Annapolis Film Festival

Located on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay less than an hour away from Washington D.C., Annapolis is best known for its rich colonial and naval history. In addition to being the first capital of the United States, Annapolis is also home to St John’s College (the third oldest college in the U.S.) and the U.S. Naval Academy. As the sailing capital of the U.S. and a vacation destination, it charms its tourists with many restaurants, museums, and galleries.

After marking our 10th Anniversary this year, we are looking forward to embarking on our second decade. We were excited to hold all screenings in-person this year and plan to offer that again next year. Our venues are walkable within the city center and provide filmmakers with a high-quality digital presentation. We are seeking an approximate total of 90 films to be shown March 23 – 26, 2023.

Our festival is known for its quality slate with a line-up of both documentary and narrative films (short and feature-length) from emerging and established filmmakers. We present a balanced program consisting of films with a common emphasis on storytelling excellence and/or innovative vision and cinematic artistry.

In addition to our commitment to screen the newest acclaimed films and premieres, we are also interested in films with nautical and environmental themes, films highlighting diverse cultures including African American, Latinx, Asian and Jewish experiences as well as LGBTQ+ and women-centric perspectives.

This year we are giving cash prizes to our Jury Award-winners for Best Narrative Feature Film and Short Film and Best Documentary Feature and Short Documentary. A select number of films in each category will be nominated and judged by a jury of industry professionals. Juried films will be awarded for displaying exceptional creativity, originality, and skill in script, direction, acting and production. Audience Awards will also be presented to Narrative and Documentary Feature and Short Films. The Audience Award-winners will be screened in the Best of Fest program on Sunday evening, March 26.

Past guests have included iconic director Rob Reiner (LBJ), esteemed documentarian Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter), actress Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), actor Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice), actor Rory Culkin (Gabriel), Independent Spirit Award-winning filmmakers Matt Spicer (Ingrid Goes West) and Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace), Oscar-winning screenwriter David S. Ward (The Sting) and noted speaker/writer/producer Ambassador Shabazz.
Directors John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal) and Abi Damaris Corbin (892) both attended this year’s festival and were at the awards ceremony when their films tied for the Feature Jury Prize and their leading actors each won an acting prize (Aubrey Plaza for Best Actress and John Boyega for Best Actor)
2021 was a completely virtual festival and Emmy Award winning actress Rhea Perlman joined us for a virtual Q&A after the opening night screening of her film Marvelous and the Black Hole.

Oscar-nominated actress Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient) and director Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) were slated to attend the 2020 Opening night with their film Military Wives, but had to cancel due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

The AFF continues to strengthen the reputation of our festival by bringing top films to this beautiful city and to invite filmmakers to showcase global perspectives and independent thought to a community that truly embraces the art of filmmaking. Visiting filmmakers have been thrilled with the community's response. One filmmaker claimed, "this festival has the smartest audiences and the most community engagement we have seen on the festival circuit".

The mission of the Annapolis Film Festival is to encourage and grant the development of all aspects of the creative arts in and around Annapolis through the cinema experience. With independent films, panels and special showcases that will inspire, enlighten and entertain diverse audiences on a variety of topics, the festival will ensure the promotion of Annapolis as a cultural arts center.