22 Films. 8 Countries. Endless Conversation.
From August 14–21, the Emberlight International Film Festival returns with its most ambitious lineup yet, celebrating the artists, stories, and perspectives shaping independent cinema around the world. Selected from 957 submissions representing 85 countries, just 22 films earned Official Selection status at EIFF26—an acceptance rate of only 2.3 percent.
This year’s festival features two acclaimed feature films alongside twenty exceptional shorts spanning documentary, narrative, and animation. Together, they invite audiences from a towering twenty-foot pencil in Minnesota to the beekeeping fields of Georgia, a community theatre in Scotland, an art festival in the Netherlands, a ballet recital in Iran, and beyond. Along the way, audiences will discover unforgettable characters, extraordinary craftsmanship, surprising humor, and stories that linger long after the credits roll.
Beyond the screen, EIFF26 offers filmmaker conversations, live musical performances by The Broadway Strings, Opening Night with acclaimed Canadian animator Carolyn Gair, and the festival’s signature Closing Night Celebration and Emby Awards at the Ember Club. Whether you’re joining us for a single screening or spending the entire week immersed in cinema, the Emberlight International Film Festival is an invitation to experience independent film the way it was meant to be experienced—together.
