Juneau International Film Festival (JuneauFest)

Overview

The Juneau International Film Festival is Alaska's most beloved film festival. Founded in 2007 and held annually in April in Juneau -- Alaska's capital city, accessible only by boat or plane -- the festival presents independent international and American cinema to one of the most geographically remote state capitals in the United States.

Juneau's isolation is both its challenge and its greatest asset as a festival location. The city of 30,000 people, surrounded by the Tongass National Forest and accessible only by sea or air, has a fierce civic pride and cultural self-sufficiency. The festival serves as a major community event that draws participation from across the city in a way that larger, more dispersed urban festivals cannot replicate.

Alaska's extraordinary landscape and its indigenous cultures -- Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples have deep roots in the Juneau area -- create rich documentary and narrative material that the festival celebrates.

Key Sections

• International Feature Program -- curated world cinema
• American Independent Film -- new US independent features
• Alaska Film Showcase -- films by Alaska filmmakers
• Documentary Program -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive short programs

What Filmmakers Should Know

JuneauFest accepts open submissions. The festival's intimate community scale creates exceptional filmmaker-audience connections. For Alaska filmmakers, this is the state's most important film platform.

Major Awards

• Audience Award -- voted by Juneau festival audiences
• Best Alaska Film

Festival History

The Juneau International Film Festival was founded in 2007 and has operated as Alaska's most important annual film cultural event.

See Also

For Alaskan and northwest filmmaking, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. For festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy.