The Fayetteville Film Fest attracts films, filmmakers and audiences from all over the world to the gateway of the Ozark Mountains in beautiful Northwest Arkansas. We offer a wide variety of categories, reasonable fees and an experienced staff to manage your submission and help you have a great time at the Festival, October 12-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

MISSION & OBJECTIVE
The Fayetteville Film Fest is a cultural leader in our region, bringing world class film to our state, developing meaningful relationships with filmmakers, and nurturing the art of filmmaking by uniting a community of creators and supporters.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Fayetteville Film Fest is committed to expanding and supporting our filmmaker relationships as well as those with sister festivals throughout the state and the region. We strive to connect our audiences with world-class independent cinema in an intimate setting, and provide filmmakers the opportunity to build community and share their passion for the moving image.

We are also deeply committed to encouraging and supporting diversity and inclusion in both our annual festival and our year-round programming. The Micheaux Award and BIPOC Film Labs are designed to support Black, Indigenous and Filmmakers of Color in Arkansas through targeted funding and collaborative workshops throughout the year. We strongly encourage submissions to our annual festival from underrepresented communities including Black, Indigenous and filmmakers of color, along with those from the LGBTQIA+ community, and from persons with disabilities. We program films from across the state of Arkansas, the United States, and the world.

We are an enthusiastic supporter of the burgeoning film industry in the Natural State, and an advocate for films and filmmakers as they enter the marketplace. Throughout the annual festival there are workshops, panels and other events to compliment the screenings of our films, as well as numerous networking opportunities. (See below for a special discount on submission fees for filmmakers with an Arkansas Connection!).

We also host an annual FFF Film Prize competition during our festival to win $2000 for a film project to be filmed in the state. More information on the pitch competition can be found on our website at feayettevillefilmfest.org

Fayetteville, Arkansas, a highly artistic community, is home to the University of Arkansas and next to the headquarters of the largest retailer in the world including the largest distributor of DVD’s. We also happen to be a wonderful place to visit! Rated one of the top 5 places to live by U.S. News and World Report for several years running!

Winners will be conferred in the following categories:
Best Narrative Feature
Best Documentary Feature
Best Narrative Short
Best Documentary Short
Best Emerging Filmmaker
Best Arkansas Connection
Audience Choice: Best of Fest

Winners may be conferred in the following categories:
Best Animated Film
Best Foreign Film
Best Music Video
Best Virtual Reality Film

All winners will receive laurels. Winners who are in attendance at the festival will receive a physical award.

GENERAL RULES

1) ARKANSAS CONNECTION: We welcome and encourage submissions from Arkansas filmmakers. If your film has a clear connection to the Natural State - a principle crew or cast member based in Arkansas and/or production set in the state - you may use the waiver code FFFWaiverEntry23 to submit your film for FREE before the Regular Deadline of May 31. Please include a justification for your Arkansas Connection in your entry form. Any submissions using the code who do not have a clear connection to the state will be disqualified and encouraged to re-submit with the appropriate fee.

2) All films in competition must have been completed after June 30, 2021. Student films may receive special consideration.

3) Feature films in competition cannot have been publicly available on any streaming platform or in wide public release in any format. Films with US distribution but not yet publicly available at the time of the festival screening are still eligible for competition. Short films may have been publicly available prior to the festival and are still eligible for competition.

4) All films submitted are subject to use for marketing purposes during and after the festival, in part or in its entirety, unless you request to opt-out.

5) FFF reserves the right to utilize any submitted material from this year's festival to promote future events produced by FFF. Short films that are selected for inclusion in the festival are required to provide a high resolution still for marketing purposes. Feature length films that are selected for inclusion in the festival are required to provide a full press kit including stills, a trailer and a high resolution poster promoting the film.

6) FFF does not pay rental or screening fees.

7) Films may be screened more than once during the Festival and at the Festival's discretion for future Fayetteville Film Fest events.

8) FFF reserves the right to change the category of any submission, to balance the program and give filmmakers the best chance of recognition for their work.

9) FFF only waives submission fees in extreme situations. We have tried to keep the submission fees low, but feel that waiving fees favors certain filmmakers over others. Please only request a fee waiver if your situation warrants extraordinary consideration.

10) FFF Board Members with films for competition cannot serve on either the Jury or Programming committee.

11) FFF screens films as downloadable digital files (such as .mov) during the festival. If your film MUST be screened as a Blu Ray, it is the filmmakers responsibility to ship TWO copies of the Blue Ray discs in container that is clearly labeled with the title, filmmaker’s name, phone number and email and FFF ID number. Please check your disc to make sure it plays in its entirety on consumer Blu Ray players. Screening discs will not be returned unless a return envelope with sufficient postage is provided. If accepted to the Fest, a press kit is highly recommended. We will communicate any problems with submissions, but the festival will not be held responsible for any technical failures that prevent your film from being judged.

ADDITIONAL TERMS & CONDITIONS
1) Films must be the original work of the applicant. If the film is based on another person's life, book or other underlying work, the applicant is solely responsible for ensuring rights and agreements for usage. FFF expressly disclaims all liability or responsibility for any violations of the foregoing.

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

3) By your signature you represent and warrant that you have read, understood and agreed to be bound by the regulations of the festival as described herein, and that to the best of your knowledge all statements are true. You represent and warrant that you have sufficient right, title and interest to convey the rights granted to the Festival herein, and you have not previously conveyed any rights or entered into any licenses that conflict with the rights conveyed herein. You represent and warrant that to the best of your knowledge, information and belief, your film does not infringe any copyrights or other proprietary rights of third parties, that the film is not the subject of any notice of infringement(s), and that the film is not the subject of any license or arrangement between you and any third party that would have an effect on your rights to exercise rights of copyright as set forth in this submission.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Seth Harden

    I'm so glad we were selected to screen our film at Fayetteville Film Fest. The location, venue, staff, accommodations, and people were amazing.

    October 2023
  • Absolutely AMAZING festival -- first class all the way! My entire team was so impressed by how well organized the event was and how passionate the organizers are about making the festival amazing for attendees. Highy, HIGHLY recommend!

    October 2023
  • Thomas Pallier

    Great people, great films and an overall amazing experience. Apart from seeing great films, I made a lot of friends. I'll be back for sure.

    October 2022
  • David Schedler

    Can't say enough good things about this festival! Hope to be there next year!!

    October 2022
  • Mike Stutz

    We brought our short, Call of the Clown Horn, to the '22 festival and were very pleased with the whole experience. There was a great mix of local talent and folks coming in from around the country to mix and mingle with. I was really impressed with how hard both the organizers and all of the volunteers worked to make sure filmmakers and audience were having the best time possible. I would definitely bring another film here. It's also a beautiful time of year to be in Arkansas. Thanks FFF for a great time!

    October 2022