Overview
The Maryland Film Festival (MdFF) is Baltimore's longest-running independent film festival, founded in 1999 and anchored at the historic SNF Parkway Theatre in the Station North arts district. The 27th edition ran April 8 to 12, 2026, programming more than 170 works across features, shorts, CineTech (XR, interactive, AI), vertical video, and performance. The 28th edition is scheduled for April 7 to 11, 2027.
The festival went on hiatus in 2023. When it relaunched in 2024 under director KJ Mohr, it expanded its scope beyond traditional cinema to include emerging media formats. The CineTech program, introduced in 2024, platforms VR installations, AI-driven interactive experiences, and augmented reality works. In 2026, MdFF debuted "Tall Stories: The Vertical Perspective," a first-of-its-kind program screening 9:16 vertical video on the Parkway's main screen, with 20 films under five minutes ranging from music videos to animations.
For filmmakers: MdFF offers nine submission categories (more than most regional festivals), a $20,000 NEA grant supporting its operations, and a city with deep arts infrastructure including MICA, Peabody Institute, and Baltimore School for the Arts. The trade-off is that Baltimore's festival landscape split after the 2023 hiatus, when former MdFF programmer Eric Allen Hatch launched New/Next, a competing fall festival. Baltimore now has two marquee independent festivals.
Submission Details
MdFF accepts submissions through FilmFreeway.
Submission categories:
- Feature: 50 minutes or longer
- Mid-Length: 21 to 49 minutes
- Short: 20 minutes or less
- Local Feature: 50 minutes or longer (Baltimore/Maryland filmmakers)
- Local Short: 49 minutes or less (Baltimore/Maryland filmmakers)
- XR (Extended Reality)
- Games
- Performance
- Student Film
2027 deadlines (as published by the festival):
- June 1, 2026: Submissions open
- August 7, 2026: Earlybird deadline
- November 20, 2026: Regular deadline
- January 8, 2027: Late deadline
- February 5, 2027: Extended deadline
- February 19, 2027: Notification date
Preview screeners are accepted via secure online link (Vimeo preferred). Rough cuts and works-in-progress are eligible if an exhibition copy will be available by the festival date. Stills (JPEG, 300 dpi minimum) are required for all selected films.
The festival does not charge screening fees for programmed films.
Key Sections
- Features - narrative and documentary features, 50 minutes and up
- Mid-Length - 21 to 49 minute films, a category most US festivals do not offer
- Shorts - fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental shorts at 20 minutes or under
- CineTech - XR, VR, AI-driven interactive installations, and emerging media
- Tall Stories: The Vertical Perspective - 9:16 vertical video programmed for theatrical screening
- Local Film Program - Baltimore and Maryland filmmakers
- Student Film - category added in 2025 to connect with area schools
- Pitch Fest - filmmakers pitch new projects to industry attendees
- Panels and Q&As - post-screening conversations with filmmakers
What Filmmakers Should Know
For Short Filmmakers
MdFF programs more shorts than most regional US festivals. The mid-length category (21 to 49 minutes) is uncommon and gives filmmakers whose work falls between short and feature a real submission opportunity. The local short category has no runtime cap under 50 minutes, making it one of the more accessible local submission windows on the East Coast.
For Emerging Media and XR Creators
The CineTech program is the primary reason to submit XR or interactive work to MdFF. The 2026 edition featured "The Mirror's Echo" (AI-driven claymation projection from audience voices), "Performative Salvation" (VR dark comedy aboard a space station), and "A Long Goodbye" (VR dementia empathy piece). The program also screened the 10th anniversary of "Late Shift" by Tobias Weber, considered the first interactive theatrical feature. Q Ragsdale curates the CineTech section.
Note: MdFF lost one XR project in 2026 when Niantic shut down its 8th Wall augmented reality platform in February. Creators working with AR should verify platform availability before submitting.
For Baltimore and Maryland Filmmakers
The local categories are the most direct path into the festival. Baltimore's arts infrastructure includes MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art), Peabody Conservatory, Johns Hopkins University, and Baltimore School for the Arts. The 2026 edition programmed local work alongside national and international films, with events at the Fred Lazarus IV Center at MICA and Current Space on North Howard Street in addition to the Parkway.
Venues
- SNF Parkway Theatre (primary venue) - 5 West North Avenue, Baltimore
- Fred Lazarus IV Center at MICA - 113 West North Avenue
- Current Space - 421 North Howard Street
The Parkway Theatre opened in 1915 as a vaudeville house. It was restored and reopened in 2017 as a three-screen cinema and live performance venue. The 2026 edition installed a new retractable screen allowing the main stage to host theater, dance, and other performances alongside film.
Pass and Ticket Prices (2026)
- Single screening: $20
- Weekend Pass: $200
- All-Access Pass: $350
- Supporter Pass: $400 (100% of the increased rate supports festival operations; supporter name listed on the festival website)
- Some programming is free and open to the public
Awards
MdFF does not publish a fixed cash prize structure. The festival's primary filmmaker benefits are exhibition, access to the CineTech platform for emerging media creators, and industry networking through the Filmmaker Mixer, Marquee Reception, and panel programs. Selected filmmakers receive hospitality support including access to exclusive events.
Festival History
The Maryland Film Festival was founded in 1999 and ran annually each spring at the Parkway Theatre and partner venues across Baltimore. The festival built its reputation on adventurous programming that mixed international cinema, American independent film, documentary, and experimental work.
