Underground cinema and underrepresented perspectives shape the Athens International Film and Video Festival in Athens, Ohio. Its international competition includes experimental, animated, narrative and documentary films, music videos, shorts and features. A screening committee of artists, students and community members reviews submissions, and the programming team groups selected work into screenings around shared themes. Guest artists also present screenings, discussions and workshops.
The festival dates back to 1973 and is organized by the Athens Center for Film and Video, a project of Ohio University’s Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts. Its principal screening venue is the Athena Cinema in downtown Athens. The dates for the 54th edition are 5–11 April 2027.
Awards and prizes
Guest jurors award first prizes of USD 1,000 in Experimental, Short Narrative, Feature Narrative, Animation, Music Video, Short Documentary and Feature Documentary. Named prizes include the Black Bear Award for best use of sound, Film House Award for visionary filmmaking, Research Award and Another World is Possible Award, each listed at USD 500. Awards may also include services or items supplied by sponsors.
Festival rules
Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway only. The competition accepts experimental, animation, narrative and documentary shorts and features, music videos, and an Ohio-based student category. Works must be original and completed within the previous two years. Films submitted to any previous edition are ineligible. Category-specific running-time limits apply; consult the submission listing, particularly for works of exactly 40 minutes. Music-video entrants must have authorization to use the music. Ohio students can submit free after contacting the festival with current student identification.
For the 2027 edition, submissions open on 15 July 2026. Deadlines: earlybird 15 August 2026, regular 15 September 2026, late 15 October 2026, extended 15 November 2026. Notification: 5 March 2027. Standard fees for shorts and music videos are USD 40 / 45 / 50 / 60 across those deadlines; feature fees are USD 45 / 55 / 65 / 70. Gold-member discounts are listed by category on FilmFreeway.
Screeners sent by post, email or file-sharing service are not accepted. Competition films receive no screening fees. Entrants must hold the necessary screening rights and agree to selection procedures, festival exhibition and use of excerpts from selected films for promotion. The full submission terms include indemnification provisions.
