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!