Overview
The Gimli International Film Festival (GIFF) is Manitoba's largest film festival and Canada's biggest rural film festival. Founded in 2001 and held annually over five days in July in the town of Gimli on the shores of Lake Winnipeg, the 26th edition in 2026 runs July 22 to 26. The festival screens over 100 films including features, documentaries, short films, and experimental media from local, national, and international filmmakers, and receives more than 1,400 film submissions annually.
The festival's signature event is the RBC Beach Screenings, which take place every night of the festival on the beach in Gimli, drawing audiences from across Manitoba and beyond. These free outdoor screenings are the festival's most distinctive programming element and have become one of Manitoba's most unique summer cultural experiences. The festival is run by a team of more than 80 volunteers and 18 employees.
GIFF pays all curated filmmakers minimum IMAA (Independent Media Artists Alliance) fees, and actively works to keep submission fees low to encourage accessibility and inclusion from low-income and marginalized communities. Submission fees are waived entirely for Manitoba-based filmmakers. The festival also hosts the RBC $15,000 Emerging Filmmakers Pitch Competition, now in its 15th year, which provides a $15,000 production grant to an emerging Manitoba filmmaker.
Key Sections
- Canadian and International Features - curated feature films from Canada and around the world
- Documentary Program - nonfiction features and shorts
- Short Film Programs - curated short films across fiction, documentary, and animation
- Manitoba Film Showcase - films by Manitoba-based filmmakers
- RBC Beach Screenings - free outdoor screenings on the beach every night of the festival
- RBC Emerging Filmmakers Pitch Competition - $15,000 production grant competition for emerging Manitoba filmmakers, held on the Saturday of the festival
- 48 Film Festival Partnership - a 48-hour filmmaking challenge where 30+ teams of Manitoba filmmakers create short films, with the best submissions premiered at GIFF
Submission Details
Submissions are made via FilmFreeway.
Submission Deadlines (2026 Edition):
- Early Bird Deadline: December 31, 2025
- Regular Deadline: January 31, 2026
- Last Chance Deadline: March 1, 2026
Submission fees increase at each deadline tier. Specific fee amounts are listed on the FilmFreeway page and are kept intentionally low. Fees are waived for Manitoba-based filmmakers.
Eligibility:
- Films must be completed no earlier than approximately two years before the festival date
- Categories include short films, documentaries, and features
- Narrative, documentary, and experimental films are all accepted
- The festival also welcomes submissions of expanded cinema, media arts installations, and virtual/augmented reality projects
Contact: info@gimlifilm.com
What Filmmakers Should Know
IMAA fee payment: GIFF pays all curated filmmakers minimum IMAA (Independent Media Artists Alliance) fees. If your film is selected, you receive a screening fee in addition to festival exposure. The festival also pays fees dictated by film distributors for distributed works.
Manitoba filmmaker fee waivers: Submission fees are waived for filmmakers currently living in Manitoba. This applies to both short and feature films. Manitoba filmmakers should contact the programming team to arrange a fee waiver.
RBC Emerging Filmmakers Pitch Competition: The festival hosts the 15th annual RBC $15,000 Emerging Filmmakers Pitch Competition on Saturday, July 25, 2026. The competition is open to Manitoba residents over 18 who can complete a 3 to 5 minute short film within one year. The $15,000 prize is released in four installments: $3,750 on approval of final script, $3,750 on first day of principal photography, $3,750 on completion of photography, and $3,750 on delivery of the finished project. The finished film premieres at the 27th GIFF in 2027. Entry deadline is June 15, 2026 at 12:00pm CDT, with finalists notified by July 12, 2026. All finalists receive an Industry Pass to the festival. The competition is run in partnership with RBC and Film Training Manitoba.
Submission volume and selection: The festival receives more than 1,400 film submissions annually, with the programming team selecting approximately 100 films. The programming team also conducts independent research into additional films beyond the submission pool.
Beach screenings exposure: The free nightly beach screenings are the festival's highest-attendance events, drawing large crowds. Films selected for beach screenings receive significant audience exposure in a unique outdoor setting that is unlike any urban festival venue.
Festival logistics: Gimli is approximately one hour north of Winnipeg by car. The festival operates a round-trip shuttle service from Winnipeg with two pickup stops, plus a stop in Winnipeg Beach. In 2026, GIFF partnered with Peg City Car Co-op to offer discount codes for car co-op members. Tickets for individual screenings and full festival passes are available online, with discounted prices for youth, seniors, and industry members.
Community atmosphere: The festival's small-town lakeside setting creates a community-oriented atmosphere that filmmakers and audiences consistently describe as one of the most enjoyable festival experiences in Canada. The festival's Icelandic-Canadian heritage is reflected in the town of Gimli, which has a population of approximately 2,200 and a strong cultural identity.
