals. Every year, the festival organises film music concerts, giving composers of film scores the platform they deserve. Composers such as Ennio Morricone, Alexandre Desplat, Gabriel Yared, Elmer Bernstein, Howard Shore, Georges Delerue, Hans Zimmer, Maurice Jarre, Craig Armstrong and Gustavo Santaolalla are some of the many film music legends who have already taken the stage at Ghent. Since 2001, the Ghent Film Festival also organises the World Soundtrack Awards, the most prestigious soundtrack awards in the world. Trade paper VARIETY placed the festival amongst the "50 must attend festivals" because of it's focus on (film)music.
Yet there is more to the Ghent Film Festival than just soundtracks alone. Every year, numerous international guests from the world of film flock to Ghent to present their films to the general public. Over the past years, the festival has welcomed filmmakers such as Kathleen Turner, Andy Garcia, Kevin Costner, Claude Miller, Viggo Mortensen, David Cronenberg, Mike Leigh, François Ozon, Jeanne Moreau, Gina Lollobrigida, Lord Richard Attenborough, Todd Haynes, Sir Peter Ustinov, Sidney Pollack, Jane Birkin, Luc Besson, Morgan Freeman, Faith Akin, Robert Altman, Juliette Binoche, Sandra Bullock, Bertrand Tavernier, Brad Pitt, Ken Loach and Alain Resnais.
Information on feature films
UniFrance welcomes the programmers late August.
Contact UniFrance: Jean-Christophe Baubiat
Registration conditions for short films
Films produced on or after : Octobre 2021
Subtitling required
Maximum runtime : 30'
Films produced on or after : Octobre 2021
Genres accepted : All genres
Pre-selection format requirements : Short Film Gallery, Video File
Screening format requirements : DCP (Digital Cinema Package)
