The Ogeechee International History Film Festival (OIHFF) is going into its fifth year as the world’s longest-running, open-submission international history film festival. The OIHFF, based in Statesboro, Georgia, is devoted to screening and promoting quality historical documentary films from professional, student, and amateur filmmakers from around the globe. It had its inaugural year in 2017 and is a collaboration project between the Georgia Southern University History Department and the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau (SCVB).
Having an open-submission, international festival, allows it to be an outlet for filmmakers across a wide spectrum of experience, from seasoned professionals to people who are just starting out in film.
It is our tradition to screen the the previous year's winning feature film the week before the festival to kick off the new season. We then screen one premier film on the opening night and then begin the jury-screening of the professional film submissions the following day. The last day consists of the competition for student films.
AWARDS:
Films are judged according to various tiers.
Gold, Silver, and Bronze certificates of merit are awarded to films that demonstrate excellence in both historical interpretation and filmmaking. At the end of the annual festival submission cycle (December 1 of each year), the review staff will review the Gold merit winners to select the appropriate titles for the February festival screenings. Those films will be judged a second time to select the best short, feature, and student films.
INFORMATION FOR ACADEMIC FILMMAKERS
Are you a filmmaker affiliated with a college or university? The Ogeechee International History Film Festival is offering a service of double-blind peer review for use in tenure and promotion decisions. Our reviews typically involve a doctorate-holding historian and a filmmaker with an MFA or Ph.D. degree. Please contact festival director Michael Van Wagenen for more details and submission instructions: mvanwagenen@georgiasouthern.edu