Chesapeake Film Festival

It is the mission of the Chesapeake film Festival to enrich, entertain, educate and inspire by bringing the finest in environmental, narrative, documentary and short films to the Chesapeake Bay community and to the world. The Chesapeake Film Festival will continue to shed light on topics that impact the Maryland Eastern Shore and the vast watershed and home we call the Chesapeake Bay.

Entering its 14th year, the Chesapeake Film Festival plans a two-day socially distanced LIVE event at our flagship venues, followed by a seven-day Virtual Festival and Speaker Series. The combined events will span from Friday, October 1 and Saturday, October 2 for the LIVE events, and from Sunday, October 3 through Sunday, October 10, for our Virtual events. Our LIVE event venues will include the historic Avalon Theatre and the new outdoor Stolz Pavillion in downtown Easton.

Our commitment to collaboration, unity, diversity, collective synergy and the celebration of arts and artists will be our emphasis this year, as we endeavor to present the best cinematic works and speaker events by artists not only local, but from around the world. Our programming will pair emerging artists and more established artists with a commitment to diversity in the subjects of films and among the filmmakers. We continue to believe that great films can affect positive change, and through this medium, individuals and the larger community can gain a much greater understanding of themselves.

Last year’s awarded films included a beautiful array of wide-ranging topics including “You Don’t Know Nothin’ Bout Groove City” for Best Documentary Feature by the emerging new director Cesar Gonzalez, about the evolution of music from jazz to soul to hip-hop and cultural expropriation, in the neighboring town of Cambridge. Awarded Best Dramatic Feature was a film by emerging director Harold Jackson, III, “Unarmed Man,” a narrative film about civil unrest that erupted after a police officer shot and killed an unarmed black man during a routine traffic stop. This film won the HBO Best Feature Award and was later screened at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival. Awards were further granted to 15 filmmakers in the categories of Best Environmental Feature, Best Comedy, Best Emerging Filmmaker and Jury’s Prize among many other categories. CFF is honored that filmmakers Gonzalez and Jackson have joined the CFF board.

Submitted films will be rated in the following categories: originality, creativity, direction, writing, cinematography, performances, production value, pacing, structure and sound/music. Whether you are a filmmaker or an avid film enthusiast, we welcome you to engage and experience the festival, as we welcome an exciting new year for the Chesapeake Film Festival 2021. To register for further information about ongoing events for the CFF visit www.chesapeakefilmfestival.com.