Pinky's Film Festival is committed to building a greater community of cinephiles and filmmakers in Montana. All documentaries, narrative films, ski films, and other genres are welcome. We prefer if they're between 5 and 35 minutes.

Film is by far one of the most influential media in the world for entertainment, storytelling, and shaping our perspective on community and its role. It's for this reason that we should support student filmmakers and our entire Montana filmmaking community to help share Montana-made narratives and cinematic art.

This festival, sharing art, truth, and hard work, is named after the late great Pinky Warner, who ran the Empire Twin Theater until she passed from Parkinson's in 2019. Pinky Warner loved film and the effect that it had on her community and world; so it goes to reason why she worked so hard to keep the Empire Twin Theater alive and to democratize film for those who enjoy and produce it.

Our festival honors her legacy by bringing industry pros together with students to help bring film to our community for our learning and enjoyment. Our in-person event helps filmmakers network, communicate, and enjoy each other's projects to foster the most robust cinephile and filmmaking community Montana can have. Be there at the Empire Twin Theater in Livingston on May 6th, 2026, to be a part of this legacy of Pinky Warner and Montana's film community.

Awards & Prizes

Of our Student and Non-Student categories, there shall be recognition for the top three winning films at the end of the festival. Titles will also be awarded: the Montana Legacy Award to the film that best explores a classic Montana topic, and Pinky's Best Award, given to the overall best film of the festival.

Rules & Terms

We're very excited to see films from professionals, amateurs, and students in Pinky's Film Festival 2026. We kindly request that the members of your project be present at our festival on May 6, 2026, at the Empire Twin Theatre in Livingston, Montana. We are looking forward to your best work.

Any genres and films are welcome as long as they are congruent with the following rules.

All films that contain pornography (Obscenity, matching the Webster definition) will not be accepted. Any films with a racist or hateful theme shall not be eligible too. We'd hate for the content of our film festival to exclude anyone from our community because of sexual content or hateful messaging.

All films will be submitted in DCP (digital cinematic package). No physical film will be eligible. No films after April 12th.

We do not accept late submissions after our extended deadline. This deadline is designed for students who may otherwise be unable to submit.

Also include in submission:
Project title,
Creators names,
Logo or promotional art, if applicable,
Full credits,
A 100-500 word description,
and contact information.

Pinky's Film Festival does not require your film to premiere at our event; however, we do require that your film has not been shown at the Empire Twin before.

Acquisition of Copyrights, Trademarks, intellectual property, or any specific content is the responsibility of the entrant. We reserve the right to use any music, images, and content from your project for our advertising purposes. This is necessary in making sure your film gets the audience it deserves.

By submitting to Pinky's Film Festival, you attest that your film was made legitimately and ethically, following all local laws and regulations.

1 Review
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Dan Burns

    A great first-year festival! The festival director, Bridger Warner, did a fantastic job programming the film lineup, and we were honored to be part of the festival.

    May 2026
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