RULES AND TERMS
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is open to experimental films as well as films that demonstrate a high regard for the moving image as an experimental art form, no matter the genre. Each year the AAFF selects 100-145 shorts and features for exhibition in the awards competition portion of the festival.
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Films previously submitted may not be re-entered unless there has been a significant change to the edit. Later versions of a film may be reviewed and/or selected at the programmer's discretion.
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Short and feature-length entries are accepted.
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Short films run no longer than 60 minutes. Feature films run 60 minutes or more.
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Entries not in English should have English subtitles.
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Works in progress may be submitted, but are juried in the same pool as all other submissions.
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Work must be contemporary - completed within the last three years.
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Entry fees are per film entered, and must accompany the entry form for confirmation. Entry fees are non-refundable.
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Make checks and money orders payable to the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
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The Ann Arbor Film Festival does not give waivers or discounts.
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Entries are accepted via secure online screening and 16mm only. We do not accept DVD, VHS or video data files for screening purposes.
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16MM
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If you would like the festival to preview a 16mm print of your film, please contact the festival directly at submissions@aafilmfest.org to make arrangements.
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SUPPORT
EXPERIMENTAL
FILM
The mission of the Ann Arbor Film Festival is to promote bold, visionary filmmakers through the advancement of moving image art, and to engage communities with remarkable cinematic experiences.
Become a part of our legendary, grassroots community with a global reach that has been bending minds since 1963! AAFF donors and members are at the center of our thriving celebration of new voices telling stories beyond the mainstream. Our tradition of viewing the world in everchanging ways would not be possible without you!
Each year we receive nearly three thousand films from almost a hundred countries, and we are excited about the visionary doorways that the festival opens every spring. Your participation as a donor, member, or sponsor will ensure that we continue our mission of being a platform for filmmakers to share the very best film art with all of us in the AAFF community.
Our donors provide the majority of our unrestricted income, and there are many ways to support the festival. Your contribution, large or small, allows us to champion significant moving image art!
One particularly powerful way of extending your support of AAFF is to become a part of our Manupelli Giving Circle. You can join the Circle by pledging support of $500 per year for 5 years. Make your first gift today!
As for supporting as a business or other entity, find out more about our sponsorship opportunities and possibilities for in-kind food and beverage donations.
We encourage you to become a member of AAFF, which includes year-round benefits and access to the Festival, plus a percentage of your membership is a tax-deductible donation. Please see our membership page, which has options for everyone from students new to experimental film to film-loving couples who eagerly await what the next festival has in store for them.
For additional assistance with donations, memberships, and sponsorships, contact kailey@aafilmfest.org
For major gifts, stock donations, legacy giving, and the Manupelli Giving Circle, contact leslie@aafilmfest.org
View our nonprofit profile on Guidestar
"In an age when the bottom line seems to be eroding some of the soul of cinema, the Ann Arbor Film Festival is unique, and truly radical, in its celebration of film as an art form. The AAFF is a cultural treasure."
Sam Green, director of
Academy Award®-nominated
The Weather Underground
or send your check to:
Ann Arbor Film Festival
PO Box 8232
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
Bending Minds
since 1963
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the oldest avant-garde and experimental film festival in North America, founded by George Manupelli in 1963. Internationally recognized as a premiere forum for independent filmmakers and artists, each year's festival engages audiences with remarkable cinematic experiences.
Global Community
of Filmmakers
Each year, the AAFF receives more than 3,000 submissions annually from more than 65 countries and serves as one of a handful of Academy Award®-qualifying festivals in the United States. Thousands of influential filmmakers and artists have exhibited early work at the AAFF, including Kenneth Anger, Agnes Varda, Andy Warhol, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, and more.
Year-round programming
The AAFF is a pioneer of the traveling film festival tour and each year presents short film programs at more than 35 cinematheques, universities, museums and artist-run centers in the U.S., Canada and Europe. For the first time ever we held two Drive-In nights and have made the Tour and AAFF PRESENTS available to watch online.
“For me, it’s an oasis of bizarre creativity, profound insight, and luscious imagery in a dreary winter-trodden landscape. It feels like a big city event, and the fact that it’s timed with our emergence from the date bitter days of winter makes the experience that much sweeter.”
Nic Sims
BEQUEST INTENTIONS
If you would like to add AAFF to your estate plan, simply add this language to your will:
I give, devise, and bequeath to the Ann Arbor Film Festival
(a) the sum of $ ___________ or (b) ______ percent of my estate
to be used for the benefit of the festival as determined by
the executive director and the Board of Directors.
To let us know your intentions, or for questions and more information, please email leslie@aafilmfest.org. Thank you!
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization powered by a generous community of supporters. As the longest running independent and experimental film festival in North America, the AAFF serves as a critical forum for connecting filmmakers with audiences through the art form of film.