Where Stories Come to Life – Submit Your Work

Just over the bridge from downtown San Diego, a world-class destination welcomes the world’s most passionate storytellers to celebrate the art of cinema. Nestled in the stunning coastal charm of Coronado Island, the Coronado Island Film Festival offers an unparalleled opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their work in a setting that’s both vibrant and serene.

From red-carpet premieres to intimate conversations, our festival brings together creators, audiences, and industry professionals in an inspiring and unforgettable environment. Whether you’re an established director or an emerging talent, this is your moment to shine on a global stage and connect with fellow visionaries.

We’re proud to be recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee in 2025”—a testament to the meaningful connections, exposure, and experience we offer every attending filmmaker.

Join us in celebrating cinematic excellence—where every story finds its spotlight, and every filmmaker is honored. Submit your film and become part of a tradition that transforms storytelling into a shared cultural experience.

Special Offer for Alumni:
All CIFF alumni filmmakers and screenwriting finalists from 2016–2025 receive an exclusive submission discount.
Please contact our film office for your code: filmoffice@coronadofilm.com

Be Part of the Festival – Submit Now!
MovieMaker Magazine: 50 Film Festivals
Extended Deadline July 15, 2025
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Notification Date August 25, 2025
Catherine Wright
"I had a great experience at the 2024 Coronado Island Film Festival. I appreciate how many opportunities the screenwriting finalists received to interact with industry professionals. I highly recommend the CIFF screenplay competition and film festival."
H. Nelson Tracey
"Fantastic festival I was honored to participate in! Great location and venues, excellent Q&As, top-tier programming, and kind people. We originally submitted so we could play somewhere in San Diego, but Coronado is a vibe all of its own and really feels like a getaway; it was my first time coming to this place and it was worth traveling to. This festival is now on my "must submit" list and should be on yours too!"
Mark Bonn
"I can’t say enough about Coronado Island Film Festival! Some other Festivals make me wonder if I ever want to make another film. Then there are Festivals like the Coronado Island Film Festival that inspire me to get cracking and make my next film so I can enter next year! This Wonderful festival understands that the filmmaker is an integral part of putting on a successful Film Festival. I know this sounds like a big Duh, but if you’ve been doing this for a while like I’ve been, you will find not every festival gets it. Coronado Island Gets It! Big Audiences, Great Volunteers, an Attentive Staff, and Awesome Parties. Everything that makes a Successful Festival! Enter this festival and if you do get in, GO! You won’t regret it and you might jumpstart your next film with the great vibes you will receive here!"
Christian Loubek
"Thank you CIFF for your support of indie film and for recognizing our film BELIEF amidst your program! Thank you Merridee! The shorts block we were featured in was a showcase of enlightened and truly incredible films. Well curated, elegant setting (we screened at 'the Del') and a wonderful Q&A. Grateful to be recognized with the Audience Award!! Coronado Island is unique destination festival. Entirely walkable with a built-in audience of sophisticated viewers. It's a small festival but very well-resourced with several awards that come w sizable cash prizes. We stayed at the Loew's which required a car and is a bit down the road but the discount made for a wonderful mini-vacation. Again thank you CIFF! Wonderful to meet you Claudia Puig and Leonard Maltin!!"
Susan Polk
"What an incredible experience! The entire team - founders, staff, volunteers, benefactors - made this one of the most special times I've had at a film festival. I was honored to be chosen as the Grand Prize Winner in the inaugural Feature Screenplay Category with my script "Amen & Ameen". The panels offered with industry pros were so insightful and inspiring, and the films were amazing! Absolutely recommend to anyone to attend this festival - with or without an entry!! Thank you CIFF! Hope to be back with a premiere!"
Jessica McGaugh
"Thank you for creating space for our film "Tina Tina Bo Bina"! We felt supported throughout the entire festival. We met tons of great people, saw amazing films, and enjoyed the beautiful Village Theater and Coronado Hotel. Coronado Island is filmmaker-friendly and offers good vibes!"
Sunita Prasad
"We were bowled over by the embrace we received from CIFF, where we found amazing films, caring colleagues, and enthusiastic audiences!"
Luke J. Salewski
"Great festival in easily one of the best locations I've traveled to for a film festival. Coronado Island is stunningly beautiful, incredibly walkable, with much to see and do. The festival has a great array of programming that celebrates independent filmmakers as well as including films from the studios. It was an honor to be a part of and I plan on submitting all of my future films here."
Mark C. Spera
"This a wonderful festival in a beautiful location. All of the Panels were excellent with very knowledgeable speakers with deep industry experience. All of the hosted get togethers were Five Star events. I would highly recommend the festival. I was a finalist in the screenplay competition and just want to thank the festival for a great experience! See you next year!"
Connie Chiarelli
"By far this film truly outdid every festival I’ve participated in to date. Outstanding organization, communication and total ease of access made it a joy to attend and participate. CEO, Merridee Book, hands down is running one of the best festivals you could attend. Not only is the festival well run and produced, but every panel and guest speaker was truly current industry professionals with immensely helpful insight for all who attended. The networking was amazing. Thank you to everyone for allowing my film to be included in this incredible event!"
Lucas Pierce
"The CIFF is a really great film festival. The films were of excellent quality and the screenings were well attended. There were multiple interesting panels and fun parties/events to attend. The city of Coronado is an incredible location for a film festival. The mediator for the Q and A session was well prepared, asked very thoughtful and insightful questions, and did a really great job of leading an interesting discussion about the films in my block. It was an honor and an overall wonderful experience being a part of this festival and I look forward to attending again in the future."
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