Call for entries · Year two
Bring us the film
only you
could make.
SilverVox came out of the gate swinging. Now we’re doing it again. We’re looking for bold films, strange films, beautiful films and difficult ones: work that deserves to be seen with an audience in a city built for it.
The Frederick News-Post on year one
“For four days, the city felt like a carnival of delights for the arts community.”
2026 at a glance
Out of the gate
swinging.
161
Films screened
29
Countries
40+
Musicians, bands + DJs
13
Downtown venues
What we’re looking for
We want
discoveries.
SilverVox programs a deliberately broad range of independent cinema. We want distinctive voices. Films that take chances. Films that make us laugh, disturb us, move us or show us something we haven’t seen before. Films that keep people talking in the lobby afterward.
We aren’t interested in programming 100 versions of the same movie. And yes, we actually watch your film. Every submission is evaluated by at least three screeners, and our programs are built as experiences.
Bold films. Beautiful films. Strange films. Difficult films.
40 minutes +
Features
Narrative, documentary, experimental, performance and midnight features. US and international.
Under 40 minutes
Shorts
Narrative, documentary, music videos, experimental and midnight shorts. US and international.
And everything else
The films that break the mold
Animation, music documentaries, music videos, performance films, student work, Maryland films and international voices.
Key dates
Earlier is cheaper.
Earliest is cheapest.
Submissions open
Oct 16, 2026
Open now on FilmFreeway.
Earlybird
Nov 14, 2026
Lowest fees of the season.
Regular
Dec 15, 2026
Standard fees.
Late
Feb 8, 2027
Fees go up.
Extended late
Mar 1, 2027
Last call.
Notification
Mar 19, 2027
Everyone hears back, selected or not.
The festival
May 6–9, 2027
Downtown Frederick, Maryland.
Fees vary by category and deadline. See current fees on FilmFreeway →
More than a screening
More than a laurel
and a time slot.
Q&As
Moderators who watched it
Our moderators dive into your film before they sit down with you, so the conversation goes somewhere.
Panels + workshops
Built on real ideas
Selected filmmakers may join panels, moderated conversations and hands-on workshops, from distribution talk to 16mm film.
Receptions + parties
Time to actually meet
Filmmaker events are designed so you actually meet each other.
Filmmakers on year one
Don’t take
our word for it.
I have attended hundreds of film festivals over the course of my 27 years in the film and television industry and SilverVox Film and Music Festival rates at the top of the list.
Rick Kain
Filmmaker · FilmFreeway review
If you are a filmmaker selected for this fest, you are treated like royalty by the team. I especially loved the exclusive lounge and receptions.
Ian Scott Pullens
Filmmaker · FilmFreeway review
Screenings of many important new works; excellent panel discussions… and the general goodwill of the atmosphere truly made this a wonderful experience. Bravo SilverVox!
Gregory Hall
Filmmaker · FilmFreeway review
The “+” matters
Film and music,
built together.
Music is part of who we are. Year one brought rare one-off sets from Cults and DIIV, who wove film into their Weinberg show, plus dozens of touring, regional and Frederick artists. The News-Post called it “a stroke of luck — or genius — for an inaugural film fest.”
01
Doc, then a talk
A documentary leads straight into a filmmaker conversation.
02
Shorts, then a show
A shorts block lets out and a concert starts a few doors down.
03
Crossed wires
A director discovers a band. A musician discovers a filmmaker. That’s the point.
A festival that takes over a city
Historic theaters.
A walkable city.
SilverVox unfolds across historic Downtown Frederick, anchored by the Weinberg Center for the Arts and New Spire Arts, with screenings, concerts and events in galleries, arts spaces, music venues, restaurants, outdoor stages and a few unexpected places.
That matters. After a screening, filmmakers stick around. They run into each other on the sidewalk, keep the Q&A going over dinner and end up at someone else’s film.
Fair warning: SilverVox is designed to give you a little FOMO.
About an hour
From D.C. + Baltimore
A real festival town, close to two major cities and their airports.
Walk everywhere
13 venues downtown
Restaurants, breweries, galleries and nightlife in between every screening.
Year two
May 6–9, 2027
Thursday to Sunday, spring in downtown Frederick.
Awards + prizes
Jury and audience awards across genres, formats, budgets and experience levels.
New for 2027: The SilverVox Award. One film that best embodies the spirit of the festival and our belief that Creativity Connects Us, regardless of genre, format or category.
Juries are filmmakers, artists, educators, critics, musicians and other creative professionals. Not every award is presented every year; awards and eligibility are set by the final program.
Rules, in plain English
The fine print.
Is my film eligible?
Films completed after January 1, 2024 that are available to screen May 6–9, 2027. Premiere status is optional. Films with national theatrical, broadcast or streaming distribution before May 6, 2027 can still be considered for noncompetitive showcases, just not juried awards.
My film is online. Does that count against me?
Ongoing availability on commercial platforms like Netflix, Hulu or Apple TV makes a film ineligible for juried awards. Limited runs, online festivals or streaming on your own website are fine.
What’s your AI policy?
SilverVox celebrates films and music made by people. We don’t accept work whose creative content (script, footage, images, music, voices or performances) was made with generative AI.
Tools that clean up or correct what you made are welcome: noise reduction, color correction, stabilization, restoration, rotoscoping, captioning. Disclose any AI use on the submission form. Disclosing assistive tools never counts against your film. Not sure? Ask us before you submit.
Language, captions + student work
Films with dialogue or voiceover must be in English or have English subtitles. We strongly encourage captions on English-language films too. Student submissions need proof of student status at the time the film was made, if we ask.
Who watches my film?
At least three members of our screening team. We may stop after 30 minutes or 50% of the runtime (whichever comes first) if a film doesn’t meet minimum standards, and we may place your film in a different category or block than the one you picked.
What is Road to SilverVox?
Our year-round screening series, before and after the festival. Every submission can be considered for it, including films not selected for the main festival. Festival selections are made first, and we’ll contact you separately before any screening. Prefer to opt out? Say so in your FilmFreeway submission.
Do you pay screening fees or travel?
We don’t pay screening fees for FilmFreeway submissions, and travel and lodging aren’t covered unless arranged in writing. Attendance is optional, and encouraged. Submission fees are nonrefundable.
I got in. Now what?
You’ll hear by March 19, 2027 through FilmFreeway and email, so make sure mail from silvervox.org reaches you. Selected films sign a screening agreement and send an exhibition file, stills, synopsis, bio and captions by our deadlines. Once the lineup is announced, accepted films are committed to screening.
Come be part of year two
If you made it,
we want to see it.
Crowd-pleasers and conversation-starters. Local stories and international perspectives. First-timers and seasoned voices. Most of all, work that deserves to be experienced with an audience.
Film. Music. Art. Conversation. Community. Creativity connects us.