{"id":12847,"date":"2025-09-08T19:12:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T19:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/?p=12847"},"modified":"2025-09-08T20:36:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T20:36:23","slug":"midwest-film-festivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/","title":{"rendered":"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cinema in the Midwest doesn\u2019t need the coasts\u2014just heart, grit, and a community willing to nurture talent. And thanks in part to regional film festivals, Midwesterners are making moves and movies!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are dozens of film festivals across the region amplifying the work of local filmmakers and the collaborators who bring their visions to life, from actors and directors to editors, designers, and engineers. These opportunities are especially important since the Midwest falls way behind other parts of the country when it comes to <a href=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/about\/updates\/acpsa-part-1-how-big-is-the-midwests-creative-economy\/\">jobs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/about\/updates\/acpsa-part-2-what-are-midwest-creatives-earning\/\">revenue<\/a> in the film industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve highlighted nine festivals that are sharing their love for regional cinema, dedicating all or part of their programming to Midwest-connected or -made films.<\/p>\n\n\n<div  class=\"wp-block-rich-list  col-start-2 col-span-1\">\n      <ul\n      class=\"main-col my-12 list-none\"\n    >\n              <li class=\"list-item relative ml-12 sm:ml-16 md:ml-20 lg:ml-32 mb-14\">\n          \n                                \n          \n                      <h3 class=\"font-normal text-xl leading-7 mb-1\">\n              Midwest Film Festival (Chicago, Illinois)\n            <\/h3>\n                                <div class=\"prose\">\n              <p>Billed as \u201cthe nation\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwestfilm.com\/about\">only year-round film festival<\/a> exclusively dedicated to the Midwestern filmmaker,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwestfilm.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Midwest Film Festival<\/a> hosts monthly screenings and themed events, plus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwestfilm.com\/aurora-roadshow\">roadshows<\/a> in other parts of the Midwest that bring bold, experimental Midwestern films to a new audience.<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n                  <\/li>\n              <li class=\"list-item relative ml-12 sm:ml-16 md:ml-20 lg:ml-32 mb-14\">\n          \n                                \n          \n                      <h3 class=\"font-normal text-xl leading-7 mb-1\">\n              River Bend Film Festival (Goshen, Indiana)\n            <\/h3>\n                                <div class=\"prose\">\n              <p>What happens when Midwesterners <em>love<\/em> filmmaking? They start a film festival with their friends! That\u2019s how the <a href=\"https:\/\/riverbendfilmfest.com\/about\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">River Bend Film Fest<\/a> started in 2002 in South Bend. Now hosted in a city of ~34,000 people (they moved to Goshen in 2016), this festival celebrates the work of local and regional filmmakers while also screening original stories from the United States and beyond.<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n                  <\/li>\n              <li class=\"list-item relative ml-12 sm:ml-16 md:ml-20 lg:ml-32 mb-14\">\n          \n                                \n          \n                      <h3 class=\"font-normal text-xl leading-7 mb-1\">\n              Cedar Rapids Independent Film Fest (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)\n            <\/h3>\n                                <div class=\"prose\">\n              <p>Yes, that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cedar_Rapids_(film)\"><em>Cedar Rapids<\/em><\/a>, but no relation to insurance. All films screened at <a href=\"https:\/\/crifm.org\/about-criff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this festival<\/a> (running since 2001) have an Iowa connection\u2014a requirement for selection. It also welcomes filmmakers at different stages, from professionals and hobbyists to students of all ages. This year they received over 100 entries and screened 62 of them.<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n                  <\/li>\n          <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div \n   \n  class=\"wp-block-image mt-14 col-start-2 col-span-1 xl:col-end-4 mb-14\"\n  data-block-index=\"0\" style=\"z-index:2;\"\n>\n  <figure class=\"\">\n          <div class=\"relative\">\n        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1362\" src=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/487214615_989084936743781_3211429227591105916_n.jpg\" class=\"w-full\" alt=\"Five people sitting on stage of a theater with audience members looking on.