Overview
The Brussels International Film Festival (BRIFF) is a nine-day film festival held in Brussels, Belgium. The 9th edition runs September 4 to 12, 2026, across three venues: UGC De Brouckere, Cinema Galeries, and Cinema Palace. BRIFF programs arthouse cinema through three competitive sections and hosts the Brussels CoProMarket, a co-production market for feature-length projects in development. The festival screens approximately 150 films and operates both industry and audience-facing programs.
BRIFF shifted from its previous June dates to September beginning with the 9th edition in 2026. The 2026 opening film is Notre Salut by Emmanuel Marre, which won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and will have its Belgian premiere at BRIFF. The festival's programming spans international arthouse cinema, Belgian national production, and emerging European directors.
Brussels' position as the administrative capital of the European Union shapes BRIFF's audience and industry program. The festival's industry section addresses current challenges in European cinema through networking events, training programs, and co-production support. The Brussels CoProMarket connects filmmakers developing feature-length projects with co-producers, collaborators, and key industry partners.
Key Sections
- International Competition - arthouse films from around the world, presented as Belgian premieres. Films compete for the Jury Prize of the International Competition.
- National Competition - the best Belgian film production of the year, highlighting quality and diversity of Belgian talent
- Directors' Week - emerging European directors with bold and distinctive styles, celebrating the future of European cinema. A Young Jury of five people aged 18 to 25 also awards its own prize within this section.
- Special Screenings - premieres and high-profile selections outside competition
- Belgian Panorama - broader survey of Belgian cinema
- Tributes and Retrospectives - programs dedicated to cinema legends
- Open-Air Screenings - outdoor screenings during the festival
- BRIFF Industry - co-production market, networking, and training programs
Submission Details
BRIFF accepts submissions through its official website. The festival operates a five-tier deadline structure with fees in euros:
| Deadline | Date | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Very Earlybird | January 15, 2025 | EUR 30 |
| Earlybird | February 28, 2026 | EUR 40 |
| Regular | April 20, 2026 | EUR 50 |
| Late | May 20, 2026 | EUR 60 |
| Extended | June 10, 2026 | EUR 75 |
| Notification | June 30, 2026 | - |
All three competitive sections (International Competition, National Competition, and Directors' Week) share the same submission deadlines and fee structure. The submission deadline for all competitions is June 10, 2026, with notification by June 30, 2026.
The International Competition requires Belgian premiere status. The National Competition is open to Belgian films. Directors' Week focuses on emerging European directors with a bold and distinctive style.
What Filmmakers Should Know
BRIFF does not operate a traditional film market with sales agents and buyers. Its industry program is focused on co-production and professional development rather than acquisition. The Brussels CoProMarket is the most relevant industry component for filmmakers with projects in development seeking European co-production partners. The 9th edition of the CoProMarket runs alongside the festival.
For Belgian filmmakers, the National Competition is the most important domestic platform. Selection provides access to Belgian press, audiences, and industry professionals. The festival's Brussels location means both French-speaking and Dutch-speaking Belgian film communities are represented, reflecting Belgium's linguistic and cultural landscape.
For international filmmakers, the International Competition requires Belgian premiere status. Films that have already screened publicly in Belgium are not eligible. The festival's European institutional audience creates opportunities for policy-relevant and social issue films. The Directors' Week section is specifically for emerging European directors and may be a more accessible entry point for first or second-time filmmakers.
The festival's three venues are all in central Brussels, within walking distance of each other. The UGC De Brouckere is the largest venue and hosts opening and closing ceremonies. Cinema Palace and Cinema Galeries provide additional screening rooms. Brussels is accessible by train from Paris (1.5 hours), Amsterdam (2 hours), and London (2 hours via Eurostar).
Awards / Accreditation
BRIFF is not FIAPF-accredited and is not an Academy Award-qualifying festival. It presents awards across its three competitive sections:
- Grand Prix - Directors' Week - top prize for emerging European directors
- Jury Prize - International Competition - top prize in the international section
- Best Belgian Film - National Competition - top prize for Belgian cinema
- Young Jury Prize - awarded by a jury of five people aged 18 to 25 within Directors' Week
- Audience Award - voted by festival audiences across categories
- FIPRESCI Prize - awarded by international critics
The festival's closing ceremony includes an awards presentation celebrating films recognized by both juries and audiences.
Past Winners
2025 (8th edition) International Competition:
- Grand Prix: The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (dir. Diego Cespedes, Chile/France/Germany/Spain/Belgium) - won the top prize in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Chile selected it as its official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Altered Innocence acquired US distribution rights. Charades handled international sales.
