Filmmakers

Welcome, Filmmakers!

Every year, we are delighted to welcome filmmakers and special guests from around the world to attend with their work. These esteemed guests, who have ranged from Sydney Pollack to Albert Maysles to Roger Ross Williams and Jasmine Dellal, bring the audience a step closer to their works, answering questions at post-screening Q&As, offering insights on their inspiration and process, and socializing with other festival guests at our events.

(If you would like to help bring filmmakers and special guests to the festival, please contact us about our Fly a Filmmaker program.)

Submitting a Film

Submissions for the 2020 Mendocino Film Festival are now closed.

Film submission for the 2021 Mendocino Festival will open on August 15, 2020. 16th Annual Mendocino Film Festival June 3-6, 2021.

Visit FilmFreeway to learn more. If you would like to be the first to know about upcoming submissions deadlines and festival news, be sure to join our mailing list.

We look forward to seeing your masterpiece!

THE DETAILS:

We are especially interested in films in these categories:

Feature-length (50 minutes and up):

Documentary Films

Films on the Arts – Films on the lives, work, and creative process of artist in the visual, literary, applied, and performing arts.

Films for Our Future – Environmental and Social Justice films that offer models, solutions and inspiration for our future.

Films on Music

Narrative Films – Character-driven stories with high production values that are devoid of explicit sexual situations and gratuitous violence.

Short Films (15 minutes or under) of all genres, including narrative, documentary, and animation. We especially like shorts with an upbeat, hopeful, or humorous message.

For an example of the kinds of films we screen, please see our most recent program.

Submissions in languages other than English must be subtitled. Please note if your film has subtitles.
For questions regarding submissions, please contact us at program@mendocinofilmfestival.org.