Welcome to the Tides & Tales Film Festival, a film showcase celebrating the stories, environments, communities, and cultures of Coastal Georgia and the greater South Atlantic coastal region. The festival is hosted annually in Darien, with additional community screening events held later in the year in St. Simon's Island, Sapelo Island, and Tybee Island. We have had sold out events every year, at every location.

The Tides & Tales Film Festival celebrates the stories that emerge from coastlines, estuaries, working waterfronts, marshes, and maritime communities. Through film, dialogue, and shared experiences, the festival seeks to inspire appreciation, stewardship, and connection to coastal places and cultures.

We invite independent filmmakers to submit short films that explore themes of coastal life, environmental stewardship, conservation, heritage, resilience, storytelling, and human connection to coastal landscapes and waters.

Awards & Prizes

People's Choice

Rules & Terms

Submitted films must meet the following requirements:

Films MUST align with at least one of the following themes or will be disqualified:
Coastal environments and ecosystems
Environmental stewardship or conservation
Coastal communities and culture
Maritime heritage or traditions
Human connection to coastal landscapes and waterways
Climate resilience, restoration, or sustainability

Films must be 45 minutes or less in total runtime, including credits.

All genres are welcome, including:
Documentary
Narrative
Experimental
Animation
Student films
Indigenous/community storytelling

Films may originate from any geographic region, but preference will be given to works connected to local Georgia themes or communities. Films MUST be primarily in English.

Films must be submitted by the rights holder or an authorized representative of the film.

Screening & Exhibition Terms:

By submitting a film to the Tides & Tales Film Festival, the submitter agrees to the following terms.

Screening Rights
The filmmaker grants the Tides & Tales Film Festival non-exclusive permission to screen the submitted film if selected for the festival program.

Selected films may be screened:
During the official Tides & Tales Film Festival in Darien, Georgia
At official follow-up/community screening events hosted by the festival in Brunswick, Georgia and Tybee Island, Georgia later in the same calendar year

Limited Usage
Films will only be used for official festival screenings and related promotional purposes associated with the event. The festival will not distribute, sell, upload, or otherwise publicly share full films outside of these screenings without additional written permission from the filmmaker.

Promotional Use
The festival may use submitted stills, trailers, excerpts under 2 minutes, film titles, and synopsis materials for promotional and marketing purposes related to the festival and screening events.

Copyright Responsibility
The filmmaker confirms they hold all necessary rights, licenses, permissions, and clearances for music, footage, performances, and other copyrighted materials included in the film.

Selection Process
Submission does not guarantee acceptance. Festival programmers reserve the right to determine final selections and screening schedules.

Notification
Selected filmmakers will be notified via email prior to public announcement of the festival lineup.

Panel Discussion Invitation
Selected filmmakers may be invited to participate in a filmmaker panel discussion, Q&A session, or community conversation during the festival. Participation is encouraged but not required.

For questions regarding submissions, accessibility, or partnerships, please contact: Brittany Dodge (brittany.dodge@dnr.ga.gov)