Butte Film Festival: The Premier Student Film Festival for Northern California

We are thrilled to announce the return of the Butte Film Festival for its second year! From December 6th through 8th, 2024, the historic Oroville State Theatre in Oroville, CA, will host this exciting event, aiming to be the premier student film festival for all of Northern California.

Last year, the Butte Film Festival began as a student short film festival exclusively for Butte County. The event received overwhelming support from both students and the local community, selling out the El Rey Theatre with an impressive showcase of local talent. Building on this success, we are expanding our reach this year to include student filmmakers from all of Northern California.

The Butte Film Festival is dedicated to celebrating the creativity and passion of student filmmakers. We provide a platform for young artists to share their unique voices and stories with a wider audience. Join us for a weekend of inspiring films, engaging discussions, and networking opportunities with fellow filmmakers and industry professionals.

Submit your short films and be part of a growing tradition that honors the next generation of filmmakers. We look forward to seeing you in Oroville this December!

Event Dates: December 6th - 8th, 2024
Location: Oroville State Theatre, Oroville, CA

The Butte Film Festival is proud to recognize and celebrate the exceptional talent of student filmmakers with a variety of prestigious awards and prizes. This year, we will be awarding trophies and cash prizes across multiple categories, honoring the best in student filmmaking from Northern California.

Best of Category: Trophies for the top film in each category
Top 5 Best Films: Trophies for the five best films across all categories
Best Director: Trophy for outstanding direction
Best Writer: Trophy for exceptional writing
Best Actor: Trophy for the best leading actor
Best Supporting Actor: Trophy for the best supporting actor

Cash Prizes:
In addition to trophies, we will be awarding varying levels of cash prizes. The exact amounts will be announced soon, so stay tuned for more details!

To ensure a fair and exciting competition, all participants in the Butte Film Festival must adhere to the following rules and terms:

Eligibility:
- Entries must be made by students or student-level filmmakers.

Film Length:
- Submissions must be no shorter than 3 minutes and no longer than 20 minutes in length, including credits.

Submission Guidelines:
- All films must be submitted through FilmFreeway.
- Each filmmaker can submit multiple entries, but each film must be submitted separately.
- Entries must be original works created by the submitting filmmaker(s).

Format:
- Films must be submitted in a digital format compatible with standard screening equipment.
- High-definition quality is preferred for optimal viewing experience.

Content:
- Films must not contain any content that is obscene, defamatory, or otherwise offensive.
- Submissions must be suitable for a general audience.

Rights and Permissions:
- Filmmakers must have the necessary rights and permissions for all content, including music and other media used in the film.
- By submitting a film, filmmakers grant the Butte Film Festival the right to screen their film at the festival and use clips or stills for promotional purposes.

Entry Fees:
- Entry fees are non-refundable.

Judging:
- All entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges composed of industry professionals.
- Decisions made by the judges are final and binding.
- By submitting your film to the Butte Film Festival, you agree to abide by these rules and terms. We look forward to showcasing your creativity and talent at our festival!

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Lewi Thute

    It was an amazing experience attending the Butte Film Festival. Everyone involved did an amazing job, and being part of their screening and ceremonies was an honour.

    December 2024
  • Shivlink Torres

    Overall a great experience at this festival. There was a wide array of genres along with great acts. The Oroville State theatre was a great choice and I enjoyed the screenings. I would recommend that you should take on a video camera and start a project for you could then enter your film into this festival. This was a grand time and I hope there is one next year. Butte Film Fest was amazing!

    December 2024
  • Jean-Pierre Pitre

    I had a wonderful experience attending the Butte Film Festival. The energy each day during the screenings was truly electric! I was able to meet so many fellow creatives as well as learn much about the industry as a whole through the various workshops hosted during the festival. I am so grateful to Butte for setting up such a festival, truly an unforgettable experience!

    December 2024
  • Bean Emerald

    Amazing festival! They have outdone themselves both years that we have attended!

    December 2024
  • Arwen Creswell

    BUFF is the first film festival I have attended in person and it has been a lovely experience, everyone is encouraging and engaging and I've met quite a few fellow students filmmakers. There were a couple networking events as well as short interviews and q&a sessions with makers.

    December 2024