Where cinema observes, questions, and reflects.
CineFilmFest is an international short film festival based in The Hague, Netherlands, a city shaped by dialogue, justice, and cultural plurality.
Join us on Saturday 13 March 2027, at the historic Pathé Buitenhof cinema, right in the heart of the city, for a day of emerging independent films, inspiring stories, and engaging conversations with filmmakers from around the world.
The festival invites audiences and film artists into a shared space where cinema becomes a lens through which realities are explored, stories are reframed, and perspectives are exchanged.
We believe in short cinema as a precise and powerful art form: concise, bold, and capable of leaving a lasting resonance.
Our festival extends beyond screenings through a series of public conversations, filmmaker talks, and panel discussions that invite audiences to engage more deeply with cinema, storytelling, and the creative process. Together, these events transform the festival into a vibrant meeting place where authors, audiences, and cultural thinkers come together to share ideas and celebrate creativity and the art of film.
Why a seal?
Because it embodies the very essence of independent cinema: a creature guided by global currents, crossing borders, and bringing what lies beneath the surface into view.
Like independent films, the seal is an explorer. It moves through a world without fixed boundaries, connecting distant places and unexpected stories. It disappears beneath the surface, explores what is unseen, and resurfaces with something to share.
Our logo captures the very moment of surfacing — the instant when a story completes its journey through the depths and rises to meet the audience’s gaze. It is a moment of discovery, connection, and encounter: a hidden voice finding its way into the light.
Welcome to CineFilmFest!
Global currents. Independent visions.
MISSION
CineFilmFest exists to support filmmakers who use cinema as a tool for expression, reflection, and social awareness. We aim to create a space where storytelling meets purpose and where local audiences and international creators can engage through powerful cinematic experiences.
Our mission is to:
– Support independent filmmakers from around the world
– Present carefully curated short films to a local and international audience
– Encourage reflection, conversation, and cultural exchange
– Create an accessible festival experience rooted in The Hague’s civic and cultural identity.
For us, cinema is not only entertainment: it is observation, interpretation, and expression. Through screenings and dedicated educational moments we create a space where emerging creators and curious audiences can learn more about filmmaking, artistic practice, and the evolving landscape of short-form cinema.
VISION
We envision CineFilmFest as a cultural meeting point, where stories travel freely, perspectives are exchanged, and cinema becomes a catalyst for understanding.
A festival where:
– Short films are experienced as complete artistic works
– Local audiences discover global perspectives
– Filmmakers find an attentive and curious public
– Themes of justice, identity, and social responsibility are explored with nuance and creativity.
As the festival grows, CineFilmFest aims to become a recognizable platform for cinema that engages with the world, thoughtfully, critically, and poetically.
Submit your short
If you have created a short film that deserves to be experienced on the big screen and discovered by a curious, culturally engaged audience, we invite you to submit your work.
All film submissions to CineFilmFest are handled exclusively via FilmFreeway.
