Green Bay Film Festival

Overview

The Green Bay Film Festival is northeastern Wisconsin's most important film festival. Founded in 2006 and held annually in Green Bay -- famous worldwide as the home of the Green Bay Packers, the only community-owned franchise in major American professional sports -- the festival presents independent American and international cinema to a city with a deeply community-oriented spirit.

Green Bay's identity as a mid-sized manufacturing and service city on the shores of Green Bay in Lake Michigan, with a large French-Canadian and Belgian immigrant heritage alongside its Indigenous connections to the Oneida and Menominee Nations, creates a community with broad cultural connections that the festival serves.

The community ownership model of the Packers -- where thousands of local residents own shares in the team -- reflects a broader Green Bay ethic of community investment that the film festival channels into support for independent cinema.

Key Sections

• Feature Film Program -- independent American and international features
• Wisconsin Film Showcase -- films by Wisconsin filmmakers
• Documentary Program -- nonfiction features
• Short Film Competition -- competitive short programs
• Community Screening Events -- free and accessible screenings

What Filmmakers Should Know

The festival accepts open submissions. For Wisconsin filmmakers, this is an important regional platform. The community orientation creates strong audience investment in festival programming.

Major Awards

• Audience Award -- voted by Green Bay community audiences

Festival History

Green Bay Film Festival was founded in 2006 and has operated as northeastern Wisconsin's primary film cultural event.

See Also

For Midwest festivals, see Film Festival Strategy. For independent filmmaking, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies.