Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival

10/16/2026

Calling all Iowa filmmakers, crew, and actors! Stop hunting for collaborators in social threads...come meet them in person next Thursday, 10/22, 6:30-8:30 pm, at The Ellis House, 1200 Ellis Blvd NW, Cedar Rapids.

Whether you need a boom operator or you're an actor seeking roles for November 6-8, the Iowa 55-Hour FilmSprint Mixer is designed to match talent fast. This great networking opportunity will have role-colored badges so you know who does what, and offer 15-second pitches from captains and free agents.

Free admission!
RSVP at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/iowa55mixer
Standard team registration ($75) runs through October 23. Lock in your crew next Thursday and get race-ready!

10/10/2026

Got a team? Sign up!
Need a team? Come to the mixer or reach out!
Lots of fun and prizes in store! Full info on our website: https://crifm.org/IowaFilmSprint

10/09/2026

BOOO!
Halloweenapalooza starts tonight! Check out the screenings, vendors, celebs and more. Get in the holiday spirit this weekend in Ottumwa! 🎃👻🧟‍♂️😱😨

Getting closer ❗️To say we're excited for Halloweenapalooza 2026 is an understatement. It's all happening THIS Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10. If you just thought it was a few scary movies with some autographs thrown in - you're grossly mistaken. This is a can't miss event!

10/06/2026

Get ready for Iowa's newest film event: the Iowa 55-Hour FilmSprint! Assemble your team and register, or join others at the networking mixer to form a new team for the competition.

Full info on our website!
crifm.org/IowaFilmSprint

10/02/2026

55 Hours. 15 Teams. One FilmSprint.
Ever wanted to do a weekend filmmaking contest, but wished you just had a little more time? CRIFm is excited to put our twist on the formula, and announce the Iowa 55-Hour FilmSprint, Nov. 6th-8th!
Registration is now open. Full info at https://crifm.org/iowafilmsprint

10/01/2026

It's incredibly exciting to see the diverse artists represented in the entries we've received so far! Our Early Deadline is this Sunday, Oct. 4 - we can't wait to see what you and your collaborating artists have created. Celebrate film and film artists with us, share the creativity of your filmmaking team, and enter at https://filmfreeway.com/CRIFF

Check back tomorrow for a special announcement from CRIFm about a new event!

10/01/2026

This weekend, visit our friends on the "west coast" at the Sioux City International Film Festival! Four days of great films, conversations and more!

Sioux City Iowa Film Festival. Short movies, independent films. Horror movie.

09/29/2026

University of Iowa-trained percussionist Erik Charlston has played on dozens of film soundtracks, including Aladdin, West Side Story, Moonrise Kingdom and Barbie.

We celebrate the Iowa-connected artists working in film worldwide!

07/09/2026

129 films. 4 days. 1 historic theater. Get to Burlington starting tonight to experience the Snake Alley Festival of Film! It's a great event organized by film lovers and shown in the beautiful Capitol Theater. Details at snakealleyfestivaloffilm.com.

05/14/2026

What do you do when you end up with 1,400+ event photos from a dozen different cameras? You find a better way to share them than cramming them into a slow-loading gallery on your website.

We’ve uploaded a huge collection of photos to Pixieset so you can browse, download, and relive the festival. Yes, there are multiple shots of the same people. Yes, there are probably a few photos that didn’t need to make the cut. But instead of over-curating everything, we figured we’d let you decide what’s worth keeping.

https://cedarrapidsindependentfilmmakers.pixieset.com/folder/ABu3GaXD7N9x/

It's still a work in progress as we continue organizing albums, so check back as things evolve. Take a look and let us know what you think