The Fargo Film Festival proudly and exclusively accepts entries on FilmFreeway, the world’s best way to enter film festivals.
With the exception of 2-Minute Movie Contest entries, films selected for the 2024 Fargo Film Festival must be provided in approved DCP format for exhibition.
The 24th Fargo Film Festival will be held March 19-23, 2024.
Submissions for the 2025 Fargo Film Festival will open in the summer.
The Fargo Film Festival would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to the sponsors, volunteers, moviemakers, special guests, audience members, and Fargo Theatre staff who made 2023 one of the most exciting celebrations to date.
We will take a moment to catch our collective breath before opening 2024 submission season on FilmFreeway.
The Fargo Film Festival is the largest annual fundraiser for the historic Fargo Theatre and we are grateful for the generous support of our sponsors. Thank you to the individuals and organizations that helped make the 2023 Festival a smashing success!
The 2023 Fargo Film Festival Program is available now. Click the image below to open the program guide to read descriptions of each film and to plan your festival experience.
The Fargo Film Festival is proud to announce the winners of the Best in Show Awards for the 2023 Fargo Film Festival.
Best Picture: “JessZilla” (Documentary Feature)
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Best Director: Emily Sheskin for “JessZilla” (Documentary Feature)
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Best Cinematography: Farahad Ghaderi for “Kassandra” (Narrative Short)
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Pat Hansen Award for Best Screenplay: Michael Goorjian for “Amerikatsi” (Narrative Feature)
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Best Actor: Jesse Gavin for “Northern Shade” (Narrative Feature)
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Best Actress: Urara Takano for “The Voice Actress” (Narrative Short)
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The Ruth Landfield Award is presented to “The Panola Project” (Documentary Short)
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The Prairie Spirit Award is presented to “Big Crow” (Documentary Feature)
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The Rusty Casselton Award is presented to “Night of the Living Dread” (Animation)
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Congratulations to all of these talented artists from all of us at the Fargo Film Festival. Learn more about each of these titles in our 2023 Program.
Feed your tummy and your mind at the Fargo Film Festival’s 2023 Luncheon Panel Discussions. Join us at the Radisson Blu Fargo (201 5th St. N) on Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25 at noon for exciting conversations with special guests. Tickets are $15 and include lunch. Tickets are on sale now at the Fargo Theatre Box Office; remaining tickets will be available at the door.
Friday, March 24 at 12:00 noon
From documentaries to podcasts, true crime stories have been captivating audiences for generations. Explore the enduring appeal of the genre and the unique challenges of telling these stories from the perspective of three creators: documentarian Allison Otto, journalist/filmmaker Tracy Briggs, and producer/podcaster James Wolner.
Saturday, March 25 at 12:00 noon
Every great movie begins as words on a page. Whether telling an original story or composing an artful adaptation, screenwriting is the unique craft at the heart of cinema. Hear from multi-hyphenate film artists as they discuss their writing processes and the transition from script to screen.
The Fargo Film Festival’s 2023 2-Minute Movie Contest will take place on Thursday, March 23 beginning at 9:15 p.m.
Moviegoers who attend the Thursday evening showcase screening of “Iron Opera” are invited to stay for the 2-Minute Movie Contest. Those who plan to come only for the 2-Minute Movie Contest will be able to purchase tickets at the door for only two dollars each.
Congratulations to all the moviemakers whose work was selected for the 2023 2-Minute Movie Contest.
