Key West Film Festival - Florida

Overview

Key West FF Named BOTH One of “The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” AND a "Top 20 Destination Film Festival" by Moviemaker Magazine! Come be part of the unforgettable Key West experience, where passion meets paradise! As filmmakers, film educators, and film lovers ourselves, we at the Key West Film Festival know that a truly great festival achieves two things: It provides real value to filmmakers whose works we show as well as entertainment and cultural enrichment to audience members and the community. In this laid-back, tropical setting of Old Town Key West with its historic theaters within walking distance of each other, the bars of Duval Street and the famous nightly sunset celebration at Mallory Square, celebrity guests have included: Steve Buscemi, Marisa Tomei, Delaney Buffett, AIdan Quinn, Sir Billy Connelly, Harmony Korine, Mariel Hemingway, Billy Corben, Tom Berenger, Kimberly Peirce, Burt Reynolds, Ondi Timoner, Alan Cumming, Corey Glover, John Waters, Sebastian Junger, Celia Weston, Mark Bridges, Anson Mount, Joely Richardson, Paul Haggis, Lois Smith, and many more. NEW FOR STUDENT FILMMAKERS: The fest has announced cash scholarship awards totaling $3000, to be presented at this November’s Key West Film Festival. All student selections will be in competition for the Kimberly Peirce Scholarship for Student Filmmakers, presented by the King Family Foundation. Peirce is best known as director of the Oscar winning film Boys Don’t Cry, starring Hilary Swank. Having your film selected by our programmers, and attending the festival as a filmmaker or film fan—which always takes place the (long) weekend before Thanksgiving—is valuable for many reasons: 1 - ACCESS TO TOP FILM CRITICS: We’ve cultivated strong relationships with writers for VARIETY, LA TIMES, ROLLING STONE, NEW YORK TIMES, WASHINGTON POST, WALL STREET JOURNAL, FILMMAKER MAGAZINE, BUZZFEED, TIME OUT NY, INDIEWIRE and others. We kick off each festival with an informative and entertaining "critics chat,” and the long weekend provides ample opportunity to meet these industry influencers. 2 - ARTIST TALKS: Nurturing emerging talent goes hand-in-hand with celebrating those at the pinnacle of their careers, and are interrelated strands of our mission. In depth interviews and Q&As with seasoned names in the industry about their careers, as well as many informal opportunities to chat, make our festival unique. 3 - AWARDS COMPETITION & CEREMONY: Films selected to be shown are automatically in competition in all categories for which they qualify. Winners are announced at our closing night ceremony and party. 4 - SEE GREAT FILMS IN A GREAT ENVIRONMENT: Our locale of the beautifully-preserved and vibrant Old Town Key West, with its boutique cinemas clustered close together, along with our ideal tropical climate mean that you can big-screen binge-watch Oscar contending features and great shorts programs while in between take a dip in the ocean or hotel pool and then grab a local brew or mojito at Sloppy Joe’s or any number of lively bars on historic Duval Street. 5 - WHICH LEADS TO THE PARTIES & FILMMAKER EVENTS: Key Westers love a party—and our festival is local. Every day and night we organize filmmaker breakfast meet-ups, sails, after-parties, and spontaneous after-after hangouts, in the historic homes and lush gardens of famous-Conchs-past like the Hemingways, James Audubon, and President Truman’s Little White House, in the rustic distilleries and breweries of Old Town, aboard majestic sailing ships docked in the bay... 6 - ENJOY A CARIBBEAN HOLIDAY: Bring your crew—be they film crew, boat crew, friends, or family. Or come solo and find a new crew here, while soaking up the warm sunshine and local vibe of our island home in its most beautiful season. Sail, dive, jet ski, kayak, enjoy live music on Duval Street, visit our historic museums and art galleries... It’s all here, walk- & bike-able and definitely flip flop-friendly. For any age and lifestyle, Key West and our festival are a warm and welcoming respite. 7 - NO-STRESS NETWORKING: All of the above give filmmakers and VIP pass-holders lots of opportunity to meet, mingle, talk film, pitch ideas, make deals, make love, or all of the above! 8 - FILM SCREENINGS AND SPECIAL EVENTS: Our ethos is inclusive, fun, & community-building: All selected films get two FILMMAKER badges granting access to all parties and special events, and film screenings (per availability). We are all makers or patrons of the art of cinema, and building and celebrating community is key in Key West. Join our truly unique community, which celebrates our pride of place in South Florida, the Keys, and the Caribbean islands, while welcoming the best from around the country and world.

Last updated Sep 6, 2026

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• Filmmaker

  They do such a great job on this fest. In particular, I love the great networking events like a distillery party, a boat ride or karaoke! And who doesn't want to be in Key West during perfect weather? Definitely worth the trip!

• Filmmaker

  We had such a blast at Key West Film Festival with our film NOT ROD. We were beyond honored to win the award for Best Doc Short, especially considering the exceptional shorts that were programmed in our block. The programming over all was expertly tailored to the vibe of the festival, and the team and volunteers couldn't have been nicer. Mike and Micheal were organized, communicative leading up to the festival and gracious hosts in Key West. And we can't ignore that it's a stunningly beautiful place to visit and walk the island in between films. And at night, the parties with (Pina Coladas on tap!) were outstanding as well. If you are fortunate enough to have your film accepted, you should definitely make the trip down. Thank you, KWFF! We can't wait to be back.

• Filmmaker

  Such an fantastic festival! Filled with fun events and riveting films! Thank you for screening our short film A BIRD IN THE HAND - this festival was awesome!!

• Filmmaker

  An absolutely incredible experience! Mike and the team were very welcoming, with lots of care and attention toward providing a great experience for the filmmakers, plenty of incredible films and networking, and of course, it's Key West. So there's that. Fantastic week, and thanks for the attention and honor for me and Golden Years.

• Filmmaker

  Thank you for selecting our short Stop Motion film Cell Buddies for Key West Film Festival ! Unfortunately we could not attend but from what we have seen on social media and from the communication with the festival this is a great festival! Hopefully see you next time.

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