The Rolling Hills Film Festival is founded on excellent storytelling that aims to showcase short films that tell redemptive stories rooted in hope that will build community and spark meaningful conversations.

We are dedicated to strengthening the art and discipline of filmmaking by encouraging, highlighting, and honoring short films and their creators through thoughtfully crafted redemptive storytelling.

Redemptive storytelling should portray an honest encounter with brokenness, whether personal, relational, or societal—while ultimately revealing transformation, restoration, or renewed hope.

Selected works should meaningfully engage themes where redemption is required. Such as struggle, sacrifice, forgiveness, perseverance, moral awakening, or even restorative humor, demonstrating that darkness is not the final word.

Redemption may unfold through drama or comedy; in comedic works, laughter can serve as a vehicle for truth, healing, humility, and renewed perspective. Works should illuminate truth and healing rather than diminish the weight of the struggle.

Whether poignant or lighthearted, the transformation must feel authentic, earned, and emotionally truthful, pointing audiences toward growth, reconciliation, or the possibility of grace.

Awards & Prizes

Each winning film receives an official framed certificate, laurels, cash prize, prominent website showcase, and dedicated social media announcement.

Award categories include:

Best Richland Short Film, (A work created by a producer or director who currently resides in Richland County Wisconsin.)

Best Regional Short Film (A work created by a producer or director who currently resides in the following Southwestern Wisconsin counties: Crawford, Grant, Iowa, Sauk and Vernon)

Best Rest-of-the-World Short Film (Anywhere outside of Wisconsin counties mentioned above)

All award winners are selected by audience vote. Audience votes are tallied by the festival jury. Jury decisions are final.

Rules & Terms

Qualifications
The Rolling Hills Film Festival welcomes short films of all genres and can be live-action, documentary, or animation. Film must have redemptive qualities. (Redemptive qualities serve to rehabilitate the overall perception of a person or situation, highlighting that no one is entirely defined by their flaws). Submissions must have a total run-time between 2 and 15 minutes which includes all credits. The production year does not matter and there is no premiere requirement. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. Underage filmmakers must have their film submitted by a parent or guardian over the age of 18.

Submission
All films must be submitted through FilmFreeway - there are no exceptions. Links to films or other external submissions will not be accepted. All content submitted must have legal copyright permissions. Non-English language films must be subtitled in English. Submission does not guarantee screening.

Format
Films must be submitted in either DCP or high resolution MP4 (all MP4 files will be converted to DCP). Audio for all films must be stereo format.

Submission Fees
The appropriate submission fee must accompany each entry. We DO NOT offer waivers or filmmaker passes/discounts. All submission fees must be in U.S. funds. Films submitted without the correct payment will be disqualified.

Selection
The festival reserves the right to reject submissions which it considers inappropriate. Appropriateness is at the sole discretion of the Selection Committee (i.e., obscene, defamatory, nudity, excessive violence, or excessive vulgarity). Please only submit content that you, the filmmaker, would consider PG-13 and under.

Withdrawals
Withdrawal must occur BEFORE the notification date. Once a film is selected for screening and its selection is announced publicly, it CANNOT be withdrawn from the festival. Consider this carefully before submitting. NOTE: Submission fee is non-refundable.

Submitter is responsible to visit the Rolling Hills Film Festival website for complete Rules and Terms. https://rollinghillsfilmfestival.com/#rules