Bowery Film Festival
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Bowery Film Festival in New York City programmes raw, gritty and adventurous independent work that departs from mainstream technique, form or content. It accepts features, shorts, TV and web series, documentaries, music videos, experimental films, animation, video art and works in progress, and audience votes decide the winners at its events.
The festival takes its name from the Bowery, the Lower Manhattan thoroughfare associated with Martin Scorsese, William Burroughs and the American punk scene. The 2026 edition screens at Cinema Village, 22 E 12th Street, on 24–26 October 2026, with two evening blocks each day of shorts programmes and opening-night and documentary features.
Country
United States (USA)
Awards and prizes
Winners are decided by the audience at each screening event, and sponsors provide prizes for the winners.
The festival's terms also state that a jury may present awards to films and videos selected as best or most interesting in categories it sees fit, alongside the audience awards.
Festival rules
Films of all genres and forms are accepted: features, shorts, TV and web series, documentaries, music videos, experimental works, animations, video art and works in progress. Anyone may submit; submissions are made through FilmFreeway.
For festival purposes, a feature is a film of 40 minutes or more, and experimental refers exclusively to non-narrative, non-documentary works. The festival reserves the right to re-categorise submissions.
The selection committee makes all programming decisions; accepted and unselected filmmakers are notified by email. Accepted films must deliver their video file by the date provided. Submitters authorise the festival to use the work for exhibition, education and publicity related to the festival.
Contacts
- boweryfilmfestival.com
- boweryfilmfestival@gmail.com — General enquiries, film submissions and sponsorship
- filmfreeway.com — Film submissions on FilmFreeway