We are thrilled to announce the 8th annual Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival (JTIFF) happening May 1st - 4th, 2025 at the beautiful Mauch Chunk Opera House in historic Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. Our first seven years were such a rousing success that we are expecting to double the excitement and turnout for our next sensational season.

The Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival channels the rebellious spirit of the infamous Molly Maguires, welcoming the boldest, most defiant filmmakers to present their work, shatter convention and incite spirited debate. Our credo is “Eyes and Minds Wide Open” and we mean it!

We welcome features and shorts of every genre and budget - from gritty underground and experimental films to traditional narratives and documentaries.

At Midnight on Saturday, we'll be continuing our very popular GRINDHOUSE program. So send us your wildest, most over-the-top films that not only push the envelope, but rip it to shreds! *NO ONE UNDER 18 will be admitted to the GRINDHOUSE screenings.

We're also very pleased to continue our STUDENT FILM PROGRAM and as always, we'll be offering deep discounts for young filmmakers with proof of current enrollment.

And note that we continue to add even more LIVE MUSIC performances throughout our 4-day event through our collaboration with Philadelphia's cutting-edge music collective, GREAT CIRCLES!

So submit your film now and we hope to see you at the Mauch Chunk Opera House in May!

1 Best Feature
2 Best Short
3 Best Student Film – US
4 Best Student Film – International
5 Best Documentary
6 Best LGBTQ Subject
7 Best Horror / Sci Fi
8 Best Comedy
9 Best Animation
10 Best Experimental
11 Best Grindhouse
12 Best Music Video (NEW)
13 Best Director – Feature
14 Best Director – Short
15 Best Student Director – US
16 Best Student Director – International
17 Best Screenplay - Feature
18 Best Screenplay – Short
19 Best Cinematography
20 Best Cinematography – Student
21 Best Actor – Feature
22 Best Actress – Feature
23 Best Actor – Short
24 Best Actress – Short
25 Local Hero – Pennsylvania Filmmaker Award
26 Pennsylvania Student Filmmaker Award
27 Special Jury Prize

• All projects must have been completed AFTER JANUARY 1, 2023
• All films submitted to JTIFF must NOT be released theatrically in the US, on Blu-ray or VOD, and must NOT be available to watch in its entirety by the public on YouTube, Vimeo, or any other website or streaming platform, free or otherwise.
• To be eligible for selection by JTIFF, YOUR FILM MUST BE AN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA PREMIERE*** This means that your film can not be screened at any other public film festival located within the state of Pennsylvania, East of Harrisburg, prior to screening at JTIFF. This does not include internal university or college screenings or festivals where the filmmaker is enrolled as a student.
• Entrant warrants that there are NO DISPUTES regarding the ownership of their film/project/screenplay. If there is ANY DISPUTE whatsoever, said film/project/screenplay will be disqualified. 
• Entrant(s) confirm(s) and warrant(s) required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all music, images and content in the entry. 
• Entrant(s) will allow usage of clips from the entry and all related publicity material submitted for promotional use on television, radio, in print, web and at live Festival events.
• All decisions made by judges, programmers and organizers will be final, and NO REFUND of entry fee will be permitted.
• The Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival (JTIFF) reserves the right to remove a film from the festival program for any reason or for no reason, and shall not be liable for any refund or claims of any kind arising out of such removal. In case the film in question is disqualified, or is unable to screen due to technical, or operational difficulties, or if your film needs to be rescheduled, delayed, or removed from the program for any reason, the filmmaker(s) (cast, crew, or anyone involved with the project in question) are not entitled to any refund or damage claims of any kind. 
 
By submitting to the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival (JTIFF) you must fulfill the following requirements by the date(s) designated by the Festival:
1. You must execute a release agreement wherein you (I) accept responsibility for obtaining any and all clearances necessary to exhibit your film at JTIFF; (II) warrant that you have the rights necessary to exhibit your film at JTIFF; (III) indemnify and hold harmless JTIFF, Todd Morris, Jocelyn O'Neil, all JTIFF sponsors, including but not limited to the town of Jim Thorpe, PA and any/all city departments, as well as JTIFF's affiliates, and subsidiaries and any of their respective directors, officers, employees, staff, volunteers, and representatives against any claim, including attorney's fees, arising out of exhibition, or non-exhibition of your film at JTIFF, and (IV) you warrant the submission of your original work and warrant that there are no disputes regarding the ownership of the submission in question. 
2. If selected, you must deliver to the email address(es) or dropbox designated by the Festival (I) one high resolution exhibition copy of the invited work. For features screening via Blu-ray, we recommend you ship via FedEx or UPS in order to permit the tracking of your entry once it leaves your hands.
3. All exhibition copies must be delivered at 1080p mp4 format or higher resolution.
4. JTIFF cannot be held liable or responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, or royalty infringement. 
5. JTIFF reserves the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason, or for no reason. We enforce this policy to ensure a secure, professional and convenient environment for all of our customers.
 
By submitting: You agree to indemnify, hold harmless from and defend JTIFF, Todd Morris, Jocelyn Morris, JTIFF's affiliates, and subsidiaries, and any of their respective directors, officers, employees, and representatives against all claims, demand losses, damages, judgments, liabilities, and expenses (including attorney's fees) arising out of or in connection with any and all claims of third parties, whether or not groundless, based on any film or project submitted to the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival (JTIFF), or rejected/removed/disqualified by the Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival (JTIFF). 
 
GENERAL INFORMATION
 
SUBMIT AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE! This not only allows more time for programmers to consider your film, but you will not run the risk of missing the deadline. 
 
Selected projects will be screened via high-resolution (1080p minimum) mp4, H.264, ProRes, or Blu-ray discs in NTSC Region 0 or 1.
 
"Works in progress" will NOT be considered.
 
LANGUAGE: All entries must be in English or contain English subtitles.
 
FINAL DEADLINE: Submissions received beyond the final deadline listed on FilmFreeway will NOT be considered.
 
Submission fees are NON-REFUNDABLE.
 
Blu-ray Screeners will not be returned.
 
LOSS OR DAMAGE: Every precaution will be taken to safeguard all materials submitted while in the possession of the Festival. However, we cannot accept or assume responsibility in the event of loss or damage.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Great festival, very well organized from the screenings to the promotional material. Would definitely travel to Jim Thorpe again!

    May 2025
  • Max Kane

    Such a wonderful experience. Thank you for everything, JTIFF team!

    May 2025
  • Thank you for selecting our film 'Benighted Creatures'. Though we couldn't make it to the festival (that looked pretty cool for what we saw on pictures) I must say that the communication with the team before the event was excellent.

    May 2025
  • Samuel Greaves

    I am aware of the boldness of a full 5 star review. But I truly mean it. The 8th JTIFF was an unforgettable experience. As a selected filmmaker, they treated my films and I with great respect. Their programming is excellent, I always felt every short flowed perfectly into the next. Their selections were top notch. Every year I've been, the winner of Best Feature is added to my list of favorite movies I've ever seen.

    I'm forever grateful and honored to have been a part of such an amazing festival. I've met such talented filmmakers, made some valuable connections, and even more valuable memories. You are doing yourself a disservice if you don't attend this festival!

    May 2025
  • Fedor Benton

    This is a very special festival, the staff was beyond amazing and it was very well organized. This is an even that plays like a perfectly coordinated party. We moved through the weekend with ohh's and ahh's. The visual presentation was spectacular. The locations were prefect for watching the films and flow of this festival. The staff again was so warm and fun to converse with. We enjoyed the experience immensely.

    May 2025