Our Mission Statement

The Bridgeport Film Fest is making “philanthropy through film” a priority in Bridgeport, CT. This nonprofit initiative is dedicated to the discovery, championing  and development of independent filmmakers and audiences.

Through various programming the festival seeks to showcase, guide and inspire independent film and theatre artists from the Bridgeport community and beyond. Local audiences will be enriched by the films, workshops, panels discussions and other forms of artistic expression curated by the festival team and will ensure the promotion of Downtown Bridgeport to continue to thrive as a cultural artistic center.

Furthermore, we will give five Bridgeport high school seniors majoring in the arts and/or communications a $2,000 scholarship for pursuing higher education.
​IN-PERSON TICKETS NO LONGER AVAILABLE! 
THE BRIDGEPORT FILM FESTIVAL is proud to call The Klein Memorial Auditorium our home for our inaugural year.

Thank you to everyone who attended over the course of the weekend!

VIRTUAL TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE! 
As a way to be more inclusive and accessible to guests of the BRIDGEPORT FILM FESTIVAL we are using the Film Festival Plus Platform to bring all of the indie films to your homes and streaming devices! 

Films, workshops and panels will be available from Friday July 23 through Friday July 30! CLICK HERE to take you to their official website where you can buy your festival passes!

Virtual Tickets on sale HERE!

2021 Official Winners

Grand Jury Award Winner
"On the Ride"
Directed by Jen McGowan
Written by Jeremy Glazer

Best Drama Film
"Peace"
Written and Directed by Adamako Aman

Best Comedy Film
"Break In"
Written and Directed by Alyssa Lerner

Best Horror Film
"Make A Wish"
Directed by Dinh Thai

Best Documentary Film
"Finding Elijah" 
Directed by Yolonda Johnson-Young

Best Webseries/TV
"InQueeri"
directed by Ryan Fields, Alexandra Rose, Animah

Achievement In Writing
"Exit Package"
Written by John Gray

Achievement In Directing (Narrative)
"Friend of Sophia"
Directed by Alden Peters

Achievement In Directing (Documentary)
"Finding Elijah" 
Directed by Yolonda Johnson-Young
Best Connecticut Film/Project [TIE]
"Keluarga"
Directed by Kerey Viswanathan

"Family History"
Directed by Mark J. Parker

Best Lockdown Project
"Covered"
Directed by Cherrye J. Davis

Best International Film
"A Strange Season"
Directed by Burak Oguz Saguner 

Best Female Performance (Comedy)
"The Big Nobody"
Olga Elliot

Best Female Performance (Drama) [TIE]
"Friend of Sophia"
Janine Hartman

"Growth" 
Allison Miller

Best Male Performance (Comedy)
"4/20 Escapades"
Isaiah Mueller

Best Male Performance (Drama)
"On the Ride"
Jeremy Glazer

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON SUNDAY AUGUST 1. ​

Meet Our Film Fest Jury

AJ MATTIOLI
Filmmaker, Distributor & Founder of Mattioli Productions
BOBBY YAN
Six Time Emmy Award Winning Filmmaker 
EMORY PARKER
Filmmaker & Co-Founder of
​Blue Slate Films
EUGEN BRÄUNIG
Documentarian, Producer & Co- Founder of
​ Macro Films
JEREMIAH KIPP
Writer, Director & Founder of Kipp Films
NATALIA BOUGADELLIS
Filmmaker & Co-Founder of
​Blue Slate Films
PATRICK WIMP
Writer, Director &  Founder of
Digital Hydra
ROB ALICEA
Writer, Producer & Founder of Leaving Normal Productions
ROBIN CLOUD 
Award Winning Writer & Director 
SARAH ANN MASSE
Writer, Filmmaker, Actor & Founder of Hire Survivors Hollywood
SARA NEWENS
Emmy Award Winning Editor, Filmmaker &
​Co- Founder of
Wild Pair Films
SHAUNYA THOMAS
 Producer & Founder of The Melanin Pride Film Festival

About Our Festival

Submissions for the inaugural Bridgeport Film Fest are now closed! Thank you to everyone who submitted their work with us!

We are open to anyone who wishes to enter! We strongly encourage POC and Women Filmmakers to submit. We have a goal to screen AT LEAST 50% of projects by Black, Brown and Indigenous Filmmakers. We also plan to screen AT LEAST 50% Female Filmmakers.

We are accepting short films and original content with a running time of 25 minutes or under, including: 

  • Narrative Short Films
  • Documentary Short Films
  • Webseries Episodes
  • Experimental Short Films
  • Student Short Films  
  • Connecticut Short Film (films shot in Connecticut) 
  • Music Videos
  • Super Shorts (Shorts 2 minutes and under) 
  • ​Environmental Films
  • "The Lock Down Diaries" (films made during quarantine) 
Select winners will receive:
  • Awards, Certificates and Official Laurels
  • A virtual meeting with Jason Kyle, Development Coordinator at SONY Pictures. 
  • A modest cash prize (TBA)
  • Audience Awards
  • And more to be announced! 

​
The Bridgeport Film Fest will be hybrid with both in person and virtual screenings, and take place tentatively July 23-25, 2021 at the renowned Klein Memorial Auditorium in the historic city of Bridgeport, CT. Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic we will keep everyone updated based on the Connecticut reopening regulations and guidelines! 

Over the course of the weekend we will have multiple short film screenings, filmmaker Q+A's, workshops, panel discussions, live music events, VIP gala and an awards ceremony! 

We look forward to you submitting and joining us! ​

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Tickets are Now Available!
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