Oxford Film Festival to Receive $20k Grant

Oxford Film Festival has been approved for a $20,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the 18th annual Oxford Film Festival This project will support the ongoing operations of the event. The Oxford Film Festival is among 1,073 projects across America totaling nearly $25 million that were selected during this first round of fiscal year 2021 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects funding category.

 “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this,” said Arts Endowment Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Oxford Film Festival is among the arts organizations across the country that have demonstrated creativity, excellence, and resilience during this very challenging year.”

Oxford Film Festival Chairman of the Board Steven Case added, “This prestigious national award is a testament to the innovative and tireless effort put forth by Melanie Addington, Executive Director, and the entire Oxford Film Festival staff who, on short notice in March of 2020, had to pivot the festival from a five-day on-site event to a hybrid festival that screened films virtually and at drive-ins over the next nine months. The Board is gratified by the recognition that this successful pivot has garnered from the independent film industry and the benefits that it afforded filmmakers and movie-goers alike.” 

The upcoming 18th edition of the Oxford Film Festival will add an open-air outdoor theater to the drive-in locations and virtual presentations. The premiere-rich schedule projects to close to 30 world premieres, 5 U.S. premieres, more than 60 Mississippi premieres, and 40 regional premieres. The film festival has built on last year’s success having added more films this year, nearly tripling its LGBTQIA+ features, expanding the music video category, and increasing the award monies for every one of the filmmaker competitions.  On March 24-28, screenings will be held in a specially designed open air Malco Commons Outdoor Theater and Oxford Film Festival’s two drive-in locations. From April 1-30, Virtual Cinema screenings will be offered via Eventive.

For more information on projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.