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2026 New Next Film Festival Submissions Now Open-Deadline May 25th

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Submissions are now open for the 2026 New Next Film Festival, a four-day celebration of bold, original cinema held October 1–4, 2026 at Baltimore’s historic Charles Theatre. Produced by Baltimore Public Media and curated by Eric Allen Hatch, former Director of Programming for the Maryland Film Festival from 2007–2018, New Next continues its commitment to championing innovative voices across all genres.

New Next Film Festival prioritizes discovery, curation, and the communal experience of film. Selected films will screen as Maryland premieres, and the festival encourages submissions from filmmakers pushing creative boundaries in both feature-length and short-form work.

In addition to its annual festival, New Next has built a publicly accessible home-viewing archive featuring films from past editions. Available at newnextfilmfest.com/archives, the archive includes free, full-color PDF program guides from each year and information on where past selections can be streamed or viewed today.

Submission Deadlines

  • Earlybird Deadline: April 30, 2026

  • Regular Deadline: May 25, 2026

  • Late Deadline: June 18, 2026

  • Notification Date: September 1, 2026

  • Festival Dates: October 1–4, 2026

Rules and Terms

All films selected for New Next Film Festival must be Maryland premieres. Films that have already screened in Maryland or have secured a Maryland premiere prior to the festival dates are not eligible.

Feature films selected for the festival must not be available online, including streaming, rental, or purchase, prior to the festival dates. Feature films that will be available online before the festival should not apply.

Short films will be given preference if they are not available online prior to the festival. Shorts that are or will be available online may still submit, but availability should be clearly noted in the submission materials and will be considered during the programming process.

All genres are encouraged to submit.

Festival Alumni

New Next Film Festival is always happy to provide entry-fee waivers for filmmakers whose work has screened in prior editions. Festival alumni interested in submitting new work should contact their New Next programming contact directly to request a FilmFreeway fee waiver before submitting.

Submissions are accepted via FilmFreeway.
Submit your film here: https://filmfreeway.com/NewNextFilmFestival

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