Indie Memphis Film Festival

Overview

Indie Memphis Film Festival is Memphis's most important film festival. Founded in 1998 and held annually in October, the festival presents independent American and international cinema with a strong commitment to southern filmmaking and the rich cultural heritage of the birthplace of rock and roll, the blues, and American soul music.

Memphis's extraordinary musical heritage -- Sun Studio, Stax Records, Graceland, Beale Street -- and its history as a center of the civil rights movement (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel, now the National Civil Rights Museum) give the city a depth of cultural and historical resonance that infuses the festival's programming.

The festival has championed Memphis and southern independent filmmakers, providing a platform for voices that explore the South's complex history with both honesty and affection.

Key Sections

• Feature Film Competition -- independent American and international features
• Southern Lens -- films addressing Southern American culture and history
• Documentary Competition -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive programs
• Memphis Film Showcase -- films by Memphis and Tennessee filmmakers

What Filmmakers Should Know

Indie Memphis accepts open submissions. The festival's Memphis identity creates a particularly receptive context for films addressing African American history, the civil rights movement, and Southern culture. For Tennessee filmmakers, the festival provides the state's most important independent film platform outside Nashville.

Major Awards

• Best Film -- jury prize
• Best Southern Film
• Audience Award

Festival History

Indie Memphis was founded in 1998 and has operated for over two decades as the Mid-South's most beloved independent film event.

See Also

For Southern festivals, see Film Festival Strategy. For civil rights documentary, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide.