Overview
The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival (MNFF) is a five-day festival held each August in Middlebury, Vermont. The 12th annual edition runs August 26 to 30, 2026. MNFF programs exclusively first and second-time directors across narrative features, documentary features, narrative shorts, and documentary shorts. No filmmaker with three or more prior films in a given format is eligible to submit in that format. This restriction is structural, not promotional: every film in the program is from a filmmaker at the earliest stage of their career.
MNFF receives approximately 500 to 600 submissions per year and screens roughly 125 films across five venues in Middlebury, including the Town Hall Theater, the Marquis Theater, and Dana Auditorium at Middlebury College. For MNFF9, 510 submissions came in and 125 films were screened, with 36 features selected from 141 feature submissions and approximately 15% of 369 short film submissions making the cut. MNFF10 set a record with 585 submissions.
The festival awards more than $15,000 in cash prizes across juried and sponsored categories. It is not Academy Award-qualifying and is not FIAPF-accredited. FilmFreeway has consistently named MNFF a Top 100 Best Reviewed Festival, and MovieMaker Magazine named it a 2025 Coolest Film Festival. The festival also operates the MNFF Selects Series, a year-round film series in Middlebury, and the Vermont Tour, which brings selected features to venues around the state with screening fees paid to filmmakers.
Submission Details
MNFF accepts submissions exclusively through FilmFreeway. The submission window opens the first week of January and closes in late May. All filmmakers are notified by late June prior to the August festival. For MNFF12, the notification date is June 21, 2026.
Eligibility rules:
- Only first or second features or first or second shorts are accepted. A filmmaker with two or more features may still submit a first or second short, and vice versa.
- Films must be completed no more than two years prior to the festival dates. For MNFF12, films must be completed after August 2024.
- Works-in-progress are not accepted.
- Films must be in English or in the original language with English subtitles.
- MNFF does not require a festival premiere but prioritizes films expecting a Vermont or New England debut.
- Films already in widespread commercial distribution (television broadcast, subscription streaming, transactional or ad-supported streaming, or wide theatrical release) are not eligible. Films with distribution deals signed prior to the festival but not in effect until after are eligible.
- Multiple submissions from the same filmmaker are allowed, but each entry requires a separate entry fee.
- Entry fees are payable via FilmFreeway and are non-refundable.
Submission fees: Specific fee amounts vary by deadline tier (Early, Regular, Late). Check the FilmFreeway listing for current pricing. Fees are modest, consistent with the festival's nonprofit structure. The submission fee funds the festival's screening committee, which consists of eight paid screeners who review all submissions.
Competition Categories
- Narrative Feature - first or second narrative features
- Documentary Feature - first or second documentary features
- Narrative Short - first or second narrative shorts
- Documentary Short - first or second documentary shorts
- Student Short - shorts created by enrolled undergraduate or graduate students
Awards and Prizes
MNFF awards juried prizes and more than 15 sponsored cash prizes. Juried winners receive the VTeddy, a custom tuxedo-clad teddy bear. The 2026 prize structure:
Juried Awards (VTeddy):
- Best Narrative Feature
- Best Narrative Short
- Best Documentary Feature
- Best Documentary Short
- Audience Award - Feature
- Audience Award - Short
Sponsored Cash Prizes:
- Hernandez/Bayliss Prize - feature film that best captures the triumph of the human spirit. $1,000
- Clio Visualizing History Prize - woman filmmaker whose feature portrays a person or events of historical significance. $1,000
- Gaia Prize for Environmental Filmmaking - feature film with exceptional insights into environmental issues. $1,000
- Cadwell Family Prize for Best Vermont-Made Film - Vermont-based filmmaker, short or feature. $1,000
- Kate Hearst Prize - feature or short about human connectivity. $1,000
- Gamble-Paison Prize for Best International Feature - first or second-time international director. $1,000
- Swift House Prize for Best Depiction of the Arts - feature or short portraying artistic creation. $1,000
- Jeanine Basinger Prize for Best Student Film - short by an enrolled student. $1,000
- Thaddeus Stevens Prize for Social Engagement - film honoring the Vermonter who helped abolish slavery. $1,000
- PhotoPlace Gallery Prize for Poetic Cinema - recognizing poetic documentary tradition. $1,000
- AICEF Prize for Cross-Cultural Filmmaking - American filmmaker examining cross-cultural themes. $3,000 plus an all-expenses-paid round trip to screen the film in Indonesia
The awards ceremony is held on Closing Night and is free and open to all. MNFF also offers screening fees to a select group of feature filmmakers whose work is presented as part of the Vermont Tour, which brings films to venues around the state.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Exclusive first and second-time focus: MNFF is one of the only US festivals that structurally restricts its entire program to first and second-time directors. Your film competes against peers at the same career stage, not against established filmmakers. If you have made three shorts but are submitting your first feature, you are eligible.