- Jury Prize: Sentimental Value (dir. Joachim Trier, Norway) - won the Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Trier's previous film The Worst Person in the World (2021) was nominated for two Academy Awards. MUBI acquired distribution rights for multiple territories. Starring Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard, and Elle Fanning.
- FIPRESCI Prize: The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo (dir. Diego Cespedes)
2025 Directors' Week:
- Grand Prix: That Summer in Paris (dir. Valentine Cadic, France)
- Jury Prize: Cuba and Alaska
- Public Prize: Cuba and Alaska
2025 National Competition:
- Grand Prix: Kika (dir. Alexe Poukine, Belgium/France) - Poukine's first fiction feature, selected in competition at Cannes' Semaine de la Critique 2025. The film follows a single mother who discovers an unexpected new career. Distributed in Belgium by Imagine Film.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
BRIFF is a young festival (founded 2018), so its alumni track record is still developing. However, the 2025 International Competition Grand Prix winner, The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, represents the kind of film BRIFF champions: a debut feature that premiered at a major festival (Cannes Un Certain Regard) and went on to Oscar submission status. The film was acquired by Altered Innocence for US distribution and by MUBI for select international territories.
Sentimental Value, the 2025 Jury Prize winner, is one of the highest-profile arthouse films of 2025. Director Joachim Trier is an established name in world cinema, and the film's Cannes Grand Prix win ensured distribution across multiple territories through MUBI. The film stars Elle Fanning alongside Reinsve and Skarsgard, giving it commercial visibility beyond the arthouse circuit.
For Belgian cinema, the National Competition winner Kika (Alexe Poukine) was also selected at Cannes' Semaine de la Critique, showing that BRIFF's national programming aligns with international festival recognition. Belgian films that win at BRIFF gain domestic press attention and access to Belgian distribution channels.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
BRIFF's three competitive sections have distinct curatorial profiles. The International Competition requires Belgian premiere status and programs arthouse cinema from around the world. If your film has already screened publicly in Belgium, it is ineligible for this section. The National Competition is exclusively for Belgian productions and is the primary domestic platform.
Directors' Week is the most accessible section for first and second-time filmmakers. It focuses on emerging European directors with bold and distinctive styles. If you are a European director with a debut or second feature that takes formal risks, this section is your best entry point. The Young Jury Prize (awarded by 18-to-25-year-olds) adds an additional recognition opportunity within this section.
The festival's shift from June to September (starting with the 9th edition in 2026) changes the submission calendar. Filmmakers should check the BRIFF website for updated deadlines. The five-tier fee structure (Very Earlybird through Extended) rewards early submission, with fees ranging from EUR 30 to EUR 75.
Industry Reputation Notes
BRIFF is a mid-tier European festival that is building its industry profile. It does not operate a traditional film market with sales agents and buyers in the way that Berlin's European Film Market or Cannes' Marche du Film do. Its industry program is focused on co-production through the Brussels CoProMarket and professional development rather than acquisition.
Compared to peer festivals like Locarno or San Sebastian, BRIFF is younger and smaller in scale. However, its Brussels location gives it institutional access to European Union film policy circles, which is unique among European festivals. The CoProMarket is the most industry-relevant component, connecting filmmakers with projects in development to European co-producers.
For filmmakers seeking acquisitions or sales agent attention, BRIFF is less effective than festivals like Rotterdam (which has CineMart and the Rotterdam Lab) or Gothenburg (which has the Nordic Film Market). For filmmakers seeking European co-production partners, the CoProMarket provides genuine value.
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Festival History
BRIFF launched in 2018 as a reimagined Brussels film festival, building on Brussels' history as a film-going city with a strong arthouse culture. The festival has operated through Belgium's complex linguistic landscape, serving both French-speaking Wallonia and Dutch-speaking Flanders through its Brussels location. Belgium's filmmaking tradition includes the Dardenne brothers, who have won multiple Palmes d'Or at Cannes, alongside a thriving independent and arthouse sector.
The festival changed its dates from June to September beginning with the 9th edition in 2026. The move to September positions BRIFF earlier in the fall festival season, following Venice and Toronto. The festival has grown its industry program over successive editions, with the Brussels CoProMarket becoming a more significant component of the event.
See Also
To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. To estimate your probability of acceptance based on festival tier and film characteristics, use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For European film markets and co-production, see International Film Markets.
