Thin Line Fest is the longest-running documentary film festival in Texas and includes a multi-genre, city-wide music festival and photography exhibition. Thin Line Fest returns to downtown Denton, the last cool city in Texas, with a restructured vision. In 2024, that new vision includes more opportunities to explore, discuss, and dissect how the mediums of music, film, and photography connect. Curated panels, pop-up visual art installations, mini-workshops, and performances by world-class musicians will complement the film program.

The film program will focus on those films that demonstrate the symbiotic relationship between imagery and sound in a documentary format and utilize musical scores and/or sound design as powerful storytelling tools. We encourage teams with all kinds of documentary film projects to submit their work for consideration at the festival.

Thin Line Fest explores the liminal spaces– the border spaces and the tension that exists between different places or feelings where harmony and friction, growth and stagnation, and imagery and sound co-exist. Thank you for your interest, we hope you will submit your work.

FilmFreeway is used only for Film/Video submissions. For photography submissions visit https://artcall.org

Awards & Prizes

Cash awards will be fulfilled at the festival (if present), or as soon as possible after the close of the festival. Any award that includes a certificate of credit will be mailed from the award sponsor. These are generally mailed within 2-3 weeks post-festival.

Award eligibility is subject to any restrictions or conditions imposed by applicable laws and regulations (international, federal, state, or otherwise), and the award recipient is responsible for all applicable taxes, customs, tariffs, insurance, and similar charges or costs (if any).

2024 Awards:

“Thin Line” Award - Feature Documentary (Best Overall Feature)

“Thin Line” Award - Short Documentary (Best Overall Short)

Best Sound Design in a Documentary - Feature

Best Sound Design in a Documentary- Short

Best Student Film - Documentary film made by a current student, of any age or level. Submissions in this category will not be considered for any other award.

Best “Sound on Screen” - A documentary film (feature-length or short) that treats sound, music, or musicians as the subject of the documentary.

Best Music Video - Short-form video piece that features a musical song as the central focus, for artistic purposes. A bridge between imagery and music.

Rules & Terms

Submission fees are in US Dollars and are non-refundable. Thin Line reserves the right to disqualify a submission, without a refund or credit, if eligibility requirements are not met or if eligibility status changes. Each entry must be accompanied by the appropriate fee. One submission is defined as one film for example. Submission fees may be paid by credit card only (Visa, MasterCard, Discover).

Entrant confirms and warrants required legal authority to submit the entry into the Festival and to use all music, images, and content in the entry. All entrants will be notified by email or phone of their submission status on or around March 15, 2024. Multiple entries are allowed.

We require digital submission materials. Submission materials will not be returned.
If you are selected you must execute a release agreement wherein you (i) accept responsibility for obtaining any clearances necessary to exhibit your film or music at Thin Line 2024; (ii) warrant that you have the rights necessary to exhibit your film or music at Thin Line 2024; and (iii) indemnify and hold harmless Thin Line Fest, its parent company, its affiliates, and subsidiaries and any of their respective directors, officers, employees, and representatives against any claim arising out of an exhibition of your film or music at Thin Line 2024. You must authorize Thin Line Fest to use your selected work for festival promotion purposes.

You must deliver to the festival (i) one exhibition copy of the invited film in requested formats for virtual/in-person venue screening and (ii) any marketing or press materials. All filmmakers are required to participate in live Q & A's following screenings of his/her film. Arrangements can be made for a recorded Q & A if the live Q & A is an impossibility.
Thin Line, at its sole discretion, may invite select films and musicians to participate in the festival.
36 Reviews
Overall Rating
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Value
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  • Audun Bjerknes

    I had a great time representing my documentary short "A World of Rhythm" at the Thin Line. I experienced great Texan hospitality in the intimate and artistic city of Denton. The music and photography parts of the Thin Line Fest expanded the festival focus to a very inspiring and rewarding cross-disciplinary event. Hope to be back soon!

    August 2024
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  • Festival Formula

    As a festival strategist you're looking for those festivals that know exactly what they want, and this is a great example. We were delighted that they screened our client PASTURE & STORM for their 2024 edition.

    May 2024
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  • Elana Frankel

    What a wonderful opportunity to screen at the Thin Line Festival. Well curated and great contacts. Excellent communication throughout the process and I was VERY well taken care of.

    May 2024
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  • Rebekah Louisa Smith

    This is event is superb and one of the best festivals for docs in the state of Texas. The programming is immaculate and is run by a brilliant team of people. Thank you for awarding BLYTH your Best Music Video award.

    May 2024
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  • Blacksmith Rose

    Festive event! Great communication. We enjoyed the films and also the film making lectures.
    Thin Line Fest was our first ever film festival, and we're grateful that the director Claire DeJarnett was kind enough to guide us through the application process and help us as we navigated this wonderful. new experience. Thanks to her patience, we learned the ropes, we're comfortable with Film Freeway, and we have the confidence to enter other festivals, several of which we've attended and enjoyed. Thanks, Claire, for making our first festival experience a positive one!

    May 2023
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