The Ogeechee International History Film Festival (OIHFF) is going into its sixth year as the world’s longest-running, open-submission international history film festival. The OIHFF, based in Statesboro, Georgia, is devoted to screening and promoting quality historical documentary films from professional, student, and amateur filmmakers from around the globe. It had its inaugural year in 2017 and is a collaboration project between the Georgia Southern University History Department and the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB).
Having an open-submission, international festival, allows it to be an outlet for filmmakers across a wide spectrum of experience, from seasoned professionals to people who are just starting out in film.
The 2022 festival season will be a hybrid festival, incorporating online and in-person events. Only the award winners and other special selections will be screened in person. All official selections will be screened on our online festival platform, ogeechee.sparqfest.live.
It is our tradition to screen the the previous year's winning feature film the week before the festival to kick off the new season. We then screen one premier film on the opening night and then begin the jury-screening of the professional film submissions the following day. The last day consists of the competition for student films.

Awards & Prizes

AWARDS:
Films are judged according to various tiers.
Gold, Silver, and Bronze certificates of merit are awarded to films that demonstrate excellence in both historical interpretation and filmmaking. At the end of the annual festival submission cycle (December 1 of each year), the review staff will review the Gold merit winners to select the appropriate titles for the February festival screenings. Those films will be judged a second time to select the best short, feature, and student films.

INFORMATION FOR ACADEMIC FILMMAKERS
Are you a filmmaker affiliated with a college or university? The Ogeechee International History Film Festival is offering a service of double-blind peer review for use in tenure and promotion decisions. Our reviews typically involve a doctorate-holding historian and a filmmaker with an MFA or Ph.D. degree. Please contact festival director Michael Van Wagenen for more details and submission instructions: mvanwagenen@georgiasouthern.edu

Rules & Terms

ROLLING DEADLINES:
Beginning in 2020, the Ogeechee International History Film Festival will be open submission year-round. This allows for the awarding of certificates of merit on a rolling basis. Films submitted before December 1 will be eligible for screening at the festival in February the following year. Program announcements for the festival are made by the first week of January.

Content: Films must have a focus on history and historical events
Length: Films can be any length, but submission prices vary.**
-Films one hour or shorter: $10 to submit
-Films over one hour: $20 to submit
Language: Preferred English. Foreign language films are accepted, but must contain English subtitles.
Relevancy: Only films completed or copyrighted in or after 2018 will be accepted.
Historical: Must have consulted a historian or interviewed one for information.
Category: Submissions can be in three categories
-Professional
-College
-High School
*Please note - To qualify for inclusion in any of the student categories, films must be directed, produced, written, shot, and edited by students, though they may perform these duties under the supervision of professionals.
**Please contact the coordinator if you are in a nation that is experiencing disadvantageous currency exchange rates with the United States.
15 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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Hospitality
Networking
  • Inês Mendes da Silva

    This is a wonderful festival and we look forward to submitting in the future.
    Thank you for supporting our documentary
    "Echoes from the city of the dead".
    Raul Losada

    April 2023
    Helpful
  • Ferenc Lavro

    It is an honour, that our film was accepted as part of this prestigious festival. Thank you for the opportunity!

    March 2023
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  • Roger Paradiso

    It is very important to have festivals like OGEECHEE. History must be talked about so we can understand the past and where we are going in the future.
    Roger Paradiso

    March 2023
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  • Kaye Minchew

    We were delighted to have our film accepted to the festival. We found out it was accepted several days after the expected notification date when I logged in to our FilmFreeway account. We only heard from the festival staff if we emailed them a question and then they generally answered in a day or two. Also there were 2 awards presented but the website listed different awards. Finally, the website said the event would be a hybrid of online and in-person but then everything was online. I hope next year the festival can be in person and that there can be networking and q & a opportunities.

    March 2022
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  • Andrew Bystrom

    It was wonderful to have my film selected and recognized from a History Film Festival. They provided outstanding communication and historical film feedback. It was an enjoyable/professional film experience!

    April 2021
    Helpful