Read the story of how heptathlete Crystal Palace transformed into The Astonishing CPIFF!

Check out the 2024 festival schedule

Crystal Palace International was rated 3rd on Film Freeway out of 12,000+ film festivals worldwide! Christened by filmmakers as ‘the world’s coolest’ we’ve been told since 2011 by film festival regulars that no-one screens as high a quality of film as CPIFF.

You can see this quality every night of the festival. Each screening is a one time only opportunity to catch this mix of films curated over the whole year.  There are international films,  documentaries, shorts, animations, horror/sci-fi and features. Our grand finale, The CPIFF Awards & Comedy Night, starring one of the UK’s best comedians, Shappi Khorsandi is a night to remember. Many nights sell out so get your tickets early.

See you there.

The CPIFF Awards & Comedy Night

Free glass of bubbles with amazing food & desserts served all night. Outstanding comedy films screened. One of the UK’s best comedians, Shappi Khorsandi, returns to do stand up & present the CPIFF awards.

What a night! Saturday 23rd March @ Stanley Arts. Reserve your tickets now for only £29. Read more about the evening.

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Image of the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) logo with text under it reading 'Qualifying Festival'FilmFreeway offers free HD online screeners, Vimeo and YouTube integration. Crystal Palace International was rated 3rd on Film Freeway from over 12,000 film festivals worldwide!

See why celebrities and filmmakers say we’re the coolest

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About CPIFF

Mike Reiss, writer of The Simpsons, said,

You run the very best festival we’ve ever been to, and we’ve been to a lot. This is as good as it gets! It’s a very casual setting but there’s nothing casual about how it’s put together and how high the quality of the films are. There’s food and drink everywhere, they filled the house, it’s been A LOT of fun every night. Really top notch.

As well as being lauded as ‘the coolest’, we are also one of the most inclusive festivals. Since our beginning in 2009, we have ensured every screening night has films starring and made by various ethnic groups and include as many LGBTQIA+ films as possible.

CPIFF receives films from across the globe and screens only the very best with fabulous food and drink in awesome venues. We use Everyman’s flagship cinema in Crystal Palace (pictured below) and the incredible West Norwood Picturehouse. A huge thank you to both for supporting CPIFF and independent film. The film quality is remarkable and each night is a social event to remember, a one time opportunity to catch these incredible films. Many attendees say they enjoy CPIFF more than most mainstream Hollywood films. Filmmakers fly in from around the world for fascinating Q&As, and many comment on the higher quality of film at CPIFF. We vigilantly curate each night so each section is pure quality with an eclectic mix of genres. That’s why most nights sell out in advance. Filmmakers want an audience and the public want to be entertained—CPIFF provides both.

Music legend, Paul Weller (The Jam, The Style Council) said,

It’s inspiring, I’ve loved it and we need it, the whole independent movement is very important, a wonderful thing.

Johnny Vegas, one of the biggest names in UK comedy, presented the CPIFF Awards from 2020-2021. He said,

Frankly, I’ve been totally overwhelmed, it’s phenomenal!

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Phil Dunn, writer/director

OUTSTANDING festival. This is how you do it. Other festivals take note. Tons of sold out nights, amazing selection of high calibre films and beautiful screenings at gorgeous Everyman Cinemas. Topped off by amazing awards event with food, drinks, desserts, stand-up comedy and hilarious comedy shorts (like really LOL funny). Thanks for nominating The Stupid Boy for Best Short Film. Such an honour when the selections were so high class!

Cat White, writer/producer/director

I’m absolutely blown away with what you’ve done. Firstly, a full house—congratulations! I’ve been speaking to everyone here—the films are INCREDIBLE. I honestly think it’s the most incredible curation of film I’ve seen and I’ve done a lot of these festivals.

Volunteering

CPIFF is only made possible each year with the help of its volunteers. Fill out this form if you’d like to get involved.

Buy previous posters and merchandise

Previous CPIFF winners