Gandhara Independent Film Festival

About

STELLAR STORIES, ONE FESTIVAL

GIFFEST2026 aims to showcase some of the most exceptional films from around the globe. GIFF began with its first virtual edition in 2020 to allow a larger audience to experience a diverse range of films, particularly the cinephiles in Pakistan who were starved of a curated line-up of films which exemplified stellar storytelling. For the last 6 years, GIFF has been providing filmmakers a chance to reach out to a global audience and showcase their talent internationally.

The 2026 edition is imminent, and GIFF is eagerly awaiting the submissions of your films. And we are looking forward to riding the waves of emotions brought forth through your remarkable stories.

*There is no submission fee to submit a film

Awards

Gandhara Independent Film Festival 2026 is excited to announce that this year, the competitive section has been opened to filmmakers from around the globe. The competitive section for Pakistan will stand as is, and awards for the competitive section will be in the categories mentioned below.

Awards (Pakistan and Globally)
- Best Film Award Short
- Best Film Award Feature
- Best Director Award
- Best Cinematography Award
- Best Screenplay Award
- Best Editing Award
- Best Sound Design Award
- Audience Choice Award
- Special Mention Award

** Certificates & Official Laurel for all submissions

GIFF looks forward to seeing all the submissions and welcoming you to the 7th edition of this amazing experience that is “Gandhara Independent Film Festival, 2026”.

Rules

Criteria & Categories
1. The festival theme is open in the categories of narrative shorts and narrative features.
2. The duration of the narrative short (up to 45 min) and narrative features 150 min, including credits with embedded English subtitles.
3. The participating films of the festival will be selected by the festival programmers.
4. All selections will be posted on our website & social media pages.

Content Guidelines
1. The content of the submitted film(s) should be creative and completely original and should not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.
2. Under no circumstances should the content of the films contain any offensive language, violence, religious content or hate speech, defamatory content, politically sensitive topics, material or comment, or sexual innuendos or nudity.
3. Any film containing one or more of the above-mentioned will be disqualified.

Submission Rules
1. All films must have been made from 2023 onwards.
2. All submissions must be sent to our submission platform via FilmFreeWay.
3. Please include a press kit (short trailer, stills, logline, 25-word synopsis, cast, and crew bios) where possible, to help speed up the process and ensure that you read all the Terms and Conditions at the bottom of the page before making your submission.

Promotional Material
The festival may use up to 10 percent of the entry’s running time for promotional purposes.

Terms and Conditions
By entering the 6th edition of Gandhara Independent Film Festival 2026, you agree to follow its rules and guidelines.

1 - The festival theme is open.
2 - There is no entry fee to submit a film.
3 - All films must have been made from 2023 onwards.
4 - The film should contain embedded subtitles in English.
5 - There is no restriction on the number of films that can be submitted by an individual or an entity. However, each submitted film requires a separate submission form.
6 - By sending your submission to participate in our festival, you agree that your trailer & posters will be uploaded on our website and our social network pages.
7 - The festival has the right to screen these films at any collaboration festival or media.
8 - All copyrights and intellectual properties belonging to their authors will be properly quoted.
9 - The festival will not bear any expenses for participants nor provide any screening fees.
10 - Submitting your film to the GIFF is not a guarantee of selection.
11 - GIFF will communicate all details through emails only. Please provide an authorized email and respond to emails ASAP. No phone call inquiries.
12 - All filmmakers will be notified via email of acceptance.
13 - The decision of the festival programmers is final and not questionable.
14 - The festival organizers reserve the right to suspend and/or modify the festival if necessary.

Premiere Requirements

No premiere requirement

Jury and Organizers

Cirque Films