Again and Again (Lutz Kayser)
Alone (Nicolas Andrew Silva)
Call of Nature (Donal O’Dea)
Capture (Tristan Pfaff and Ben Koel)
Charlie the Lonely (Shihyun Wang)
Chicken Tinga Toagie (Jason Kuntz)
Chinese New Year in Taiwan (Shihyun Wang)
Coping With Loss (Mitchell McCallson)
A Coward’s War (Anthony Bradley)
The Date (Donal O’Dea)
Dehumanized (Louis Bruckner)
Etah (Rachel Lin Weaver)
Fight Night (Derek Smith)
Foolgirl (Sofia Touboura)
The Gift of All Time (George Michals)
Insomnia (Kang Le)
The Intruder (Peng Ziqi)
It’s Been a Bad Day (Danielle Lirov)
Lacy Hates Her Job (Maddie Lee)
Light on Water 6 (Andrew Payne)
The Lizards Are Listening (Ashique Mostafa)
Magma (Alexandre Dacosta)
The Missing Horoscope (Jess Skolnick)
October Eleventh (Damian Gonzalez and Jeremy Weinstein)
One Hundred Grand (Charles Hinton)
Out of Pasture (Jared Weiss)
Pedidos (Roberto I. Ercolalo)
Point of No Return (Lutz Kayser)
Reflection (Tanya Vigel)
Sam (Anthony Cuomo)
Screengrab (Sadie Walton)
See You When I See You (Delia Mullen)
She (Odette Laramee)
Smoking Mirrors (Zareh Tjeknavorian)
Stair Stare (John Akre)
Summer Turns to Fall (David Creighton)
Taking Inventory (Aaron Diament)
Thoughts From a Severed Head (Aaron Crume)
TKO (Oliver Smith)
To the Moon (Rickie Cai)
The Top Ten Films of 2022 (Toby Jones)
Treasure (Lance Yijin Lao)
Wanderers: Reverie (Katie Brooks)
Who Cares (Joey Esposito)
Wilbur (Luke Chrzan)
Tickets and passes for the 2023 Fargo Film Festival are now on sale online and at the Fargo Theatre box office,
Please note that a service charge of $1.25 will be added to every ticket purchased online.
The Fargo Film Festival is excited to share the screening schedule for March 21 -25 at the Fargo Theatre. Please note, times and locations are subject to change.
Tuesday Afternoon, March 21, Theatre 1
1:30pm Luce and the Rock
1:45pm Black Slide
1:55pm The Record
2:05pm Rips
2:20pm Red Line
2:35pm Steakhouse
2:45pm Chaperone
3:00pm Break
3:10pm Kassandra
3:30pm Triggered
3:50pm Legs
4:05pm Blue Room
4:20pm The Queen of the Foxes
4:30pm I’m Late
4:40pm Act of God
Tuesday Afternoon, March 21, Theatre 2
1:30pm Menina Casilda
3:00pm Break
3:10pm Stranger at the Gate
3:40pm Oyate
Tuesday Evening, March 21, Theatre 1
7:00pm JessZilla
Wednesday Morning, March 22, Theatre 1
10:00am Ed’s Last Will
10:05am Rockin’ Baker
10:20am Western Exit
10:35am Negatives
10:50am SONAR
10:55am The Ever Hours
11:05am Stalking the Bogeyman
11:15am A Night in the Cósmico
11:30am Wei Lai
11:45am Past Life
Wednesday Morning, March 22, Theatre 2
10:00am Aaron With 2 A’s
10:20am Brutal Season
Wednesday Afternoon, March 22, Theatre 1
1:30pm Lii Bufloo Aen Loo Kishkishiw
1:45pm Rerouted
1:55pm Cruise
2:05pm Bring Back the Whistle Dog
2:20pm The Long Rider
3:50pm Break
4:00pm The Merry Widow
4:10pm CANS Can’t Stand
4:30pm The Panola Project
4:45pm Eco-Hack!
Wednesday Afternoon, March 22, Theatre 2
1:30pm Loren & Rose
2:50pm Break
3:00pm An Umbrella in Case It Rains
3:15pm La Corriente
Wednesday Evening, March 22, Theatre 1
7:00pm Period Drama
7:05pm Night of the Living Dread
7:15pm In Search of Boozers and Schmucks
7:30pm Can’t Stop Me
7:45pm AJ Goes to the Dog Park: Part One
8:15pm Brutal
8:30pm The Diamond
Thursday Morning, March 23, Theatre 1
10:00am Babel
10:10am The Color of Life
10:30am blk
10:35am Demi-Gods
10:40am Tear
10:50am Light Leak
11:00am Beware of Trains
11:15am Blue Room
11:25am Ouroboros
11:30am Country Roads
11:40am 2:26 p.m.
11:45am House of the Unholy
Thursday Morning, March 23, Theatre 2
10:00am Eating the Silence
10:25am Dear Audrey
Thursday Afternoon, March 23, Theatre 1
1:30pm My Hatton
1:45pm Liquid Gold: From the Midwest to the Mediterranean
2:40pm 13th Ave Fargo Mine Cart
2:55pm Break
3:05pm How Small!
3:15pm A Bite of Bone
3:25pm The Voice Actress
3:40pm Long Line of Ladies
4:05pm Big Crow
Thursday Afternoon, March 23, Theatre 2
1:30pm Free to Care
1:40pm Jack Has a Plan
2:55pm Break
3:05pm Escape
3:20pm Aperio
3:35pm A Dire Strait
4:00pm I’m Lina
4:20pm You Forgot Your Wallet?
