Bisbee, a former mining town nestled high atop the Mule Mountains of Cochise County, Arizona, overlooking the US/Mexico border, was revitalized by hippies and artists when the mines closed in the 1970s, but hasn’t had a movie theater in some time. Now, the Bisbee Royale, built as a church in 1917, just five years after Arizona became a state, is bringing movie-going back to Bisbee, starting with the Royale Film Festival, which launched in 2024.

The Royale is looking for fresh, independent films to project onto our 18-foot screen at Club Royale every weekend in May. Shorts and features, documentaries and narratives, live action and animated, from in-state or around the world. Even music videos! We can’t wait to show Bisbee what you’ve got!

UPDATE: Due to overwhelming response from filmmakers, we have decided to move the festival from April to May so that we can fit in more of the wonderful films that have been submitted.

Awards & Prizes

All selected films will be designated an OFFICIAL SELECTION of the Royale Film Festival.

Rules & Terms

Submissions must be original and must have festival clearance for all music or other non-original IP contained in the submitted program. Films may have been previously shown at other festivals. Films not in the English language must include English subtitles (does not apply to music videos). Physical submissions (DVDs, Blu-rays) will not be returned. We are fairly laid-back hippie-type people and can be flexible with any of these rules if the mood strikes us. There are no submission fees and the festival is free and open to the public.