Free Range Film Festival

A farm fresh alternative to stale cinema, the Free Range Film Festival is a celebration of fiercely independent film. Films are screened inside a big old barn located in the heart of Minnesota's organic farm country.

UPDATE!
The 2020 festival has been postponed because of a global pandemic. I guess sometimes being free range means being flexible. We're still planning on being back to show films in or on our big old barn at some point. We've extended our deadline for films until June 15 for folks who want to send in content.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:
For the past sixteen years we've opened up our 100-year-old barn to screen films and videos nurtured without the use of pesticides, growth hormones or a distribution deal from a fancy-pants Hollywood studio. A Free Range Film can be a full-length feature, an independent short, a provocative documentary or a two-minute video starring your aunt, an old bicycle and a friggin' huge, black, winged unicorn. In the last couple of years, we've played some really great stuff like "The Overnighters" and "Beaver Trilogy Part IV."

Here are some frequently asked questions:

You run movies in a barn? Seriously?
Seriously. The films we select for our festival are projected on a 24-foot wide screen inside the hayloft of a barn built in 1916. It’s kind of a one-of-a-kind movie-going experience.

When is this Free Range Film Festival?
Plant yourself here for the weekend. The festivities USUALLY begin and end the last full weekend in June but this year is clearly different. We'll be doing the festival in (or on?) the barn when it is safe to do so.

Where is this big old barn, anyway?
The Free Range Film Festival will be held at the corner of County Roads 1 & 4 just one mile south of Wrenshall, Minnesota. The venue is two hours north of the Twin Cities and just 30 minutes south of Duluth.

Hey! I think I might have a Free Range Film in my closet! What should I do with it?
Whatever you got, we want. Just head on over to that 'Submit Now' button and give it a push. After you send your film to our official selection committee, they'll take it for a test run and see how it holds together.

How can I be sure my film will run in the festival?
Send us a good film. That's all we ask.

Will there be any prizes at the Free Range Film Festival?
We like to think the thrill of seeing your Free Range Film projected in a big old barn is reward enough.