Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival

Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival

Also known as: MNFF
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The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) is devoted solely to the work of first- and second-time directors: it accepts first or second features and first or second short films, fiction and documentary. It takes place each August in Middlebury, Vermont, with screenings at Town Hall Theater, the Middlebury Marquis Theatre and venues on the Middlebury College campus. Most attending filmmakers stay with local hosts, a travel fund helps with their fares, and the programme includes panels and talks; winners receive the VTeddy Awards alongside a series of cash prizes. The festival was co-founded by Vermont filmmaker Jay Craven, its artistic director, and Lloyd Komesar.

Beyond the festival, MNFF runs the year-round MNFF Selects screening series, a Vermont Tour of festival films, the Franklin Film Development Fund for alumni scripts and a Creative Distribution Mentorship for first-time feature makers. The 13th edition takes place on 25–29 August 2027.

Country

United States (USA)

Categories

Documentary, Feature, Short

Dates

25 August 2027 — 29 August 2027

Awards and prizes

VTeddy Awards in six categories: Best Narrative Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short, Audience Award - Feature and Audience Award - Short. Special cash prizes: Hernandez/Bayliss Prize for the feature that best captures the triumph of the human spirit; Clio Visualizing History Prize for the Advancement of Women in Film; Gaia Prize for Environmental Filmmaking; Cadwell Family Prize for Best Vermont-Made Film; Kate Hearst Prize for a film about human connectivity; Gamble-Paison Prize for Best International Feature Film; Swift House Prize for Best Depiction of the Arts; Jeanine Basinger Prize for Best Student Film; Thaddeus Stevens Prize for Social Engagement; Prize for Poetic Cinema in recognition of Ralph Steiner; AICEF Prize for Cross-Cultural Filmmaking, a trip to screen the film in Indonesia.

Festival rules

The festival accepts only first or second features or first or second short films by their directors; a first or second feature is welcome even if the director has made more shorts, and vice versa. Films must be recent work, completed within about two years of the festival (for 2027: after August 2025); works-in-progress are not accepted. All submissions are digital, through FilmFreeway, with a separate fee for each entry; fees are non-refundable. Films must be in English or have English subtitles. A festival premiere is not required, and Vermont and New England premieres are welcome, but films must not already be in commercial distribution (television, streaming platforms or wide theatrical release). Exhibition formats: MP4, MOV, H.264, ProRes or DCP. Selected films may be offered additional paid screenings in the festival's Vermont Tour.

Contacts

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