Appalachian Film Festival

Overview

The Appalachian Film Festival (AFF) is a three-day festival held at the Foundry Theater in Huntington, West Virginia. The 2026 edition runs March 20 to 22, 2026, at the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium inside Huntington City Hall, 800 5th Ave, Huntington, WV 25701. The festival is timed to coincide with the Appalachian Studies Association Conference held at Marshall University, so attendees can experience both events. The Foundry Theater is a short walk or drive from Marshall University's campus.

AFF programs exclusively films that reflect and celebrate the Appalachian region. Filmmakers or projects must be from the contiguous counties that comprise Appalachia. The festival accepts submissions in four categories: music videos, shorts (40 minutes or less), features (over 40 minutes), and student films. In 2025, 26 films were selected from a broader pool of submissions for screening on the main day.

The festival is not Academy Award-qualifying and is not FIAPF-accredited. Its value proposition is regional identity and community: AFF is a "for us, by us" festival that prioritizes authentic Appalachian voices and challenges stereotyping of the region in media.

Submission Details

AFF accepts submissions through FilmFreeway. The 2026 submission deadline is January 26, 2026.

Submission fees:

• Student films - Free. Students must provide proof of enrollment. Students may also enter non-student categories for a fee if they want to compete against non-student filmmakers.
• All other categories - $25 per entry

Submission requirements:

• Submissions must include contact details, a short film description, cast and crew information, a poster or thumbnail, and an explanation of the film's or crew's Appalachian connection.
• The Appalachian connection explanation should address the region's geography, lifestyle, and subculture.
• Previous festival entries are ineligible.
• Categories: Music Videos, Shorts (40 min. or less), Features (41 min. or more), Student Films

Selection process: A prescreening committee composed of university students, artists, and community activists reviews all entries. The committee evaluates films based on storytelling, cinematography, overall filmmaking quality, and the strength of the personal or regional Appalachian connection. Due to the volume of submissions, not all films are screened. Official selections are chosen for their alignment with these criteria and presented during the festival weekend.

2026 Festival Schedule

The 2026 festival runs across three days:

• Friday, March 20 - Kickoff Night: film screening, party, and trivia. Screenings begin the evening of March 20.
• Saturday, March 21 - Full day of film screenings from 9:30 AM to approximately 8:30 PM, featuring official selections across all categories. Local vendors and artists set up at City Hall throughout the day.
• Sunday, March 22 - Professional development session, panel and Q&A with author Ed Ashton, plus a special screening. The day focuses on learning, collaboration, and community.

Weekend passes are available that provide entry to all three days including film screenings, special events, and professional development programming.

Awards

AFF presents 13 awards known as "APPYs." Each APPY is a handcrafted blown glass apple created by Blenko Glass, a glass factory that has operated in West Virginia for over 100 years. Awards are given at the end of the evening on Saturday.

Award structure:

• First, second, and third place in each of four categories: Music Videos, Shorts, Features, Student Films (12 awards)
• Best in Fest - selected from any of the four categories (1 award)

Jurors decide placement within each category. The "Best in Fest" winner receives a Blenko Glass Appy alongside the category winners.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Appalachian connection requirement: Every submission must include an explanation of the film's or crew's Appalachian connection. This is not a loose preference. The prescreening committee evaluates the strength of this connection as one of four primary criteria. If your film has no Appalachian tie, it will not be selected regardless of quality. The festival defines Appalachia by its contiguous counties, so verify whether your location or subject matter qualifies before submitting.

Regional focus and anti-stereotyping mission: AFF exists to platform authentic Appalachian voices and challenge the exploitative filmmaking that has historically represented the region. If your film treats Appalachian culture with nuance and insider perspective, it aligns with the festival's mission. If your film is an outsider's perspective on Appalachia without meaningful collaboration with Appalachian creators, it is less likely to be selected.

Free student submissions: Students submit for free with proof of enrollment. If you are a student filmmaker with an Appalachian connection, AFF is a low-barrier entry point. Students may also pay the $25 fee to compete in non-student categories.

Blenko Glass awards: The APPY awards are handcrafted by Blenko Glass, a West Virginia institution with over 100 years of operation. The awards are unique art objects, not standard trophies. "Best in Fest" receives a Blenko Glass Appy alongside category winners.

Foundry Theater venue: The festival takes place at the Foundry Theater, located inside the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium within Huntington City Hall at 800 5th Ave. The venue is a brief walk or drive from Marshall University. The 2026 festival is timed to coincide with the Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Marshall University, creating a broader regional cultural event.

No market or industry infrastructure: AFF has no film market, no industry accreditations, and no distribution deal-making. The festival is a community and regional identity event. Its value is in connecting Appalachian filmmakers with each other and with regional audiences, not in industry exposure or acquisition opportunities.

Professional development programming: Sunday is dedicated to professional development, including a panel and Q&A with author Ed Ashton. This makes AFF unusual among small regional festivals in dedicating a full day to filmmaker education and collaboration rather than just screenings.

Festival History

AFF was established in 2003 and based in Huntington, West Virginia. The festival ran annually from 2003 to 2013, screening films such as The Last Ride (2011) and Winter's Bone (2012) during its original run. Winter's Bone (dir. Debra Granik), which went on to receive four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, was among the notable films screened during the festival's original decade.

After a ten-year dormancy from 2013 to 2023, the festival was relaunched in 2023 by the Foundry Theater under the leadership of Executive Director Rachel Allinder. The relaunch introduced a more structured submission process via FilmFreeway, with defined categories (Music Videos, Shorts, Features, Student Films), a formalized prescreening committee, and explicit criteria for Appalachian connection. The 2023 festival screened King Coal (dir. Elaine McMillion Sheldon), a documentary about Appalachia's coal culture.

The 2025 edition ran April 25 to 27 and featured a kickoff with West Virginia writer and director Daniel Boyd screening his 1990 cult classic Strangest Dreams: Invasion of the Space Preachers, followed by a full day of competition screenings and a Sunday filmmaker workshop with the West Virginia Film Guild. The 2026 edition moves to March 20 to 22 to align with the Appalachian Studies Association Conference at Marshall University.

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 AFF page on Foundry Theater's website.