Welcome to the 9th Annual Jerome Indie Film & Music Festival. Our fest takes place in America's largest ghost town which was once coined as one of the Wickedest Towns in the West. We were chosen by Moviemaker Magazine in 2017 as one of the 25 coolest film festivals in the world. https://www.moviemaker.com/archives/festivals/the-coolest-film-festivals-in-the-world-2017/

We are known for the unique cinematic adventure that we offer but more importantly than that, we are a festival that wholeheartedly supports freedom of speech and storytelling. We do not shy away from controversial topics.

We are edgy, unexpected and are always looking for ways to surprise our guests! Each year we seek high and low throughout Jerome to screen independent films in the most unexpected places. We have screened films on a train, at a haunted gold mine, inside wineries, at surprise hilltop residences, in the basement hallway of a spooky hundred year-old high school, and inside rustic buildings throughout Jerome. With the exception of screening films in the historic Liberty Theatre, we magically create each and every theater from the ground up.

We are Arizona’s most ambitious and impassioned festival and have many new thrills up our sleeve for our 9th installment this year, which include the Wicked Wild Cinema Train where we screen independent films on an inside car and a band on the outside car during a 4 hour trek through the Verde canyons, over rivers and through mountains. We will be holding several special events this year which includes Java with the Filmmakers each morning, The Prohibition Eve Party, a 1920s costumed event with a craft beer and wine tasting, live entertainment and a silent auction and the Jerome Craft Beer Experience with a boho flower & art market. The founders are filmmakers and they thrive to create a festival that celebrates the filmmakers.

We can’t wait to meet you all on the hill. Guests who arrive immediately become family members and return each year.

Join us for year 9 -September 7th-10th, 2023!

We pride ourselves on presenting the winning filmmakers with one of a kind designer trophies created by local artisans that will be forever treasured for their beauty and uniqueness.

Screening submissions must be on DVD, region 1 or 0 in NTSC format.

Please do not send any promotional materials with your submission. We’ll let you know what we need when your film is accepted.

Please be sure to enter under the correct category. Less than 50 minutes will be considered a short, more than 50 minutes will be considered a feature. If you are not sure which category to submit to, please contact us.

Films may have distribution. There are no restrictions on premiere status.
The festival does not accept works in progress.
The exhibition formats for the festival are DVD, HDCam, and Blu Ray.

All entered films grant the Festival a non exclusive limited use agreement to use film promotional materials to promote the festival and selected films to the industry and general public. Filmmakers fully retain all rights, title and interest in their films and all intellectual Property.

Please complete a release form that can be found on the website and send it to:

Jerome 89A Indie Film Festival
2652 East Oakleaf Drive
Tempe, Arizona 85281

We wholeheartedly thank you for your interest in the Jerome 89A Indie Film Festival.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Denver Williams

    I can’t begin to say how cool of an experience this was. I saw some great films, and met so many wonderful people. Jerome is a magical place, and this festival is nothing short of magical! The hospitality was amazing.

    November 2023
  • Shadow C. LaValley

    What an absolute cool experience!! Such a unique and awesome town to have a film festival at!! Great people and an overall great experience!!

    November 2023
  • I had such a great time in Jerome this year! I'd attended the festival before but this time everything felt like it really came together: the festival, the businesses, the films, the town. I had three short films play in the festival this year and I was happy to see two of them played in the historic Liberty Theater, first opened in 1918 (definitely the oldest venue I've seen a film!).
    I look forward to submitting or just attending the next festival!

    September 2023
  • Diana Martinez

    This is a very casual festival. It could improve on organizing their event. However, they charge too much for what you get. I won't be going back.

    September 2023
  • Mitesh Patel

    Excellent festival! Jason and Toni did an amazing job organizing this event. The festival team worked really hard to provide a great experience.

    September 2023