\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1472px) 1280px,\n                        (min-width: 1280px) calc(50vw - 12rem),\n                        (min-width: 1024px) calc(50vw - 8rem),\n                        (min-width: 640px) calc(100vw - 4rem),\n                        calc(100vw - 2rem)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/487214615_989084936743781_3211429227591105916_n.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/487214615_989084936743781_3211429227591105916_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/487214615_989084936743781_3211429227591105916_n-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/487214615_989084936743781_3211429227591105916_n-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/487214615_989084936743781_3211429227591105916_n-1536x1022.jpg 1536w\" \/>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute left-3.75 lg:left-4 bottom-3 lg:bottom-4 z-10\">\n          <div class=\"px-2.5 lg:px-3 py-1.5 lg:py-2 rounded-md bg-dark-sky\/50 flex items-center text-white\">\n    <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"w-3 lg:w-3.75 h-3 lg:h-3.5 mr-2 text-current fill-current\" width=\"15\" height=\"14\" viewBox=\"0 0 15 14\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_335_1811)\">\n<path d=\"M7.49831 2.97534C5.15467 2.97534 3.25024 4.9504 3.25024 7.37285C3.25024 9.79529 5.15819 11.7704 7.49831 11.7704C9.83844 11.7704 11.7464 9.79529 11.7464 7.37285C11.7464 4.9504 9.83844 2.97534 7.49831 2.97534ZM7.49831 10.5919C5.78362 10.5919 4.38868 9.14785 4.38868 7.37285C4.38868 5.59784 5.78362 4.15383 7.49831 4.15383C9.213 4.15383 10.6079 5.59784 10.6079 7.37285C10.6079 9.14785 9.213 10.5919 7.49831 10.5919Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M13.208 2.16784H12.5088C12.2277 2.16784 11.9852 1.96051 11.929 1.6768C11.7428 0.705638 10.9136 0 9.95784 0H5.04216C4.08644 0 3.25369 0.705638 3.07098 1.6768C3.01476 1.96051 2.77231 2.16784 2.49122 2.16784H1.79199C0.804638 2.16784 0 3.00078 0 4.02286V12.2723C0 13.2253 0.748419 14 1.66901 14H13.331C14.2516 14 15 13.2253 15 12.2723V4.02286C15 3.00078 14.1954 2.16784 13.208 2.16784ZM13.7843 12.2723C13.7843 12.5305 13.5805 12.7415 13.331 12.7415H1.66901C1.41954 12.7415 1.21574 12.5305 1.21574 12.2723V4.02286C1.21574 3.69187 1.47576 3.42634 1.79199 3.42634H2.49122C3.34856 3.42634 4.09346 2.79345 4.26212 1.9205C4.33591 1.53494 4.6662 1.25487 5.04216 1.25487H9.95784C10.3373 1.25487 10.6641 1.53494 10.7379 1.9205C10.903 2.79345 11.6479 3.42634 12.5088 3.42634H13.208C13.5278 3.42634 13.7843 3.69551 13.7843 4.02286V12.2723Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/g>\n<defs>\n<clipPath id=\"clip0_335_1811\">\n<rect width=\"15\" height=\"14\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>    <span\n      class=\"text-[8px] lg:text-[10px] leading-none uppercase pt-0.5\">Photo Credit: Claudia Malson Photography via The Midwest Film Festival Facebook<\/span>\n  <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n              <figcaption class=\"text-xs leading-5 font-serif mt-5  \">\n          <span class=\"\">\n            The Midwest Film Festival takes their programming on the road to showcase cinematic works by Midwesterners in other parts of the region.\n          <\/span>\n        <\/figcaption>\n      \n    \n  <\/figure>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div  class=\"wp-block-rich-list  col-start-2 col-span-1\">\n      <ul\n      class=\"main-col my-12 list-none\"\n    >\n              <li class=\"list-item relative ml-12 sm:ml-16 md:ml-20 lg:ml-32 mb-14\">\n          \n                                \n          \n                      <h3 class=\"font-normal text-xl leading-7 mb-1\">\n              Ann Arbor Film Festival (Ann Arbor, Michigan)\n            <\/h3>\n                                <div class=\"prose\">\n              <p>It\u2019s said to be \u201cthe oldest independent and experimental film festival in North America.\u201d And is one of the few Academy Award-qualifying festivals with winners of three award categories being eligible for Oscar nominations. Founded in 1963, for its first 40 years, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aafilmfest.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ann Arbor Film Festival<\/a> only showed works filmed on 16mm! Their festival line-up has included special programs celebrating Midwest\u2019s filmmaking history.<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n                  <\/li>\n              <li class=\"list-item relative ml-12 sm:ml-16 md:ml-20 lg:ml-32 mb-14\">\n          \n                                \n          \n                      <h3 class=\"font-normal text-xl leading-7 mb-1\">\n              Frozen River Film Festival (Winona, Minnesota)\n            <\/h3>\n                                <div class=\"prose\">\n              <p>This <a href=\"https:\/\/frff.org\/mission\">festiva<\/a>l in rural Winona is \u201cthe only documentary film festival within Minnesota\u201d and likely the only one hosted during the winter. It\u2019s a five-day event of indie docs and arts programming. They have several awards that recognize Minnesota filmmakers, including a People\u2019s Choice Award for creatives who live within 60 miles of Winona.