Past Winners
2026 Award Winners:
- Grand Jury Prize: Everybody to Kenmure Street, dir. Felipe Bustos Sierra (UK)
- Audience Choice: Late Shift, dir. Petra Biondina Volpe (Switzerland/Germany)
- Best Manitoba Film: Portraits, dir. Quan Luong
- Best Manitoba Director: Many Wounds, dir. Jeremy Torrie
- Alda Award: Matthew Rankin (Winnipeg-born, Montreal-based filmmaker)
2025 Award Winners:
- Grand Jury Best of Fest: Universal Language, dir. Matthew Rankin (Canada)
- Alda Award: Matthew Rankin
- Best Manitoba Film: Parade: Queer Acts of Love and Resistance, dir. Noam Gonick (NFB)
- Best Canadian Short: Lumen, dir. Stephanie Belanger
- Best Manitoba Short: Petit Mollusque, dir. Catherine Dulude
- RBC Emerging Filmmakers Pitch Competition: Ande Brown
2024 Award Winners:
- Grand Jury Best of Fest: The Eternal Memory, dir. Maite Alberdi (Chile)
- Audience Choice: The Day Iceland Stood Still
- Best Canadian Short: Unibrow, dir. Nedda Sarshar
- Best International Short: 27, dir. Flora Anna Buda (Hungary)
- Best Manitoba Short: Modern Goose, dir. Karsten Wall (NFB)
- Best Manitoba Director: Branden Joseph DeFoort, These Four Walls
- Alda Award: Zacharias Kunuk
- Indigenous Spirit Award: Andrew Konoff, Plaansh a Roo
2023 Award Winners:
- Grand Jury Prize: Twice Colonized, dir. Lin Alluna
- Best of Fest Audience Choice: Before the Sun, dir. Banchi Hanuse
- Indigenous Spirit Award: Before the Sun
- New Voices Award: Before the Sun
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
Universal Language (2025 Grand Jury Best of Fest and Alda Award): Matthew Rankin's absurdist comedy premiered in the Directors' Fortnight at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. It was distributed by Oscilloscope Labs in US theaters in February 2025 and won six Canadian Screen Awards. Rankin, born in Winnipeg, received the Alda Award honoring filmmakers from Canada and the circumpolar nations.
Everybody to Kenmure Street (2026 Grand Jury Prize): Felipe Bustos Sierra's documentary about a 2021 immigration raid in Glasgow won a Special Jury Award for Civil Resistance at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Executive produced by Oscar winner Emma Thompson, it was acquired by Icarus Films for North American distribution.
Late Shift (2026 Audience Choice): Petra Biondina Volpe's Swiss hospital thriller premiered at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival. Starring Leonie Benesch, it was Switzerland's submission for the International Feature Oscar. It was distributed by Music Box Films in the US in March 2026.
The Eternal Memory (2024 Grand Jury Best of Fest): Maite Alberdi's documentary about an Alzheimer's love story was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 96th Oscars. It was distributed by MTV Documentary Films.
Parade: Queer Acts of Love and Resistance (2025 Best Manitoba Film): Noam Gonick's NFB documentary about queer activism screened at major Canadian festivals and was produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
- Submit via FilmFreeway. Submissions are made through FilmFreeway. Early bird deadline is December 31, 2025, regular deadline is January 31, 2026, and last chance deadline is March 1, 2026.
- Take advantage of IMAA fee payment. GIFF pays all curated filmmakers minimum IMAA fees. If your film is selected, you receive a screening fee in addition to festival exposure, a significant benefit compared to many festivals that do not pay screening fees.
- Manitoba filmmakers get fee waivers. Submission fees are waived for filmmakers currently living in Manitoba. Contact the programming team to arrange a fee waiver.
- Target the RBC Pitch Competition if you are a Manitoba resident. The $15,000 production grant is one of Manitoba's biggest opportunities for emerging filmmakers. The finished film premieres at the following year's GIFF. Entry deadline is June 15, 2026.
- Aim for beach screenings. The free nightly beach screenings are the festival's highest-attendance events. Films selected for beach screenings receive significant audience exposure in a unique outdoor setting.
- Keep submission fees low. GIFF actively works to keep submission fees low to encourage accessibility and inclusion from low-income and marginalized communities. Fees increase at each deadline tier but remain intentionally affordable.
Industry Reputation Notes
GIFF is not Academy Award-qualifying and does not have FIAPF accreditation. It is Canada's biggest rural film festival and Manitoba's largest film festival, operating continuously since 2001. The 26th edition in 2026 marks 25 years of continuous operation.
The festival does not have an attached film market or industry accreditation program on the scale of major urban festivals. However, it hosts the GIFF Global Industry Summit, which includes masterclasses and industry panels. The 2024 summit featured a masterclass by Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson.
The festival's industry value lies in its IMAA fee payment model, the RBC $15,000 Emerging Filmmakers Pitch Competition, and its unique beach screening format. The pitch competition has become Manitoba's biggest opportunity for emerging filmmakers, providing a $15,000 production grant and a guaranteed festival premiere.
GIFF is a nonprofit organization employing 18 staff during the festival season and supported by more than 80 volunteers. The current Executive Director is Teya Zuzek. The festival is supported by RBC as a major partner, with additional support from Film Training Manitoba, ChangeMakers, and other organizations. Prior to the pandemic, the festival's audience exceeded 12,000 attendees.
Watch
See Also
For Canadian cinema, see International Film Markets. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To calculate whether festival submission fees are worth it for your budget, use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator.
