ABOUT STILLFEST
STILLFEST is an independent film festival created by filmmakers, for filmmakers.
2026 marks our inaugural year, with our first festival taking place at an intimate venue in Albuquerque, New Mexico. But Albuquerque is only the beginning. Our vision is for STILLFEST to move between cities, bringing each festival to a different location and creating new opportunities to connect filmmakers, performers, and audiences along the way.
Throughout the remainder of 2026, official selections and placements will be announced as the festival progresses, culminating in the announcement of our inaugural STILLFEST winners in December.
Submissions are accepted exclusively through FilmFreeway at www.filmfreeway.com/stillfest.
Our team is made up of active actors, writers, directors, cinematographers, and producers, each bringing their own unique experience and perspective to the festival. Based across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, our team reflects an international industry and a shared passion for discovering and supporting exceptional talent.
That is part of what makes STILLFEST different.
We understand this industry because we are actively working within it. We know what it means to create, audition, write, direct, produce, finance, submit, wait, and hope that someone on the other side is genuinely paying attention.
We are.
And while awards matter, STILLFEST is about more than simply naming winners. Throughout each year, we actively highlight and showcase filmmakers, actors, and creatives whose work stands out to us, whether they ultimately take home an award or not. Great work deserves recognition.
We welcome those taking their first steps into the industry just as enthusiastically as seasoned professionals with years of experience behind them. Talent can emerge at any stage of a career, and we believe it should be recognized when it does.
More Than an Award
Our prizes are designed to offer more than a title or laurel.
Selected winners may receive opportunities including industry workshops, one-to-one meetings, and introductions or pitches to members of our professional network where we believe there could be a genuine fit.
Our Best Actor and Best Actress winners will each receive an all-expenses-paid professionally produced scene, created specifically to showcase their talent. The scene will be written, filmed, and edited in Los Angeles by Relentless Filmworks, providing each winning performer with a professionally produced piece of material they can use to further showcase their work.
As STILLFEST grows, so will the opportunities we aim to create for the filmmakers and performers who stand out to us.
Like everyone working in this industry, we continue to build relationships, create opportunities, and open doors for ourselves. But our philosophy is simple: when we find a door worth opening, we don't believe in closing it behind us. If we discover people whose talent and work we genuinely believe in, we want to do what we can to help pull them through too.
STILLFEST exists to celebrate bold storytelling, memorable performances, exceptional filmmaking, and the people responsible for bringing those stories to life.
Your film. Your moment. STILLFEST.