<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n                  <\/li>\n              <li class=\"list-item relative ml-12 sm:ml-16 md:ml-20 lg:ml-32 mb-14\">\n          \n                                \n          \n                      <h3 class=\"font-normal text-xl leading-7 mb-1\">\n              Hello From Fargo Film Festival (Fargo, North Dakota)\n            <\/h3>\n                                <div class=\"prose\">\n              <p>Started just three years ago, this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hellofromfargofilm.com\/guide-to-the-festival\">festival<\/a> specifically invites films and media made by creatives connected to the Dakotas and Minnesota. Inspired by Slamdance (where films rejected by Sundance are screened) and the spirit of creating your own community, the festival hopes to foster \u201can environment where emerging talents can flourish and established filmmakers can experiment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n            <\/div>\n                  <\/li>\n          <\/ul>\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div \n   \n  class=\"wp-block-image mt-14 col-start-2 col-span-1 xl:col-end-4\"\n  data-block-index=\"1\" style=\"z-index:1;\"\n>\n  <figure class=\"lg:w-1\/2 lg:float-left lg:mr-16 mb-12\">\n          <div class=\"relative\">\n        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1372\" src=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/490758643_1282457933418476_3753332597197399714_n.jpg\" class=\"w-full\" alt=\"A young person looks into a screen of a video camera as they are filming a scene in front of them.\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1472px) 640px,\n                        (min-width: 1280px) calc(50vw - 16rem),\n                        (min-width: 1024px) calc(50vw - 12rem),\n                        (min-width: 640px) calc(100vw - 4rem),\n                        calc(100vw - 2rem)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/490758643_1282457933418476_3753332597197399714_n.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/490758643_1282457933418476_3753332597197399714_n-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/490758643_1282457933418476_3753332597197399714_n-1024x686.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/490758643_1282457933418476_3753332597197399714_n-768x515.jpg 768w, https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/490758643_1282457933418476_3753332597197399714_n-1536x1029.jpg 1536w\" \/>\n\n        <div class=\"absolute left-3.75 lg:left-4 bottom-3 lg:bottom-4 z-10\">\n          <div class=\"px-2.5 lg:px-3 py-1.5 lg:py-2 rounded-md bg-dark-sky\/50 flex items-center text-white\">\n    <svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"w-3 lg:w-3.75 h-3 lg:h-3.5 mr-2 text-current fill-current\" width=\"15\" height=\"14\" viewBox=\"0 0 15 14\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<g clip-path=\"url(#clip0_335_1811)\">\n<path d=\"M7.49831 2.97534C5.15467 2.97534 3.25024 4.9504 3.25024 7.37285C3.25024 9.79529 5.15819 11.7704 7.49831 11.7704C9.83844 11.7704 11.7464 9.79529 11.7464 7.37285C11.7464 4.9504 9.83844 2.97534 7.49831 2.97534ZM7.49831 10.5919C5.78362 10.5919 4.38868 9.14785 4.38868 7.37285C4.38868 5.59784 5.78362 4.15383 7.49831 4.15383C9.213 4.15383 10.6079 5.59784 10.6079 7.37285C10.6079 9.14785 9.213 10.5919 7.49831 10.5919Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<path d=\"M13.208 2.16784H12.5088C12.2277 2.16784 11.9852 1.96051 11.929 1.6768C11.7428 0.705638 10.9136 0 9.95784 0H5.04216C4.08644 0 3.25369 0.705638 3.07098 1.6768C3.01476 1.96051 2.77231 2.16784 2.49122 2.16784H1.79199C0.804638 2.16784 0 3.00078 0 4.02286V12.2723C0 13.2253 0.748419 14 1.66901 14H13.331C14.2516 14 15 13.2253 15 12.2723V4.02286C15 3.00078 14.1954 2.16784 13.208 2.16784ZM13.7843 12.2723C13.7843 12.5305 13.5805 12.7415 13.331 12.7415H1.66901C1.41954 12.7415 1.21574 12.5305 1.21574 12.2723V4.02286C1.21574 3.69187 1.47576 3.42634 1.79199 3.42634H2.49122C3.34856 3.42634 4.09346 2.79345 4.26212 1.9205C4.33591 1.53494 4.6662 1.25487 5.04216 1.25487H9.95784C10.3373 1.25487 10.6641 1.53494 10.7379 1.9205C10.903 2.79345 11.6479 3.42634 12.5088 3.42634H13.208C13.5278 3.42634 13.7843 3.69551 13.7843 4.02286V12.2723Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/g>\n<defs>\n<clipPath id=\"clip0_335_1811\">\n<rect width=\"15\" height=\"14\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>    <span\n      class=\"text-[8px] lg:text-[10px] leading-none uppercase pt-0.5\">Photo Credit: Frozen River Film Festival Facebook<\/span>\n  <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n              <figcaption class=\"text-xs leading-5 font-serif mt-5  \">\n          <span class=\"\">\n            The Frozen River Film Festival in Winona, Minnesota, hosts events and programs throughout the year, including a filmmaking summer camp for young people.