🎞️ 25 COOLEST FILM FESTIVALS IN THE WORLD 2023 by MovieMaker Magazine 🎞️

MISSION & OBJECTIVE
The Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival (HHM) is the perfect mix of independent film and live indie music. We're finally on the radar of filmmakers and have been making an impact with our guests. Sort of.

"I don't remember much of my two years going to Hell's Half Mile. That's how much fun I had." – Rider Strong, “Cabin Fever” and two-time guest.

🔥 To get a vibe of HHM, watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7mzsi2RDcM

Our taste is eclectic, everything from quirky comedies to hard-hitting documentaries to emotional drama. Our goal is to find "the little film that could" -- a bunch of them actually -- and bring the filmmakers together to take over Bay City, MI. Our primary concern is community; the filmmakers who attend our long weekend walk away with lifelong friends and future collaborators.

"I’ve been to SXSW several times, San Francisco, a bunch of smaller festivals all over the U.S. It [Hell’s Half Mile] feels like the real deal. It’s people who genuinely love film, love the independent film community. The quality and lineup is incredible” – Ashley Spillers HBO’s “Vice Principals”

"The Hell’s Half Mile audience isn’t the jaded, over-exposed audience of the big festivals. They’re hungry and appreciative of great storytelling and genuinely open-minded to cinema from unknown independent filmmakers." - us, directors of Hell's Half Mile

Over the last nineteen years, over 1,000 directors, producers, screenwriters, and actors have joined our growing audience. We provide:
⭐ travel assistance and accommodations to a select number of filmmakers
⭐ all-access guest passes and
⭐ catered receptions
⭐ all of our venues are within a few block radius
⭐ hotels are within walking distance, making it super easy to get around.
⭐ events to help you connect with other filmmakers, musicians, movie fans, and our supportive local community.

Our goal is to provide you with a professional, casual, and fun experience during your stay with us, including unique outings that give you a taste of the local flavor. It’s the least we can do in return for providing our festival-goers with great independent cinema. Visit hellshalfmile.com for links to the venues and video recaps of the previous years.

Hell’s Half Mile programmers are looking for the right mix of creative and challenging works, including those from underserved segments of the film community. We truly hope to expand the pool of films from which we make our selections. We want to see more films from female filmmakers, filmmakers of color, and LGBTQ filmmakers in the mix so that we can select films from a highly diverse group of storytellers for our audience.

Once your festival experience ends, Hell’s Half Mile looks to the future. HHM alumni receive fee waivers for future projects and all-access guest passes for subsequent years’ festivals, whether you have a film in our program or not. We continue to support alumni projects through social media and newsletters celebrating victories and other milestones through our growing network of filmmakers and film lovers.

HHM is a member of the Film Festival Alliance and follows the FFA's best practices for professional film festivals. Visit hellshalfmile.com for updates and info.

“Hell's Half Mile gives me warm feelings in my heart. The warm feeling in my pants is possibly unrelated. It’s worth every minute and it's the kind of festival that you make movies for.” – Kenny Stevenson, writer and actor, "Love, Sex and Missed Connections".

Guests are not left alone to fend for themselves amidst our rabid audiences and interested community members. Programmers and organizers are ever-present and ready with introductions, recommendations and the occasional swift exit from oversharers. Bay City nights are filled with raw rock and roll sounds giving us the moniker of “little Detroit”, especially into the wee hours at super-secret-after-parties. Daytime in Bay City is cool Fall days with sunny riverside strolls or bike rides past historic lumber baron mansions. Or, there are always plenty of great films to watch. It's up to you!

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
After nineteen years, Hell’s Half Mile organizers continue to strive to be an innovative festival for genuinely independent films and original music. This festival is about connecting the filmmaker and the festival-goer. Period. Well, parties too.

In addition to relentless promotion of films, Hell’s Half Mile recognizes and rewards films with jury, programmer and audience awards, some with prizes. Prizes include a cash prize of $500 for Best Made In Michigan film and $500 for the Grand Jury Award Feature & $500 for Grand Jury Award Short, lastly, $500 to the audience "Fest Best".
Grand Jury Winners...
2025...the tense Irish crime drama "Aontas" and the mermaid fantasy "The Pearl Comb".
2024...the family drama "Scrap" and the heart-wrenching short "The Last Ranger".
2023...the fantastic documentary feature "Chasing Chasing Amy" and the brilliant & hilarious short "Mahogany Drive".
2022...the strikingly cinematic & music-driven "Poser".
2021...the captivating doc "The Penny Black".
2019...the raw and deeply affecting "Happy Face".
2018...the poignant comedy/drama “Funny Story".
2017...the powerful thriller “The Scent of Rain & Lightning”.
2016...the dark comedy "Donald Cried".
2015...the controversial “Lamb”.
2014...the Icelandic “Metalhead”.
2013...the acclaimed documentary "Remote Area Medical".

Highlights of past jurors include:
* Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
* Adam Busch (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
* Samm Levine (Freaks and Geeks)
* Rebecca Green (It Follows)
* Joey Kern (Big Bear)
* Lela Meadow-Conner (Film Festival Alliance)
* Matt Enlow (Just Shoot It Podcast)
* Oren Kaplan (Just Shoot It Podcast)
* Geoff Marslett (Loves Her Gun)
* Rider Strong (Cabin Fever)
* Violet Lucca (Film Comment Magazine/Podcast)
* Mark Covino (A Band Called Death)
* Joel Potrykus (Buzzard)
* Tom Hall (Montclair Film Festival)
* Laura Heberton (God Bless the Child)
* Caleb Ward (The Orchard)
* Natalie Metzger (Producer)
* Sav Rodgers (Filmmaker)
* Mallory Martin (Cleveland International Film Festival)
* Carlos Aguilar (film critic/journalist)
* Joseph Beyer (Film/Festival Professional)
* Bill Stertz (Producer)
* Erin Brown Thomas (Filmmaker / Salute Your Shorts Film Festival)
* Gina Cuomo (Cinema Operations Consulting)
* Amanda Renee Knox (Director)
* Alex Schmider (Producer)
* Liz Manashil (Filmmaker / Making Movies Is HARD!! Podcast)
* Alrik Bursell (Filmmaker / Making Movies Is HARD!! Podcast)
* Cara Ogburn (Milwaukee Film Artistic Director)
* Alison Foreman (Indiewire)
* Jamie Webb (Together Films)
* Anna Lee Lawson (Slamdance)
* Mark Powell (History Channel Latin America)
* Kristin Molloy (Athena Film Festival)
* Robin Berk (CMU Animation Alumni)
* Alicia Kozma (IU Cinema)
* Dylan Zsigray (Cleveland International Film Festival)

Each year we screen great narrative films, like Jim Cumming’s “Thunder Road” and the Slamdance hit "Neptune". Quirky comedies like James Westby’s “Rid of Me” and Kris Avedisian's “Donald Cried” have been big hits with HHM audiences. Co-director Mark Covino attended with the international hit "A Band Called Death". Rider Strong has been a guest at HHM with four amazing films over two years, including “The Dungeon Master,” written and directed with his brother Shiloh and winner of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival Best (Online) Short Film. Visit hellshalfmile.com for a complete list of all films presented.

In 2020, the Made-in-Michigan Film Festival merged with Hell's Half Mile to spotlight more Michigan filmmaking talent. The "Best Michigan Film" receives a $500 cash prize, continuing the legacy of the "Wally Green Award" in honor of the founder of the MiMFF. We'll also work hard to promote Michigan filmmakers and give them opportunities to showcase their work beyond the festival.

Some of the great music we’ve had over the years connects our film and music events. Damn the Witch Siren performed as well as was featured at the center of the story of the film 'Poser". Matt Pond PA joined us at HHM in 2010. This same year, screening at the festival was “Lebanon PA,” with an original score by Matt Pond and Chris Hansen of Matt Pond PA. Another great band that performed at HHM in 2011 was The One AM Radio, led by Hrishikesh Hirway (creator of podcasts Song Exploder and The West Wing Weekly) who also did the original music for the 2012 feature film “Save the Date.” Other recent notable acts include Ratboys (Chicago), Weakened Friends (Portland, ME), and Liquid Mike (Michigan). Visit hellshalfmile.com for lists and links of previous music performers.

We hope you’ll consider us.

What's with the name?
In the late 1800's, a stretch of Bay City's riverfront was lined with raucous saloons and two-bit hotels where turn-of-the-century loggers and shipmen would go to blow off steam and take in more than a little local color. This strip was known to locals as Hell's Half Mile. "'Hell's Half Mile' was the strip of waterfront where lumberjacks used to go boozing and whoring. Now, a bunch of us from Hollywood go there for a film festival. Not much has changed." – Rider Strong

Time has passed, but the same rough-and-tumble spirit of the day is reborn in the Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival. Today, the city boasts a beautiful downtown riverfront with boutiques, restaurants, theatres, pubs, hotel accommodations and other points of interest....a state of the art planetarium, art galleries, a thriving business community, and an active shipping lane for Great Lakes freighters...Downtown Bay City is alive with activity.

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Awards & Prizes

Jury - Grand Jury Prize Feature
Jury - Grand Jury Prize Short
Jury - Best Screenplay
Jury - Best Cinematography
Jury - Best Score
Jury - Best Lead Performance in a Drama
Jury - Best Lead Performance in a Comedy
Jury - Best Supporting Performance in a Drama
Jury - Best Supporting Performance in a Comedy
Jury - Special Jury Awards
Audience - Fest Best
Audience - Best Feature
Audience - Best Short
Audience - Best Documentary
Audience - Best Foreign Language Film
Audience - Best Michigan Film ($500)
Special - Festival Programmers Award

Rules & Terms

The 20th HHM Film & Music Festival is open to all genres and categories (narrative features, animation, shorts, documentaries, genre etc).

