Skip to content
Presented by Visit Knoxville and Regal

Submissions for the 2026 American Regional Cinema and Made in Tennessee competitions are now open.

A Sense of Place …

“As smaller festivals feel the squeeze from clout-chasing funders and boards, the decline of local journalism, and the numbing allure of algorithmically surfaced streaming content, the question becomes whether there’s still much will, domestically, to maintain the kind of infrastructure from which the next The Damned or Eephus, or the next Wanda or Northern Lights, might emerge—or through which it might connect with an audience eager to see their own quirks and concerns reflected on screen. Film Fest Knox is one attempt to answer in the affirmative; let’s hope there are more where that came from.” — Film Comment

The Latest

Collage of photos from the films in our monthly series

Announcing Free Film Screening Series at Regal Riviera

April 17, 2026

Six films from four countries, including restorations of two American classics.

MUBI: New American Portraiture

December 18, 2025

"It seems right that Knoxville would be the site of a renewed focus on a regional, independent American cinema."

Filmmaker: 96 Hours in Knoxville

December 4, 2025

"It’s one thing to admire a mission statement, another thing entirely for a festival to introduce me to two filmmakers I didn’t previously know and push me to seek out more of their work on my own time."

Photo of the winning teams from MOUSE and BORN SECRET

Film Fest Knox Wraps Year 3; Winners Revealed

December 4, 2025

Awards were given in the American Regional Cinema Competition, the Made in Tennessee Competition, and the Elev8or Pitch competition.

In Review Online: FILM FEST KNOX 2025

November 12, 2025

"Such spaces are an invaluable contrast to our increasingly homebound viewing habits, even more for the community and critical discussion than for the bigger screens."

Back To Top