The inaugural Arcosanti International-Documentary Film Carnivale will take place April 26-28, 2019. Its mission is to celebrate the art of documentary cinema and enrich the community by presenting an annual world-class film carnivale with  art exhibitions, educational workshops, panels and outreach programs, an open air mercado, local music, culinary delights from cultures around the world, Arizona craft beer and wine tastings and a masquerade ball all held in the magical, otherworldly desert town of Arcosanti.  With its creation comes Arizona’s only ALL documentary film festival. While the Arcosanti International Film Carnivale accepts documentary short and feature films on every topic, the festival has a special wing for films on Native American culture, organic living, art, design, architecture, fashion, music, sustainability, conservation and social issues.

You many wonder why the event is called a carnivale and not a festival.   The founders were inspired to create an event that touched on elements of an Italian Carnivale with a twist to create an Italian-Southwest inspired Film Carnivale held in the high desert of Arizona.   This festival definitely draws inspiration from the Cannes Film Festival, Mardi Gras, and the Carnevale Di Venezia.  One fun element we are excited about is Cakeosanti- a judged cake competition where restaurants and bakeries compete to create the most tasty and fantastical carnivale inspired cake.  Guests with passes will be able to choose the audience choice award while judges will chose the winners.

The Arcosanti International Film Carnivale is the baby sister festival to the Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival. You may consider submitting your documentary films to both festivals. They are both equally unique destination film festivals with each possessing their own interesting flair and personality. The Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival was chosen by Moviemaker Magazine as one of the 25 coolests film festivals in the world. https://www.moviemaker.com/archives/festivals/the-coolest-film-festivals-in-the-world-2017/ jeromefilmfestival.com

For the inaugural event we are looking to create a retrospective highlighting footage and photos shot from the inception of Arcosanti through now. If you have footage that you would like to be shared in the retrospective, please email arcosantifilmcarnivale@gmail. We are so excited to create a beautiful montage.

Awards & Prizes

The trophies will be created at Arcosanti by designers who are creating pieces raw and true in spirit to the bells created by Paolo Soleri. We could not be more honored

Rules & Terms

Screening submissions must be on DVD, region 1 or 0 in NTSC format.

Please do not send any promotional materials with your submission. We’ll let you know what we need when your film is accepted.

Please be sure to enter under the correct category. Less than 50 minutes will be considered a short, more than 50 minutes will be considered a feature. If you are not sure which category to submit to, please contact us.

Films may have distribution. There are no restrictions on premiere status.
The festival does not accept works in progress.
The exhibition formats for the festival are DVD, HDCam, and Blu Ray.

All entered films grant the Festival a non exclusive limited use agreement to use film promotional materials to promote the festival and selected films to the industry and general public. Filmmakers fully retain all rights, title and interest in their films and all intellectual Property.

Please complete a release form that can be found on the website and send it to:

Arcosanti International Film Carnivale
2652 East Oakleaf Drive
Tempe, Arizona 85281

We wholeheartedly thank you for your interest in the Arcosanti International Film Carnivale.
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  • Andrea Pritchard

    The “Acrosanti International Documentary Film Carnival” was an incredible experience… truly magical! I wholeheartedly encourage anyone who is captivated with the arts and creators in the documentary genre to enter. The experience is like none I have ever encountered. The organizers along with their team put their heart and soul into every breathtaking moment. You could truly feel their passion. Acrosanti is a magical place in of itself, enchanting and extraordinary. I was honoured to have met such exceptional artists and filmmakers… then to have won for “Best Documentary Short” words really do not express my experience.
    The award… a beautiful hand forged Acrosanti bell, an ever present reminder of the people, the festival, Arizona, and Acrosanti which have all touched my heart.

    May 2019
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  • Matthew Hickney

    The inaugural Arcosanti International FIlm Carnivale kicked a** .
    This micro city was built in 1970, to demonstrate how urban conditions could be improved while minimizing their destructive impact on the earth. And it is quite beautiful and impressive .
    The people behind the festival went above and beyond the typical fare to bring filmmakers from all over the world together in this unique setting .
    The energy in the audience was intoxicating and exactly what I had hoped would happen the first time the movie officially met new eyes . Winning the "Best Arizona Feature" was truly an honor! They had a rustic set of bells that were all made on site that weekend as the trophies for the winning films. What an amazing night .

    May 2019
    Helpful