All entries must be submitted with an online screener (Vimeo, FilmFreeway, etc). If your film isn't on FilmFreeway, our preference is Vimeo, as it's usually the best quality and consistently reliable. Youtube does not do justice to your film!

All submission fees are listed in the deadline/fee schedule. We recommend that entries submit press kits including a short synopsis, a filmmaker bio, a list of the principal cast and credits, a production still and poster, and any other media information available. Any photo submitted may be used for festival promotion. Electronic files are preferred.

PREMIERE STATUS

Hell's Half Mile does not require premiere status and welcomes films that have screened at other festivals and venues.

For films that have screened or will screen in Bay City, Saginaw, or Midland, we prefer to present the local premiere. This helps us introduce new work to our audience and encourages stronger attendance and engagement for filmmakers. Local premiere status may be considered as part of our programming decisions.

EXHIBITION FORMAT FOR SELECTED FILMS

Selected films must provide MP4; H.264; 1920x1080 or 1080p; 24-bit audio at 48khz. Files may be delivered via download or on an unencrypted hard drive. Other file formats may be added and will be identified for all selected films.

Non-English language films must have subtitles.

The number, date, and time of screenings are at the discretion of the festival.

Film selection announcements will be made in mid-August. Early selections may be made and submitters notified before the posted final notification date.

If your film is in distribution and requires a screening fee, please do not submit to our festival without openly notifying us first. As a small, non-profit festival we have a limited budget, and unexpected fees are difficult for us to handle. Please email don@hellshalfmile.com to discuss.

Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition at the Festival for promotional purposes.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival and it's nonprofit parent, Hell's Half Mile Events, from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

If a film is accepted, the programmers request the right to screen the film for educational and promotional purposes, for a period of one year. And will do so, unless directed otherwise.
67 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • H. Nelson Tracey

    My favorite personal touch from HHM: they make a point to phone call accepted films to let you know you've been accepted. It's this type of personal touch that makes it worth the submission fees. Pair that with a stellar lineup, great music, a storied history of championing indies (look at their alums!), and a vibey location, and you can see why this is a beloved festival. I will continue to submit titles here whenever I can.

    October 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for all your kind words!! You really do have a track record of sending us great films, and we look forward to what you create next. Please stay in touch and let us know what you're working on. Hopefully we'll see you here in Bay City soon!

  • Christian Loubek

    Thank you HHM for your support of indie film and for including BELIEF in your 2025 program -- we are grateful to have shared the screen at this warm and inviting festival. Special shoutout to Tanner for all your support and communication along the way. This is a well-loved, well-supported, well-attended festival and not to be missed!

    October 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Christian!! BELIEF is a wonderful film, and we're honored to have have it in our 2025 fest. Please stay in touch, and when you have another film to submit let us know and we'll send you a fee waiver code. You're a HHM Alum, and we look forward to see what you create next.

  • Merlin Camozzi

    We weren't able to attend with THE SNARE due to being at another festival on the west coast the same weekend, which was a huge bummer! That being said the communication and vibe from HHM was amazing, and we were so honored to receive the Audience Award for Best Feature and Jury Award for Best Original Screenplay. We submitted to this festival because of all the great things we had heard about attending, so it was a bummer not to be there, but everything about the interaction made us truly hope to be there next year in person. Thanks, HHM!

    October 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thanks for the kind words, Merlin!! SNARE was definitely a great fit for Hell's Half Mile, and we can't thank you enough for sending it our way in the first place. While you couldn't make it here, you're still an important part of our festival's history and HHM Family. You're welcome to attend any time you wish, and we'll have a festival pass waiting for you. Hopefully you'll have another film in the works. We can't wait to see it!!

  • Vivian K

    While I wasn't able to attend this year with my 2nd feature SÉANCE, I previously attended with my first feature SCRAP, and both times the festival communication has been top-notch with so much respect for the filmmakers. It's a great festival put on by people who love films and love filmmakers, with fantastic parties (and amazing bands!), incredible programming, and great overall hospitality. I hope to go back someday!

    October 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thanks for being our guest in 2024 with the fantastic film SCRAP, and also sending us SÉANCE which was also a great fit for Hell's Half Mile. We can't wait to have you return again!! You're our kind of people, and we want to send more time with us and celebrate this thing we love together. You really get what we're doing here, and we can't thank you enough for the kind words you've shared about Hell's Half Mile. So, please make another film soon!!! :)

  • Ryan 'Tibbs' Wiese

    Great folks, great city, great festival... Can't wait to come back.

    October 2025
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    It was our pleasure to have you in town for Hell's Half Mile this year, and hope to have you return before too long. You're creating films that fit the sweet blend of visual storytelling and music, and that is what we hope to bring to our audience every year. Please come see us again soon!!