Results from the 2025 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Feature Screenplay – The Paris by Daniel Talbott
Best Feature Screenplay Honorable Mention – Harlem Hustle by Mackenzie Blake Burton
Best Teleplay – The 411 by Allyson Morgan
Best Teleplay Honorable Mention – Grown-Ass Theater Kids by Benjamin Adams
Best Short Screenplay – Mt. Fuji Sunrise by Thomas Paul Rossi
Best Short Screenplay Honorable Mention – Reheated by Jeffrey Howe

Films:

Best Feature Film – Sheepdog by Steven Grayhm
Feature Film Honorable Mention – Motherland by Evan Matthews
Best Documentary – Beyond the Gaze: Jule Campbell’s Swimsuit Issue by Jill Campbell
Documentary Honorable Mention – I Need You: 53 Years of the Band America by Dustin Elm, David Breschel
Best Short Film – ow. by Laura Delhauer & Jack Merline
Short Film Honorable Mention – Flügge by Leopold Schraudolph & Dani Rose Cortés
Best Animated Short Film – Christo the Civilized Barbarian by Shaddy Safadi
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – The Nectar Instead by Yoo Lee
Best Nebraska Short Film – Documentary – Nebraska’s 400 by Miles Ian Landaw
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – Documentary – Becoming Sam Phillips by Katie Stoneburner
Best Nebraska Short Film – Narrative – A Sleepless Land by Sam Senser
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – Narrative –
Truth Detector: Regifted by William Reliford
Daylight Savings by Nolan McWhorter

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film
Christo the Civilized Barbarian by Shaddy Safadi
Audience Choice Documentary
The RoseMan of Omaha by David Weiss
Porcelain War by Brendan Bellomo & Slava Leontyev
Audience Choice Narrative Feature Film
Tancuj Matyldo (Waltzing Matilda) by Petr Slavík
Sheepdog by Steven Grayhm

Results from the 2024 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Short Screenplay – Slip by Lara Hill
Best Short Screenplay Honorable Mention – High Performance by Jessica Wei
Best Teleplay – A Lost Lady by Holly Swenson
Best Teleplay Honorable Mention – Yours In Murder by Anthony Rainone
Best Feature Screenplay – Waiting Games by Jeffrey R Field
Best Feature Screenplay Honorable Mention – The Candle Maker by Jeanne Schieffer

Films:

Best Feature Film – Brave the Dark directed by Damian Harris
Feature Film Honorable Mention – Two Lives in Pittsburgh directed by Brian Silverman
Best Documentary – Chasing Chasing Amy directed by Sav Rodgers
Documentary Honorable Mention – No One Asked You directed by Ruth Leitman
Best Short Film – Somewhere In Between directed by Kyle Vorbach
Short Film Honorable Mention – A Conversation in Passing directed by Matthew Segal
Best Animated Short Film – Back to Normal directed by Cecilia De Jesus
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – Take Care directed by Kaylee Anne Hatfield
Best Nebraska Short Film – Documentary – Laboratories of Democracy: Nebraska’s Unicameral directed by Ann Hartley
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – Documentary – Danger-Closed: Omaha’s Flora Apartments directed by Anna Reed
Best Nebraska Short Film – Narrative – May directed by Mike Montgomery
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – Truth Detector directed by William Reliford

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film – Red, White and Blue directed by Nazrin Choudhury
Audience Choice Documentary – The Body Politic directed by Gabriel Francis Paz Goodenough
Audience Choice Feature Film – Brave the Dark directed by Damian Harris

Results from the 2023 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Short Screenplay – The Judge’s Portrait by Doug Sasse
Best Short Screenplay Honorable Mention – Please Stand By by David Michael Sutera
Best Teleplay – Betty Lee Is Missing by Allyson Morgan
Best Teleplay Honorable Mention – Faithful Intentions by Chris Poore
Best Feature Screenplay – Remote by Anthony Rainone
Best Feature Screenplay Honorable Mention – The Ushers by Mike Swift

Films:

