Under-the-Radar Film Festivals That Should Be on Your Radar

Image via Complex Original

Location: Austin, Texas

Patrons of Fantastic Fest might protest that it isn’t exactly under the radar, but it’s still not one of the first films festivals most would think of immediately—so it surely isn’t as well known, as it deserves. It boasts that it’s the largest genre film festival in the United States, highlighting science fiction, fantasy, horror, and action in Austin’s famous Alamo Drafthouse Cinema every fall. Industry heavyhitters like Jon Favreau, Bill Murray, Kevin Smith, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Mike Judge have all put in appearances. Plus, screenings in the Drafthouse include food service right to your seat, so this might just be the most comfortable film festival around.

Location: Traverse City, Mich.

Documentarian Michael Moore founded the Traverse City Film Festival almost 10 years ago in the hopes that it could help “save one of America’s few indigenous art forms—the cinema.” Every summer now, the festival screens films, hosts panels, records podcasts, and runs an abbreviated film school for aspiring filmmakers. The screenings are a mix of new films (by invitation only), classic films on an outdoor screen overlooking the Grand Traverse Bay, and a special screening called “Mike’s Surprise,” in which Moore is the only person who knows what is in store for the audience (even the projectionist is clueless). 

Location: Missoula, Mont.

This festival highlights documentaries, both classic and contemporary, under the big sky of the American West. On average, about 125 films screen at this festival, which also includes panels, pitch sessions for filmmakers, and workshops for adults and teens alike. One very cool aspect of Big Sky is how it incorporates music into the festival. Live concerts accompanying films is common. One year, the indie group Yo La Tengo played alongside some of Jean Painlevé’s documentaries. 

Location: Los Angeles

Every July, for 19 years, Outfest has highlighted deserving LGBT cinema and filmmakers, given women a more prominent platform than most (this year’s participating filmmakers are 40 percent female), put on live performances, and thrown some noteworthy parties. This year’s festival is expanding to new venues, like the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the trendy Ace Hotel, and a nightly debrief/party at West Hollywood’s legendary bar The Abbey. While Outfest has made quite a name for itself in Southern California, its breadth of content and dedication to preserving and promoting LGBT cinema should make it a household name throughout the country.

Location: Chicago

Film critic Roger Ebert left an extraordinary legacy behind him, part of which is this film festival. Originally called Ebert’s Overlooked Festival, Ebertfest carries on the late critic’s tradition of selecting films that he felt deserved more notice—his wife now handles hosting duties. Critics, filmmakers, and actors alike join together in the Chicago spring to celebrate the medium to which Ebert devoted his life’s work. With only a few days and 12 films selected for screening, this is a more abbreviated film festival than most, but the passion Ebert passed on more than makes up for it.