Wake Forest Film Festival

The Wake Forest Film Festival (WFFF) seeks filmmakers to share their vibrant, diverse, and original works with our audience. We are thrilled to invite filmmakers from our community and around the world to submit their exceptional works and become a part of our growing festival. The WFFF welcomes submissions of features, shorts, and all forms of film production including fiction, documentary, animation, experimental, and more. We look for interesting new voices and works that show passion and creativity. The goal of the WFFF is to bring together filmmakers, filmthusiasts, and people who enjoy a good story to our 2-day festival. We invite you to be a part of the 2027 Wake Forest Film Festival by submitting your film.

Awards & Prizes

Awards for:

*Best Narrative Feature Film - $100
*Best Narrative Short Film - $100
*Best Documentary - $100
*Best Student Film - $100

Rules & Terms

FILM SCREENING & SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

Dear Filmmaker:

The 2027 Wake Forest Film Festival is an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase films in a unique location to a discerning audience.

All submitted films should convey to the audience the best story possible.

Foreign films must have subtitles.

Requirements and restrictions:
• We accept narrative features, narrative shorts, documentary features, documentary shorts, and student films in all categories (High School & College).
• We do not pay a screening fee or travel expenses for filmmakers whose films have been selected for screening at the festival.
• We cannot consider or screen films that are available for sale on Youtube, Netflix, Amazon, or any other consumer site.

By submitting your film you agree to the following:
• That you have clearance of rights.
• That the authorized rights holder of the film grants to the Wake Forest Film Festival the right to screen this movie at the Wake Forest Film Festival during the agreed upon dates.
• That excerpts of the film can be broadcast on the festival website or any other publication of the Wake Forest Film Festival for promotional purposes.
• To the best of your resources, you will appropriately promote the screening on your end.

No additional grant of rights is implied or intended, and filmmaker retains all other rights to the film.

We strive to keep our entry costs as low as possible. Sorry, no waivers or discounts of entry fees are available for any reason.

Film Festival Contact: Isaac Duque
iduque@wakeforestnc.gov or (919) 435-9458

13 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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Networking
  • Brandon LaSan

    Great crowd, fantastic venue, excellent vibes - Wake Forest Film Festival is definitely one to submit to and (if possible) attend. Highly recommended and on the way up.

    March 2026
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  • Robert Gomes

    Thank you, Wake Forest Film Festival! The whole team there was terrific and very welcoming. We had a great screening, a fun Q&A, and we were awarded Best Narrative Short! Truly grateful.

    March 2026
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  • John Sexton

    Fantastic experience ! Great programing, filmmaker friendly, superb venue, Isaac and his team have mastered the film festival experience. 100 % recommend this festival to filmmakers, the general public and students. We will continue to support this festival the best we can ! THANK YOU Wake Forest Film Festival !

    March 2026
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  • Laura Paglin

    Wake Forest is a well organized little festival that has enormous potential for growth. Most notably they had a large, diverse and enthusiastic audience -- over 100 people -- for most of the films! I believe as they work to make the festival more attractive for out of town filmmakers to attend, they will see an upswing in entries, quality of submissions and filmmaker attendance.

    March 2026
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  • Lejaun Williams

    Thanks for having us at this year's festival! Loved every moment of it.

    April 2025
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