Best Feature Film – La Corriente (Ibiza Blue) by Jesus Lloveras
Feature Film Honorable Mention – Asfalt (Asphalt) by Charlotte Madsen
Best Documentary – Path of the Panther by Eric Bendick
Documentary Honorable Mention – WHAAM! BLAM! Roy Lichtenstein and the Art of Appropriation by James L. Hussey
Best Short Film – Skin & Bone by Eli Powers
Short Film Honorable Mention – Santa, Maybe? By Donovan Cheff McCarty
Best Animated Short Film – Yellowstone 88 by Song of Fire by Jerry van de Beek, Betsy De Fries
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – Regular Rabbit by Eoin Duffy
Best Nebraska Short Film – Documentary – High Plains Wild by Mariah Lundgren
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – Documentary – Affordable Housing Crisis Omaha by Margaux Towne
Best Nebraska Short Film – Narrative – reTribution by Nathan E Hewitt, Brandon Ross
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – Narrative – Good Show by Mike Ehrhart

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film – High Plains Wild by Mariah Lundgren
Audience Choice Documentary – Path of the Panther by Eric Bendick
Audience Choice Feature Film – Double Down South by Tom Schulman

Results from the 2022 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Short Screenplay – “Thingamajigs” by A.S. Templeton
Best Short Screenplay Honorable Mention – “Hot Iron” by Maya Peirce
Best Teleplay – “Cream City” by Jeffrey James Keyes and Matt W. Cody
Best Teleplay Honorable Mention – “Room To Let” by Daniel Talbott and Addie Johnson Talbott
Best Feature Screenplay – “Wampus Cat” by Jessica Wei
Best Feature Screenplay Honorable Mention – “The Disruptor” by Jeffrey Field

Films:

Best Animated Short Film – “How To Lose Weight and Look Great” directed by Nolan Wang
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Peanut Factory” by Seongmin Kim
Best Narrative Nebraska Short Film – “Maíz” directed by Nate Sully & Victor Velle
Nebraska Narrative Short Film Honorable Mention – “Ain’t No Mercy for Rabbits” directed by Aliza Brugger
Best Documentary Nebraska Short Film – “Call in the Crèche” directed by Tim Guthrie
Nebraska Documentary Short Film Honorable Mention “Buzz – Pollen Nation” by Mike Machian
Best Short Film – “Birdwatching” directed by Samantha Soule
Short Narrative Film Honorable Mention – “Ka Hoʻi: The Return” directed by Mitchel Merrick
Short Documentary Film Honorable Mention – “All I Can Do” directed by Maxwell Moser
Best Documentary – “From the Hood to the Holler” directed by Pat McGee
Documentary Honorable Mention – “Fighting for Daybreak” directed by Jason Head
Best Feature Film – “Sweet Disaster” directed by Laura Lehmus
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “The Falconer” directed by Seanne Winslow & Adam Sjoberg

Results from the 2021 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Short Screenplay – “Damned If You Do” by Liz Renner
Best Teleplay – “Grace in the Clutch” by Addie Talbott
Best Feature Screenplay – “Harveybrook, Alaska” by Trevor R Lawrence

Films:

Best Animated Short Film – “Bench” directed by Rich Webber
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Try to Fly” directed by The Affolter Brothers
Best Nebraska Short Film – “The Phantom Firebird” directed by Sam Senser
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – “When the World Closed” directed by Ryan Range
Best Short Film – “A Piece of Cake” directed by The Bragg Brothers
Short Film Honorable Mention – “Lost Kings” directed by Brian Lawes
Best Documentary – “Marionette Land” directed by Alexander Monelli
Documentary Honorable Mention – “An Inconvenient Time” directed by Denny Klein
Best Feature Film – “Small Town Wisconsin” directed by Niels Mueller
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “Molto Bella” directed by Alexander Jeffery

Results from the 2020 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Nebraska Screenplay – “Undone – Pilot” by Christine Burright McGuigan
Best Short Screenplay – “Hippy Dippy” written by Anthony Rainone
Best Teleplay – “Undone – Pilot” by Christine Burright McGuigan
Best Feature Screenplay – “Float Me Up” written by Daniel Talbott

Films:

Jury Prizes:

