Ocean City Film Festival

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Ocean City Film Festival Join us for the 9th season March 6th-9th, 2025! Founded in January 2017, the Ocean City Film Festival is a collaboration with the Art League of Ocean City.

The festival is an initiative to engage the community with local and regional artists.

Calling all filmmakers, storytellers, and creatives! The Ocean City Film Challenge is back for its 8th year—and we want ...
24/06/2025

Calling all filmmakers, storytellers, and creatives! The Ocean City Film Challenge is back for its 8th year—and we want to see what Ocean City looks like through your lens.

Your Mission:
Make a short film (10 minutes max) that captures the spirit of Ocean City. Whether you’re filming on the boardwalk, under the pier, or crafting a fictional story set in our seaside town, we want a cinematic narrative that brings Ocean City to life.

The Challenge Window:
July 1–31, 2025
Your film must be created within this timeframe. To make it extra interesting, we’ll give you a secret line of dialogue you must include—it’ll be revealed when you register.

Important Dates:

Register by: July 21, 2025
Final Films Due: July 31, 2025
Outdoor Premiere: August 23, 2025, 7 p.m.
Under the stars on the tennis courts next to the Ocean City Center for the Arts (94th St. bayside). Rain? No worries—we’ll take the show inside.
Why Enter?
Besides bragging rights, top films get featured in the 2026 Ocean City Film Festival—and the prizes are pretty sweet:

1st Place: Two festival passes, a swag bag, and a hotel stay during the festival
2nd Place: Two passes, swag, and $50 cash
3rd Place: Two passes and swag

This is your chance to showcase your vision and creativity in a one-of-a-kind beachside competition. No vacation reels or music videos—this is about storytelling, cinema-style.

Ready to roll?
Click here to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe6WAahFUqxnC3ItEZ3R0BGqEv4trURCPyORou0RMcmeoyxZA/viewform

Join the Ocean City Film Festival for a one-night-only outdoor screening of eight short films that bring the town’s 150-...
20/06/2025

Join the Ocean City Film Festival for a one-night-only outdoor screening of eight short films that bring the town’s 150-year history to life — Saturday, June 21 on the 94th St. tennis courts next to the Art League of Ocean City!

🕕 Doors open at 6 p.m. | 🎟️ Free admission
🪑Bring your own beach/camping chair!

These award-winning shorts were created as part of the Historical Film Challenge and were among the most talked-about films at the 2025 Ocean City Film Festival.

Featured Films:
The Henry Hotel directed by Marlon Wallace
The story of Charles Henry who went through segregation to create the now famous landmark that bears his name. 18 minutes.

The Conner Stories directed by Don Lehman
A film about brother and sister Bob and Barbara Conner who were born and raised at the Conner’s Inn on 10th St. 15 minutes.

Tales from the Dock: The Legacy of Hooper’s Crab House directed by Maurice Waters
A cherished family-owned establishment.13 minutes.

150 Years of Smiles directed by Fiona O’Brien
A film about the Ocean City economy built by influential women in the 20th century and ten miles of beach. 13 minutes.

Eyes of the Fort directed by Megan Dodson
An insightful look at the Delaware beach towers and the Army’s Coast Artillery Corps during World War II. 9 minutes.

Greetings from Ocean City Maryland directed by Jesse Bowes
Collecting 100 years of Ocean City history with 100 post cards. 7 minutes.

Unparalleled Butchery: Assateague 20 directed by B.L. Strang-Moya
The story of Colonel Henry Norwood’s party of 19 English refugees stranded on Fenwick Island in January 1650. 11 minutes.

Down on the Boardwalk directed by Davis Mears
A brief history of the Ocean City boardwalk. 3 minutes.

Check out the latest edition of The Courier of Ocean Pines featuring filmmaker Candice Spielman!Spielman was recently ho...
28/03/2025

Check out the latest edition of The Courier of Ocean Pines featuring filmmaker Candice Spielman!

Spielman was recently honored at the 9th Annual Ocean City Film Festival for her film “A
Ca****la Joy – The Delmarva Chorus” that won honorable mention in the Documentary Short Film category.

