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American Film Institute Announces Dates for the 40th AFI Fest Presented By Canva

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Category: Entertainment News
Published on Tuesday, 20 January 2026 12:33
Written by AFI

Today, the American Film Institute (AFI) announced the 40th edition of AFI FEST, the institute's annual film festival, presented by Canva, will take place October 21–25 2026 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in the heart of Hollywood.

The celebrated Festival will feature a curated selection of Red Carpet Premiere screenings, Special Screenings, World Cinema, Documentaries and Short Films.

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"AFI FEST brings the film community together through the collective embrace of cinema," said Todd Hitchcock, Director of AFI FEST and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. "AFI FEST audiences know to expect bold, compelling films created by passionate filmmakers from around the world. Last year smashed box office records, and we anticipate the same enthusiasm for the art form as the festival celebrates its 40th year."

AFI FEST is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival for the Live Action, Animated and Documentary Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®. AFI FEST is also a qualifying festival for consideration for the British Short Film categories of both the BAFTA Film Awards and the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA).

Entries for the AFI FEST 2026 Short Film Competition program open today. Short films (40 minutes and under) that have been completed after October 1, 2025, are eligible for submission to AFI FEST 2026. Filmmakers are invited to submit live action, documentary and animated short films.

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AFI FEST accepts short film submissions exclusively through Its official submissions partner FilmFreeway at https://filmfreeway.com/AFIFEST.

Filmmakers can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about the submissions process for short films.

SHORT FILM SUBMISSION DATES

Early Deadline – March 1, 2026

Official Deadline – April 12, 2026

Final Deadline – May 31, 2026

 

Learn more about submitting to AFI FEST at FEST.AFI.com. AFI FEST accepts short film submissions exclusively through its official submissions partner FilmFreeway at https://filmfreeway.com/AFIFEST.

Filmmakers can email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information about the submissions process for short films.

Program highlights from AFI FEST 2025 presented by Canva included BUGONIA, CHRISTY, THE CHRONOLOGY OF WATER, DEAD MAN'S WIRE, IS THIS THING ON?, JAY KELLY, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, NUREMBERG, RENTAL FAMILY, SONG SUNG BLUE, THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: THE SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS, SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE, THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE, and TRAIN DREAMS, as well as screenings of 20 Best International Oscar® Submissions (including ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU (Jordan), EAGLES OF THE REPUBLIC (Sweden), FIUME O MORTE! (Croatia), HAPPY BIRTHDAY (Egypt), KOKUHO (Japan), LEFT-HANDED GIRL (Taiwan), THE LOVE THAT REMAINS (Iceland), MAGELLAN (Philippines), MY ARMENIAN PHANTOMS (Armenia), MY FATHER'S SHADOW (United Kingdom),THE MYSTERIOUS GAZE OF THE FLAMINGO (Chile), ORPHAN (Hungary), PALESTINE 36 (Palestine), A POET (Colombia), THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE (Iraq), SOUND OF FALLING (Germany), THE TALE OF SILYAN (North Macedonia), A USEFUL GHOST (Thailand), THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB (Tunisia), and YOUNG MOTHERS (Belgium).

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Of the official selections, 39% were directed by women and 29% were directed by BIPOC filmmakers.  

