Here’s a look at just a few regional film events, festivals and submissions now happening in our corner of Appalachia.
Marshall Artists Series to Screen “Rocketman” with 60-Piece Orchestra
Experience the Oscar-winning musical film “Rocketman” about the life of iconic musician Sir Elton John live in concert with a 60-piece orchestra performing its unforgettable soundtrack live to picture at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 31. The film will be shown on the giant screen at the historic Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center while the orchestra brings to life the stunning soundtrack – the legendary music of Sir Elton John. Tickets are $98.42, $87.45 and $76.49.
The Marshall Artists Series accepts all major credit cards. Call the box office at 304-696-6656. Tickets can also be ordered using Ticketmaster.com. The Marshall Artists Series box office is located in the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse on Fifth Avenue across from Marshall University’s Student Center. Box office hours are noon to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Second Annual WVU Black Film Fest
The second annual Black Film Festival is set for March 31 to April 1. Hosted by the WVU’s Center for Black Culture and Research the Black Film Fest will take place at the Mountainlair Ballroom and Gluck Theater, both located in the Mountainlair on the downtown campus.
The headlining film will be “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” followed by a panel discussion. The main event will also feature a red carpet experience, networking opportunities and receptions during lunch and dinner.The festival was inspired by the Center’s research trip to the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. Students and community members are encouraged to submit their films by Feb. 28. For more information on the Black Film Festival and where to submit films check out the center’s website. To connect with the Center, go online at https://cbc.wvu.edu/
Third Annual Berkeley Springs Film Festival
Runs Friday, March 31 through Sunday, April 2 at the historic Star Theatre in downtown Berkeley Springs, WV. Open to the public, the BS Film Fest, features more than 15 hours of curated films from around WV and the world. Guest workshop speaker is Academy Award-winning make-up artist John Caglione, Jr. Known for such famous makeup work as Heath Ledger’s The Joker, and his longtime work with Al Pacino. The workshop is sponsored by the West Virginia Film Office.
There will be an awards ceremony and after party on Saturday night. Festival passes are $10 to $49. Tickets available only at www.bsfilmfestival.com.
Mountaineer Short Film Fest
The West Virginia Mountaineer Short Film Festival takes place April 14 and 15 on the Mountainlair Green and the Creative Arts Center. They are looking for student videos and films. These may include short narratives, comedies, thrillers, tiktoks, animations, time-lapses, 3D, stop motion, remixes, sci/fi, documentaries, music videos – anything goes! All genres are encouraged. Free to enter. The deadline for submission is April 1. Visit the website for details: www.wvmsff.com
Submissions Open For Appy Film Fest!!
The Appalachian Film Festival is back! Last held in 2013, Foundry Theater has collaborated with the original creators of the festival, along with Blenko Glass to restart this tradition of showcasing films created by Appalachian filmmakers. Music videos will be screened Friday, Aug. 18 and the student, short and feature-length selections will be screened Saturday, Aug. 19. The festival will take place in Huntington in the historic Jean Carlo Stephenson auditorium. The main festival will take place on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 18-19 with a special festival-ending Sunday brunch screenwriting workshop with Mickey Fisher. Submissions are now open at https://filmfreeway.com/AppalachianFilmFestival to submit to the Appy Film Fest.
https://filmfreeway.com/AppalachianFilmFestivalRelaunch
Mountain Craft Film Fest Open for Shorts Submissions
Submissions are now open for the Mountain Craft Film Film Festival, which runs Sept, 29-30 at the historic Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center. West Virginia’s newest film festival will feature long and short documentary and scripted narrative films created by Appalachians, about Appalachia, or featuring Appalachian locations/crew.
The folks at Mountain Craft will be hand-picking 3-4 feature films to be included in the fest lineup. These films have been specially selected and will be announced as the festival gets closer. Because they are curating the feature film selections, the fest will only be accepting short-form content submissions in 2023.
The 2023 call for submissions is open now and will run through late July 2023. Submit at https://filmfreeway.com/MtnCraftFilmFestival and join the email list at https://www.mtncraftfilmfestival.com
Submissions Open for 2023 Appalachian Queer Film Fest
The AQFF was founded in 2014 to bring Queer Film from around the world to Appalachia and to promote Queer filmmakers within the region. Started in Lewisburg, the AQFF will have its 2023 festival at the Foundry Theater, located in the historic Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium at Huntington City Hall in Huntington, WVa. The AQFF will run Oct. 6-8.
The festival has been covered by media outlets around the country, including Huffington Post and Indiewire. Our founders have been named to Vice’s 50 LGBTQ Activists in 50 States list. We are a branch of the 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Appalachian Arts Academy. We have held multiple in-person events, but have recently moved to an online/awards format and look forward to receiving your submissions.
Submissions are open now for the 2023 festival. The festival accepts films that contain Queer and/or Trans content or have a Queer and/trans writer, director, or producer. They love films that have rural settings, especially Appalachian settings, but that is not a requirement. Submit films here at https://filmfreeway.com/AppalachianQueerFilmFestival
