Submit your film to the Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF), recognized 2x as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” and 2x for “Film Festivals Worth the Entre Fee” by MovieMaker. At AIFF, we're known for our warm hospitality and the exceptional quality of our programming, a festival beloved by both filmmakers and audiences alike. Our 22nd Annual Festival will be held from October 3-6, 2024, at Coming Attractions' Varsity Theatre and other Southern Oregon venues.

ABOUT AIFF:
Since our humble beginnings in October of 2001, AIFF has grown into an international destination, drawing filmmakers and audiences from around the globe.
The Festival presents a wide range of media, including narrative programming, shorts, documentaries, scripted tv, short form digital storytelling and commercial advertising. AIFF returns this year with a vengeance, with plans for art installations, live music, food, wine, and screenings at multiple locations throughout the Valley, centered around our home theatre, the historic Varsity Theatre.

This year our programming will be oriented around three pillars:

The Lost Year—COVID hit Film Festivals and Filmmakers hard. Without the audience that festivals provide; many pandemic films went unseen – a huge loss for filmmakers and film goers alike. At AIFF, we’d like to rectify that. If your film didn’t get the chance to show during COVID, we’re open for submissions for films that would’ve been eligible from 2020 onwards.

Culturally Aligned– People are drawn to Ashland for the arts, the outdoors, education, food, wine, weed and a legacy of storytelling. The Festival this year will celebrate this heritage. If you are telling world class stories about any of these subjects via film or television, come to AIFF and share your story.

Hope-Forward— One has only to read the news to feel a sense of hopelessness or fear. Film has the power to bare witness to what’s going wrong in the world, but we believe film also has the power to help us imagine a brighter and better future. AIFF is programming with an eye toward the brighter and better. That doesn’t mean we’re shying away from tough topics. It means we’re looking for hope-forward films, films that are solutions-oriented, films that inspire us, films that bridge divides or geographies and celebrate the enduring power of the human spirit.

The Festival will take place from October 3-6 in Ashland, Oregon and the surrounding area. This year will have in-person screenings, virtual viewing opportunities, discussion panels, community outreach/talk backs, art installations, and live entertainment.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT AIFF:

"I have received many honors; none of them have touched me as deeply and soulfully..." --Albert Maysles, AIFF Lifetime Achievement Award recipient
"Thank you!!! This experience has been incredible. We have felt connected and valued throughout this quarantine because of the hard work of everyone at Ashland film festival. We will cherish this memory for many many years!"
Hisonni Johnson, "Take Out Girl" AIFF 2020

“The Ashland Independent Film Festival is one of those festivals that works like a great chorus: all the elements - the town, the landscape, the venues, the programmers, the audiences, the other filmmakers - all work together and resonate in a wonderful and powerful way. Our first time at the festival we hope will not be our last…" - Alex Rivera, "The Infiltrators" AIFF2019

AIFF'S MISSION: "Celebrating the power of storytelling through the art of independent film and other visual media, thereby enriching, engaging, educating and inspiring all audiences"

Potential 2024 AIFF Awards (TBA)

This is a work in progress! Come back and check us out throughout the year for more details—lots of cool things in the works!

ENTERING YOUR FILM or TELEVISION PILOT

A working link to an online version of your film on FilmFreeway and/or Vimeo—and any necessary passwords to view the film—MUST be uploaded at the time of submission, along with your entry fee. Please note: This link must remain active and working through October, 2024. Please verify ahead of time that your password is current. If any changes are made to the access of your film's link, please contact AIFF at entries@ashlandfilm.org with the updated information immediately, or your film may be disqualified from consideration.

--Each entry must be accompanied by its own entry form and fee.

--We encourage all submissions, especially foreign films, to be accompanied by subtitle/Closed Captioning [CC] files.

--All submissions are notified by email upon verification of SOS upload or once credentials for Vimeo Screener are received.

--Notification will take place in late July or by mid-August (updated here asap); all entries, accepted or not, will be emailed.

