Film Festival

42nd Annual Film Festival 

Submissions will open in the spring!

The MESA FilmFest is a wonderful part of the MESA Annual Meeting, and we are excited to be offering a virtual FilmFest for the fifth year now. The call for submissions will open in the spring, and we hope that you will be interested in submitting your films! Accepted films will be streamed to MESA Annual Meeting registered attendees. 
 
All films submitted will be reviewed and vetted by the FilmFest Committee or by selected regional/topical experts. The films will only be available to registered conference attendees.

The FilmFest screens narrative and nonnarrative feature and short films as well as documentaries. 
 
Submission Deadline: June 15, 2025


Call for Entries
Please complete the form located at the bottom of the page. You will be asked to provide links to share the full screener. If necessary, please include the password for access. (Trailers will not be considered.)

We ask that you allow us to screen your films with the express intent of exposing your work to an academic community that focuses on their subject matter. MESA attendees are professors, students, and librarians who might be interested in including films in their courses or acquiring copies for institutional use at colleges and universities around the globe. Due to the potential benefit of sharing work with such a specialized audience, and the nature of the event as a nonprofit academic meeting, MESA does not pay screening fees. Any potential fees must be mentioned before submitting to the fest. Importantly, we must also have certification that you have the rights, or otherwise can ensure clearance, for streaming the submitted films to MESA attendees.

All distributors and filmmakers are encouraged to take advantage of MESA’s advertising options: insertions of flyers or postcards in the printed program or renting mailing labels for a direct mailing. Pricing for these advertising options are listed here on our website. The audience is composed mainly of university professors, graduate students, and librarians among other Middle East studies professionals who may be interested in acquiring the film for their institution or for course adoption.

You may also place free literature on the FilmFest table, and flyers on the bulletin boards outside the in-person exhibit hall.

Documents & Links


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