Small town, big screen
The Prison City Film Festival is a huge undertaking for a small town like Huntsville.
Huntsville is well-known for its prison system. But in some circles, the town is growing in popularity as a standout independent film festival.
The Prison City Film Festival (PCFF) was created by Huntsvillan Paul Shiver to showcase independent films and filmmakers. The first festival took place in 2018.
With that catchy name, things started to take off. The first year saw 84 submissions from all over the world, 64 of which were screened. According to Shiver, 8 out of 10 filmmakers said they entered because of the name. Last month, PCFF celebrated its ninth year at Old Town Theatre, with 64 awards presented to 78 short and feature films, documentaries, trailers, and music videos.
The films in the PCFF are organized into three hour "blocks." Each of the festival's four days has 2-4 blocks, lighting up the big screen for hours, with special events – mixers, receptions, workshops – occurring most evenings. Attendees can purchase a ticket for a single block, a full day, or the whole festival. The cost of a block is what you'd pay for a single movie down in The Woodlands.
Getting noticed, or trying to
Why do film creators submit to independent film festivals?
The big dream is to have your film seen by someone who can pick it up and distribute it nationwide. But that is very rare. According to Huntsvillan Carlo Rodriguez, a photographer and content creator for independent film festivals, getting your movie screened at a film fest shows your donors and producers that it actually got made – something that doesn’t always happen.
It's also a way to gather and network with other filmmakers. Rodriguez says, “there is sort of a film festival desert in parts of the country, and between Dallas and Houston certainly was one of them.” The Prison City Film Festival has filled this gap. While not a swank ballroom black tie affair, it has its own charm, with the historic downtown cobblestone sidewalks and quaint Old Town Theatre.
This year's winner for Best Feature Film was "Fortuitous," by Crystal Bass.
Director of the winning music video for 2026, J.B. Lawrence of Mobile, Alabama, has been entering and attending film fests for the last seven years. He says that PCFF’s “selection of films was masterfully curated” and that he appreciated the “general care... for multiple opportunities to really get to know your fellow filmmakers and [those] who ran the festival.”
According to Rodriquez, those who attend PCFF “feel seen… [they] feel welcomed, and they’re going to want to come back. And that means more tourism dollars for Huntsville.” Lawrence, who has a practice of not repeating more than one festival from the previous year, said PCFF will be the one fest that he reapplies to.
It takes a village
Putting on something this big is a huge undertaking. The organizing team consists of eight people, including Shiver, handling everything from media to security.
In addition, many local businesses were sponsors for the event. Double Dave's supplied pizzas for one of the screening nights, Best Western and Home2 Suites gave hotel discounts for out-of-towners, and The Farmhouse gave discounts to attendees.
Still others helped put on the festival itself. The final film block, a pair of documentaries, was held at the Barefoot Ballroom inside Smither Real Estate. And the Be Free Gallery, across the street from the Old Town Theatre, served as a lounge where filmmakers and attendees could network, and hosted celebratory events each night.
This year's winner for Best Documentary was "Shuffle," by Benjamin Flaherty, about treatment for addiction.
Don't miss out next year
Even with all that work, success is not guaranteed. Rodriguez says most film festivals don’t last more than three to five years. “They fold because they didn’t innovate enough, they didn’t adapt enough, or they were just cash grabs.”
He admits that “there are scammers in this business like any other.” This year's festival even had a comedy that poked fun at the experience of making a film, entering it into a film fest, and showing up to a poorly planned and attended affair not worth the entry and travel costs.
The word of mouth for the Prison City Film Festival must be good, since they just completed their ninth year and are already getting submissions for year ten.
The winner of Best International Narrative Short was "The Pearl Comb," involving a misbehaving mermaid.
While the PCFF is growing in popularity with independent film makers, local attendance leaves something to be desired. In many screenings, the audience consists mostly of other filmmakers.
Shiver says, “the average person simply doesn’t know what a film festival is, or how much fun can be had. I think it’s just a matter of continuing to educate the public, which we have been making concerted efforts to do over the past several years. Once people know about it and come for the first time, they always seem to return.”
A film fest is different from a visit to a movie theater. You can view a much greater quantity and diversity of projects in one day or even one block. But what really makes it stand out is that these films' creators are in the room with you. That allows for a question and answer period at the end of the block where you can ask about the idea for the film, the casting, even technical things like cinematography. It makes the viewing experience somehow more real.
So mark your calendar to attend next year's Prison City Film Festival. The dedication that has gotten the PCFF this far will not disappoint for the milestone of year ten.
Next year's Prison City Film Festival will be held Feb. 24-27, 2027. This article was composed by Mary-Brett Stringer. Learn more about Mary-Brett and her podcast, The Doers of Things, on her web site, www.thedoersofthings.com.