JUMP Society Film Festival

Overview

The JUMP Society Film Festival is Juneau, Alaska's primary film festival, organized by the Juneau Underground Motion Picture Society (JUMP Society). The festival is free, non-competitive, and held twice annually, typically in winter (December) and summer (June), at the Gold Town Nickelodeon theater in downtown Juneau. The festival screens short films under 10 minutes with a connection to Juneau or Alaska.

The festival is unusual in the film festival landscape: no submission fee, no competition, no awards, and no ticket required. Admission is free, first come first seated. The organizers, Pat Race and Aaron Suring, aim to screen every submitted film that meets the basic requirements, typically resulting in 18 to 25 films per edition totaling 90 to 100 minutes of programming. The festival celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022 and has grown into a biannual community institution.

For filmmakers in Southeast Alaska, the JUMP Society Film Festival is the most accessible and consistent public screening opportunity in the region. The festival's requirement that films have a "Juneau connection" means that filmmakers who live in, are from, or film in Juneau have a near-guaranteed screening slot. This is one of the few festivals where a first-time filmmaker with a smartphone and a Juneau address can see their work projected on a big screen alongside work from experienced local filmmakers.

Key Sections

• Winter Film Festival - typically held in late November or early December, with submissions due approximately one week before
• Summer Film Festival - typically held in late June, with submissions due approximately 10 days before
• All films screen at all showings - the same program repeats across multiple screening slots (typically Thursday 7pm, Friday 7pm and 9pm, and a weekend matinee)

What Filmmakers Should Know

Submission Details

Submissions are free. Films must be under 10 minutes and have a connection to Juneau or Alaska. The festival accepts submissions via an online form or PDF available on the JUMP Society website. Submissions typically close about one week before the festival dates. Contact the festival at info@jumpsociety.org or call (907) 586-3440 for submission guidelines.

Eligibility

• Films must be under 10 minutes in length
• Films must have a Juneau connection (filmed in Juneau, by a Juneau filmmaker, or about Juneau/Alaska)
• Any genre accepted: documentary, animation, narrative, music video, experimental
• No premiere status requirements
• No age restrictions on filmmakers

No Competition, No Awards

The JUMP Society Film Festival is explicitly non-competitive. There are no jury prizes, no audience awards, and no official selections beyond meeting the basic requirements. The organizers state that entries "with a Juneau connection almost always make it in." This removes the competitive pressure that defines most festival experiences and creates a supportive community screening environment instead.

Venue and Format

All screenings take place at the Gold Town Nickelodeon, located at 171 Shattuck Way in downtown Juneau. The theater is a small independent cinema. Screenings are free and no tickets or reservations are required. Seating is first come, first served. The festival typically runs the same program across 3 to 4 screening slots over a weekend.

What to Expect as a Filmmaker

The festival typically receives between 15 and 25 submissions per edition. The programming consists of a single block of all accepted films, screened in the same order at each showing. Filmmakers are encouraged to attend and often participate in informal Q&A sessions with the audience between screenings. The audience is primarily local Juneau residents, with a mix of filmmakers, friends, family, and community members.

The festival's informal structure means there are no industry networking events, no market, no distributor presence, and no press coverage beyond local media. The value for filmmakers is community screening, local audience engagement, and the experience of seeing work projected in a theater. For Alaska-based filmmakers, this is the most consistent and accessible public screening opportunity in the state.

Festival History

The JUMP Society Film Festival was founded in 2002 by Pat Race and Aaron Suring as a way to showcase locally made short films in Juneau. The festival began as a single screening event and expanded over the years to multiple screening slots per edition. The festival celebrated its 20th anniversary in November 2022, marking the occasion with its largest program to date.

The festival took a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned in late 2022. Since then, it has resumed its biannual schedule with winter and summer editions. The Gold Town Nickelodeon, the festival's home venue, is itself a community institution, operating as a small independent theater in downtown Juneau.

In 2024, the Sealaska Heritage Institute launched a separate juried film festival during Celebration, a biennial gathering of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples in Juneau. That event, while distinct from the JUMP Society Film Festival, reflects a growing interest in Indigenous filmmaking in Southeast Alaska. The JUMP Society's inclusive, non-competitive format has provided a screening platform for Indigenous filmmakers from the region, including work by students from Angoon, Kake, Wrangell, and Yakutat.

Practical Information for Attendees

The next JUMP Society Film Festival is scheduled for March 19-22, 2026, at the Gold Town Nickelodeon in Juneau. Submissions are due March 17, 2026. Admission is free. For the most current information, check the JUMP Society website or contact the organizers at info@jumpsociety.org or (907) 586-3440.

Juneau is accessible only by air or sea. Alaska Airlines provides daily flights to Juneau International Airport. The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry connects Juneau to other Southeast Alaska communities. The Gold Town Nickelodeon is located at 171 Shattuck Way in downtown Juneau, within walking distance of most downtown accommodations.

Notable Screenings and Awards

The JUMP Society Film Festival is Alaska's primary community film event, held biannually in Juneau at the Gold Town Nickelodeon. The festival showcases short films made by Alaskan filmmakers, with a non-competitive, inclusive format that encourages participation from filmmakers of all skill levels. In 2024, the Sealaska Heritage Institute launched a separate juried film festival during Celebration, a biennial gathering of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples in Juneau. That event, while distinct from the JUMP Society Film Festival, reflects a growing interest in Indigenous filmmaking in Southeast Alaska. The JUMP Society's inclusive, non-competitive format has provided a screening platform for Indigenous filmmakers from the region, including work by students from Angoon, Kake, Wrangell, and Yakutat. The Anchorage International Film Festival, held in December, is a separate event that screens international short and feature films, including animated shorts that have traveled the global festival circuit.

What Filmmakers Should Know

The next JUMP Society Film Festival is scheduled for March 19 to 22, 2026, at the Gold Town Nickelodeon in Juneau. Submissions are due March 17, 2026. Admission is free. For the most current information, check the JUMP Society website or contact the organizers at info@jumpsociety.org or (907) 586-3440. Juneau is accessible only by air or sea. Alaska Airlines provides daily flights to Juneau International Airport. The Alaska Marine Highway System ferry connects Juneau to other Southeast Alaska communities. The Gold Town Nickelodeon is located at 171 Shattuck Way in downtown Juneau, within walking distance of most downtown accommodations. The JUMP Society is particularly welcoming to first-time filmmakers and community members who have never made a film before, making it one of the most accessible film festivals in the United States for newcomers.

Watch: Festival Highlights and Films

See Also

For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. Use the Festival Entry Fee ROI Calculator to evaluate submission costs for competitive festivals on your circuit alongside this free community event.