• Panavision Award for Best Cinematography in a US Feature - Megan Stacy for Balloon Animal
  • Festival Grand Prize - Nowhere Man And A Whiskey Girl
  • Best Dramatic Feature - Swamp Lion
  • Best Comedy Feature - Dealing With Dad
  • Best Indie Film - Love Gods From Planet Zero
  • Best Foreign Feature - Forbidden Womanhood
  • Best First Feature - Sweet Disaster
  • Best Documentary - Veterans Journey Home: Leaving it on the Land
  • Best Foreign Documentary - Laura's Choice
  • Best Environmental Documentary - Powerlands
  • Best Verité Documentary - One Road to Quartzsite
  • Best Short Documentary - When The Swallows Fly Away
  • Best Short Feature - Brother Troll
  • Best Dramatic Short - Burros
  • Best Foreign Short - First...
  • Best Indigenous Short - Seeds
  • Best Comedy Short - Preggers
  • Best Experimental Short - Living in a Bubble
  • Best Animation Short- fulcrum
  • Best of Arizona - 8000 Ft Up
  • Special Jury Award for Bridging Cultures - Mariposas del Campo
  • Special Jury Award for Historical Filmmaking - Tantura
  • Special Jury Award for Best Performance - Michael Ray Escamilla in Swamp Lion
  • Special Jury Award for Outstanding Cinematography - Thomas Zeller for American Wall
  • Special Jury Award for Creative Storytelling - The Tape
  • Special Jury Award for Sci-Fi Filmmaking - Fieldtrip
  • Jury Award for Creative Achievement - EVEREST: A Graphic Novel Opera
  • Jury Award for Creative Achievement - Gut Feelings
  • Jury Award for Creative Achievement - I Will Always Love You
  • Jury Award for Creative Achievement - Killing Curry

Newsflash

2023 Festival Dates Announced

The 31st Arizona International Film Festival, the oldest film celebration in Arizona, will run April 29 to April 30, 2023 at The Screening Room (downtown), the Mercado Annex (westside), the Historic Hotel Congress, and several other venues throughout Tucson. Remaining true to the independent spirit, the Arizona International Film Festival is a venue for independent filmmakers in search of an independent audience. Submissions are now open on filmfreeway.com

Welcome to the 31st Arizona International Film Festival

Staying true to its mission of showcasing independent film, the Arizona International Film Festival has exhibited over 3,200 films representing 100 countries to over 172,000 patrons in southern Arizona. And now, the 31st edition will select more exciting and innovative films from around the world for Arizona audiences.

Our Sponsors

  • Vantage West
  • Panavision
  • The American Society of Cinematographers
  • Arizona Office of Tourism
  • Independent Film Arizona
  • Pima County Attractions
  • Graduate Tucson
  • Ramada by Wyndham
  • Petroglyphs
  • Main Gate Square
  • Steve Godwin Consulting
  • Mercado District
  • Sundance Press
  • Johnny Gibsons Downtown Market
  • Hotel Congress
  • Downtown Tucson Partnership
  • Hotel Tucson City Center
  • Etherton Gallery
  • Sun Link Streetcar

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Submissions Open for 2023 Festival

The 31st Arizona International Film Festival is now accepting new and innovative independent films of all lengths in narrative, documentary, animation, and experimental categories to be part of our 2023 festival. We proudly accept entries on FilmFreeway, the world's #1 way to enter film festivals and creative contests. Earlybird deadline is January 10, 2023 and the regular deadline is January 30, 2023. You can now submit your film thru filmfreeway.com

Partner with the 31st Arizona International Film Festival

The Festival is an excellent way to advertise your company and support independent expression. We have sponsorships and advertising for every marketing budget. If you are interested in partnering with us, please email us at arizonafilmfest@yahoo.com or click here for sponsorship opportunities.

Volunteers needed for the 31st Arizona International Film Festival

Are you interested in working behind-the-scenes for the 2023 Arizona International Film Festival in Tucson? Volunteers are needed for event planning, marketing, promotions, design, production, merchandise, office work, and much more. Contact us at arizonafilmfest@yahoo.com and find out how you can be involved.

And the Winners are ...

Congratulations to Megan Stacey (Balloon Animal) for winning the Panavision Award for Best Cinematography in a US Feature. The winning cinematographer has won the use of a Panavision camera package, valued at $60,000, for their next feature production. The 2022 Awards for Best of Category Awards, Special Jury Awards and Merit Awards will be announced on May 1 at 8pm

Support INDIE FILM with a donation

Your donation will help us bring Filmmakers to Tucson for our 2023 Festival and into Arizona classrooms with our Festival in the Schools (FITS) program. Visiting Festival Filmmakers help to enrich the lives of Arizonans by bridging cultures when they share their talent, expertise, and knowledge with audiences and students. Please go to https://www.azgives.org/AZFilmFest to donate.

Panavision Award Finalists Announced

The Arizona International Film Festival and Panavision are pleased to announce the finalists for the Panavision Award for Best Cinematography in a US Feature. Bo Bilstrup (Swamp Lion), Tiffany Coleman (Love Gods from Planet Zero), Irvin Y. Liu (Dealing with Dad) and Megan Stacey (Balloon Animal). The winner will be announced during the Zoom panel “Painting with Light” on Saturday, April 30.

Read Insightful Filmmaker Interviews in our ZINE!

Check out our ZINE!  Insightful interviews with some of our award-winning festival  filmmakers.  Enjoy the interviews with the directors of Dustwun (USA), Hell of a Heartache (USA), Ondine (Poland), Jump The Fence (USA), Whores on Film (USA), My Dinner with Werner (USA), Kite (China), and the cinematographer from She's In Portland (USA).  Thanks to our Zine editor, Andy Marco, based in Shanghai, for conducting these interviews.

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