2026 METAMORA FILM FESTIVAL - HYBRID EVENT - PUEBLO, COLORADO
(Theme: Criminal Justice System Related Films)

The Metamora Film Festival (MFF) is a community-driven event dedicated to exploring the complexities of the criminal justice system through the lens of cinema. The festival showcases a curated selection of documentaries, feature films, and short narratives that delve into topics such as incarceration, policing, legal reform, and restorative justice.

Our festival emphasizes active community participation. Most screenings are followed by panel discussions featuring filmmakers, legal experts, activists, or individuals directly impacted by the justice system. Forums are organized to facilitate dialogue on pressing issues like racial disparities, juvenile justice, and reentry challenges.

Awards & Prizes

AWARD PRIZES AND CATEGORIES:

1. BEST JUSTICE NARRATIVE - For films over 30 minutes
(Award: $250 Cash Award, Film airs on Colorado Community Media, Social Impact Campaign Support, Festival Plaque, Digital Impact Laurels, and Merch Pack.)

Purpose: Honors outstanding storytelling in a fictional work centered on justice-related issues. Why it matters: Narrative films can powerfully humanize and dramatize real-life injustices.

2. BEST JUSTICE DOCUMENTARY - For films over 30 minutes
(Award: $250 Cash Award, Film airs on Colorado Community Media, Social Impact Campaign Support, Festival Plaque, Digital Impact Laurels, and Merch Pack.)

Purpose: Celebrates a documentary that investigates or exposes criminal justice issues with clarity and impact. Why it matters: Documentaries often drive real-world advocacy, awareness, and policy reform.

3. SYSTEM-IMPACTED FILMMAKER AWARD- Short or Feature
(Award: $150 Cash Award, Film airs on Colorado Community Media, Social Impact Campaign Support, Festival Plaque, Digital Impact Laurels, and Merch Pack.)

Purpose: Recognizes a filmmaker who is formerly incarcerated or directly impacted by the justice system. Why it matters: Centers authentic voices and lived experience.

4. AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD - Short or Feature
(Award: $100 Cash Award, Film airs on Colorado Community Media, Festival Plaque, Digital Impact Laurels, and Merch Pack.)

Purpose: Voted by the public or attendees. Why it matters: Helps highlight films that connect emotionally and communally with viewers.

5. BEST STUDENT JUSTICE FILM - Short or Feature
(Award: $100 Cash Award, Festival Plaque, Digital Impact Laurels, and Merch Pack.)

Purpose: Recognizes student filmmakers creating justice-focused content.
Why it matters: Supports the next generation of change-making storytellers.

6. EMERGING VOICE IN JUSTICE FILMMAKING - Short or Feature)
(Award: Justice Reading Bundle, Festival Plaque, Digital Impact Laurels, and Merch Pack.)

Purpose: Awarded to a new or first-time filmmaker whose work shows promise and passion for justice-centered storytelling. Why it matters: Encourages new perspectives and supports growth.

Rules & Terms

WELCOME FILMMAKERS!

As the director of the Metamora Film Festival, I want to thank you for your courage, creativity, and commitment to storytelling. This festival exists to amplify voices, raise awareness, and challenge the narratives surrounding crime, punishment, policing, prisons, and justice. Whether you're exposing injustice, humanizing those behind bars, or imagining new futures, your work matters—and we’re honored you’re considering sharing it here.

Please take a moment to read the rules and terms of entry before submitting.

1. Thematic Focus:

This is not a general indie film festival. Your film must explore issues related to criminal justice. We welcome a wide lens: incarceration, reentry, restorative justice, police violence, sentencing reform, systemic racism, criminalization of poverty, immigration detention, abolition, mental health in the justice system—you name it.

2. Who Can Submit:

We welcome films from any country and in any language (subtitled in English if not in English).

Students, activists, first-time filmmakers, system-impacted people (incarcerated/formerly incarcerated), and survivors are especially encouraged to submit.

3. Film Categories:

We accept the following:

Short Films (under 30 minutes)
Feature Films (30–120 minutes)
Documentaries (short or feature-length)
Narrative Films
Experimental / Animated / Hybrid
Youth/Student Work
Films by Formerly Incarcerated Creators

4. Selection Process:

Submissions are reviewed by a diverse team of filmmakers, organizers, and criminal justice advocates.

Films are judged on:

Thematic relevance
Storytelling and voice
Artistic merit
Impact and originality
Technical execution (but story always comes first)

Raw and unpolished work is welcome—this is about authenticity, not perfection.

5. Disqualifications

We reserve the right to reject or remove films that:

Contain hate speech, propaganda, or incite violence
Promote carceral systems without critique
Do not align with the festival’s purpose