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The film community in Rochester is one that I hold dear. It is a welcoming space where I have made friends from diverse walks of life. If you’re someone who loves movies and enjoys discussing them on a deeper level, then I have some incredible film festivals where you can meet new people.

Film festivals often have opening and closing receptions, meet-ups, and sometimes free food. From attending so many festivals over the years I’ve come to see a lot of similar faces and bumped into many friends.

The following are two movie theaters that are accessible by the Rochester Transportation System (RTS) and the University of Rochester Shuttles. Below are a few film festivals held at each of those theaters.

The Little Theatre

https://thelittle.org/

Located in Downtown Rochester, The Little also features live music and rotating artwork from local artists in their cafe. The Little hosts new, international, and classic movies. Check out their monthly calendar for a list of their live music performances and special screenings! The Little offers student memberships that include discounted tickets to regular screenings and free popcorn!

Festivals at the Little Theater

https://imageout.org/

This festival occurs twice a year, once in the fall around October, and again in the spring around July. ImageOut has screenings at both The Little and Dryden Theatres. ImageOut features LGBTQ+ films from around the world including short films available for online and in-person screenings. There is a huge Kickoff Party before this film festival starts, a free discussion meetup to talk about how you have experienced each film, and a closing dinner.

https://www.anomalyfilmfest.com/

This film festival is usually during the second week of November each year. Screenings are also held down the road at The Dryden Theatre. Movie genres include science fiction, fantasy, horror, action, dark comedy, and more. I tend to watch more science fiction and horror comedy movies, so I appreciate this film festival for presenting various genres and exposing me to more films I wouldn’t normally watch on my own. This is my favorite festival and I recommend everyone attend. There is a discounted student festival pass that will get you into all the films. At Anomaly you can even get a first look at some films coming out later in the year! Anomaly has included films such as: The People’s Joker (2022), Molli and Max in the Future (2023), Robot Dreams (2022), and Junta Yamaguchi’s River (2023).

https://reelmindfilmfest.com/

This film festival is hosted at the Rochester Academy of Medicine and The Little Theatre. This film festival offers perspective into mental health issues such as dealing with grief, addiction, incarceration, and abuse. Each film has a panel of medical experts that discusses the film after. Dates vary throughout the year, so sign up for their mailing list to keep informed.

The Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum

https://www.eastman.org/events/film-screenings

Located in the Neighborhood of the Arts, this theater screens a lot of older films. To get to this theater, it is to the left of the museum. Fun fact: The Dryden Theatre actually screens the most silent movies across the USA!

Festivals Hosted at the Dryden Theater

https://rochesterfilmfest.org/

This Festival occurs in May each year and has Free Admission! This Festival has hundreds of short films from around the world from various genres. This has been rated “The Best Local Film Festival” by City Magazine since 2014!

https://www.eastman.org/nitrate-picture-show  

This is usually held at the end of May to early June each year. At this festival you can see vintage nitrate prints from the international archives and attend lectures on the art of film conservation. Screenings have included Casablanca (1942), A Star is Born (1937), and Ladri di biciclette [Bicycle Thieves] (1948, Vittorio de Sica).

https://www.sas.rochester.edu/psc/CPCES/polish-film-festival/

This is held at the end of October through early November every year. All the films have English subtitles. The Festival is held both at The Dryden and The Little Theatres. This Festival has previously screened Kieślowski's Three Colors, and hosts an array of Polish films from various decades.

This is NOT a complete list of the film festivals held in Rochester. There are many more film festivals hosted in these movie theaters as well as other venues across Rochester. Keep an eye out in the City Magazine for other film festivals and events as well: https://m.roccitymag.com/.