The Boca Raton Public Library is starting a film festival, its first ever, and it wants Florida's own filmmakers on the screen. The one-day festival is set for Saturday, February 6, 2027, and short film submissions are open now through December 1.

A festival built for Florida storytellers

Many film festivals chase premieres and red carpets. The library's version is aimed squarely at the people making movies here: Florida student filmmakers, university film programs and independent directors working on shoestring budgets. The Boca Raton Public Library Film Festival puts a particular emphasis on Florida independent films and emerging voices, and one of its showcase categories is called Florida Identity, for stories that could only have come from this state.

The festival is sponsored by the Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library. The library frames the event as part of its everyday mission: helping the community discover, connect and create. Here that means giving local filmmakers a real audience, and giving that audience a closer look at how films get made.

A former Disney animator headlines

The keynote speaker is Professor JoAnne Adams, a former Disney animator turned filmmaker and educator. She will talk about what she learned in the industry and about visual literacy: how to watch a film closely, how to think about what a director is doing with each frame, and how to critique what you see. For anyone who has ever walked out of a movie unable to explain why it worked, that alone is worth the trip.

Selected filmmakers will also take part in question and answer sessions focused on craft and process, plus peer networking with other Florida filmmakers.

What they are looking for

The festival is accepting short films of 3 to 15 minutes in any genre, with standout categories that include:

  • Florida Identity
  • Student films, for Florida university filmmakers and filmmakers 18 and older
  • Animation, including 2D, 3D and stop motion
  • Experimental, drama, documentary, comedy and horror

Filmmakers must be at least 17. Each filmmaker can submit up to three films, and the programming team may move a film into a better-fitting category without a second submission. Premiere status is not required. Foreign-language films and films with strong dialect need English subtitles.

The library has also drawn a clear line on artificial intelligence. Films made primarily with AI-generated content, without meaningful human direction, storytelling and authorship, are not eligible, and filmmakers are asked to disclose any significant AI use. The festival describes itself as a celebration of human creativity, and it means it.

The calendar

  • Submissions opened: September 15, 2026
  • Final deadline: December 1, 2026
  • Selected filmmakers notified: on or before January 3, 2027
  • Final materials due: January 20, 2027
  • Festival day: Saturday, February 6, 2027

Films are submitted through FilmFreeway, either as a working screening link or as a .mov or .mp4 file, along with a high-resolution still or poster, a director bio and photo, and a short synopsis. Organizers strongly encourage a cover letter; they want to know the person behind the film. Selected filmmakers receive a filmmaker pass, refreshments and access to every screening and networking session.

The awards are what make this a community event rather than an industry one. The People's Choice Awards in each genre will be decided by cumulative audience votes, so the people in the seats choose the standouts. Selected films and winners also receive festival laurels to use on their posters and reels.

Why it matters for Boca

A library hosting a film festival is a small shift with a big signal: the building is not just where you borrow things, it is where local work gets made and seen. If you are a filmmaker, or you know a student sitting on a finished short, December 1 is the date to circle. If you just love movies, mark February 6 and plan to vote. The library is easy to reach off I-95 and the Turnpike, by Brightline, or on the city's BocaConnect shuttle. Questions go to festival co-organizer Brendan Jordan at (561) 367-7021.