The Big Muddy Film Festival is one of the oldest student/community-run film festivals in the country. Created to bring films not typically available to the community, the first Big Muddy Film Festival was held in late March of 1979. There were approximately 45 entries, which played to packed houses at the Student Center Auditorium over a three-day period. Since then, the festival has expanded into a 10-day event, and films are not only shown on the SIU campus, but throughout the town of Carbondale and the greater Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky region.
Today, the festival showcases all independent films, and while it emphasizes the experimental and documentary filmmaker, the festival also includes narrative and feature length works. The festival provides an opportunity for filmmakers to compete and gain recognition for their work. Among the monetary awards is the newly established John Michaels Memorial Film Award, presented to the best work entered in the Big Muddy Film Festival that promotes human rights, peace and justice topics, or environmental issues.
In past years, the festival has received over 200 entries from all over the United States and abroad. Each year, approximately fifty of the best works are screened at the festival to sizeable audiences. In addition to these screenings, the festival also brings feature films and guest artists to the Carbondale community. Past guest artists have included Robert Frank, David Simpson, Santiago Alvarez, Barbara Hammer, Jay Rosenblatt, Haskell Wexler, Trinh Minh-ha, and Jim Jarmusch.
Past winners can be found here.
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