Defy Film Festival
📝 Sign up as a festival representative to manage this page!
Defy Film Festival concentrates on unconventional independent cinema and filmmakers with distinct artistic voices. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, the nonprofit organization dates to 2016 and presents work from around the world. Its selection spans fiction, documentary, animation and experimental film, with submissions divided into shorts and features rather than separate genre competitions.
Screening blocks include filmmaker discussions, while a gallery programme presents films on a continuous loop in the lobby. Guest judges select Best of Festival awards for shorts and features; the Moe Award supports a film that reflects an interest in storytelling, art and esoteric philosophy. The dates for the 2027 edition are 20–21 August.
Country
United States (USA)
Focus
Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Drama, Experimental, Horror, Sci-Fi
Categories
Feature, Short
Dates
20 August 2027 — 21 August 2027
Awards and prizes
Guest judges choose Best of Festival awards for a feature and a short. The Maureen Saari-Wildman Memorial Award for Excellence in Defiance (the Moe Award) carries a $500 cash prize for one feature or short. Festival founders nominate films, and Kent Wildman selects the recipient in memory of Maureen Saari-Wildman.
Festival rules
Submissions are accepted as digital screeners, with a separate entry for each film. Features must run 45–150 minutes. Films must be Nashville premieres and foreign-language submissions require English subtitles. Selected films must be supplied as QuickTime files. Any use of artificial intelligence in production must be explained in a cover letter. Entry fees are nonrefundable. Submitting filmmakers must hold the necessary rights, consents and licences; the festival retains submitted materials for archival and promotional use. A fee waiver is available through the regular deadline for Nashville-resident directors or producers, subject to eligibility verification.
Contacts
- defyfilmfestival.com
- contact@defyfilmfestival.com — Sponsorship and partnership enquiries
- filmfreeway.com — Film submissions and regulations