Guests at the festival included Oscar®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro who served as Guest Artist Director, plus Mahershala Ali, Mehrnoush Alia, Joan Bofill Amargós, Will Arnett, Mamoudou Athie, Ike Barinholtz, Michael Barker, Noah Baumbach, Jim Belushi, Clint Bentley, Igor Bezinović, Thora Birch, Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Bella Boonsang, Craig Brewer, Isabel Castro, Diego Céspedes, Lloyd Lee Choi, George Clooney, Kerry Condon, Scott Cooper, Russell Crowe, Macaulay Culkin, Jamie Lee Curtis, Cherien Dabis, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Akinola Davies Jr., Julie Delpy, Laura Dern, Lav Diaz, Katie Diamond, Derek Drymon, Joel Edgerton, Fernando Eimbcke, Cary Elwes, Cassian Elwes, Ildikó Enyedi, Bill Fagerbakke, Dakota Fanning, Mona Fastvold, Ben Foster, Sutton Foster, Brendan Fraser, Danny Fujikawa, Gael García Bernal, Heather Graham, Seth Green, Eva H.D., Hasan Hadi, Colin Hanks, Shawn Hatosy, Paul Walter Hauser, Werner Herzog, David Heyman, HIKARI, Kate Hudson, Oscar Hudson, Robert Irwin, Terri Irwin, Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson, Patty Jenkins, Spike Jonze, Daniel Junge, Charlie Kaufman, Tom Kenny, Riley Keough, Jeremy Kleiner, Tamara Kotevska, Amanda Kramer, Brandon Kramer, Lance Kramer, Jon Landau, Nadav Lapid, Juliette Lewis, Kelly Lynch, William H. Macy, Rami Malek, Marc Maron, Christy Salters Martin, Stacy Martin, Lilian T. Mehrel, Simón Mesa Soto, Alejo Moguillansky, Myha'la, David Michôd, Ramsey Naito, Diana Nyad, Katy O'Brian, Amanda Peet, Chris Pérez,Charlie Polinger, Laura Poitras, Imogen Poots, Lewis Pullman, Suzette Quintanilla, Daniel Raim, Gianfranco Rosi, RZA, Adam Sandler, Ted Sarandos, Teddy Schwarzman, Patti Scialfa, Kent Seki, Michael Shannon, Bruce Springsteen, Annapurna Sriram, Tamara Stepanyan, Fisher Stevens, Kristen Stewart, Brenda Strong, Jeremy Strong, Scott Stuber, Sydney Sweeney, Drew Tarver, Shih-Ching Tsou, Robin Tunney, Brian Tyler, James Vanderbilt, Gus Van Sant, Taika Waititi, Jeremy Allen White, Mari Yamamoto, Warren Zanes and SpongeBob SquarePants & Patrick Star.

Canva, the all-in-one visual communication and collaboration platform, returns as the exclusive Presenting Sponsor of AFI FEST 2026. Designed to empower entertainment professionals to visualize their ideas into impactful film and TV projects, Canva will be integrated throughout AFI FEST including hosting industry networking events, hands-on training workshops for filmmakers, and powering the festival's digital and printed materials. Entertainment professionals can explore resources to pitch projects, plan shoots, and bring creative visions to life at canva.com/entertainment.  

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About the American Film Institute (AFI)

The American Film Institute (AFI) is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to champion the moving image as an art form. Established in 1967, AFI launched the first comprehensive history of American film and sparked the movement for film preservation in the United States. In 1969, AFI opened the doors of the AFI Conservatory, a graduate-level program to train narrative filmmakers. The Conservatory, which counts Deniese Davis, Affonso Gonçalves, Susannah Grant, Matthew Libatique, David Lynch, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison as Alumni, is ranked one of the top film schools in America. AFI's enduring traditions include the AFI Life Achievement Award, which honors the masters for work that has stood the test of time; AFI AWARDS, which celebrates the creative ensembles of the most outstanding screen stories of the year; and scholarly efforts such as the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and the AFI Archive that preserve film history for future generations. AFI exhibition programs include AFI FEST and year-round exhibition at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Maryland. AFI Movie Club is a destination for movie lovers from around the world to celebrate and engage with the art form every day. Other pioneering programs include workshops aimed at elevating emerging storytellers and technology, including AFI DWW+ and the AFI Cinematography Intensive Workshop. 

Read about all of these programs and more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, 

X.com/AmericanFilm, TikTok.com/@americanfilminstitute 

and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.

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About AFI FEST

Now in its 40th year, AFI FEST is a world-class event, showcasing the best films from across the globe. This year's edition takes place in Los Angeles from October 21-25, 2026. With an innovative slate of programming, the five-day festival presents screenings, panels and conversations, featuring both master filmmakers and new cinematic voices. AFI FEST includes high-profile films with Q&As featuring the films' cast and crew and a robust lineup of fiction and nonfiction features and shorts, providing a one-of-a-kind experience for movie fans. Additional information is available at FEST.AFI.com. Connect with AFI's film festival at Facebook.com/AFIFEST, Twitter.com/AFIFEST, 

Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, TikTok.com/@AmericanFilmInstitute and YouTube.com/AFI.

About Canva

Launched in 2013, Canva is the world's leading all-in-one platform for visual communication and collaboration. Built to empower everyone to design, the company serves the creative and design needs of enterprises, small businesses, consumers, and students in more than 190 countries worldwide.

Whether you're a novice taking your first steps in design, or a creative professional seeking powerful tools, Canva ensures users have what they need to transform an idea into something beautiful. Underpinned by the world's most comprehensive library of designer-made content, Canva is powered by a suite of products and proprietary AI tools which elevate how individuals and teams create, collaborate, and communicate with ease.

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