The Kansas City Underground Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 12 March 2020      Festival end: 22 March 2020

The Kansas City Underground Film Festival is dedicated to bringing the work of independent filmmakers with unique and underappreciated visions to the people of Kansas City.

The Kansas City Underground Film Festival accepts films in every genre, on any topic, from every country worldwide. Our programming emphasizes low-budget (or no-budget) features and short films across all genres. All films are eligible regardless of completion date or premiere status.

The Kansas City Underground Film Festival is broken up into two sections; "in competition" and "for your consideration".

The films selected for the "in competition" section will be screened in pairings over a 5 day period with audience and jury awards announced on the final day. These films will include feature-length films (60+ minutes) and a shorts program (less than 60 minutes). The number of films selected will depend on scheduling and the number of qualifying submissions.

The films selected in the "for your consideration" section will be screened outside of the 5 day competition period and will not be eligible for awards. This program will include feature-length films (60+ minutes) and shorts (less than 60 minutes) that our programming committee has deemed unique or thought-provoking, but are unlikely to stand out in a festival environment. The purpose of this section is to highlight distinctive voices that are pushing boundaries and innovating the art form. "For your consideration" screenings are year-round. Scheduling is dependant on filmmakers and venue availability.

Event dates are subject to change. All submissions will be notified if changes are necessary.

Jury Award for Best Feature
Jury Award for Best Short
Audience Award for Best Feature
Audience Award for Best Short
Five Outstanding Acting Awards
Best in Filmmaking Achievement

By entering the Kansas City Underground Film Festival, you agree to follow its rules and guidelines.

• We consider films regardless of premiere status. Even if your film has premiered at another festival, it’s still eligible.
• We consider work in progress films.
• We accept films in any language, but only speak English. If your film is not in English, make sure it has English subtitles available.
• Accepted filmmakers must own rights to their film and all its components by the time of the festival.
• If accepted, all entrants are responsible for delivering the final copy of their film and other materials, such as: trailer, press stills, and press-kit, by the deadline.
• If accepted, filmmakers are encouraged to attend the festival. Unfortunately, at this time, The Kansas City Underground Film Festival does not provide room, board or travel for filmmakers.
• All accepted filmmakers will be given the opportunity to engage in an audience Q&A either digitally or in person.