The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), Africa’s longest-running film festival, is inviting filmmakers to submit their entries for the 46th edition, set to run from July 17 to July 27, 2025. The final deadline for submissions is January 31, 2025.
Established in 1979 and hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, DIFF is an Oscar-qualifying festival. It showcases more than 100 regional premieres annually, cementing its reputation as one of the continent’s most influential film events.
Head of Programming Andrea Voges, recently recognized by Screen International as one of the “25 Future Leaders: Programmers and Curators to Watch,” leads the festival’s programming team.
The festival is accepting submissions in the following categories:
- Feature Films: African fictional works of 60 minutes or more. Non-African entries by invitation only.
- Documentaries: African documentaries of 60 minutes or more. Non-African entries by invitation only.
- Short Films: Fictional or non-fictional works under 60 minutes. Open to global submissions.
- Student Films: Fictional or non-fictional works under 60 minutes created by directors enrolled in tertiary institutions during production.
Only films completed after January 2024 and not previously screened or available online in South Africa are eligible.
Submission fees apply and vary depending on the category and FilmFreeway membership status. Fees range from $7 to $22. Full details on eligibility, submission rules, and fees are available on DIFF’s FilmFreeway page.
DIFF also offers workshops, seminars, and outreach programs, including township screenings for communities without cinemas. For further inquiries, contact [email protected].
