Registration opens on 20 May at 08:00

Noorderkroon 2026

Noorderkroon is the platform and competition for professional, student and amateur films by filmmakers from Friesland, Groningen or Drenthe, or films about this region. ‘Noorderkroon’ is a small constellation in the northern sky, formed by seven visible stars. These stars symbolise the seven awards we present to our own stars, the filmmakers of the North. During NoFF 2025, the awards were presented in the following categories: Best Feature Film, Best Documentary, Best Student Film, Best Short Film (fiction), Best Short Film (documentary), Best New Filmmaker and Most Promising New Talent.

Taking part in 2026?

These are the rules

  • Films set in the Northern Netherlands region (Friesland, Groningen and/or Drenthe), or films whose producer, director or screenwriter comes from this region.
  • The film must have been produced in 2025 or 2026 and must not have been screened at the Noordelijk Film Festival before. In the selection process, preference will be given to films that have not been published online.
  • For the selection process, films must be submitted via a secure online streaming platform (a link to Vimeo + login code or a private video on YouTube, for example). This link must remain available until the festival for potential judging.
  • Selected films must be submitted as a DCP at a later stage via Filemail. Are you unfamiliar with creating a DCP? We have a simple guide here.

Explanation per category

Best Feature Film

The best (medium-length) feature film (minimum 30 minutes), made by a filmmaker (director, screenwriter or producer) with a strong connection to the Northern Netherlands (born, living or working in the region), or with a distinct Northern Netherlands character, both in terms of theme and execution.

Best Documentary

The best (medium-length) documentary (minimum 30 minutes), made by a filmmaker (director, screenwriter or producer) with a strong connection to the Northern Netherlands (born, living or working in the region), or with a distinct Northern Dutch character in both theme and execution.

Best Short Film (fiction)

The best short fiction film up to 30 minutes, by a filmmaker (director, screenwriter or producer) with a demonstrable link to the Northern Netherlands, or with a distinct Northern Dutch character, both in theme and execution.

Best Short Film (documentary)

The best short documentary of up to 30 minutes, by a filmmaker (director, screenwriter or producer) with a demonstrable link to the Northern Netherlands, or with a distinct Northern Dutch character, both in theme and execution.

Selected?

We invite all filmmakers to attend the screening(s) of their selected film at the Noordelijk Film Festival and, where possible, to take part in a Q&A session with the audience and fellow filmmakers. The selected films will be screened throughout the festival, and the winners will be announced during a festive awards ceremony.

The 2025 Winners