Submissions are closed. Are you ready for this year’s screenings?
2026 FESTIVAL
September 11th-13th
Celebrate all WEEKEND long!
Kick off with a short film and a networking event filled with other filmmakers!
Join us for a fun evening of mingling with other filmmakers and creative minds.
Schedule
7:15 PM Mall Video Store
7:45 PM Q&A with Documentary Directors
OPENING NIGHT | FREE
FRIDAY September 11th, 6:30pm - 9pm
Location : Muse
SCREENINGS and AWARDS
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12th, 1pm - 9pm
Watch the big screen all day! Catch a dazzling array of films at the gorgeous Grand Rapids African American Museum & Archives (GRAMMA). Dive into a cinematic adventure – doors open at 1pm!
Afterwards, join us for our Awards Ceremony. Winners for Best Film, Short Film, Music Video, Commercial and 1-Minute Micro Film will be announced!
Location: GRAMMA
Schedule - Room 1
01:00 PMFunkateer Dance: Past, Present, Future (Dir. Ronald Ford)
02:30 PMPainted Faces (Dir. Ryan Hill)
04:30 PM Q&A (Info TBA)
05:00 PMByeeee (Dir. Chell Stephen)
07:00 PM Shouldering Sanctuary: Chicago’s 2025 Battle With ICE (Dir. Ben Kolak)
08:15 PM GRFF Awards
Schedule - Room 2
1:30 PMShorts Block: Las Cosas Que Brillan, In Love & Struggle, Rosemary, Intertwined, Don in the Fast Lane
3:00 PMShorts Block: Loco, Life After a Lifetime and Endless Rebirths, Still Life, Reverence: Reclaiming the Forgotten, Justice for Katherine Gomez
5:00 PM 24hr Microfilm Challenge - Live Screening and Judging
6:15 PM Shorts Block: Nuisance, Pictures of Us, Silent Night, Dark Side of the Track, Ca$h Cow$, Final Frame
* Submitting filmmakers get 2 free weekend passes, 50% off additional passes
Upcoming Workshops
Creative Marketing
Saturday, 3:30 - 4:30pm
Location: Grand Rapids African American Museum
Join our board president, Amanda Morton, and learn about the pros and cons of standard marketing techniques before diving into out of the box indy methods.
SCREENINGS
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 13th 10am - 6pm
GRFF is taking over Celebration’s Studio Park once again. Experience our next wave of breathtaking films at this premier central hub. Grab a seat in their state-of-the-art indoor theaters or cozy up on the piazza for our outdoor screenings
Screenings at Celebration Theatre
Filmmakers Q&A’s at TBA
Schedule - Indoors
10:00 AM Reel Conversations (Dir. Ryan Simmons)
11:15 AMShorts Block: Serenity, Downbeat, Rewired: Identity in the Age of Mass Distraction, Last Kill, The Crumbs, Bad Date, Made of Meat
1:00 PMThis is George & Monty (Dir. John Schwert)
2:45 PMShorts Block: I Wanted To Hear Your Voice, Patty's Last Resort, Backstabbers, Nowhere Good, Joker of Freetown, Party Foul, Too Perfect
04:30 PMInfernus (Dir. Vincent Vente)
Schedule - Piazza
10:00 AMShorts Block: Heavy Lids, Can This Be Reel, Final Press, A Recipe For Disaster, Dagger, Graveyard Gremlins
11:00 AMHawk Watch (Dir. Alicia Wszelaki, Matthew Nothelfer)
11:45 AM Post Screening Grand Rapids Audubon Q&A with biologist Daniel Goldberg, local hawk watch expert Josh Haas, and Hawk Watch filmmaker Matt Nothelfer.
12:30 PMShorts Block: GodCocteauTheory, Zastava Bros, Life of a Human Firecracker
1:30 PMBehind the Beard: Making Santa Real (Dir. Brandon Rice)
3:00 PM Shorts and Music Videos Block: Shorts: Humanity (1984/2026), Me My Dad and the Thing in the Shed, Max Q, Drive Through Smoke: A Night with John Popper, Bridge Swim: Conquering the Mackinac Straits, Talking Days Music Videos: Emma's Addiction, Change, Digging My Own Grave, Athena
SATURDAY September 5th, 2026
24 HR FILM CHALLENGE - Win CASH!
Calling all aspiring Spielbergs! Think you can write, shoot, edit, and submit a mini-masterpiece in just 24 hours? Join the Grand Rapids Film Festival's fourth 24-Hour Micro Film Challenge. Grab your team (it's allowed!), unleash your creativity, and race the clock. Films screening Saturday at GRAMMA.
Start time: 10am
Location: 3113 Hillcroft SW OR your email
Details: Event open to any participants. You will be emailed instructions of 3 items to include in your 1 minute film. Groups are also able to receive instructions at the location above. Micro films will be live judges at our festival on the 12th! Filmmakers will receive 2 free passes to event.
Register now for $40 or $50 at the door.
We’ll See you There!
Ready to Submit your film, short, music video or commercial?
Sponsored By: It could be YOU!