\n          <\/span>\n        <\/figcaption>\n      \n    \n  <\/figure>\n\n      <div class=\"prose flow-root-children\">\n      <h4>Catalano Film Festival (Miamisburg, Ohio)<\/h4>\n<p>Hosted in the suburb of Dayton, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100094342643097\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this festival<\/a> focuses solely on regional cinema, highlighting the work of Ohio artists and others in the Midwest. \u201cIt\u2019s all about the hidden gems. If we only went to see movies at the multiplex we\u2019d be missing out on a lot of voices, personality and richness,\u201d festival founder and indie filmmaker Johnny Catalano said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.daytondailynews.com\/lifestyles\/its-all-about-the-hidden-gems-regional-film-fest-returns-to-miamisburgs-plaza-theatre\/PRKXX6H2HVARPAZFTVGJZY7FWE\/\">2024 interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h4>Black Hills Film Festival (South Dakota)<\/h4>\n<p>Did you know that parts of <em>Armageddon<\/em> (1998) were filmed in Badlands National Park? This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blackhillsfilmfestival.org\/whoweare\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">festival<\/a> features films produced and shot on location in South Dakota. Entries often include national and international films, as well as local and regional ones. This year\u2019s festival is October 2-5 at Journey Museum in Rapid City.<\/p>\n<h4>Midwest WeirdFest (Eau Claire, Wisconsin)<\/h4>\n<p>This festival pegs itself as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwestweirdfest.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cinematic celebration<\/a> of \u201call things fantastic, frightening, underground, paranormal, off-beat, and just plain weird!\u201d It turns 10 next year and has roots in other local horror and fantasy film festivals. Their \u201cBest of the Midwest\u201d category is dedicated to short films made by filmmakers in the region, with a strong showing of Wisconsinites in 2025.<\/p>\n\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Chicago to Fargo, these nine film festivals spotlight regional voices, celebrate indie creativity, and keep cinematic talent rooted close to home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":12852,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"7477,7247,12532,6755,14801","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"aw-author":[92],"location":[11,29,17],"program-grant":[],"resource-topic":[],"congressional-district":[],"class_list":["post-12847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","aw-author-angela-zonunpari","location-illinois","location-north-dakota","location-ohio"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.8 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema - Arts Midwest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Chicago to Fargo, these festivals spotlight regional voices, celebrate indie creativity, and keep cinematic talent rooted close to home.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From Chicago to Fargo, these festivals spotlight regional voices, celebrate indie creativity, and keep cinematic talent rooted close to home.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arts Midwest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/artsmidwest\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"Angela Zonunpari\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-08T19:12:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-08T20:36:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Angela Zonunpari\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ArtsMidwest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ArtsMidwest\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Angela Zonunpari\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Angela Zonunpari\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/team\/angela-zonunpari\/\"},\"headline\":\"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-08T19:12:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-08T20:36:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/\"},\"wordCount\":125,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/\",\"name\":\"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema - Arts Midwest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-08T19:12:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-08T20:36:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"From Chicago to Fargo, these festivals spotlight regional voices, celebrate indie creativity, and keep cinematic talent rooted close to home.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1440,\"caption\":\"The Midwest boasts of some of the oldest and freshest (and weirdest) film festivals in the country.