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Film & Television vocabulary · Distribution, Festivals and Awards

Film festival

Meaning in film & television, with examples

/ˈfɪlm ˌfestɪvl/nounCore term

In film & television, film festival means: An event where new films are shown to audiences, critics and industry professionals, often with competitions, awards and markets.

In Turkish: film festivali

How it is used

Filmmakers submit films, are selected or invited and screen in competition or in a side section. The biggest include Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Toronto and Sundance; in Turkey, Antalya Altın Portakal and the Istanbul Film Festival. Festivals also host markets where rights are sold.

Example sentences

  1. We're sending the film to three film festivals before the cinema release.

  2. The film festival opens with a Turkish-German co-production this year.

Common collocations

  • international film festival
  • festival circuit
  • submit to a film festival
  • in competition
  • festival line-up
  • premiereThe first public showing of a film, play or TV series, often a special event with the cast and crew.
  • nominationBeing officially chosen as one of the candidates for an award, such as an Oscar, a BAFTA or an Emmy.
  • distributorA company that buys the rights to show a film in a country or region and handles its release, marketing and delivery to cinemas or platforms.
  • short filmA film that is much shorter than a feature, usually from a few minutes to about half an hour long.

More terms: Distribution, Festivals and Awards

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