2026 SCCC Film Festival Now Accepting Submissions

Staff Writer

Graphic by J. Jeffreys

Entering its fourth year and with three successful years of celebrating the work of filmmakers from both the local and international spheres behind it, the upcoming Sussex County Community College Film Festival has emerged as a premier film festival in the Northern New Jersey area!

The SCCC Film Festival, which will take place on April 18 from 12 to 8 P.M. in the Student Center Theater, is committed to inspiring the next generation of filmmakers and film enthusiasts. As a result, a dynamic lineup of short films, documentaries, and even animated films is being carefully selected and curated through a joint effort between SCCC faculty, staff, and film industry professionals. 

While the film festival celebrates cinematic storytelling and allows filmmakers to present their works to the community, it is also an ideal opportunity for student filmmakers to engage in networking deep in the New Jersey/Tri-State area. After each film screening segment, panel discussions and Q&A sessions will be held, promoting meaningful dialogue and a chance for filmmakers to discuss their films with audience members and film fans alike. 

BarnLight Studios, SCCC’s key film industry partner in the form of a rapidly growing film studio headed by industry professionals, will also be present at the festival. 

Those interested in submitting their films to be screened at the film festival can make their submissions by the April 8th deadline at: https://filmfreeway.com/SCCCFilmFestival. 

Awards and special honors will be selected in the four available categories of submission – Narrative, Documentary, Experimental, and Animated Short Films. 

Veronica Coyne, SCCC Film Festival Coordinator, and Professor in English and Film courses, expressed satisfaction with the submissions received for the upcoming film festival. “By and large, we are looking for films that appeal to our students and exhibit cinematic prowess,” Coyne said. 

Notably, the film festival has a history of showing films from different parts of the world. In the past, the SCCC Film Festival received film submissions from France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Austria, and even countries across the Middle East with the list of international films being submitted growing by the year. 

Since SCCC is located in the New York City Metropolitan Area, and as several high-profile movie studios are being built in New Jersey while New York City stands as a global hub for independent filmmaking, Sussex County Community College will inevitably gain more ground in the film world through its annual film festival. 

Film screenings at the SCCC Film Festival will be free and open to the public.