No premiere requirement but prioritized debuts: MNFF does not require a festival premiere, but prioritizes films expecting a Vermont or New England debut.
Distribution restriction: Films already available on streaming platforms, television, or in wide theatrical release cannot be programmed. If you have a distribution deal that has not yet taken effect, you remain eligible.
Cash prizes and career support: With more than $15,000 in cash prizes, MNFF offers more financial support than most regional festivals of its size. The AICEF Prize includes a $3,000 award plus an all-expenses-paid trip to screen in Indonesia. The Vermont Tour provides screening fees to selected feature filmmakers.
Venue and audience: Screenings take place across five venues in Middlebury, a town of approximately 9,000 residents home to Middlebury College. The festival welcomes over 70 attending filmmakers each year, creating a concentrated environment for peer networking among early-career directors.
Ticket structure: For 2026, MNFF offers Ticket Bundles instead of Day Passes. Filmmakers can purchase 10-ticket or 5-ticket bundles usable across any festival day.
Festival History
MNFF was founded in 2015 by Artistic Director Jay Craven, a Vermont-based filmmaker and professor, with the specific mission of programming only first and second-time directors. The festival has grown from a small regional event into one of the most focused platforms for emerging filmmakers in the United States, screening approximately 90 to 125 films per edition. Submission volume has grown from 510 for MNFF9 to a record 585 for MNFF10. MNFF also operates the MNFF Selects Series, a year-round film series in Middlebury, and the Vermont Tour, which brings selected features to venues across the state with screening fees paid to filmmakers.
Past Winners
MNFF11 (2025) awarded DJ Ahmet (dir. Georgi M. Unkovski) the Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature. Natchez (dir. Suzannah Herbert) won Best Documentary Feature. Mr. Nobody Against Putin took the Audience Award for Best Feature.
MNFF10 (2024) awarded Los Frikis (dirs. Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson) Best Narrative Feature. Porcelain War (dirs. Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev) won Best Documentary Feature and the Gamble-Paison Prize for Best International Feature.
Notable Alumni Films
Los Frikis (MNFF10 Best Narrative Feature) premiered at Miami International Film Festival in April 2024. Wayward/Range Releasing distributed the film theatrically on December 25, 2024. Box office reached $164,748. The film became available on digital platforms in March 2025.
Porcelain War (MNFF10 Best Documentary Feature) won the 2024 Sundance Grand Jury Prize. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 2025 Oscars. Picturehouse distributed the film, which collected 48 wins and 32 nominations total.
Natchez (MNFF11 Best Documentary Feature) won Best Documentary at Tribeca 2025. Oscilloscope Laboratories released the film at Film Forum in New York City on January 30, 2026. PBS Independent Lens broadcast the film in Spring 2026.
Submission Tips
- Only first or second-time directors qualify - a filmmaker with 3 or more prior films in a format cannot submit in that format
- Films must be completed no more than 2 years before the festival dates
- Films already in widespread commercial distribution (streaming, television, wide theatrical) are not eligible
- MNFF prioritizes films expecting a Vermont or New England debut
- Submit early - the festival receives 500 to 600 submissions for approximately 125 slots
- Works-in-progress are not accepted
- Multiple submissions are allowed, but each requires a separate entry fee
Industry Reputation Notes
FilmFreeway named MNFF a Top 100 Best Reviewed Festival based on filmmaker feedback. MovieMaker Magazine named it a 2025 Coolest Film Festival. MNFF does not host a film market or industry accreditation program.
Compared to the Woodstock Film Festival, which also programs emerging filmmakers, MNFF is more structurally restrictive with its first and second-time director rule. Compared to IFFBoston, MNFF is smaller but offers more cash prizes, distributing over $15,000 annually. The AICEF Prize adds a $3,000 award plus an all-expenses-paid trip to screen in Indonesia.
The festival's value lies in audience engagement, peer networking, cash prizes, and the Vermont Tour extension.
See Also
Calculate your total festival submission costs and projected return using the Festival ROI Calculator. Estimate your acceptance probability with the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator. For festival circuit strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. For independent filmmaking approaches, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies. Submit through the MNFF FilmFreeway page.
