Now Accepting 2024 Film Submissions
Hobnobben. It's more than a film festival. It's a celebration of the human experience through cinematic storytelling. Approaching its ninth year, the Hobnobben Film Festival supports Fort Wayne Cinema Center, a not-for-profit arts organization in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Each year, we invite filmmakers, film lovers, and the film-curious to experience heart-changing cinema over four glorious days in October.
At Hobnobben, we encourage people to "see and be seen." By showcasing diverse stories and voices that have been typically excluded, and curating films by themes, we're able to provide a one-of-a-kind festival that invites participants to see themselves represented on screen — and be seen by others. We shine a light on historically marginalized stories and creators in film: LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, people of color, women, international voices, seniors, non-White/Western, body positive stories, and the quirky/campy.
We aim to push boundaries and intellectualize through our programming. We are co-educators who want to make the art of film accessible to everyone. We believe in providing a safe-space for diverse storytelling, audience engagement with important issues, and meaningful conversations. We believe this is best accomplished by meeting people where they’re at and hearing their stories. This isn’t a film fest for film snobs. This is a film festival intended to bring Hoosiers and the global community together.
Hobnobben Film Festival filmmakers can expect networking opportunities to build relationships with other Hoosier filmmakers as well as out-of-state and international filmmakers. A celebration of your work through thoughtfully-curated film blocks by an audience that includes the general public, artists, commercial videographers, and event sponsors. We also strive to bring a unique view of the Midwest and the filmmaker-friendly community of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Finally, our festival organizers are here to answer any questions you may have.
Our 9th annual festival will be held October 3 - 6, 2024 , at Fort Wayne Cinema Center.
Proceeds from the festival go toward supporting, maintaining and programming Fort Wayne’s nonprofit arthouse movie theater, Cinema Center.
Please note that Hobnobben operates with high standards relating to the content that we showcase to the community. There are some lines we will not cross, including:
- Misogyny
- Certain sexual violence
- Incest
- Transphobic content and/or jokes
- Use of the R-word
- Fridging of female/femme characters
- Othering and/or villainizing neurodivergent characters
- And anything else that is harmful and without a potentially meaningful payoff*
*This is not intended to be a complete list, but rather a few examples to help illustrate how we approach making selections for Hobnobben Film Festival.
We also do not screen films out of competition.
Awards & Prizes
Best of Awards will be given in each of the following categories:
Narrative Feature
Feature-Length Unscripted
Animated Shorts
Unscripted Short
Fiction Short
Student Work: High School and Undergraduate
First-Time Filmmaker and Advanced Student
Indiana Reels- Films with an Indiana connection, both short and feature length.
WTFw: What the Fort Wayne?- Hobnobben’s experimental category.
AND:
All films submitted will also be eligible for Jen Lynn Award. This film honors films with lgbtqia+ representation and storytelling.
Jennifer Fray and Lynn Serstad have supported the festival since day one. Without the support of people such as these wonderful women, Hobnobben would not be what it is today. We are thrilled to be able to honor two great women and two valuable members of our Fort Wayne and Hobnobben Communities with this award.