The festival went on hiatus in 2023. Former MdFF programmer Eric Allen Hatch departed and launched New/Next, a competing Baltimore independent film festival that runs in the fall. MdFF relaunched in 2024 under KJ Mohr, director of Maryland Film Festival and year-round film programming at the SNF Parkway Theatre. The 25th edition ran May 2 to 5, 2024. The 26th edition moved to fall, running November 5 to 9, 2025, with an expanded Student Film category and continued CineTech programming. The 27th edition returned to spring, running April 8 to 12, 2026, with 170+ works and 200 attending filmmakers.
The festival received a $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant to support its operations and related programming. The SNF Parkway Theatre operates year-round as a cinema and live performance venue between festivals.
Past Winners
Maryland Film Festival is a non-competitive festival. It does not present juried cash prizes or category-based competition awards. The festival's FilmFreeway page describes it as a "competition-free atmosphere created solely for the love and enjoyment of film."
Instead of juried prizes, MdFF focuses on exhibition and discovery. The festival's reputation rests on identifying emerging filmmakers early in their careers. Notable filmmakers who presented work at MdFF before achieving wider recognition include Greta Gerwig, Barry Jenkins, the Safdie Brothers, and Anna Biller.
The festival does offer the Baker Awards Film Finalist program, which highlights Baltimore-area artists. The BaltiShorts program awards and celebrates Maryland filmmakers. These are community-focused honors rather than juried competition prizes.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
Rat Film (2017) by Theo Anthony was the first theatrical film screened in the restored Parkway Theatre at MdFF 2017. The documentary about Baltimore's history through the lens of its rat population premiered at Locarno. Cinema Guild distributed it theatrically. It later aired on PBS Independent Lens in February 2018.
Luther: Never Too Much (2024) by Dawn Porter opened MdFF 2024 as the opening night film. The documentary about Luther Vandross premiered at Sundance earlier that year. Drafthouse Films distributed it theatrically, grossing approximately $390,000 at the domestic box office. The screening at the Parkway became an electric communal event with audience singing and dancing.
Cora Bora (2024) by Hannah Pearl Utt screened at MdFF 2024. The comedy starring Meg Stalter premiered at SXSW 2023. Brainstorm Media distributed it theatrically in June 2024. It holds a 93% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Booger (2024) by Mary Dauterman screened at MdFF 2024. The body horror debut feature starring Grace Glowicki was released on VOD in September 2024. Fangoria praised it as a worthy addition to the body horror canon.
Butter on the Latch (2013) by Josephine Decker had its world premiere at MdFF. Decker went on to direct Madeline's Madeline (2018) and Shirley (2020), the latter winning the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. MdFF was an early platform for her career.
Princess Cyd (2017) and Henry Gamble's Birthday Party (2015) by Stephen Cone both had world premieres at MdFF. Cone has since become a recognized voice in American independent cinema.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
MdFF is a discovery festival. Director KJ Mohr has described it as "a festival of discovery of emerging filmmakers where a lot of filmmakers come in the beginning of their careers." If you are an emerging filmmaker, this festival is actively looking for you.
The mid-length category (21 to 49 minutes) is uncommon at US festivals. Most festivals only offer short and feature categories. If your film falls in this range, MdFF is one of the few regional festivals that will program it.
The CineTech program is the primary reason to submit XR, VR, AI-driven, or interactive work. Q Ragsdale curates this section. The 2026 edition featured AI-driven claymation, VR dark comedy, and interactive theatrical features. If your work uses emerging technology, this section gives it a dedicated platform.
Local categories are the most direct path into the festival for Baltimore and Maryland filmmakers. The local short category has no runtime cap under 50 minutes. Baltimore's arts infrastructure, including MICA and Peabody Institute, feeds directly into the festival's local programming.
Rough cuts and works-in-progress are eligible if an exhibition copy will be available by the festival date. This is useful for filmmakers finishing projects close to the deadline.
The festival does not charge screening fees for programmed films. This is notable because some regional festivals charge selected filmmakers for exhibition costs.
Industry Reputation Notes
MdFF is widely described as the Mid-Atlantic's preeminent independent film festival. Director KJ Mohr has called it "the preeminent festival here in the Mid-Atlantic" and "one of the biggest up-and-coming festivals in the country."
Compared to other US regional festivals, MdFF has a stronger track record of discovering emerging talent. Filmmaker Magazine has noted that the festival recognized Greta Gerwig, the Safdie Brothers, and Anna Biller early in their careers. This discovery focus differentiates MdFF from festivals that prioritize premiere status or established names.
The festival's 2023 hiatus created a split in Baltimore's festival landscape. Former MdFF programmer Eric Allen Hatch launched New/Next, a competing fall festival. Baltimore now has two marquee independent festivals. MdFF holds the spring slot at the Parkway Theatre, while New/Next runs in the fall.
The CineTech program differentiates MdFF from most regional festivals. By embracing XR, AI-driven interactive experiences, and vertical video, MdFF positions itself at the intersection of traditional cinema and emerging media. The 2026 "Tall Stories" vertical video program was described as a first-of-its-kind theatrical screening of 9:16 content.
John Waters' involvement as a board member gives MdFF a unique cultural signature. Each year, Waters selects a favorite film to host. Past selections range from Joseph Losey's Boom! to Gaspar Noe's I Stand Alone. This curatorial tradition connects the festival to Baltimore's broader arts identity.
Watch
See Also
Use the Festival ROI Calculator to compare submission costs against potential attendance and networking returns. Use the Festival Acceptance Estimator to gauge your odds before submitting. For independent filmmaking strategies, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy.
