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2026 Film Festival
Latest Information 

The 17th annual Festival is October 2nd - October 4th. 

The influential film festival in the Black Hills returns in October with new films, filmmaker insights, special guests, panels, networking, merchandise, and more. We are excited to promote the art of independent film throughout the Black Hills region. 

The Festival begins October 2nd at 6:30 PM hosted exclusively by the Journey Museum with the screening of 2 great adventure films. See trailers below.  Saturday Oct. 3, from 10AM to 12:00 PM are 2 FREE discussion panels moderated by KOTA News anchor Alicia Garcia. The Saturday and Sunday films begin at 1PM.

Award sponsors have the opportunity to contribute to the awards for the winning films and present them to the filmmakers. Last year, we added film sponsorships to help support our filmmaker activities. We hope every film in the festival will have a sponsor. Features are $500 and shorts are $250. To help your decision, trailers for all the films will be available to below. This year we 

added the REEL SD Film Award for the best film with scenes shot in South Dakota to encourage more filming in our state. 

For more information, contact blackhillsfilmfest@gmail.com.

 

Films submitted from all over the world were judged for inclusion into the Festival including films from South Dakota, North Dakota, California, Idaho, Arizona, Wyoming, New York, Canada, Ireland, Romania, Spain, France and Germany. Filmmaker notification of acceptance date was June 30, 2026.

Festival awards include Best Feature Narrative, Best Short Narrative, Best Feature Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Student Film, REEL SD Film Award and the crowd favorite, People's Choice. 

VIP passes for all films and activities in the festival are on sale NOW in our shop at the BUY VIP PASSES NOW button to the right. 

Individual Session Tickets are on sale now through the Journey Museum website at the link in the button below.

Thank you for attending and supporting the 2026 Festival!

2026 Black Hills Film Festival Information
Guest Bios Coming Soom
BHFF Program coming soon
Opening Night Films (2026)

Opening Night Film Trailer "The Great Nomad Expedition"

Opening Night Film Trailer "Catching Pinecones"

2026 Official Selections

Drama. Documentary. Comedy. Animation.

The movies chosen by the panel of screeners and judges for the BHFF represent filmmakers ranging from students to seasoned professionals in the industry. These writers, directors, producers, actors, and crew worked hard to bring their vision and stories to the world. Join us to celebrate Independent cinema and be part of this incredible community by sponsoring a film screening.

PAST FILM FESTIVALS

2025

The 16th Annual Black Hills Film Festival

  • Oct. 3 - 5  Journey Museum in Rapid City 

  • Oct. 4 Free Panel Discussions 10 AM – 12 PM Journey Museum, Rapid City​

2024

The 15th Annual Black Hills Film Festival

  • Sept. 27  Journey Museum in Rapid City 

  • Sept. 28 – 29  Hill City High School Theatre, Hill City​

2023

The 14th Annual Black Hills Film Festival

  • Sept. 29  Hill City Center, Hill City

  • Sept. 30 – Oct. 1 Hill City High School Theatre, Hill City

  • Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 Historic Hot Springs Theatre, Hot Springs

Be a significant part of the Black Hills Film Festival. The Festival connects with and services our community, fostering a sense of understanding of one another through a shared experience. Your participation will help the Festival secure advertising, bring in industry leaders, create awards for filmmakers, support students and South Dakota filmmakers, rent facilities and technical equipment, host educational seminars, and so much more.

ADA

Individuals needing assistance, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), should contact the BHFF ADA Coordinator (605-574-9454) four business days prior to a meeting or event in order to ensure accommodations are available. For any in-person meeting and the annual Festival Event, notice is further given to individuals with disabilities that the meeting/event is being held in a physically accessible location.

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