Ann Arbor Film Festival

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the oldest experimental film festival in North America. Internationally renowned as a forum for artist-made moving image art, the AAFF screens a broad range of experimental work including animation, documentary, narrative, and hybrid films. The AAFF is steeped in a rich tradition of ground-breaking cinema as thousands of filmmakers screened early work at the AAFF, including luminaries such as Kenneth Anger, Agnes Varda, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, James Benning, Bruce Conner, Chick Strand, Les Blank, Suzan Pitt, and George Lucas. The Ann Arbor Film Festival serves as an Academy Award®-qualifying festival in the United States for the Short Films category. The AAFF presents over $20,000 in cash awards to filmmakers in competition, as determined by the awards jury. The AAFF is highly competitive, receiving over 3,000 submissions annually from more than 60 countries. All submissions are reviewed by a minimum of 2 trained screeners, with many films watched and discussed collectively by 6 - 10 members of the festival screening team. Each year the festival presents 100-145 shorts and 6-10 features as part of the films in competition programming. The majority of the works selected are experimental films as well as documentaries and animated films that demonstrate a high regard for the moving image as an experimental art form and are screened throughout 15-20 programs composed of experimental films from all genres; with additional competition programs dedicated to LGBTQ-themed films, Animation, and Music Videos. The AAFF is committed to high-quality exhibition of all films at the festival and presents work on 16mm, 35mm, and digital formats. The AAFF provides additional opportunities for select filmmakers accepted into the festival. As a pioneer of the traveling film festival tour, each year a "best of" shorts program travels to more than 35 theaters, universities, museums, and art house cinemas throughout North America and internationally. Additionally, AAFF looks for opportunities to promote filmmakers and their work by holding screenings throughout the year. Filmmakers participating in additional opportunities are paid for each screening of their work. The Ann Arbor Film Festival is committed to supporting bold, visionary independent filmmakers, advance the art form of film and new media, and engage communities with remarkable cinematic experiences.