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Read Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/\",\"name\":\"Arts Midwest\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Arts Midwest\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Arts-Midwest-Logo-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Arts-Midwest-Logo-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1428,\"caption\":\"Arts Midwest\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/artsmidwest\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ArtsMidwest\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/arts_midwest\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/artsmidwest\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f7b3ec252878923828d1e14440b51932\",\"name\":\"Angela Zonunpari\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e77a24f238af383ef42d45b7c779044e613f50ffa5af47ec925f0c8415dbec6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e77a24f238af383ef42d45b7c779044e613f50ffa5af47ec925f0c8415dbec6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Angela Zonunpari\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/author\/angela\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema - Arts Midwest","description":"From Chicago to Fargo, these festivals spotlight regional voices, celebrate indie creativity, and keep cinematic talent rooted close to home.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema","og_description":"From Chicago to Fargo, these festivals spotlight regional voices, celebrate indie creativity, and keep cinematic talent rooted close to home.","og_url":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/","og_site_name":"Arts Midwest","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/artsmidwest\/","article_author":"Angela Zonunpari","article_published_time":"2025-09-08T19:12:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-08T20:36:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1440,"url":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Angela Zonunpari","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ArtsMidwest","twitter_site":"@ArtsMidwest","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Angela Zonunpari","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/"},"author":{"name":"Angela Zonunpari","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/team\/angela-zonunpari\/"},"headline":"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema","datePublished":"2025-09-08T19:12:31+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-08T20:36:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/"},"wordCount":125,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/","url":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/","name":"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema - Arts Midwest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-08T19:12:31+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-08T20:36:23+00:00","description":"From Chicago to Fargo, these festivals spotlight regional voices, celebrate indie creativity, and keep cinematic talent rooted close to home.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/DSC02119-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1440,"caption":"The Midwest boasts of some of the oldest and freshest (and weirdest) film festivals in the country."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/midwest-film-festivals\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Read Stories","item":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Nine Film Festivals That Celebrate Midwest Cinema"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/","name":"Arts Midwest","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#organization","name":"Arts Midwest","url":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Arts-Midwest-Logo-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Arts-Midwest-Logo-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1428,"caption":"Arts Midwest"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/artsmidwest\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ArtsMidwest","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/arts_midwest\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/artsmidwest"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#\/schema\/person\/f7b3ec252878923828d1e14440b51932","name":"Angela Zonunpari","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e77a24f238af383ef42d45b7c779044e613f50ffa5af47ec925f0c8415dbec6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e77a24f238af383ef42d45b7c779044e613f50ffa5af47ec925f0c8415dbec6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Angela Zonunpari"},"url":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/stories\/author\/angela\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12847"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12873,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12847\/revisions\/12873"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"aw-author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/aw-author?post=12847"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=12847"},{"taxonomy":"program-grant","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program-grant?post=12847"},{"taxonomy":"resource-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resource-topic?post=12847"},{"taxonomy":"congressional-district","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/artsmidwest.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/congressional-district?post=12847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}