World's First Holiday Grief Film Festival Gives Grieving Audiences a Seat at the Screen

My Grief Angels Inc. Presents Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival — Films About Love, Loss and Healing Thru the Lens — Launching Its Inaugural Edition During the 2026 Holiday Season, With Submissions Already in From 25+ Countries

NEW YORK, March 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- My Grief Angels Inc. today announces Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival, opening a different door for the millions of people for whom the holidays are not a time of joy, but of grief. Every holiday season, a cultural avalanche of cheerful movies, television specials, and advertisements tells the world it is time to be happy — for those navigating loss, that message can feel like a door slamming shut. Grief Fest™ was created to change that.

Organizers today announce the inaugural edition of what is believed to be the world's first film festival dedicated exclusively to the human experience of grief — love, loss, remembrance, transformation, resilience, and healing. A fully hybrid event, Grief Fest™ will be accessible both in-person and virtually via the Film Festival Plus platform, running across two holiday windows: Thanksgiving Week (Nov. 25–29, 2026) and Christmas/New Year's (Dec. 24, 2026 – Jan. 3, 2027). Top Honors Films will be announced on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2026.

Why the Holidays? The Research Is Clear.
The timing is intentional and data-driven. According to the American Psychiatric Association's 2024 Healthy Minds Poll, 47% of Americans cite grieving a loss or missing a loved one as a top holiday stressor — ranking above financial anxiety. A 2025 survey by LifeStance Health found that 51% of U.S. adults feel lonely during the holidays, even while surrounded by others, with grief listed among the top reasons. Meanwhile, 32% of Americans report their mental and emotional health worsens in November and December specifically (Grow Therapy, 2025) — the exact weeks when media and advertising deliver an unrelenting message of joy.

"While the rest of the screen is flooded with happy holiday content, people who are grieving are essentially invisible," said a festival spokesperson. "Grief Fest™ gives filmmakers who have something true to say, and audiences who need to hear it, a place at the screen table — during the season it matters most."

Radically Inclusive. Fully Global. Entirely Accessible.
Grief Fest™ is proudly all-inclusive, non-religious, and LGBTQ+ friendly, with no barriers of genre, format, or running time. Short films, features, documentaries, experimental work, AI-generated and VR projects are all welcome. The only criterion is emotional truth.

Even before today's public announcement, the festival has already received film submissions from more than 25 countries. All films screened will be presented in English — either spoken or subtitled — ensuring that every story, regardless of its country of origin, is fully accessible to audiences everywhere.

The virtual All-Access Pass via Film Festival Plus means anyone, anywhere can attend — bringing these stories to people grieving in isolation, far from an in-person venue.

"This is not Cannes — and we are proud of that. We are not here to celebrate industry. We are here to celebrate community and stories."

Introducing Lumen: A Multilingual Guide for a Global Community.
GriefFest.com launches alongside the festival, featuring Lumen, a multilingual AI guide bot that answers questions from filmmakers and festival-goers in their language of choice. Because grief is universal, so is the welcome.

Submit your film. Share your story. Join the conversation.
Film submissions and full festival information are available now at GriefFest.com.

FESTIVAL AT A GLANCE

Thanksgiving Program: November 25–29, 2026
Holiday Program: December 24, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Top Honors Announced: New Year's Eve, December 31, 2026
Format: Hybrid — In-Person + Virtual All-Access Pass (Film Festival Plus)
Languages: All films in English (spoken or subtitled)
Open To: All genres, all formats, all countries
Identity: Inclusive, non-religious, LGBTQ+ friendly
Festival Guide: Lumen — multilingual AI festival guide bot
Website: GriefFest.com

ABOUT GRIEF FEST™
Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival is created and produced by My Grief Angels Productions, a program of My Grief Angels Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to grief support and community (MyGriefAngels.org). The world's first film festival dedicated exclusively to stories of love, loss, and healing, Grief Fest™ exists to normalize grief, reduce isolation, and bring underrepresented stories to the screen during the season people need them most. The festival is all-inclusive, non-religious, and LGBTQ+ friendly, welcoming filmmakers and audiences from around the world. All screenings are presented in English, spoken or subtitled.

MEDIA CONTACT
Augusto Failde
[email protected]
T: 443-850-8033
GriefFest.com

SOURCE My Grief Angels Inc.