Since 1963, the Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) has introduced audiences to avant-garde and experimental films seen in few other theaters around the country. This year, the 60th festival—March 22-27, 2022—showcases 145 films selected from more than 2,900 submissions and more than 90 countries.
This year’s festival offers both in-person and online programming. In-person offerings include short and feature films in competition along with jurors’ programs, panels and discussions, art installations, and a series of special programs that take a look at the history of experimental film and the AAFF. These programs include historic looks at the festival’s annual Out Night program, women experimental filmmakers, and films created by former interns of the Ann Arbor Film Festival.
Online offerings will include nearly all the shorts and features in competition, the jurors’ programs, and a virtual filmmaker forum, along with prerecorded filmmaker interviews. This online content will be available through March 31.
The oldest festival of its kind in North America, AAFF presented the early works of several now-familiar filmmakers: George Lucas, Brian De Palma, Gus Van Sant, and Andy Warhol, to name just a few. Limited during its first 40 years to works finished on 16 mm, the festival has since expanded its formats. It also serves as one of only a few Academy Award-qualifying festivals in the United States. A pioneer of the traveling film festival tour, the touring programs visit more than 35 theaters, universities, museums, and micro-cinemas around the world.
