Nukhufest Turns Audience Votes Into a Seven-Day Cinema Village Run for Independent Films
The 11th annual New York festival gives films a post-circuit path to revenue, theatrical exhibition, and funding for what comes next
NEW YORK, N.Y. (July 16, 2026) — With final film submissions due August 8, Nukhufest 2026 is expanding from a single-night gathering into seven days of independent film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, panels, and special programs at Cinema Village in Manhattan from September 11 through September 17.
Presented by the Nukhu Foundation and powered by Nukhu.com, the audience-driven festival is built around a question many filmmakers face when the festival circuit ends: what happens next?
Films selected for Nukhufest premiere on Nukhu as “Nuvees.” Filmmakers retain ownership through non-exclusive licensing, choose an eligible viewing price, receive 50 percent of eligible title-purchase revenue, and build detailed public pages around their films and creative teams. Nukhu members then watch and vote to determine the Top 10 Finalists that will screen at Cinema Village while voting continues.
“The festival circuit can be excellent at discovery, but too many films reach the end of it without a durable audience, a revenue path, or a bridge to the filmmaker’s next project,” said Nukhufest founder and director Sanjay Singh. “Nukhufest connects those missing pieces. A film can premiere online, earn directly, build a community, be requested in theaters, reach a real cinema, and help finance what the filmmaker makes next without surrendering ownership.”
The Top 10 Finalists will be announced August 29. The film with the most audience votes by September 19 at 8 p.m. ET will be named the 2026 Best Nuvee during the Nukhufest Awards Ceremony at Studio Exhibit on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
The winning filmmaker receives a handcrafted Nukhu ball and the Nukhu Foundation’s Development-to-Distribution Grant. The award begins at $3,000 and grows by $5 for every eligible 2026 submission, combining financial support with hands-on development, marketing, and distribution guidance for the filmmaker’s next project.
Nukhufest’s weeklong Cinema Village program may pair finalist screenings with curated Nukhu favorites, thematic short-film blocks, feature presentations, filmmaker conversations, workshops, and media panels. Films outside the current competition may also be considered for non-competition programming when theatrical demand is demonstrated through Nukhu’s Request in Theaters feature.
Films completed in 2024 or later may submit through FilmFreeway by August 8. Audiences can watch and vote on Nukhu, reserve screening blocks before the schedule is announced, or join the festival schedule alert list. Press credential applications are now open for the Cinema Village screening week and September 19 Awards Ceremony.
Press credentials are available for the Cinema Village screening week and the September 19 Awards Ceremony. Screeners, stills, interviews with Singh and participating filmmakers, and additional background materials are available on request.
Press access:
https://www.nukhufoundation.org/nukhufest/press
Festival information, passes, and participation opportunities:
https://www.nukhufoundation.org/nukhufest
Film submissions:
https://www.filmfreeway.com/nukhufest
Watch and vote:
About Nukhufest
Launched in 2015, Nukhufest is an annual audience-powered film festival connecting online curation, direct filmmaker revenue, community voting, theatrical exhibition, and next-project support.
About the Nukhu Foundation
The Nukhu Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity supporting emerging artists and filmmakers through grants, mentorship, education, job training, and programs prioritizing underserved and underrepresented communities.
Media Contact
Sanjay Singh
Founder and Festival Director
press@nukhufoundation.org
