FirstGlance Philadelphia Film Festival Announces Call for Entries for 29th Annual Event New Submission Categories for 2026 Include AI, Animation, and International
Philadelphia, PA, November 14, 2025 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– FirstGlance Film Festival, a leader in mid-sized film festivals and North America’s first bi-coastal festival held annually in Philadelphia and Los Angeles, is excited to announce its official call for entries for the annual Philadelphia Festival scheduled for May 7-10, 2026, at the Film Society Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street, Philadelphia, Pa. Filmmakers at all career levels from around the world are invited to submit their work for consideration in one of the most recognized events on the independent film festival circuit.
Entering its 29th year, FirstGlance continues its mission to spotlight original storytelling; connect filmmakers with audiences and fellow filmmakers; and support students, first-time, and professional independent filmmakers through their social media channels using the supportindiefilm hashtag.
Starting November 1, 2025, categories open for submission include live-action and animated films in all genres including horror, sci-fi, fantasy, drama, and comedy in every category.
Feature Film (over 45 min.) Feature Documentary (over 45 min.) Short Documentary (under 45 min.) Short Film (under 45 min.) Animated Shorts (under 30 min.) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Shorts (under 30 min.) Shorts Too (under 10 min.) Student Shorts (under 25 min.) Music Videos (under 7 min.) Web Series Pilots (under 15 min.) Trailers (under 5 min.) International (under 30 min.)
Selected films will be showcased during the festival and will be eligible for a variety of awards in 25 nominating categories for Official Selections, plus Audience Choice in each category, BEST OF FEST awards, and a Special Shot in Philly Category that welcomes submissions produced and shot in the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania regions. Winners are announced at a live awards ceremony on closing night.
FirstGlance awards over $25,000 in prizes and giveaways annually. And, as a celebration of Philadelphia’s 250th Anniversary in 2026, FirstGlance will award a $250 cash prize to the Best of Fest winner. Additionally, for any category that reaches 250 entries, the winner will be awarded $250 cash prize.
Submissions open on November 1st exclusively via FilmFreeway at https://filmfreeway.com/FirstGlanceFilmFestivals.
FirstGlance Founder and Director Bill Ostroff said, “With more filmmakers using AI tools, we felt it was time to open up a call for entries for shorts in that category for our 2026 Philadelphia festival. We are also adding animation and international shorts to our growing list of submission categories to recognize world cinema directors who excel in filmmaking.”
Call for entries runs through February 2026. For rules, submission details, and prize packages, visit https://filmfreeway.com/FirstGlanceFilmFestivals.
Celebrating everything indie, FirstGlance Film Festival has grown and expanded to both coasts since its founding in 1996. To find out more about the FirstGlance Film Festival, please visit https://firstglancefilms.com/.
About FirstGlance Films FirstGlance Films began in 1996 as an indie film festival in the basement of a small theater in Center City Philadelphia. FirstGlance Films has produced more than fifty festivals in Philadelphia and Los Angeles. In addition to producing its award-winning bi-coastal film festivals, FirstGlance promotes and champions indie filmmakers year-round using the supportindiefilm hashtag on social media. For more information, please visit firstglancefilms.com.
At Rupizix Studio in Coventry, we believe creativity needs energy — the same kind footballers rely on. Hand‑knitting demands focus, stamina, and precision, so we look to athlete nutrition for inspiration.
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Portland, OR, November 27, 2025 –(CarryOnHarry.com)– The FAN EXPO Portland celebrity guest list has always featured great variety, and five new additions to the 2026 lineup for the pop culture extravaganza are further proof of that. Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride, Saw), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard), Walter Koenig (Star Trek, Babylon 5), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Star Wars: The Acolyte) and “Peggy the Dog” (Deadpool & Wolverine) will now attend the event set for January 16-18 at the Oregon Convention Center.
Elwes gained wide acclaim for his portrayal of “Wesley” in the 1987 classic The Princess Bride and reached new audiences by headlining the Mel Brooks spoof Robin Hood: Men in Tights and later Saw. He also recently appeared in the Tom Cruise features Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning and portrays “Mayor Larry Kline” in Stranger Things 3.
McFadden had the key role of “Beverly Crusher” in TNG, reprising the role in Picard, Prodigy and other iterations of the franchise. She is also a stage actress, choreographer, director, teacher, and was the host of more than 300 episodes of the podcast “Gates McFadden InvestiGates: Who Do You Think You Are?”
Koenig is best known for his recurring television portrayals both of the hated, intensely driven “Alfred Bester” (Babylon 5) and the likable, perpetually cheerful “Pavel Chekov” (Star Trek). Koenig’s film work includes the first seven Star Trek feature films, for which he earned two Saturn Award Best Supporting Actor nominations. His many other films have been independent projects with challenging roles.
Jacinto played “Jason Mendoza” on the full four-season run of The Good Place (2016-20) and later appeared as “Lt. Fritz Avalone” in the blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. Also among his more than 50 TV and film credits are runs on the Hulu series Nine Perfect Strangers and the animated series Hailey’s on It!
Peggy, earning the title of “Britain’s Ugliest Dog” in a national competition there, has gone on to stardom as “Dogpool” in the Marvel Universe in Deadpool & Wolverine. A portion of proceeds from her appearance at FAN EXPO Portland will support a local charity in the Pacific Northwest.
The five bolster an already impressive FAN EXPO Portland celebrity roster that includes: • The Lord of the Rings headliners Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan • Mike Colter (Luke Cage, Men in Black³) • Josh Holloway (Lost, Yellowstone) • Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: The Next Generation) • Harry Potter duo of Matthew Lewis and Bonnie Wright • Judith Hoag (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Armageddon) • Robbie Rist (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Brady Bunch) • Ernie Reyes Jr. (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) • Brian Tochi (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Revenge of the Nerds) • Kenn Scott (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, director/Adventures of Johnny Tao) • François Chau (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lost) • Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!, American Dad) • Cedric Yarbrough (Reno 911!, The Goldbergs) • My Hero Academia standouts Eric Vale, David Matranga, J. Michael Tatum, Brandon McInnis and Clifford Chapin • Hazbin Hotel regulars Christian Borle, Joel Perez and Krystina Alabado
More FAN EXPO Portland guest announcements will follow from the worlds of film, television, streaming, art, literature, gaming, cosplay, anime, animation and more in the coming weeks.
Adult, Youth and Child Single-Day Tickets, Three-Day Passes, Family passes, and Ultimate and VIP Packages for FAN EXPO Portland are available now at www.fanexpoportland.com. Advance pricing is available until January 1.
Portland is the second event on the 2026 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events.
About FAN EXPO HQ FAN EXPO HQ is the largest comic con producer in the world. Collectively it hosts over one million fans annually at FAN EXPO New Orleans, FAN EXPO Portland, FAN EXPO Vancouver, FAN EXPO Cleveland, MEGACON Orlando, Toronto Comicon, CALGARY EXPO, FAN EXPO Denver, FAN EXPO Philadelphia, FAN EXPO Boston, FAN EXPO Chicago, FAN EXPO Canada, FAN EXPO Dallas, VIDCON Anaheim, EDMONTON EXPO, Dallas FAN FESTIVAL and FAN EXPO San Francisco. The latest schedule of events is available on the website, along with up-to-date ticket information. Discover. Celebrate. Belong.
