ABOUT THE EVENT
This is a three day event consisting of two in person screenings and one virtual screening. It will take place May 30 - June 01 of 2026.

The festival celebrates filmmakers local to the DMV for our "Anacostia Shorts" contest as well as highlighting shorts from both national and international contributors.

And the winners are!
Anacostia Shorts
White Wedding by Melody C Roscher (1st Prize)
Guess Where You’re Going by Khwaja Hamzah Saif (2nd Prize)
Marianne’s Onion by Sarah Olmsted Thomas, Alex (3rd Prize)
Vernon, Alex & Olmsted

Audience Favorite
Chocolate: A Motion Poetry Homage To Black D.C. by Eliamani Ismail

Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31 is in person. The IN PERSON screenings will take place at the Honfleur Gallery (1241 Marion Barry Ave SE, Washington, DC 20020) from 6:00PM - 8:30PM EST.

Each Day of the In Person screenings will be followed by a Q&A with any of the filmmakers in attendance whose works are being shown.

Monday, June 01 will ONLY be a virtual presentation and will be live streamed on YouTube on Open Road's channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8E2XLkH_fplX9yfRxPFoJg
A recording of the festival will be available on demand on the channel for a limited time.

Awards & Prizes

ANACOSTIA Shorts Contest:
Open to local filmmakers of the DMV (District, Maryland and Virginia):
Winner: $1,000
2nd place: $500
3rd Place: $250

The other shorts in the festival will not receive a cash prize but will be considered in competition for our two honorary awards:
BEST OF THE FEST - a juried award.
AUDIENCE FAVORITE determined by audience ballot.

Prizes will be awarded on the 31st.

Rules & Terms

Submission criteria:
In English or in the original language with English subtitles. National and international filmmakers encouraged to submit.

More than one entry may be submitted; however an official entry and entry fee must accompany each submission.

Your film does not need to be a premiere and it can exist online to be considered for the festival. But if the film does exist online, just as a screening courtesy, if it is chosen, try your best to make it NOT view-able during the screening weekend. If you submitted your film last year, only resubmit if there have been substantive changes to the film.

Our preference for online screeners is password-protected Vimeo links or films uploaded directly to FilmFreeway. Online screeners must be available to stream; we do not accept any movies that must be downloaded.

The submitter is responsible for ensuring that their screener link and password are active. In the event of a password or screener URL change after submitting, email us immediately. If we discover an error with the screener, we will email the submission contact for an update. Failure to respond by the final submission deadline will result in disqualification without refund of submission fees.

If your film is not in English, please provide a subtitle track that is playable with the film.

Please make sure you hold all copyrights to your film and its elements.

Originality and Permissions
Films must be the original work of the applicant(s). If a film is based upon another person’s life or upon a book or another work, applicant(s) must secure any necessary rights to make such adaptations. However, it is not necessary to submit the adaptation rights agreements to the Festival. Neither the Festival nor its jurists investigates or attests to the authenticity of an applicant’s statement of authorship or rights secured. By entering the competition, you are acknowledging that you have secured all necessary rights.

Applicants are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary rights and permissions for third-party materials included in the film, including but not limited to music, trademarks, logos, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights. This festival expressly disclaims all liability or responsibility for any violations of the foregoing.

All films will be judged blind and solely on their own merits.
9 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Khwaja Hamzah Saif

    OUTSTANDING curation! An arthouse director's dream!

    Our film GUESS WHERE YOU'RE GOING played in some pretty highly regarded festivals, but no where was the line up as stellar as it was here. Each film was layered, complex and technically well executed.

    A small festival that can hosts better films that some of the biggest festivals in the North East.

    June 2026
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    You are so kind. Thank you so much for both your kind words and for your presence at the festival. We are honored to have been able to show your work as part of the lineup. All the best!

  • Eleshia Simms-Harris

    This was my first time at the Open Road Film Festival, and it did not disappoint. The lineup was refreshingly diverse, packed with bold, engaging films that sparked conversation. Everything ran smoothly—from the screenings to the vibes. Already looking forward to next year’s ride.

    May 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Eleshia. It was a pleasure to meet you and share your film. All the best.

  • Laura Schlachtmeyer

    The Open Road Film Festival is both a welcoming environment and also a home for excellent documentary and short feature filmmaking. In the thriving arts community in DC's Anacostia neighborhood, its selection of films challenges its audience and also builds understanding.

    Many selections celebrate empowerment, authentic lived experience, and the resilience of communities in DC and around the world. Others celebrate the arts and music, or cast a sharp gaze on contemporary politics. In a moment when we need powerful stories, the festival supports this work and brings it to new audiences.

    May 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much, Laura. Always a pleasure to be in the room with you. Lots of success on your film. It was our pleasure to include it in the lineup.

  • Alyscia Cunningham

    Open Road FF was wonderful. There was a wonderful array of diverse films, the communication abouit the festival was very direct, and the festival ran smoothly. I love that this is also a local festival to the DC area. I look forward to next year.

    May 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much, Alyscia! We loved having you and your beautiful film as part of the festival!

  • Rick Kain

    I attended the 2024 Open Road Film Festival in Washington, DC. last weekend and it was a great experience. Actually, the great experience started before even I arrived at the venue. First of all, the founder of the festival, Lisa Hodsoll, is an exceptional communicator. She was very timely with all of her communications leading up to the festival which made planning a breeze. The screenings took place at the Honfleur Gallery in S.E. DC which was the perfect venue for a pre-screening get together with film makers and local artists. There was some beautiful art displayed around the venue that could be enjoyed prior the the screenings. The sound and picture quality of each film were well represented with a quality sound system and projector and the screenings started on time, and stayed on schedule. After the screenings there was a Q&A with the film makers followed by awards for the top three juried films and an audience choice award. I can not say enough about how well this festival supports not only film makers, but the arts in general. While I was at the festival I ran into a number of old friends and made a few new ones. This is an awesome festival and I highly recommend it. I will be back next year for sure.

    May 2024
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Rick, thank you so much for your kind words. It really means a lot to us and I’m so glad you had such a positive experience. We loved sharing your film this year! All the success to you.