Oxford Film Festival

What Oxford Film Festival does

Oxford Film Festival is an independent nonprofit film festival founded in 2003 and based in Oxford, Mississippi. The organization celebrates independent cinema through an annual festival (the 23rd edition held February 26-28, 2026; the 24th scheduled for March 18-20, 2027) complemented by year-round programming that includes screenings, workshops, panels, and Q&A sessions. It serves two core customer segments: independent filmmakers seeking exposure, audience connection, and community resources (submitted via the FilmFreeway platform), and film enthusiasts who purchase memberships, attend events, and consume curated independent cinema. It also engages corporate sponsors seeking visibility through tiered sponsorship packages.

The festival's operating model is event-driven. Its product surface consists of three membership tiers (Red Carpet at $100, Lights at $250, Camera at $500) offering escalating festival access and perks, four corporate sponsorship tiers (Casting at $1,000, Editor at $2,500, Director at $5,000, Producer at $10,000) providing logo placement, advertising, and hospitality benefits, a free annual digital festival program PDF, and a curated Filmmaker Resources hub. Technology is built on off-the-shelf platforms rather than proprietary infrastructure: FilmFreeway for global film submissions and Eventive for virtual screenings with built-in captioning for accessibility. The website runs on Squarespace.

The organization monetizes through a blended mix of recurring memberships ($100–$500 annually), one-time sponsorship contracts ($1,000–$10,000), donations via an Oxford Film Festival Endowment Fund managed through the CREATE Foundation, and supplementary channels including PayPal Giving Fund, Kroger Rewards, and eBay for Charity. Governance rests with a Board of Directors led by President Jane Vorhies, Vice President Lanair Baker, Secretary Kent Jackson, and Treasurer James Bolden, supported by a small paid staff of 5 (Festival Manager, Graphic Designer, Website Manager, Artistic Director, and Membership and Ticket Sales Coordinator). The festival has been recognized by MovieMaker magazine as one of the Top 50 Film Festivals and has showcased over 300 artists through its long-running Motel Art Show series since 2007.

Name

Oxford Film Festival

Legal name

Oxford Film Festival

Website

https://ox-film.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Oxford Film Festival is a nonprofit independent film festival based in Oxford, Mississippi, founded in 2003. It runs an annual festival plus year-round programming for independent filmmakers, film enthusiasts, and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival & Independent Cinema Events

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Motion Picture Theaters (except Drive-Ins) (512131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG), Independent & Art-house Cinemas (MPADAKAB)

Keywords

• Independent film festival
• Film screenings
• Filmmaker workshops
• Film submissions
• Arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Memberships: Tiered membership program offering festival passes and exclusive perks at Red Carpet ($100), Lights ($250), and Camera ($500) levels
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorship packages ranging from Casting ($1,000) to Producer ($10,000) levels, providing logo placement, social media mentions, and festival access
3. Festival Program PDFs: Sale of festival program PDFs for the 23rd Annual Oxford Film Festival
4. Donations and Fundraising: Donations through Oxford Film Festival Endowment Fund via CREATE Foundation, PayPal Giving Fund, Kroger Rewards, and eBay for Charity

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Oxford Film Festival is an independent nonprofit film festival held annually in Oxford, Mississippi, presenting curated independent cinema through film screenings, filmmaker Q&As, workshops, and educational programs. It operates with year-round programming alongside its flagship March festival (23rd Annual in 2026; 24th Annual scheduled March 18–20, 2027), supporting filmmakers through festival exposure and film enthusiasts through community-based cinematic experiences.

Product overview

Oxford Film Festival is an annual independent film festival in Oxford, Mississippi, operating as a single unified event rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization offers three membership tiers (Red Carpet! at $100, Lights! at $250, Camera! at $500) providing escalating festival access and perks, and four sponsorship tiers (Casting at $1,000, Editor at $2,500, Director at $5,000, Producer at $10,000) for businesses. Additional offerings include a free digital festival program PDF and a filmmaker resources hub. The festival uses FilmFreeway for film submissions and Eventive for virtual screenings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oxford Film Festival (Annual Independent Film Festival) Annual independent film festival presenting curated indie cinema through screenings, filmmaker Q&As, workshops, and educational programs. Targeted at independent filmmakers seeking exposure and film enthusiasts seeking curated cultural programming.
• 23rd Annual Oxford Film Festival Program PDF Digital festival program publication listing the 23rd Annual Oxford Film Festival's film selections, schedule, and event details, offered to festival attendees and supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named one of the Top 50 Film Festivals by MovieMaker magazine
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Visit OxfordcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVisit Oxford is the local tourism organization that Oxford Film Festival partners with for cross-promotion. The partnership helps promote the festival to visitors and positions Oxford as a cultural destination.
• FilmFreewaycoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial film submission platform enabling filmmakers worldwide to submit their work to the festival. FilmFreeway is an industry-standard platform for film festival submissions.
• CREATE FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Oxford Film Festival Endowment is managed through the CREATE Foundation, a regional philanthropic organization supporting arts and culture in the community.
• EventivecoreTechnology or IntegrationVirtual screening platform used for online festival screenings, Q&As, and event management. Provides built-in captioning for accessibility.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Indie Memphis Film Festival: Regional independent film festival in the U.S. South celebrating independent cinema, offering screenings, music integration, and educational programs. Comparable scale, Southern U.S. base, and indie-film-focused programming model to Oxford Film Festival.
• Sidewalk Film Festival: Birmingham, Alabama-based independent film festival with a similar community-driven model, showcasing independent cinema alongside educational programming and filmmaker events. Comparable size and mission to Oxford Film Festival.
• Nashville Film Festival: Mid-sized independent film festival in the U.S. South serving independent filmmakers and film enthusiasts. Operates a multi-day festival with screenings, workshops, and educational programming, comparable in mission and audience to Oxford Film Festival.
• Bentonville Film Festival: Arkansas-based independent film festival focused on inclusion and diverse storytelling, with competition-driven programming for independent filmmakers. Similar regional indie-film positioning and annual festival format as Oxford Film Festival.
• Montclair Film Festival: New Jersey-based independent film festival combining screenings, educational programs, and community events. Operates year-round programming with a comparable nonprofit structure and mid-tier scale to Oxford Film Festival.
• Cucalorus Film Festival: Wilmington, North Carolina-based independent film festival with a comparable community-driven focus, year-round programming, and emphasis on emerging filmmakers. Similar scale and nonprofit operating model to Oxford Film Festival.
• RiverRun International Film Festival: Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based regional film festival showcasing independent cinema alongside educational and community programs. Operates at a similar scale with comparable programming structure to Oxford Film Festival.

Broad incumbents

• Atlanta Film Festival: One of the longest-running and largest film festivals in the U.S. South, with extensive programming across multiple genres. Operates at a significantly larger scale but competes for the same regional indie filmmakers and sponsors as Oxford Film Festival.

Others

• FilmFreeway: Industry-standard film submission platform used by Oxford Film Festival and hundreds of other festivals. Serves as an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor, enabling the festival to receive film submissions globally.

Emerging players

• Oxford International Film Festival: Ohio-based independent film festival sharing the "Oxford" brand name. While operating in a different geographic market, it competes for brand recognition and filmmaker mindshare with Oxford Film Festival (Mississippi).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/oxfordfilmfest
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCApNpqOZdJvYNJfJj9-oM3Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/oxfordfilmfest
• Instagraminstagram.com/oxfordfilmfest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oxford-film-festival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oxford Film Festival