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.
Last year's 11th anniversary was a success as we embark on our second decade. Our screening 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 April 4 - 7, 2024.
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 continuing to give cash prizes to our Jury Award-winners for Best Feature and Short in both Narrative and Documentary Categories. A select number of films will be nominated and judged by a jury of industry professionals. Films will be judged 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, April 7, 2024
Last year's jury award winners went on to success at this year's top industry awards. Our winner for Narrative Feature was Emily the Criminal, which ended up with four nominations at the Independent Spirt Awards winning Best First Screenplay; Our winner for Documentary was Fire of Love and winner for Short Film was Night Ride, both of which were nominated at the Academy Awards this year.
This year's Jury and Audience Award winner was Eva Longoria for her feature directorial debut Flamin' Hot.
Past guests have included iconic director Rob Reiner (LBJ), esteemed documentarian Albert Maysles (Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter), Tony Award-winning actress Joanna Gleason, (Into the Woods), actor Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice), actor Rory Culkin (Gabriel), actress Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), Independent Spirit Award-winning filmmakers Matt Spicer (Ingrid Goes West), Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace), and John Patton Ford (Emily the Criminal), Oscar-winning screenwriter David S. Ward (The Sting) and noted speaker/writer/producer Ambassador Shabazz.
Oscar-nominated actress Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient) and director Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) were scheduled to attend the 2020 Opening night with their film Military Wives, but had to cancel due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.
We continue to strengthen our reputation 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.
The AFF will once again host the Shorts Challenge, a pitching competition where five finalists can pitch their projects on stage in front of a live audience and a panel of industry judges. The winner receives a production package to help make their short film which will screen at a future edition of the festival after the film is finished. For more information about the Shorts Challenge, see our website at www.annapolisfilmfestival.com
Check out our channel on ARGO to view short films that have played at the Annapolis Film Festival: https://web.watchargo.com/channel?creatorID=1928
Jury Award - Narrative Feature ($1000)
Jury Award - Documentary Feature ($1000)
Jury Award - Narrative Short ($500)
Jury Award - Documentary Short ($500)
Audience Award - Narrative Feature
Audience Award - Documentary Feature
Audience Award - Narrative Short
Audience Award - Documentary Short