Best Animated Short Film – “If Anything Happens I Love You” by Will McCormack, Michael Govier
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Abe’s Story” by Adam H Stewart
Best Nebraska Short Film – “Fortunate Country” by Kristin Jordan Tripe
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – “Great Monsters Walk These Halls” by Mike Machian
Best Short Film – “Tree #3” by Omer Ben-Shachar
Short Film Honorable Mention – “Oh, Sorry” by Justin Giddings & Ryan Welsh
Best Documentary – “Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story” by Julie Sokolow
Documentary Honorable Mention – “I Am Not Alone” by Garin Hovannisian
Best Feature Film – “Here Awhile” by Tim True
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “The Planters” by Alexandra Kotcheff, Hannah Leder

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film – “Portraitist” by Cyrus Neshvad
Audience Choice Documentary – “I Am Not Alone” by Garin Hovannisian
Audience Choice Feature Film – “The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain” by David Midell

Call for Entries

The CALL FOR ENTRIES for the Fifteenth Annual Omaha Film Festival is now closed. Films and screenplays will be notified of festival acceptance by approximately February 6, 2020.

One of MovieMaker Magazine’s 2019 “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” the 15th Annual Omaha Film Festival will be March 3-8, 2020 in Omaha, NE at the Aksarben Cinema.

All films chosen for OFF’20 will be screened and attending filmmakers will have a chance to participate in a Q&A session after their screening.

All screenplay finalists chosen for OFF’20 will have an opportunity to participate in our Annual Writer’s Theatre where selections of the screenplays will be read by professional actors in a theatrical setting.

Film categories:
Narrative Feature, Documentary, Short Film, Animated Short, and Nebraska Short.

Screenplay categories:
Feature Screenplay, Teleplay, and Short Screenplay (under 30 pages)

Dates & Fees for our Call for Entries:

Feature & Documentary Films:
$30 – 07.08.19 – Early Deadline
$40 – 09.09.19 – Regular Deadline
$50 – 11.11.19 – Late Deadline

Short Films:
$25 – 07.08.19 – Early Deadline
$35 – 09.09.19 – Regular Deadline
$45 – 11.11.19 – Late Deadline

Feature Screenplays & Teleplays:
$25 – 07.08.19 – Early Deadline
$30 – 09.09.19 – Regular Deadline
$40 – 11.11.19 – Late Deadline

Short Screenplays:
$15 – 07.08.19 – Early Deadline
$20 – 09.09.19 – Regular Deadline
$30 – 11.11.19 – Late Deadline

Entry Forms:

Film
Screenplay

Method to submit online

Omaha Film Festival proudly accepts entries via FilmFreeway.com, the world’s best online submissions platform. FilmFreeway offers free HD online screeners, Vimeo and YouTube integration, and more. Click to submit with FilmFreeway.

OFF’19 Screenplay Finalists

To celebrate the craft of screenwriting, the Omaha Film Festival is thrilled to present the 2019 Writer’s Theatre.

The Writer’s Theatre will take place at the College of Saint Mary
on Saturday, March 9 from 2:00pm – 4:00pm

College of Saint Mary, Gross Auditorium – 7000 Mercy Road

See schedule for more details!

DON’T GO THERE by Jeffrey R Field (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Christina Rohling

A housebound senior struggles to stay alive when a mass murderer takes refuge in her home on the coldest night in eighty years.

EATS YOU ALIVE by Zack Eagles (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Laura Kendall

A man in the post-apocalypse comes face to face with the beings who destroyed the world.

MISS ME WHEN I’M GONE by Matthew Gomez (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by Aaron Sailors

The mother and brother of a man who has committed suicide spend the next seven days searching for a location to host his Celebration of Life ceremony in Omaha, Nebraska.

HOOSIER DADDY by Jeffrey R Field (Feature Screenplay)
Directed by David M. Weiss

After accidentally destroying his future father-in-law’s prized autographed basketball, a hapless college student and his slacker buddy have one week to re-gather the signatures of the 1976 Indiana University basketball team.

MYOSOTIS LOVE by Charlie LaTourette (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Christina Rohling

A woman plants flowers in the garden and challenges her husband to remember how they met.

