The Ann Arbor Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Ann Arbor in the U.S. state of Michigan. The festival accepts entries in most film and video formats from all over the world and it has become one of the premiere film festivals for independent and, primarily, experimental filmmakers to showcase their work. It is the oldest continually operated experimental film festival in North America. Held every year in the month of March, the film festival screens over 100 films in six days.
History
The Ann Arbor Film Festival was started in 1963 by University of Michigan student George Manupelli . Manupelli originally only screened films in the 16mm format, and thus the festival was called the 16mm Film Festival. The festival gained prominence quickly as it was one of the only outlets for experimental filmmakers to screen their work. The festival began accepting entries in the 35mm format and moved from a smaller theater on the University of Michigan campus to the Michigan Theater, an historic Ann Arbor landmark with a seating capacity of 1700. In 1980 the festival changed its name to the Ann Arbor Film Festival after becoming independent from the University of Michigan. In 2003 the festival began accepting entries in digital formats, thus opening up the festival to a new generation of filmmakers.
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