The Louisiana Film Prize has been named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” for 2025, the Prize Foundation announced this week.
The annual list, selected by the magazine’s “Panel of Cool,” highlights festivals considered innovative, welcoming and memorable. The panel includes filmmakers, festival organizers and industry experts.
In its write-up, MovieMaker praised the Louisiana Film Prize for its unique format, which requires all competing short films to be shot in Louisiana. The magazine cited the event’s high-energy atmosphere, tight-knit creative community and its mix of competition and camaraderie. Panelist and filmmaker Gianfranco Fernández-Ruiz called the festival “a family affair” and said it “restores your faith in the work when you’re feeling low.”
The 2025 Film Prize awards ceremony Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Remington Garage in downtown Shreveport.
“We are incredibly honored to be recognized as one of the coolest film festivals in the world,” Gregory Kallenberg, executive director of the Prize Foundation, said in a statement. “Film Prize was built to champion indie filmmakers and celebrate their creativity. To be highlighted among festivals from around the globe is a testament to the filmmakers, the audiences and the incredible community that makes this event so special.”
This year’s list places the Louisiana Film Prize alongside major festivals including SXSW, Telluride and the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. The program was also recently included on MovieMaker’s list of “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee,” further underscoring its growing national profile.
Registration for the 2026 Louisiana Film Prize is now open. A kickoff event is planned for January featuring a final showcase of the Golden Lens nominees and the announcement of this year’s Golden Lens winner. Filmmakers nationwide are encouraged to begin developing projects that can be shot in Louisiana.
For more information and official rules, visit prizefest.com/film.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Film Prize lands spot on global ‘Coolest Festivals’ list
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
