The Youngstown Film Festival is back for our 2nd annual event organized by Adam Michael, an award-winning filmmaker based in Youngstown, OH. This year we will have a two day celebration of film!

We are looking to bring cinema from all over the world to the passionate arts community in Youngstown! Through our partnership with the Tyler History Center in downtown Youngstown, we will be able to show & celebrate award-winning films with the entire community!

Our mission is to provide a platform to filmmakers who think creatively, differently and outside the box in the form of shorts and features to help make their vision come to life! We will also award a special prize to a Youngstown area filmmaker to help support our local community.

*Selection into the festival does NOT guarantee your film will be shown live at the festival. Films selected to be shown at the festival will come from the judges and chosen from the official selection list. If your film is selected to be shown, you will be notified.

Awards & Prizes

Winners In Each Category will receive...
-Award
-Social Media Recognition
-Ability to do a live Q&A if present at festival

The winners of each category will be carefully selected by our panel of judges. The films screened at the event will be selected from the official selection list and promoted on our social media platforms and website.

The top films chosen will receive awards at the film festival in a wide range of categories. Both the nominees and the winners will get our official laurels and will be featured on our social media.

· Best Micro-Budget Film - Any Length & Any Genre, Under $1,000 in total production cost.

· Best Short Film Narrative - 45 Mins or Less, Any Genre

· Best Feature Film Narrative - 45 Mins or More, Any Genre

· Best First Time Filmmaker - Any Length & Any Genre. US & International Films qualify. Must be first production.

· Best International Film - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best Documentary - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best LGBTQ+ Film - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best Animated Film - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best Director - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best Actor - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best Actress - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best Cinematography - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best Screenplay - Any Length & Any Genre

· Best Movie/Television Trailer

· Best Youngstown, OH Area Film - Any Length & Any Genre (Free)

*Categories with no submissions meeting the requirements will have no awards.

Rules & Terms

-All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles.
-All films must have been made during or after 2019.
-All films selected for screening will be delivered to the Youngstown Film Festival in MP4 format at least a week in advance of the festival so they can be tested.
-Filmmakers submitting must have copyrights or own the rights to the films they are submitting.
-Submission gives us the right to screen your film in front of a live audience and/or promote the film on social media.
-Nominated films will be screened by judges.
-Officially Selected films will be in the running for top awards and possibly screened live.
-No restrictions on premiere status.
-Must include a screener to be officially judged.
-Any technical issues with films submitted is the sole responsibility of the submitting filmmaker.
-No refunds.
-We reserve the right to change/update the terms and conditions of the rules at our discretion with notification being provided to those who entered.
14 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Danielle Braund

    Thank you so much for including our film in this festival! It was fantastic from start to finish: excellent communication, friendly people and beautiful films.

    October 2023
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  • Lauren Keller

    Thank you for selecting our film, "A Little Glass of Rum!"

    October 2023
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  • Craig Fisher

    Great festival! I know it’s only going to get bigger in the future - and this year being right in the heart of Youngstown which is building itself up - it’s an honor to have been a part of its first two years!

    October 2023
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  • zhibo zhang

    Thank you very much for giving me this honor. Wishing you all the best！

    October 2023
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  • Luke Rex

    This is a new festival on the circuit from Ohio. We were unable to attend but kept a close eye on nominations and results. We were honored to pick up Award for Beat Trailer (great award, not often recognized) and Best Cinematography. The festival team were efficient and communicated well. I recommend this festival!

    October 2023
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