ENTRY FEE SPECIFICS
--Student: $10 discount off all fees.*

--AIFF Alumni: Alumni only refers to directors and/or producers and their directorial or production projects. Those who have directed/produced films in past AIFF editions may submit their new directorial or produced projects without a submission fee. AIFF does not provide Alumni discounts to those who have participated in the creation of past projects in any other capacity. Your entry fee will be waived by contacting entries@ashlandfilm.org with your previous film title, credential on the project, and year.

--Siskiyou Region Filmmakers (Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson, Josephine or Klamath counties in OR, or Del Norte or Siskiyou counties in CA): Entry fee is waived when you submit a Local Fee Waiver Form. *Contact entries@ashlandfilm.org if Waiver form isn’t working! Deadline for LOCALS ONLY submissions:

--Other: No other discounts will be granted.

* To receive a Student discount on FilmFreeway, filmmaker/film must be registered as a Student Project. Students must be, or have been, enrolled in an accredited school (K-12, undergrad, graduate) at the time of production. You do not need to be a student currently to submit your film.

IF YOUR FILM or PILOT IS SELECTED:
--Films/Projects will be screened in our Ashland theaters (as public health conditions allow) and/or Virtually on our Eventive Festival channel.

--Feature filmmakers will receive a cash amount per online view. (TBD - policy may change.)

--Short and feature filmmakers, et al, invited into our Jury Award competition section (open only to filmmakers from the Americas) will be up for our Jury Awards with prizes. All selections, however, will be eligible for our Audience Awards. Award-winning short films may also participate in future AIFF virtual or small group screenings. (?)

--Films will be placed in competitive and non-competitive categories at the sole discretion of the AIFF Programming Team.

--Films made outside of the Americas are not eligible for competition. See Entry FAQs on our website for more info.

--Exhibition Formats: MP4 H.264 (DCP if screening theatrically)
--You are responsible for shipping the exhibition copy of your film to the Festival.

Thank you for submitting your work of art to the Ashland Independent Film Festival. By entering your film or pilot you are agreeing to the following Terms and Conditions:

With the submission of this film (or pilot) I agree to the following:
--I am authorized to submit this film/project to the AIFF for consideration.
--I have obtained all necessary rights and clearances.
--I agree to participate in virtual screenings geo-restricted (if requested) to the state of Oregon and physical screenings if public health conditions allow.
--While every precaution will be taken to safeguard all materials submitted, I release the AIFF from all responsibility for loss of or damage to submitted materials en route or otherwise.
--I have read, understand and agree to all the requirements as stated in the above "General Festival Rules."

If you have questions please email (entries@ashlandfilm.org), call (541.488.3823) or go to our website (ashlandfilm.org). Thank you for creating art and for submitting to the Ashland Independent Film Festival.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Incredible organization, communication and attention.

    April 2022
  • Dylan Boom

    Been wanting to play at Ashland for quite some time, so excited to do so with our short Elevate. Even though the festival was online only which was sad, the team did everything they could to keep it interactive. Will definitely be submitting again, thank you guys!

    April 2022
  • Pejman Alipour

    ashland is a great and good festival to select my film where the winds die...thank you for everythings

    April 2022
  • Broken Yolk Productions

    Ashland FF truly supports fiercely independent film!! We were so happy to bring Small Time to the festival last year, and even more thrilled to win their best narrative feature award! Sadly it was all online, but the festival did a great job of making it social, providing networking opportunities, and was all around excellent at communication. The team was a total pleasure, and I hope to experience this great festival in person in the future.

    November 2021
  • Ashland Independent Film Festival was such a wonderful event for our film ANCHOR POINT to screen at virtually this year. From the Opening Celebration show on Zoom to the closing event they really did a wonderful job of making it more like being in person. We are sad that we couldn't be in Ashland at the lovely venues and meet everyone in person, because after what they did online we know it would have been such a wonderful live experience. We hope to have more opportunities to show our work at AIFF!

    May 2021