Ann Arbor Film Festival 2027

About Ann Arbor Film Festival

Founded in 1963 by filmmaker and educator George Manupelli, Ann Arbor Film Festival is one of the longest-running international platforms for experimental and avant-garde moving-image work.

Its programme is shaped by artistic approach across animation, documentary, fiction, performance-based work and hybrid forms, with image, sound, structure and cinematic form at the centre of the creative language.

This makes the festival particularly relevant for filmmakers working between cinema, visual art and formal experimentation.

Ann Arbor Film Festival Programming Focus

AAFF looks for work with a distinctive relationship to the moving image. A documentary may fit through structure or visual method; a fiction film through formal language; an animation or hybrid project through the way it expands the use of the image itself.

The festival selects both short and feature work for its awards programme and maintains a strong connection with experimental film culture, including analogue and contemporary digital practices.

Ann Arbor Film Festival 2027 Dates, Deadline and Eligibility

The 65th Ann Arbor Film Festival takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 23 to 28 March 2027. The current main film call closes on 30 September 2026.

The current 65th-edition call accepts international short films of 59 minutes or less and feature films of 60 minutes or longer. Eligible work should have been completed within the last three years; works in progress are also accepted. Films with dialogue in languages other than English should include English subtitles.

For the 65th edition, category assignment follows the current call: Short Film is 59 minutes or less and Feature Film is 60 minutes or longer.

The 65th-edition call is open to a wide range of moving-image forms, including experimental animation, documentary, narrative, music video and other formally distinctive work.

Ann Arbor Screening Fees and Awards

The 65th-edition call states that every accepted filmmaker receives a screening fee through AAFF’s Pay Artists initiative. It also cites nearly $40,000 in annual cash and in-kind awards, including several Academy Award®-qualifying prizes.

For filmmakers considering Ann Arbor, category eligibility and the film’s use of image, sound, structure and cinematic form are central to programme fit.

How can AD1 FILM help position a film for Ann Arbor?

For completed or near-complete films working with experimental form, AD1 FILM can review the film’s cinematic language, short/feature route, current eligibility and presentation materials, then assess Ann Arbor within the project’s wider festival strategy. The review focuses on the film’s actual use of image, sound, structure and form and its relationship to AAFF’s curatorial identity.