Submit your film to Umeå Filmfestival!
On this page, you can submit your film to the Umeå Film Festival 2026. We have three different categories, each with its own deadline, so please take note of this. As always, we are seeking films for our section Perspectives from the North. What’s special this year is that we will be screening a short film program featuring films shot on mobile phones that showcase young people’s perspectives in the Arctic. You can also submit your feature film or documentary to our Panorama and Documentary sections.
A day in life
– Life in the Arctic
Umeå Film Festival and the Arctic Light Film Festival are seeking short films of 1–3 minutes in length made with a cell phone. We are looking for films that explore the lives of young people in the Arctic. Anyone between the ages of 15 and 18 who resides in Västerbotten or Norrbotten is eligible to apply. The selected entries will be screened in a short film block during the Arctic Light Film Festival (November 18–22) and during the Umeå Film Festival (November 24–29). A jury will select a winner during the Umeå Film Festival awards ceremony on November 27. Submissions are open through Monday, August 17!
Responses will be sent out at the end of September. Please direct any questions or concerns to info@ueff.se. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered. Image from Skrapade knän, Manna Bergström, 2025
Northern Perspectives
Submit your film to our “Perspectives from the North” section! This section features both documentaries and feature films, short and feature-length. “Perspectives from the North” is one of our most popular sections during the film festival. In 2025, we had over 800 attendees for the films and film blocks shown in the program.
The films in this section must have a connection to the northern circumpolar region, either through their content or because one of the filmmakers has a strong connection to the north. Since 2023, we have also opened the section to films from other parts of the world, such as Greenland, Iceland, Canada, and Finland. Films produced in northern Sweden and submitted to the festival also have a chance to be nominated for our Storspoven film grant (read more about previous winners here).
All films submitted to the festival are reviewed by a reference group consisting of 4–5 people from various sectors of the cultural field, along with staff from the film festival. The reference group reviews all submitted entries.
Submissions are open through Sunday, August 23, 2026. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered. Image from the screening of Storspoven 2025, photograph by Gabriel.
Feature / documentary
If you would like to submit your feature film or documentary to this year’s Umeå Film Festival, please fill out the form below. Each year, we screen around 40 feature films in our Panorama, Gala, and Documentary sections. We will notify you of the outcome of your submission by the end of September. Image from Under the Volcano, which was screened during the 2025 festival.
Submissions are open through Sunday, August 23, 2026.