Festival Passes on Sale for FILM FEST KNOX

KNOXVILLE, TN (August 5, 2025) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – The third annual international FILM FEST KNOX will be held at the Regal Rivera in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, November 6–9, 2025. Festival passes for the 2025 festival go on sale Monday, August 11. Festival passes are $100 per person and will be available for purchase online at FILMFESTKNOX.com. VIP festival passes will also go on sale, for $275 per person.

Additional programming and ticketing options will be announced closer to the festival.

Full festival passholders will be able to attend the entirety of the festival with the exception of VIP events and access to the VIP Hospitality Tent. VIP passholders will be able to attend the entirety of the festival, including the VIP Party, VIP Cocktail Party, and access to the VIP Hospitality Tent.

VIP Hospitality Tent *new for 2025* – VIP Passholders are welcome to enjoy the new Hospitality Tent throughout the weekend, located on Gay Street in front of the Regal Riviera. This elevated space will allow VIP Passholders to mix and mingle and relax in between film screenings.

VIP Opening Cocktail Party – VIP Passholders are welcome to join us for an intimate evening at The Vault, a below-the-surface cocktail lounge reminiscent of old Hollywood on November 6.

VIP Opening Night Party – VIP Passholders are welcome to join us for a night of celebration and networking at the Five Thirty Lounge atop the Hyatt Place hotel on November 7.

The festival includes narrative and documentary short and feature film screenings in various blocks (including the American Regional Cinema Competition and the Made in Tennessee Competition), the Live Pitch on Thursday evening, all films in the Elev8or Pitch Screening, and all panels with industry professionals. FILM FEST KNOX is a producer-centric festival, acknowledging the invaluable contributions of film’s creative producers, often overlooked yet vital to the success of a project. All Passholders will experience an intimate festival environment with guest filmmakers in attendance.

The highly anticipated American Regional Cinema Competition is a major highlight of the festival, hosted in collaboration with Regal. This unique showcase sheds light on exceptional works produced outside the traditional production centers of Los Angeles and New York. The winner of this competition will be awarded an Oscar-qualifying run by Regal. In addition to the American Regional Cinema Competition, FILM FEST KNOX will feature a Made in Tennessee Competition for shorts and feature films produced in the Volunteer State.

Another major component of the festival is the Elev8or Pitch, a pitch competition to provide further opportunities to filmmakers in East Tennessee and beyond. The Visit Knoxville Film Office hosted the Elev8or Pitch Kick Off Party at Scruffy City Hall on July 17, where teams in attendance learned rules and regulations for this competition. Teams have until October 10 to produce an 8-minute proof-of-concept short film along with a 1-minute elevator pitch to illustrate their vision for a full-length feature film. The top eight teams will be able to pitch live in front of a panel of industry judges and audience on the opening night of the festival, Thursday, November 6.

A “How to Fest” event before the festival will be held at The Square Room at 6 PM on Tuesday, October 21. This event is free and open to the public and will educate attendees on the 2025 FILM FEST KNOX program, how to use the festival’s ticketing app, and the top eight teams for the Elev8or Pitch will also be announced. Complimentary light hors d’oeuvres and cash bar available.

More details on FILM FEST KNOX will be provided throughout 2025 at FILMFESTKNOX.com

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Media – See Video Here

ABOUT REGAL
Regal operates one of the largest and most geographically diverse theatre circuits in the United States, consisting of 5,565 screens in 409 theatres in 41 states along with the District of Columbia and Guam as of April 30, 2025. Regal is focused on delivering the best moviegoing experience by providing our guests with the largest selection of premium large formats (including 4DX, IMAX, RPX, and ScreenX), the only unlimited subscription program, and enhanced food and beverage offerings to make every visit to the theatre a truly memorable experience. Additional information is available online at REGmovies.com.

ABOUT THE PUBLIC CINEMA
The Public Cinema was created to share vital works of contemporary international and American cinema—works that might otherwise be unseen or overlooked by Knoxville audiences. Most of the films screened are discoveries from the festival circuit; many are Tennessee or regional premieres. Whatever is screened, the only agenda is to create a space for cinema as an art form and to promote discussion among discerning moviegoers.

ABOUT THE VISIT KNOXVILLE FILM OFFICE
The Visit Knoxville Film Office serves to strengthen Knoxville’s economy through the promotion of the city as a premiere filming location. By attracting motion media companies to Knoxville through the marketing of its locations, accommodations, services, crew, and talent, the Film Office fosters the creation of jobs in the area, stimulates business opportunities, and generates exposure. Knoxville has five times been named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker. For more information visit filmknoxvilletn.com and follow on Facebook.

Kristen Combs
Director of Communications
Visit Knoxville
865.342.9127 o
865.306.4341 c
kcombs@knoxville.org