Read more here:
https://delmarva.pageflip.site/editions/DC41602 /11

Calling all filmmakers! We're accepting submissions for our 10th season March 5-8, 2026 🍿Get a reduced entry fee rate by...
26/03/2025

Calling all filmmakers! We're accepting submissions for our 10th season March 5-8, 2026 🍿

Get a reduced entry fee rate by submitting before our "Early Bird" deadline - May 31, 2025

New for next season is the Maryland High School Film Showcase that will feature films produced by high school students across the state!

For more information and to register click here: https://filmfreeway.com/OceanCityFilmFestival

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Ocean City Film Festival!Documentary Short1st Place - “On Water’s Edge,” co-p...
14/03/2025

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Ocean City Film Festival!

Documentary Short
1st Place - “On Water’s Edge,” co-produced by the Maryland/DC Nature Conservancy and Modulation Studios.

Honorable Mention - “A Ca****la Joy: The Delmarva Chorus,” directed by Candice Lee Spielman

Honorable Mention -“Uncle Bully’s Surf Skool,” directed by Leah Warshawski

Honorable Mention -“Beneath the Surface,” directed by Ian Derry.
~~~~~~~~~
Narrative Short
1st Place - “Listen with Your Eyes,” directed by Sam Von Hagen

Honorable Mention - “The Boy From Lookout Mountain,” directed by Christopher Flippo

Honorable Mention -“Avocado Heart Girl,” directed by Keeley Gainey

Honorable Mention - “The Campfire,” directed by Logan Bilbrough.
~~~~~~~~~~
Documentary Feature
1st Place - “Bankie Banx: King of the Dune,” directed by Nara Garber.

Honorable Mention - “Meko,” directed by Harrison Buck

Honorable Mention - “Diary of an Orphan Elephant,” directed by Hermien Roelvert-Van Gils

Honorable Mention - “Living Drugs,” directed by Victorina Petrossiants.
~~~~~~~~~~
Narrative Feature
1st Place - “Cast & Crew,” directed by Jason Taylor

Honorable Mention - “A/way,” directed by Derek Shane Garcia

Honorable Mention -“Loch Raven,” directed by Bernd Linhart

Honorable Mention - “Home Free,” directed by Avi Ronn Federgreen.
~~~~~~~~~~
Audience Choice
"Mafia" by Tom Ward-Thomas

“Warriors Beyond the Battlefield: African Americans in the Armed Forces,” produced by Unscene Productions in cooperation with the Beach to Bay Heritage Area.

“Her Name is Alesia: Ms. Macer to You” by Eric Myrieckes
~~~~~~~~~~
Historical Film Challenge (Sponsored by the Town of OC)
1st Place - “The Henry Hotel” directed by Marlon Wallace

2nd Place - “Tales from the Dock,” directed by Maurice Waters

3rd Place - “Eyes of the Fort,” directed by Megan Dodson.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Worcester County Commission for Women also presented a special award to Samantha Aben as Best Female Director for her film, “Drifting.”

Thank you for a wonderful 9th season and we will see everyone for our 10th season March 5th-8th, 2026!

12/03/2025

Congratulations to the team at Unscene Productions and Beach to Bay Heritage area, for winning an audience choice award at the Ocean City Film Festival!

We loved seeing The Biggest Little Farm with live commentary from Director John Chester and Producer Erica Messer! Thank...
11/03/2025

We loved seeing The Biggest Little Farm with live commentary from Director John Chester and Producer Erica Messer!

Thank you to everyone who came out and watched this amazing film 🤩

11/03/2025

A big shout out to our amazing sponsors this year! We couldn't have done it without you 🤩

Some photos from our Seacrets closing party yesterday!Winners will be announced soon 🤩🎬
10/03/2025

Some photos from our Seacrets closing party yesterday!

Winners will be announced soon 🤩🎬

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the First Friday Opening Reception at the Art League of Ocean City MD!
10/03/2025

Thank you to everyone that joined us for the First Friday Opening Reception at the Art League of Ocean City MD!

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