Celebrating Movement, Vision, and Artistic Risk: AAFF Launches New Dance Film Award and Deepens Support for Experimental Filmmakers

Film Still from Battle of Fishes by Crysanthi Badeka

The Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) has always been a home for cinematic trailblazers—a place where artists working outside the margins of mainstream film can find community, recognition, and inspiration. As the festival prepares for its 64th season, that legacy is expanding in powerful new ways.

This year, AAFF proudly introduces the Best in Dance Film Award, a juried prize honoring work at the intersection of choreography and cinema. This award will recognize filmmakers who break new ground in screendance, celebrating the expressive potential of movement on screen.

“As the Ann Arbor Film Festival prepares for its remarkable 64th year, I’m proud to launch a new and ongoing Best in Dance Film Award,” said Joanna McNamara, former Director of Screen Dance International. “This award will celebrate and support dance filmmakers who are redefining the intersection of movement and cinematography, pushing these art forms into bold new territory. Dance films expand the way we experience and connect to the medium of dance, making it accessible to new audiences while capturing the artistry of human movement in ways only cinema can achieve.”

This award isn’t just about dance—it’s about legacy. It traces a lineage from Maya Deren’s A Study in Choreography for Camera to today’s most daring screen artists. Deren, one of experimental film’s foundational figures, reimagined the relationship between camera and body, space and rhythm. The introduction of the Best in Dance Film Award continues this legacy, celebrating artists who are expanding these traditions for a new generation.

And the news doesn’t stop there.

With the launch of its Call for Entries on July 1, 2025, AAFF also announced expanded financial support for experimental filmmakers, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of its community of donors. Several key awards have grown significantly in value, reflecting AAFF’s deepening investment in artists who often work without the safety net of commercial funding.

Among the highlights:

• The Ken Burns Award for Best of Festival doubled from $3,000 to $6,000, thanks to the continued support of Ken Burns, whose own creative roots trace back to his youth in Ann Arbor and early encounters with the festival.

• The Tom Berman Award for Most Promising Filmmaker jumped from $1,000 to $5,000, and the newly expanded The Best Documentary Film Award did the same, both made possible through the ongoing support of Rick Berman.

• The festival also unveiled the Richard Myers Award for Best Non-Narrative Film, offering $2,000 to a filmmaker who challenges traditional storytelling forms. This award honors the visionary spirit of Richard Myers and is partially endowed by Chris and Diane Shambaugh—Chris himself a former AAFF awardee.

For many artists, these awards are more than just a boost—they’re a lifeline.

“Working in this obscure space between art and cinema, it is increasingly challenging to find financial support to give experimental works the life they deserve,” said Maryam Tafakory, winner of the 63rd AAFF Ken Burns Best of Festival Award. “This recognition of my work means a lot, especially in moments when I’m filled with doubt about how to sustain this practice that fills my heart but hardly pays the bills.”

Adebukola Bodunrin, who received the No. 1 African Film Award, spoke to AAFF’s role as a beacon:  “AAFF has always been a dream for so many of us making work on the fringe. It’s one of the few places that truly champions bold, experimental voices.”

That spirit of community and creativity shines throughout the festival—not just on the screen, but in the conversations, the shared discoveries, and the lasting connections.

“No other festival I attended was full of so many engaged fans of film,” said Luke Mistruzzi, who won a Juror Award for Uncle Bardo. “The guests genuinely loved cinema for all it can be. I left wanting to make more films!”

In a time of shrinking arts funding, AAFF’s mission is more urgent than ever. “Everywhere I turn these days, funding opportunities for artists are disappearing,” noted Auden Lincoln-Vogel, recipient of the Peter Wilde Award for Most Technically Innovative Film. “Independent institutions like AAFF are ever-more important bastions of free artistic exploration.”

Filmmaker Daniel Murphy, winner of the Gil Omenn Art & Science Award, summed it up: “It’s truly a privilege to have my work recognized by such a prestigious institution, and to be among the incredible artists showcased at this storied festival.”

Submissions for the 64th Ann Arbor Film Festival are now open! Experimental documentary, animation, music video, narrative, and more are welcome. Over two dozen awards totaling nearly $40,000 in prizes will be presented by the 64th AAFF jury, March 24–29, 2026.

Check out the list of last year's filmmaker awards here.

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