Ann Arbor Film Festival

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America, established in 1963. Internationally recognized as a premiere forum for independent filmmakers and artists, each year's festival engages audiences with remarkable cinematic experiences. The six-day festival presents 40 programs with more than 180 films from over 20 countries of all lengths and genres, including experimental, animation, documentary, narrative, hybrid and performance based works (49th AAFF program line-up).

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is steeped in a rich tradition of ground-breaking cinema. Thousands of influential filmmakers have showcased early work at the AAFF, including luminaries such as Kenneth Anger, Agnes Varda, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Gus Van Sant, Barbara Hammer, Lawrence Kasdan, Les Blank, Chick Strand and George Lucas. The Ann Arbor Film Festival receives more than 2,500 submissions annually from more than 65 countries and serves as one of a handful of Academy Award®-qualifying festivals in the United States. Our awards program presents more than $20,000 in cash and film stock/services to filmmakers.

The AAFF is a pioneer of the traveling film festival tour and each year presents short film programs at more than 35 theaters, universities, museums and art house cinemas throughout the world. The festival began to distribute short films in 2008 and has produced three DVD collections with award-winning works available for home and educational viewing. The AAFF also presents and partners on events throughout the year, which have included screenings with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) and Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD).

The AAFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization sustained by the generous support of donors and members, foundations and sponsors and enthusiastic audiences. The 50th Ann Arbor Film Festival takes place March 27 - April 1, 2012.