Salon des Refusés: only screens films that have been rejected by other festivals

from Salon Des Refusés 

Salon des Refusés is a new opportunity for filmmakers frustrated by rejection from festivals.

Taking place for the first time at Cinephelia West in London this September, Salon des Refusés has a simple philosophy: we only screens films that have been rejected by other festivals. Why? Less than 10% of the programme at most major film festivals is generated from submissions, leaving emerging talent overlooked in favour of established names and bankable titles.

The 90% of short films that are rejected are not necessarily bad films. In fact, in many cases, these ‘Refusés ’ fall outside the remit of the festival programme for arbitrary reasons: perhaps they are the wrong length, the wrong genre or the wrong nationality; perhaps they’re too similar to, or different from, the rest of the programme.

Salon de Refusés offers an opportunity to celebrate these overlooked shorts by providing an alternative space for their exhibition.

Whether it’s an experimental music video, a silent doc or 50-minute animation epic - we want to see it. Our selection criteria are simple:

- Your film must have been rejected from at least one festival

- Your film must be less than 1 hour long

If you would like to submit a film to Salon de Refusés please email Chloë & Kirsty at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a submission form.