HOME by Katie Micay (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Jason Levering

Megan, who suffers from agoraphobia, is alone for her first holidays since her wife moved out. Sydney, a young widower, has been living in her car outside Megan’s house since she lost her apartment. When Sydney knocks on Megan’s door to sell her makeup, the two only see each other’s differences. But after a scary incident forces Megan out of her house to come to Sydney’s aid, they realize that they are two lonely souls with more in common than they first thought.

PANCAKE SKANK by Savannah Rodgers (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Laura Kendall

Pancake Skank is a surrealist, satirical comedy about our titular anti-heroine and her unlikely partner-in-crime, Lover Boi, as they wreak havoc on a small town and its breakfast joints.

HEAD ON by Christine Burright McGuigan (Short Screenplay)
Directed by Aaron Sailor

Two people meet under unusual circumstances.

THE SYNDICATE by Peter Jang (Teleplay)
Directed by David M. Weiss

After a child sees his parents brutally murdered, his dad’s police partner, connected to a covert organization known as The Syndicate, turns him into a one-man killing machine, primed to take out those who took his parents’ lives.

MIDWEST MOM GROUP by Darcy Lueking Bahensky (Teleplay)
Directed by Jason Levering

A fed-up LA mom relocates her family to Nebraska, but she quickly learns that parenting in a flyover state has its own rules.

See BLOG for past Screenplay Finalists.

 

OFF’19 Festival Parties

OFF’19 dates are March 5-10 and will feature amazing independent feature films, documentaries, short films, animated films, and screenplays from around the world. Each night after the film screenings will be VIP parties for All Access badge holders.

March 5th – Tuesday – Opening Night
Aksarben Cinema Lounge
2110 South 67th Street
Drink specials and food from Le Voltaire
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
Immediately following our opening night film!

March 6th – Wednesday
LIV Lounge
2285 South 67th Street
Free drinks for All Access pass holders provided by Tito’s, Brickway, and Soaring Wings
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 7th – Thursday
Dante
16901 Wright Plaza #173
Food provided by Dante
Drink specials / Cash bar
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 8th – Friday
Ring the Bell Party
Julio’s
2820 South 123rd Ct
Free taco bar provided by Julio’s
Drink Specials / Cash bar
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 9th – Saturday
Beacon Hills
6750 Mercy Road
Free food and drinks provided by Beacon Hills
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
10:00pm – midnight

March 10th – Sunday
Closing Night Party
Herbe Sainte
1934 South 67th Street
Heavy hors d’oeuvres
Free drinks for All Access pass holders provided by Tito’s, Brickway, and Soaring Wings
Free entry for All Access pass holders!
$10 entry without a pass.
7:30pm – 11:00pm

 

Results from the 2019 OFF

Screenplays:

Best Nebraska Screenplay – “Miss Me When I’m Gone” written by Matthew Gomez
Best Short Screenplay – “Home” written by Katie Micay
Best Teleplay – “Midwest Mom Group” written by Darcy Lueking Bahensky
Best Feature Screenplay – “Hoosier Daddy” written by Jeffrey R. Field

Films:

Jury Prizes:

Best Animated Short Film – “Stream(s)” by Lance Heybrock
Animated Short Film Honorable Mention – “Sister” by Siqi Song
Best Nebraska Short Film – “Sugar” by Shawn Gourley, Lauren Abell
Nebraska Short Film Honorable Mention – “Simply Play Cricket” by Sai Chillara
Best Short Film – “Porch Light” by Julia Bergeron
Short Film Honorable Mention – “Three Pages” by Roger Gariépy
Best Documentary – “Always in Season” by Jacqueline Olive
Documentary Honorable Mention – “Out of Omaha” by Clay Tweel
Best Feature Film – “Silver Lake” by Sean McGinly
Feature Film Honorable Mention – “Collisions” by Richard Levien

Audience Choice Awards:

Audience Choice Short Film – “The Little Princess” by Jason Maza
Audience Choice Documentary – “Out of Omaha” by Clay Tweel
Audience Choice Feature Film – “Ask for Jane” by Rachel Carey