The French Riviera Film Festival is a short-form competition held in Cannes during the period of the Cannes Film Festival. It accepts shorts of up to 40 minutes made for film, television, the web and other digital platforms, and requires English subtitles for work in other languages. It was co-founded by Nicole Muj and Gotham Chandna, and its jury panel includes journalists, filmmakers and film-industry professionals.
The competition has categories for drama, comedy, documentary, animation, sci-fi/horror, experimental, fashion, music video, micro short, student work, artificial intelligence, commercials and screenplays, along with director and acting awards. Films screen at the Eden Hotel & Spa over two days, followed by an awards ceremony and a closing party. The edition archive on the festival's website begins in 2019. The dates for the 2027 edition are 14–15 May 2027.
Awards and prizes
Winners receive a trophy and a certificate.
Competition awards: Best Drama Short, Best Comedy Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation Short, Best Experimental Short, Best Lifestyle Short, Best Fashion Short, Best Music Video, Best Sci-Fi/Horror Short, Best Activism Short, Best Micro Short, Best AI Award, Best Student Film, Best Commercial and Best Screenplay.
Individual and special awards: Best Director Award, Best Actor Award, Best Actress Award, Industry Excellence Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.
Festival rules
Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway. Entry fees are non-refundable. One applicant can submit more than one film; each submission requires its own entry form and fee, and a duplicate submission under a different category needs a separate form and payment.
The submitter must be 16 years of age or older. Submissions must be the intellectual property of the submitter or their team; proxy submissions are not accepted. Content cannot exceed 40 minutes in length. Entries that are not in English must have English subtitles.
By submitting, the entrant confirms that they hold the rights to, or are authorized to use, all audio and video in the film. The festival is not responsible for claims arising from a failure to obtain those rights. All decisions of the festival are final, and the festival reserves the right to amend guidelines, selection criteria, awards, screenings and activities.
