Submissions are now being accepted for the Ozark Foothills FilmFest, an eclectic celebration of the cinema arts that takes place each spring in the rolling hills of the Ozark foothills. It is one of extremely few film festivals taking place in a truly rural community. The festival screens narrative and documentary films of all lengths, as well as curated foreign language films and rediscovered American classics. Opportunities for artist/audience interaction include a panel discussion titled "Reel Rural: Rural America in Independent Film," post-screening Q&As, informal filmmaker chats, and a filmmaker welcoming reception.

The 2019 FilmFest takes place April 18-20 and April 26-27 in Batesville, Arkansas, located about 100 miles north of Little Rock and 130 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee.

The festival has received annual funding from the National Endowment for the Arts for fifteen consecutive years and was twice honored with Film Festival Grants from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Special consideration is given to films that reflect rural concerns, lifestyles, and sensibilities. All revenue generated from entry fees is allocated to competition prizes and to providing lodging and travel support for visiting filmmakers.

Awards & Prizes

Cash prizes and hand-thrown ceramic trophies are awarded for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Short, and Best Documentary Short.

Rules & Terms

Submission to the Ozark Foothills FilmFest (OFFF) constitutes an agreement with all festival terms and conditions, and permission to exhibit the work during the festival if selected. Entrants warrant that they have the legal right to submit the work to OFFF, that all statements made in this application are true and accurate, and that all necessary rights and clearances have been secured to screen the work at the festival. OFFF reserves the right to determine the final eligibility of any work submitted. Eligible works must have been completed after January 1, 2017.

Entrants shall indemnify and hold harmless the Ozark Foothills FilmFest from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

Entries must be submitted digitally online using FilmFreeway’s digital submission process. Submissions should include the title, filmmaker name(s) and contact information, running time, entry category, and filmmaker FilmFreeway tracking code. Please also indicate if your film is an Arkansas premiere (not required for inclusion in the festival).

Selected filmmakers will be asked to provide promotional material including a short synopsis, filmmaker bio, cast and crew credits, a high resolution print quality still, and a link to an online trailer, if available.
13 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Renji Philip

    Great festival with excellent communication and a great audience of film-goers.

    May 2019
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  • Aviv Kaufman

    I had the honor as my film as being selected for this festival. unfortunately, I could not get to the festival, but the crew of the festival was really nice and I have an only good word to say. I strongly recommend submitting your films to this festival 😊

    May 2019
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  • Weightless Films

    This is a great little festival. Those running it were fantastic. The Melba, where our short films were screened, is a beautiful theatre, nestled on their budding Main Street. This town is the last place you'd expect a film festival, but it was well worth the drive. The only big disappointment was how few filmmakers came to represent their films and network. Would love to have seen that theatre full for all the screenings. If I could make one suggestion, it would be to make the whole festival in one weekend. I would've loved to be there for the wrap party, but driving in two weekends just wasn't in the cards. I'd highly recommend this festival, and with a few tweaks, it could be even better.

    May 2019
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  • Pamela Falkenberg

    This is an interesting and well-run festival, with very high quality programming. We were honored to have our film included in the festival, and we hope to be invited again in the future.

    May 2019
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  • Andrew Paul Davis

    I had a fantastic time here. About 30 attendees came out for my film "Palace" and I made friends with some wonderful filmmakers and festival team members. It was an honor to be invited to the Reel Rural panel, and I found this area of Arkansas a beautiful place to visit. They take pride in the fact that they're a small festival, so don't expect hundreds of people to attend your short film block, but if you're close enough, it's worth the weekend trip.

    May 2019
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