Maryland Film Festival

Overview

The Maryland Film Festival is Maryland's most important film festival. Founded in 1999 and held annually in May in Baltimore, the festival presents a carefully curated program of adventurous independent and international cinema with a particular emphasis on formally challenging and politically engaged work.

Baltimore's gritty, distinctive character -- a post-industrial East Coast city with deep African American cultural traditions, a strong arts scene, and a famously authentic local identity -- provides an unusually grounded audience for independent cinema. The festival's programming tends to reflect this environment, favoring films with genuine specificity and honest engagement with human experience.

The festival takes place at the Charles Theatre, Baltimore's premier independent cinema, which provides a quality screening environment and an established independent film audience.

Key Sections

• Feature Film Competition -- adventurous narrative and documentary features
• Short Film Competition -- independent short films
• Maryland Film Showcase -- films by Maryland filmmakers
• Special Screenings -- filmmaker events and tributes
• Documentary Program -- nonfiction features

What Filmmakers Should Know

Maryland Film Festival accepts open submissions. The festival is particularly receptive to formally adventurous and politically engaged work. For Baltimore and Maryland filmmakers, this is the most important domestic platform.

Major Awards

• Best Feature -- jury prize
• Best Short Film
• Audience Award

Festival History

Maryland Film Festival was founded in 1999 and has operated continuously, becoming the premier film platform in the Chesapeake Bay region.

See Also

For Mid-Atlantic independent filmmaking, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy.