Stockholm International Film Festival

Overview

The Stockholm International Film Festival is Sweden's second largest film festival after Gothenburg, held annually in November in Stockholm. The 36th edition (November 5 to 16, 2025) screened 135 films from 60 countries and awarded its top prize, the Bronze Horse, to Father by Slovak director Tereza Nvotova. The 37th edition runs November 11 to 22, 2026. The festival is organized by the foundation of the same name and is supported by the Swedish Film Institute and the City of Stockholm.

The festival's purpose, as stated in its regulations, is to broaden the forum for innovative quality films in Scandinavia beyond what is available through commercial outlets and traditional film institutions. The Stockholm Competition is open to directors making their first, second, or third dramatic feature, making it a platform for emerging international talent. The Bronze Horse is described by the festival as the heaviest award on the festival circuit, weighing 7.3 kg.

The 2025 edition opened with Eagles of the Republic by Tarik Saleh and closed with Die My Love by Lynne Ramsay. The artistic director is Beatrice Karlsson. The festival presented career honors to director Benny Safdie (Stockholm Visionary Award), actor Alexander Skarsgard (Stockholm Achievement Award), and a guest of honor Isabelle Huppert.

Submission Details

Submissions are accepted exclusively through FilmFreeway and the festival website. Only digital submissions are accepted (private Vimeo link or similar online video service). The 37th edition (2026) has the following deadlines:

• Earlybird Deadline: March 23, 2026
• Regular Deadline: July 9, 2026
• Late Deadline: August 18, 2026
• Final Deadline: September 15, 2026

The correct fee must be paid in full for a film to be considered. The festival does not offer fee waivers, though exceptions may be made in specific cases if a filmmaker's previous work has been selected by the festival. Questions regarding submission can be directed to program@stockholmfilmfestival.se.

Premiere requirements (Section 4 of regulations): Films that had their world premiere prior to November 15, 2025 are not eligible. The film must not have been broadcast, publicly screened, or screened at any festival in Sweden (including Goteborg Film Festival, Tempo Film Festival, Monsters of Film, Lund Fantastisk Film Festival, Uppsala Shortfilm Festival, etc.) or made available to the public as VOD, SVOD, or in any other way.

Competition Sections

• Stockholm Competition: Groundbreaking directors competing for the Bronze Horse. Open to directors making their first, second, or third dramatic feature.
• Stockholm Documentary Competition: Personal and original documentaries from around the world competing for the Bronze Horse for Best Documentary.
• Open Zone: The most influential directors in world cinema, contenders for the FIPRESCI award.
• Icons: A showcase of major performances by leading actors and actresses in current cinema.
• Discovery: Powerful and diverse stories from debut directors.
• American Independents: American cinema through the eyes of its most independent filmmakers.
• Twilight Zone: Mind-bending genre films suited for the darkest hours.
• Stockholm Short Film Competition: Edgy shorts from across the globe in competition.
• Stockholm Series: 1-2 episodes of series that push the conventional format of storytelling.
• Stockholm Nordic Shorts: Spotlights the most original and tonally precise Nordic directors, crafting experiences that define the Nordic vision.
• 1 KM FILM: Only open for Swedish short films. The winner receives production support valued at 400,000 SEK.

Major Awards (2025 Winners, 36th Edition)

Stockholm Competition:

• Best Film (Bronze Horse): Father (Tereza Nvotova, Slovakia/Czech Republic/Poland) - also won Best Screenplay (shared with Dusan Budzak)
• Best Director: Mascha Schilinski for Sound of Falling (Germany)
• Best Debut: Hasan Hadi for The Dictator's Cake / The President's Cake (Iraq/USA/Qatar)
• Best Actress: Shih Yuan Ma for Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan/France/USA/UK)
• Best Actor: Harry Melling for Pillion (UK/Ireland)
• Best Cinematography: Evgenia Alexandrova for The Secret Agent (Brazil/France/Germany/Netherlands)

Stockholm Documentary Competition:

• Best Documentary (Bronze Horse): 2000 Meters to Andriivka (Mstyslav Chernov, Ukraine) - directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker

Short Film Competitions:

• Best Short Film: Skin on Skin (Simon Schneckenburger)
• Best Nordic Short Film: Sorry I'm Late (But I Brought a Choir) (Hakon Anton Olavsen)

FIPRESCI Award:

• Best Film: No Other Choice (Park Chan-wook, South Korea)

Special Awards:

• TV4 Rising Star Award: Nils Wetterholm (from The Dance Club)
• 1 KM FILM Winner: Johan Stavsjoe for Work Ethics - production support valued at 400,000 SEK
• 1 KM FILM TorinoFilmLab Script Development Award: Dea Saracevic for Silence
• Nordic Wave: Karim Fakih for 8 sqm - production support valued at 400,000 SEK from TintNIK
• Stockholm Visionary Award: Benny Safdie
• Stockholm Achievement Award: Alexander Skarsgard

The 2025 jury consisted of actor David Dencik, director Mikael Marcimain, and producer Eva Akergren. The awards ceremony was held at the Rigoletto cinema on November 14, 2025.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Eligibility: The Stockholm Competition is restricted to directors making their first, second, or third dramatic feature. This makes it a platform for emerging directors rather than established names. Films must not have had their world premiere before November 15, 2025, and must not have screened at any Swedish festival or been made available as VOD/SVOD.

Premiere requirement: The Swedish premiere requirement is strict. Films that have screened at Goteborg Film Festival (January), Tempo Film Festival, or any other Swedish festival are not eligible. Filmmakers planning a Scandinavian festival circuit should prioritize Stockholm if their film has not yet screened in Sweden.

Swedish filmmakers: The 1 KM FILM competition is exclusively for Swedish short films, with the winner receiving 400,000 SEK in production support. The Stockholm Nordic Shorts section spotlights Nordic directors. The Nordic Wave award provides 400,000 SEK in production support from TintNIK.

Academy Award and industry context: Stockholm is not currently an Academy Award-qualifying festival. However, its November timing places it in the fall festival season alongside Tallinn Black Nights (Pimedate Oode Filmifestival) and Torino, making it a useful platform for building Scandinavian and European momentum for year-end awards campaigns.

Distribution and industry access: Stockholm's location in the Swedish capital provides access to the Swedish film industry, press corps, and the international community resident in Stockholm. The festival's programming has historically had notable strength in discovering films from East Asia and American independent cinema.

Submission fees and deadlines: The earlybird deadline of March 23, 2026 gives filmmakers ample time to submit. The final deadline of September 15, 2026 is relatively late compared to other major European festivals, allowing films completed in the summer to be considered.

Festival History

The Stockholm International Film Festival was founded in 1990 and has grown into one of Scandinavia's most respected film events. The festival's programming has consistently championed Asian cinema at a time when other European festivals paid it less attention. The Bronze Horse has been the festival's top award since its founding, with the Aluminum Horse serving as the award for secondary categories including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best First Feature, Best Short Film, and Best Nordic Short Film.

The 2025 edition (36th) screened 135 films from 60 countries, with the opening film Eagles of the Republic by Tarik Saleh and the closing film Die My Love by Lynne Ramsay. The festival has been organized by the same foundation since its founding and is supported by the Swedish Film Institute and the City of Stockholm. The artistic director is Beatrice Karlsson.

The 37th edition runs November 11 to 22, 2026, with submissions opening through FilmFreeway and the festival website.

See Also

For Scandinavian cinema and European festival circuits, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator. For budgeting a co-production, use the Indie Film Budget Calculator.