Cannes Film Festival- Officially titled Festival de Cannes, this festival that takes place annually on the French Riviera is widely regarded as the most prestigious film festival in the world. It was first staged in 1946 with a mind towards fostering creativity among filmmakers. Since then, a jury has been created to judge the entries and the festival has become a highly commercial enterprise. In 1955 the Palme d’Or was introduced to honor the best picture winner and it has since become one of the most distinguished awards in the industry.

Hong Kong International Film Festival- The HKIFF was initially started in 1977 to showcase new Asian films and introduce them to Western audiences. The HKIFF is a non-competitive event and has stuck to its roots drawing a large portion of the 200 films it shows each year from the Asian film industry and trying to retain cultural roots. An example of this is the Hong Kong Cinema Retrospective, intended to promote the Asian film industry’s growth during a period where it is highly susceptible to the large Hollywood films that dominate the market.

International Film Festival of India- Started in 1952, this festival is sponsored by the Indian film industry (the largest in the world and annually produces more films than even Hollywood) and it is the oldest festival in Asia. It is a non-competitive event that has consistently created a highly international venue while retaining a strong focus on Indian film. Though the festival has never been a big foreign tourist attraction, it has, however, become extremely important for Western filmmakers and producers looking to break their films into Asian markets.

Locarno International Film Festival- This festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland was established in 1946 and is one of the longest running film festivals in the world. Less commercial than many of the other festivals, and thus less famous, Locarno has nevertheless focused on young cinema, meaning films by new directors. The festival itself has two main components. The first is the primary contest featuring feature-length fictional films by first-time directors. The Golden Leopard goes to the best picture while the Honorable Leopard is awarded for lifetime achievement in cinema. The second portion of the festival is noncompetitive exhibition of films in the Piazza Grande, a huge open-air 7,000 seat theater renowned as one of the best in the world.

Montreal World Film Festival- The Montreal World Film Festival is a competitive event that has grown since its beginnings in 1977 to be one of the largest in the world, with the highest attendance in North America. Often compared to the famous Cannes film festival of France, this festival has always included glamour and famous names on its bill of sale. Unlike other commercial festivals, however, the winner of its Grand Prix of the Americas often goes to a small independent filmmaker. This is partly due to the festival organizers, who go to great lengths to bring films to the festival that have not had a major North American premiere.

New York Film Festival- Established in 1962, the NYFF selects thirty films or fewer for each festival, accepting only New York City premieres and favoring movies that appeal to the sophisticated mind. Though the festival is highly respected, this focus has resulted in what some view as an elitist attitude.

Sundance Film Festival- Originally the American Film Festival, since 1984 it has been under Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Institute, under which it was renamed the Sundance Film Festival. Taking place each year in Park City, Utah, the festival focuses on independent films. It has become an extremely influential festival and has become a major forum for distribution of smaller.

Tokyo International Film Festival- The Tokyo International Film Festival is the counterpart to the Cannes and Toronto film festival’s in Asia. Like the other two if showcases highly commercial films while also creating an atmosphere that is conducive to the commercial aspects of buying and selling films. The festival is comprised of two competitive categories, the International competition and the Young Cinema competition, with the latter offering a large cash prize with which to finance a future picture.

Toronto International Film Festival- Founded in 1975 this festival takes place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with a noncompetitive showcase of approximately 250 films. One of the foremost aspects of this festival is its reputation of offering filmmakers the possibility of getting distribution for their films and contracts for themselves. This culminated in the creation of a Sales Office, which actively seeks to place filmmakers and buyers together.