Submissions Open for F&MAD Film Fest 2026

Submissions are now open for the 2026 F&MAD Film Fest! Submit via Film Freeway.

The F&MAD Film Fest is a juried screening of human-made films and media arts projects created by advanced undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Film & Media Arts at the University of Utah. The festival showcases projects developed within the department’s curriculum, including narrative, documentary, hybrid, and experimental forms of lens-based media and animation. At its core, the event celebrates artist-driven work grounded in authorship, collaboration, and filmmaking practice, highlighting projects created by emerging filmmakers as they develop their creative voices.

The festival also serves as a celebration of the creativity and dedication of students working in film and media arts at the University of Utah. Presented in a professional screening environment, the program gives filmmakers the opportunity to share their work with an audience and experience their films as part of a curated public event.

Equally important, the F&MAD Film Fest brings students into conversation with the broader film community. By welcoming filmmakers, producers, screenwriters, and media artists from the professional world, the festival encourages exchanges that extend beyond the classroom and into the realities of creative practice.

A juried selection process recognizes outstanding work while offering thoughtful feedback from industry professionals who review the selected projects. For many students, this marks the first time their work is seen and discussed by practitioners outside the academic setting, an important milestone as they begin engaging with the wider filmmaking community.