The Lookout Wild Film Festival is an adventure and environmental film festival in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA held in the famous Tivoli "Jewel of the South" Theater with an attendance of 4000+ at our 3 day flagship festival. We also host a virtual festival as well as a multi-city tour.
From humble beginnings in 2013 at the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, we have grown each year in stature moving to the Walker Theater and then to the Tivoli. In 2020, we were pleased to seat approximately 5,000 audience members over 4 days including the first sell-out of the Tivoli theater for a film event. In 2021, due to Covid, we shifted to weekly free events in downtown Chattanooga at Miller Park to inspire our audience and thank them for the years of support. We returned to the glorious Tivoli Theater in 2022 for a very special 10th anniversary. In 2023, we celebrated with 2 World Premier films and 6 North American or US Premiers and hosted filmmakers from 3 Countries.
Filmmakers, we are looking for films that celebrate wild places and the diversity of people they inspire.
Topics of films may include — but are not limited to — inspiration, exploration, conservation, wildlife, and adventure. Some outdoor activities we feature are: rock climbing, cycling, paddling, hiking, hang gliding, skiing, running, mountain biking, fishing, birding, snowshoeing, caving, boarding (snow, wake, skate and others), horseback riding, surfing, multisport, slacklining, base jumping and whatever else people are doing outside.
We are looking for narrative and documentary films, feature-length films, short films, animated films, time-lapse films and everything in between.
We are looking for projects that celebrate outdoor adventure and conservation around the Southeast US, North America and the world.
Beyond any specific activity or theme, the LWFF board is looking for films that share our love of the outdoors through storytelling. We want films that take us places we can't go — or haven't gone yet. We want films that help us see things with a new perspective.
Chattanooga is a youthful, growing outdoor mecca drawing in top adventurers from around the United States. The city is also garnering national attention from media outlets and tourism groups, headlined by Outside Magazine calling the Scenic City its "Best Town Ever" twice - the first city to do this.
We believe that the Lookout Wild Film Festival is a key part of Chattanooga's continued growth as a destination for both outdoor enthusiasts. We hope to see you here and thank you for your consideration as a venue for your film!
Online screeners and digital submissions preferred. If your film is available on Vimeo or similar services please include that link as well. Please include any needed password to access the films.
We thank the filmmakers and our audience for your support over the years.
Winners in each film and photo category receive our infamous "Loggy" award.
To the most inspiring character in a film we will present the prestigious Dale 'Greybeard' Sanders Perseverance Award - the "Stoney".
