Salem Film Fest, Massachusetts’ largest all-documentary film festival, will reveal the lineup for its 16th edition at a free event on February 26 at Cinema Salem. From 5 to 7 p.m., event organizers will screen film trailers and share recorded messages from filmmakers whose work will be featured at this year’s festival.
“This first-ever Lineup Reveal event is an exciting way for festival goers to begin planning their festival experience,” said festival director Joe Ferrari.
Salem Film Fest 2023 begins with in-person screenings taking place from March 23 to 26 in Salem at the Peabody Essex Museum, Cinema Salem, and the National Park Service Visitor Center, and in Beverly at The Cabot. A virtual festival will follow, streaming films online from March 27 to April 2.
The program will include more than 70 documentaries, filmmaker Q&As, student film competitions, panel discussions, and parties where filmgoers can mingle with attending filmmakers. Many of the films screening at this year’s festival will be seen in Massachusetts for the first time, with seven films making their U.S. premiere at the event.
“We can’t wait to give our festival audience a glimpse of the films we have in store for them at the festival and for them to meet the filmmakers who will be traveling to the North Shore,” said program director Jeff Schmidt.
Seven awards with trophies created by local artists will be presented to filmmakers at Salem Film Fest, including the American Cinematographer Magazine Award for Cinematography, as well as the Special Jury Award and The Michael Sullivan Award for Documentary Journalism, which each include a $1,000 cash prize.
Admission to film screenings will be $13 for individual tickets and ticket packs, which offer a discount, are available at salemfilmfest.com.
Salem Film Fest is an annual all-documentary film festival that hosts filmmakers and screens documentary films from around the world. The festival does not charge filmmakers fees to submit their films and also shares ticket revenues with them. the event presents features, shorts, and special events to a loyal audience of thousands. The festival is run mostly by volunteers through a non-profit entity, Salem Community Arts Center, Inc.
In an effort to keep our in-person Salem Film Fest 2023 a safe environment, we will follow current venue-specific public health protocols.