The 9th Annual Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival Rolls Out August 23-27, 2023!

Greetings from Middlebury! Planning for MNFF9 is well underway. Films are being screened, Honorees and special guests are being lined up and panels and special events are being arranged. We look forward to seeing a new group of first and second time filmmakers in Middlebury who will enliven our Festival, along with the splendid Honorees and special guests who truly enjoy our beautiful corner of the world in late summer. So, mark your calendars for August 23-27 and get ready to attend what will be a most memorable event!

What We Do and Why We Do It

The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival is all about showcasing the outstanding work of first and second time filmmakers. It’s our sole focus and it’s what we do with great enthusiasm and care. The event takes place in scenic Middlebury, Vermont in late August each year. Our 9th Annual Fest will roll out August 23-27, 2023.

Over its first eight years, MNFF has been incredibly fortunate to attract a diverse array of passionate new filmmakers from around the world working across all genres who are creating outstanding work. We seek out compelling and memorable stories about underrepresented communities. We encourage risk taking and boundary breaking in the films that we select. We have created innovative Prizes as well as inspiring partnerships with prestigious organizations like the Vermont Symphony Orchestra and the Bali International Film Festival, all done to give our filmmakers truly distinctive opportunities to advance their craft and careers. And, at the heart of it all, MNFF offers a joyous festival environment that is genuinely and deeply supportive of the emerging new voices in independent filmmaking.

COVID Health and Safety Protocol

Given current developments and advances in the treatment of COVID, MNFF9 will NOT be requiring attendees to show proof of vaccination. Regarding the wearing of masks at film screenings, we will be complying with the policies at our venues, which currently have mask wearing as an optional choice. However, MNFF continues to encourage the wearing of masks to promote a safer environment in our indoor screening venues.

Passes & Tickets

Festival Passes

MNFF9 Festival Passes will be available beginning May 1. Fest Passes are $115 through July 31 and $125 starting August 1. Fest Passes are available 24/7 online at townhalltheater.org or in person at the Town Hall Theater box office Mon-Fri, 12-5pm or by calling (802) 382-9222. Fest Pass sales will close on August 27.

Day Passes

MNFF9 Day Passes will be available for each day of the Festival at varying prices: $40 for a Wednesday and/or Sunday Day Pass and for $45 for a Thursday, Friday or Saturday Day Pass. Day Passes will be available through the Town Hall Theater box office beginning June 1.

Student Passes

MNFF9 Student Fest Passes [for enrolled high school or college students] can be purchased in person only at Town Hall Theater for $50 with the presentation of a valid student ID beginning August 1. MNFF9 Student Day Passes can be purchased in person only at Town Hall Theater for $25 with the presentation of a valid student ID, also beginning August 1.

Opening Night Tickets

Tickets to the MNFF9 Opening Night Film and AfterParty [at Swift House Inn] are $60 and will be available June 1 online at townhalltheater.org or in person at the Town Hall Theater box office Mon-Fri, 12-5pm or by calling (802) 382-9222. Please be aware of two things: first, these tickets are in very limited supply and, second, a Festival Pass IS NOT a ticket to the Opening Night film and AfterParty. Once Opening Night Tickets are gone, Town Hall Theater will create a Waiting List in the event of last minute availability.

Individual Advance Tickets

Individual advance tickets [$17 each] for MNFF9 feature films will be available beginning August 9 at 12n EDT only on the MNFF website. When you arrive on the ticket buying platform, hosted by FilmFreeway, all the MNFF9 feature films [listed alphabetically] will have tickets available for purchase, with the exception of our Opening Night film. The number of tickets available for each feature film depends on the size of the screening venue and the remaining number of tickets available is always visible to you on the platform. A maximum of 4 tickets can be purchased with each transaction.

Walk Up Tickets

Individual tickets can be purchased on a “walk up” basis at each MNFF venue for any block of films playing at that venue for $14.00. There is no priority seating for walk up ticket holders. Should the venue sell out its seating for that block of films before walk up ticket holders are admitted, the ticket may be used at any other venue to see any other block of films.

MNFF9 Films & Screening Schedule

Festival Program Online August 1!

All the MNFF9 films will be available for perusal on a handy Films A-Z page on the MNFF website that can be sorted by Feature, Short, Documentary and Narrative. Trailers, when provided by filmmakers, are there as well, accompanying each film’s individual page. We anticipate that this highly informative page will be published around August 1.

The entire Festival screening schedule is easy to navigate. Just click on the arrows next to each day’s various time blocks and see what films are being screened at what venue or what special events and parties are going on. Feel free to click all the arrows to allow the entire schedule to stay open while you scroll up and down. We anticipate that this highly informative page will be published around August 1, as well.

Screening Venues

We will be showing more than 125 films on 6 screens at MNFF9, a diverse array of features and shorts across all genres, as selected by MNFF Artistic Director Jay Craven, with screenings at Town Hall Theater, the Marquis Theatre, the beautifully refurbished Dana Auditorium and Twilight Hall [both on the campus of Middlebury College]. Additionally, MNFF9 will offer nightly screenings outdoors Thursday-Saturday under the tent at Swift House Inn, a well received innovation that returns by popular demand.  And, after a three year absence, the MNFF Late Night screening returns to the Marquis Theatre on Festival Friday.