Vermont Film & Folklore Festival

The Vermont Film & Folklore Festival

May 13 - 18, 2025 · Manchester and Brattleboro, VT

A Celebration of Storytelling

VFFF's mission is to serve the people of southern Vermont by creating an annual event which underscores the importance of story to who we are as a society with a shared set of values, while simultaneously discovering and nurturing some of the most talented storytellers of our time.

Co-founded by MovieMaker Magazine founder Tim Rhys and Filmmaker Magazine and IndieWire co-founder Karol Martesko-Fenster, the second edition of VFFF is a four-day cultural event taking place in May, 2025 that will celebrate storytelling via the traditional film festival medium of moving images on the big screen. In addition to cinema, VFFF will also celebrate storytelling via oral and written mediums.

“I’m so glad I was able to attend the Vermont Film & Folklore Festival to experience the warmth, the hospitality, and to renew friendships and make new friends with other artists. Manchester Vermont is the perfect place to gather and celebrate the art of film! We were so honored to have Tokyo Cowboy receive ‘The Golden Owl’ Best of Fest Award! This was an experience I will remember and treasure!”

— Director Marc Marriott, Tokyo Cowboy
“The Vermont Film & Folklore Festival was a blast! From start to finish, the whole team did a great job taking care of their festival attendees, and I met so many incredible filmmakers. The screenings, panels, and parties were awesome - all against the beautiful backdrop of Vermont's Green Mountains. Fingers crossed that I'll be back soon!”

— Director Olivia Ramos, Vespa
"VFFF was an outstanding experience in our festival run! The hospitality (accommodations provided for filmmakers), the quirky details including a swag bag which featured local maple syrup + cbd gummies, awards presented on hand-crafted wooden boards, and the festival programs which were of the highest quality I've seen at festivals (a thick book of color photos and write-ups for each film + director)... these were just a few of the things that made this fest unique and fun. Not to mention the films were pretty great too. My team and I hope to return next year!"

— Director Nick Cassidy, Fallen Drive
"I highly recommend the Vermont Film & Folklore Festival! The attention to detail and quickness of response was very impressive. All of the staff and volunteers were so nice, helpful and knowledgeable about all the films. Wonderful audiences, fun parties and a picturesque environment. You can't go wrong entering this festival!"

— Director Mark Bonn, Robert Shields: My Life as a Robot
"Our producers were able to attend and had a great time. This was a unique venue for our screening and the VFFF programming team is amazing. Love that there's a fest in this part of Vermont that I can hopefully attend myself next year!"

— Director Michael DiBiasio, The Yorkie Werewolf
"From the gorgeous venues, engaging Q&As, and nightly parties with live music, to the little details like the coolest swag bag of any festival and the lanyards bearing our names, everything about the Vermont Film & Folklore Festival exudes competency and professionalism. Don’t miss this one."

— Producer Cash Cassidy, Fallen Drive
"We were delighted that for their inaugural edition the festival team selected two of our clients to be part of their program! From what we heard from the other filmmakers that went, it was a very well run and welcoming festival. We look forward to many more editions!"

— Producers, Demon Mineral
"This young festival is wonderful and I was delighted that the festival chose my film for a Best Feature Documentary Award! We appreciate it so much and feel good that audiences responded so well to The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane. Thank you VFFF!"

— Director Maureen Gosling, The 9 Lives of Barbara Dane