Mission / Overview

The Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival's mission is to provide a cultural alternative to the mainstream commercial film experience and to celebrate, promote, nurture and teach non-fiction filmmaking. The festival seeks to provide a window to the world and screen movies that inspire change.

The Festival began as a volunteer-run effort and has remained one ever since, with any profits from the event being reinvested into future festivals, funding our Emerging Filmmaker Program and donating to local charities. All year, our all-volunteer staff donates countless hours in order to bring a unique and awe-inspiring cultural event to Northern Arizona.

In addition to our commitment to quality film, we have several programs focused on the youth of our local community and surrounding Native American youth. Every year, our Student Program showcases a program of educational and inspirational films for as many as 1600 local middle and high-school students. Our Traveling Student Program brings this program to students from nearby Hopi and Navajo reservations. Finally, our Emerging Filmmaker Program provides a FREE after-school experience in which students learn the fundamentals of documentary filmmaking, from concept to post-production to screening their films at the Festival.