WorldFest Houston

This is exactly why we do what we do. 🌟

Filipino actor Jake Vargas won a WorldFest Houston Rising Star Award for a bold, compelling performance. Now he's signed with Maja Salvador's Crown Artist Management, and Inquirer Entertainment named his WorldFest win as part of the story.

Our jurors, working industry professionals, saw it first. Sixty years in, we're still spotlighting tomorrow's international stars today.

Your performance could be next. Discover 60 years of international cinema and submit your work.

🎬 Link in bio

🎬 Grateful doesn't begin to cover it. Hakan Ünal brought his eye for stories about memory, repression, and identity to the WorldFest59 jury, and independent filmmakers were better for it.

As an award winning Turkish screenwriter and creative director, Hakan knows what it takes to build a narrative that stays with an audience long after the credits roll. That's exactly the kind of perspective our jurors bring to the table, and exactly why their evaluations carry weight with filmmakers and programmers alike.

Now we're building the WorldFest60 jury, and we're still looking for voices like his.

🎥 Filmmakers, writers, educators, artists, and film lovers are all welcome
🏆 Festival perks included
📅 60th Anniversary, Houston, April 30 to May 8, 2027

Want a seat at the table? Apply to join the jury. Link in bio.

Rejected? Or just not programmed?

At WorldFest, those are two different things, and understanding the difference changes how you see the submission process.

Every eligible entry is evaluated for Remi Award consideration by at least two jurors. That evaluation determines award eligibility. Theatrical programming is a separate process, shaped by runtime, thematic balance, premiere status, and the realities of building a festival schedule. A film can win a Remi without ever being programmed theatrically.

This isn't a loophole. It's how we protect artistic recognition from the limits of screen slots and scheduling.

We built this carousel because filmmakers deserve to know what's actually happening behind the scenes when they hit submit. Transparency is part of what we owe the work you trust us with.

Your story matters. Thank you for trusting WorldFest with your work.

Grateful doesn't begin to cover it. Miguel Nogueras Jr. brought 20+ years of brand and storytelling expertise to our WorldFest59 jury, spending countless hours discovering bold, independent voices alongside our panel of filmmakers, writers, educators, and artists.

Jurors like Miguel are the backbone of what makes WorldFest work. They show up for the craft, for the filmmakers, and for the belief that independent cinema deserves a real seat at the table.

Now we're building our jury for the 60th Anniversary festival, and we want you on the panel. Whether you're a filmmaker, writer, educator, or just someone who loves discovering great independent film, there's a place for you here.

Jury members receive WorldFest goodies and festival passes, plus a front row seat to next year's best storytelling.

🎬 Apply to join the jury, link in bio.

A lot is happening on the road to our 60th anniversary, and we didn't want you to miss any of it.

Here's what's on our radar right now:

🌍 WorldFest60 is officially global: 50 countries and counting. Submissions are open, and rates rise as deadlines pass, so lock yours in early.

📽️ The 4th Annual Houston Media Conference hits Sept 17-20 at Hilton DoubleTree Greenway Plaza. Volunteers needed.

🍿 Manhattan Short Film Festival lands at MFAH Sept 24-27. You vote for the winners, so grab tickets before they're gone.

🎨 We're teaming up with Bayou City Art Festival, Oct 9-11 at Memorial Park. Come volunteer with us.

🎬 Garden Oaks Theater is one step closer to reopening. Arthouse Houston has moved to close on this Houston landmark, but we still need founding donors to help bring it back to life.

This is what community-built cinema looks like. Follow along for weekly updates, and find every link you need to get involved at worldfest.org (link in bio).

A huge thank you to Darienne Adams, one of our WorldFest59 jurors. A 3x Remi winner whose own WorldFest story started back in the 1990s, she gave her time and expertise to help select this year's honorees, and we couldn't do it without jurors like her.

Judging a festival with 55+ years of history is no small task. It takes people who understand craft, respect diverse storytelling, and care about giving emerging filmmakers a fair shot. Darienne brought all of that to the table.

Now we're looking ahead to WorldFest60, and we need more voices like hers on the panel. If you're a filmmaker, producer, writer, or industry professional who wants to help shape the next class of Remi winners, this is your invitation.

Your turn to be part of the process.

🎬 WorldFest60: April 30 - May 8, 2027
🔗 Juror sign-up in bio

Meet Matthew Principe: opera houses, orchestras, and the WorldFest59 jury. 🎬
Matthew’s career spans the Metropolitan Opera, Detroit Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, Santa Fe Opera, and Boston Baroque. As Producer for Cultural Partnerships at Viva Verdi!, he brought that same eye for storytelling, performance, and connecting artists with audiences to the WorldFest59 International Jury.
Those are the kind of real eyes your work gets in front of at WorldFest.
Our jurors are filmmakers, writers, educators, artists, and industry veterans who bring years of experience to thoughtfully evaluating your feature, short, documentary, or screenplay.
Your story could be next.
WorldFest60 is open for submissions through FilmFreeway or HIIKE.
And if you have the industry experience to help us recognize the next generation of independent storytellers, applications for the WorldFest60 jury are open too.
Both paths start at the link in bio. 🎬