The Maryland Film Festival will be held in the spring next year, as it traditionally has been, after an experimental move to the fall in 2025.
Festival organizers announced this week that the 2026 event will be held April 8 to 12. They said holding the festival in the spring will make it more accessible to filmmakers and community stakeholders and will align with the academic calendar, offering more opportunities for student engagement.
For 2025, by contrast, organizers shifted the festival to the fall. This year’s dates are Nov. 5 to 9.
“While fall initially seemed like a good fit, early spring provides more room for schools and students to participate, especially before final exams and graduation,” festival director KJ Mohr said in a statement.
“It is crucial that students can be involved in our festival, whether through our student programming, the Student Film Summit, middle school screenings, or our ticket programs,” Mohr said. “Moving to early April allows us to better work with schools throughout the year and ensures we don’t lose students at the end of their academic year. The future of community festivals like ours depends on aligning with students’ schedules.”
“The shift restores MdFF’s natural rhythm within the global independent film circuit, enabling us to better support Maryland creatives, amplify underrepresented voices, and connect diverse audiences with bold new work” said Nancy Proctor, Executive Director of the SNF Parkway Theatre and Maryland Film Festival, in a statement.
“It also reaffirms MdFF’s role as a platform for discovery and collaboration across Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic. We are the Maryland Film Festival and our mission is to champion and encourage the growth of all film activity across the region, including immersive media, multi-platform storytelling, and other festivals.”
Founded in 1999, the five-day festival is held at the Parkway, 5 West North Ave. Maryland Film Festival Day will continue to be celebrated every May 2, organizers said.