4:35pm Sunshine State
4:40pm All That Glitters
5:05pm The Boy Who Couldn’t Feel Pain
Thursday Evening, March 23, Theatre 1
7:00pm Iron Opera
9:15pm 2-Minute Movie Contest
Friday Morning, March 24, Theatre 1
10:00am Runelight
10:05am Murder Tongue
10:25am Dismay
10:55am Freedom Swimmer
11:10am The Hunt
11:35am Black
Friday Morning, March 24, Theatre 2
10:00am A Peculiar and Unfortunate Birth
10:10am Moles
10:25am Wild Card
10:35am The Family We Chose
10:45am All Is Vanity
Friday Afternoon, March 24, Theatre 1
1:30pm The Thief Collector
3:20pm Break
3:30pm A Mind Cannot Touch
3:55pm Red Line
4:10pm CANS Can’t Stand
4:30pm In Search of Boozers and Schmucks
4:40pm Past Life
4:50pm Hey Toby Hey Owen: This Is Not Sponsored by Valvoline
Friday Afternoon, March 24, Theatre 2
1:30pm You’ll Be Happier
1:50pm Dismay
2:20pm Living All of Life
2:50pm The Concubine
3:10pm Sparrow Song
3:20pm Break
3:30pm blk
3:35pm Kylie
3:40pm The Merry Widow
3:50pm I’m Late
4:00pm Queen of Hearts
Friday Evening, March 24, Theatre 1
7:00pm The Princess Bride: An Inconceivable Evening with Cary Elwes
Saturday Morning, March 25, Theatre 1
10:00am Kylie
10:05am The Voice Actress
10:20am Legs
10:35am Chaperone
10:50am Kassandra
11:10am Steakhouse
11:20am All That Glitters
11:45am The Panola Project
Saturday Morning, March 25, Theatre 2
10:00am Amerikatsi
Saturday Afternoon, March 25, Theatre 1
1:30pm Northern Shade
3:25pm Break
3:35pm Presentation of the Margie Bailly Volunteer Spirit Award to Dinah Goldenberg
3:43pm 2-Minute Movie Contest Winner
3:45pm Black Slide
3:55pm Rips
4:20pm Freedom Swimmer
4:35pm Stranger at the Gate
5:05pm Warsha
Saturday Afternoon, March 25, Theatre 2
1:30pm Every Diaspora Poem Is About Mangos
1:35pm The Record
1:45pm The Queen of the Foxes
1:55pm The Boy Who Couldn’t Feel Pain
2:15pm Long Line of Ladies
2:35pm Act of God
2:55pm Night of the Living Dread
3:10pm The Diamond
3:25pm Break
3:35pm Everybody Wants to Be Loved
Saturday Evening, March 25, Theatre 1
7:00pm An Evening with Mike Flanagan and Kate Siegel
The Fargo Film Festival is excited to announce the F-M premiere of “Iron Opera”, the new documentary feature from directors Mike Scholtz and Marius Anderson. The film will screen at 7pm on March 23rd as the Festival’s Thursday Night Showcase. Director Mike Scholtz and musician Steve Solkela will both appear on stage for a Q&A after the film. Solkela will also perform live at the Fargo Theatre before the documentary. Passes for the Fargo Film Festival are currently on sale. Individual tickets for this session will go on sale later this month.
About Iron Opera:
It’s not easy to stage an opera in the middle of northern Minnesota. But this is the Iron Range where the people are stubborn and the music of the Old World still runs deep in their veins. Watch as a renowned concert pianist teams up with an Ojibwe language teacher, a skateboarding accordionist, and talent imported from every corner of the Earth to pull off the impossible. Here you’ll find small towns with big dreams.
About the filmmaker:
Mike Scholtz is a documentary filmmaker who lives in the woods of northern Minnesota. He was born just across the river in Moorhead. But he tells people that he actually grew up here in the Fargo Theatre watching Silent Movie Nights, My Life as a Dog and the greatest double feature screening in the history of cinema: Lost Boys and Fright Night. His first feature-length film was the Arctic crime caper Wild Bill’s Run. Since then, he’s produced and directed films like Wicker Kittens, Lost Conquest and Riplist. He also founded the Free Range Film Festival in a 100-year-old barn outside of Duluth, Minnesota.