A free-to-attend festival that highlights the best of independent film in a place that strives to tell the stories that connect us all—this is Longleaf. Our weekend festival screens films that demonstrate a Tar Heel State connection, through the people involved in making them, their filming location, or through their subject.
The North Carolina Museum of History serves as home base for Longleaf Film Festival. Movies have been made in the Tar Heel state for more than 100 years and the museum speaks to that intersection of historic traditions that continue today, making connections. The film community in the state, as well as those who train and film here, continue to create stories that engage and expand our conversation.
We launch Longleaf 2023 with a continued commitment to sharing impactful stories, including those race and community that have been told in past festivals. We strongly believe that the art and craft of filmmaking help connect us and offer avenues for insight, as well as entertainment. We want to share your stories—all of your stories: animated, documentary, and narrative films, music videos, spoken word productions, and web series. And again, we will recognize the best films made by historically underrepresented filmmakers with support from caring people. We also hold student filmmakers near and dear, and by students, we mean those creative middle and high school folks making movies!
We hope you will share your film with us and join the community that is Longleaf.
All narrative festival submissions are eligible for a $500 Judges’ Choice/Narrative Film award; all documentary festival submissions are eligible for a $500 Judges’ Choice/Documentary Film award. All films entered in the Middle and High School Student Film category are eligible for a $250 Best Student Film award.
For the second year, we are excited to continue with three awards that support the creative works of filmmakers from historically underrepresented communities: a $250 American Indian Heritage Celebration Prize for the best film by an Indigenous filmmaker, a $250 African American Cultural Celebration Prize for the best film by a Black filmmaker, and a $250 Celebrating Latin American Communities Prize for the best film by a Latino filmmaker.
Other prizes may be awarded in the categories listed below. All winners receive a unique, hand-crafted (in North Carolina, to celebrate the state’s heritage of pottery making) tile. Tiles are accompanied with plaques that denote the film’s title and winning category. Only enough Award Tiles are crafted for each winner to take one home!
Animated Film
One prize may be awarded in the following subcategory: Best Overall
Documentary Feature
One prize may be awarded in the following subcategory: Best Overall
Documentary Short
One prize may be awarded in the following subcategory: Best Overall
History+ Film
One prize may be awarded for each of the following subcategories: Best Narrative and
Best Documentary
Middle and High School Student Film
One prize may be awarded for each of the following subcategories: Best Narrative and
Best Documentary
Music Video
One prize may be awarded in the following subcategory: Best Overall
Narrative Feature
One prize may be awarded for each of the following subcategories:
Best Comedy
Best Drama
Best Horror
Best Sci-Fi
Narrative Short
One prize may be awarded for each of the following subcategories:
Best Comedy
Best Drama
Best Horror
Best Sci-Fi
Spoken Word Production
One prize may be awarded for each of the following subcategories: Best Overall
Web Series
One prize may be awarded for each of the following subcategories:
Best Web Series
Best Web Pilot