Maryland International Film Festival

10/15/2026

We heard from one of our film festival alums! We are happy to pass this opportunity along!

Hi! It's Erica Watson. I’m a filmmaker, television director, and alum of your wonderful festival, where my short film "Roubado" screened years ago. I remember how impactful participating in your festival was early in my career, and I’d love to reconnect.

Since then, I’ve directed 30 episodes of television, including The Dropout, Snowpiercer, Power Book II: Ghost, and Power Book III: Raising Kanan. I’m also a former film professor and a USC School of Cinematic Arts MFA graduate.

I’m passionate about helping emerging filmmakers develop their voices and bring their stories to the screen. On Saturday, October 24, at noon Pacific / 3 p.m. Eastern, I’m hosting a live online masterclass, Directing and Producing the Short Film. We’ll explore the three stages of production, fundraising, and creating a short film that can serve as a calling card, followed by Q&A.

Registration:

Your short film can showcase your voice—and open doors in the industry. Join filmmaker and television director Erica A. Watson (The Dropout, Snowpiercer, Power…

10/01/2026

If you aren't busy on Nov. 7th, here is an event you might be interested in. Tom Riford is the Co-founder of the Maryland International Film Festival-Hagerstown. He is the board treasurer. He is being awarded the Distinguished Citizen Award.

Help Shenandoah Area Council spread the word about Mason Dixon's 2026 Distinguished Citizen Dinner!

09/26/2026

Lots of fun at the Maryland International Film Festival-Hagerstown board meeting

09/23/2026

Few artists have left a mark quite like Dolly Parton. 💗

For more than six decades, her songs have told stories of love, heartbreak, humor, home and hope. But Dolly’s legacy reaches far beyond the music. She became a songwriter who helped shape American music, a businesswoman who built her own path, and a philanthropist whose generosity has put millions of books into the hands of children.

On September 30, we’re celebrating the music and legacy of an icon with MSO Lite: Dolly Parton at Hub City Vinyl. We hope you'll join us for a night celebrating the Queen of Country.

Wednesday, September 30 | 7 PM
Hub City Vinyl | Hagerstown
https://www.marylandsymphony.org/event/mso-lite-the-music-of-dolly-parton-202608281200051/

08/25/2026

We are sorry to see this:

In May, she announced she was canceling a Las Vegas show and said she’d been undergoing treatment for kidney stones for several years.

08/21/2026

Join us for our last two events in August next week! Get personalized grant support at Hub City Vinyl in Washington County or learn more about fiscal sponsorship with Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Full event details on our Eventbrite.

Register now! Link (in bio): https://bit.ly/msacevents

08/19/2026

And so it begins! The board of directors of the Maryland International Film Festival -Hagerstown gather once again to bring together plans for the 2027 festival.

Watch for the call for films to be open soon!

Mark your calendars March 18-21, 2027 for the upcoming festival.

Attending: Nicole Houser, Reginald Williams, Tom Riford, Kristen Green, Mike Schultz, Rick Kane and (not pictured) Mary Anne Burke

08/02/2026

Happy birthday to our board of directors president Nicole Houser!

07/16/2026

Great to see this project filmed in Western Maryland:

According to the Maryland Film Office, the production is estimated to have generated a $500,000 economic impact during its one-week stay in Allegany County.

07/16/2026

On Sale NOW: Brooke's House & Antietam Broadband present Clean Hand's the Hagerstown Premiere on Sept. 17th.

Clean Hands is the inspirational true story of Hagerstown’s own Kevin Simmers and the events that led to the creation of Brooke’s House. A film about Hagerstown, and made by the community, this star-studded premiere night honors an unbelievable story of love, tragedy, and real-life miracles.

🎟 Purchase your tickets now at mdtheatre.org/clean-hands or call the local Box Office at 301-790-2000. Hurry- tickets will sell fast!