Red Rock Film Festival Showcases Award-Winning Judges
Work in Progress Deadline is February 20, 2025. Other Deadlines are Outlined Below.
The Red Rock Film Festival has officially opened its call for entries, continuing its tradition of featuring industry professional judges, including Oscar and Emmy nominees and winners. Filmmakers worldwide are invited to submit their work and experience this intimate, scenic festival, known for its commitment to showcasing films with a message.
Some of last year’s judges included: Paolo Teta, an intellectual property attorney and film story writer with international experience; Marysela Zamora, Costa Rica Film Commissioner and advocate for gender-focused storytelling; Joe McClean, a filmmaker and writer who studied Shakespeare at Southern Utah University whose feature “Viral” stars Blair Underwood, and whose novel Sins of Survivors debuts in 2025; Jenniffer Margo Giron, a film distribution expert with experience at Cannes Film Festival and American Film Market; Brad Barber, an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker and SXSW Grand Jury Prize winner; Tom Van Avermaet, an Oscar-nominated filmmaker known for Death of a Shadow; Kelly Loosli, co-creator of BYU’s award-winning Animation Program and executive producer of the Oscar-nominated short “Ninety-Five Senses”, and other industry professionals.
Film submitter Elisa Manzini praised the festival, saying, “Red Rock was highly recommended by a friend who was at the festival last year. It looks like a great community of creative people, and I love the mission: films with a message, yes!”
Honoring David Lynch with a Tribute Discount – To honor legendary filmmaker David Lynch, who passed away on January 15, 2025, the Festival is offering a submission discount. Filmmakers can create a short tribute video featuring a Lynch character and reenacting a scene from his work. The video must be posted on Red Rock Film Festival’s Facebook page before April 2, 2025. Discounts are larger the sooner a filmmaker posts and are limited to two minutes or less.
Call for Entries – The festival welcomes submissions across genres, both features and shorts including animation, experimental, dramatic fiction, and documentary. Additional categories for the Utah Film Market include Trailers and Best Hook.
Submission Deadlines:
- Work in Progress, February 20, 2025
- Early Bird, March 12, 2025
- Regular, April 2, 2025
- Late, April 23, 2025
The festival runs September 24-27, 2025, at Frontier Homestead State Park in Cedar City, Utah, featuring screenings in the museum, outdoor venues, and historic buildings. In addition to screenings, attendees can participate in panels, networking opportunities, and special events designed to connect filmmakers and industry professionals.
Filmmakers can submit their entries at filmfreeway.com/RedRockFilmFestival or filmfreeway.com/UtahFilmMarket. David Lynch tribute videos should be posted www.facebook.com/RedRockFilmFestival, not submitted through FilmFreeway.
Visit RedRockFilmFestival.com for information updates.
