The Fourth Annual Tombstone Film Festival

January 29th – February 1st, 2026

 

The Tombstone Film Festival was created by John Marrs and Travis Mills to showcase the best Western feature and short films in America’s most iconic Western town. The event will include screenings of selected films, panels, a special opening night event, and closing awards party.

All selected filmmakers will receive two VIP passes which includes admission to all screenings, festival events, and the awards ceremony.

Submissions for our third annual festival open on May 1st. Mark your calendars for our festival dates, January 29th to February 1st, 2026. And new this year:

PITCH US YOUR WESTERN!

For our fourth year of the Tombstone Film Festival, we present a new category. We call it the WESTERN PITCH.

You are invited to submit a pitch video for your micro-budget Western feature film and enter a competition to receive $20,000 from ITN Films to make your movie!

The winner of this competition must produce their Western feature during March/April of 2026. Producers Travis Mills and John Marrs will assist and manage your budget and shooting schedule, overseeing your project from preparation to completion. The completed film must be delivered no later than November 2026. It will be distributed by ITN Films and screen out-of-competition at our fifth annual Tombstone Film Festival in 2027.

Basic Guidelines for Your Western Project:

– Must follow the budgetary guidelines set forth by Travis Mills and John Marrs.
– Must be a non-union project.
– Must be filmed in Arizona at the following locations: 1. Gammons Gulch Movie Set. 2. White Stallion Ranch. 3. Any other Arizona locations which are permitted by the production and free to use.
– Runtime must be between 80 and 120 minutes

Additional guidelines will be shared if your project reaches the final phase of our competition.

Now, here’s how you submit your Western!

Read the details for submission below:

YOUR PITCH VIDEO

Starting May 1st, you may submit the pitch video for your feature-length Western. Like our regular submissions, there is an early bird, regular, and late deadline. Keep in mind, the sooner you submit your video, the more time we will have to consider your project.

– Pitch videos must be 2 to 3 minutes in length
– Your pitch video may include photography/clips, conceptual drawings, excerpts from your script, and more. Get creative!
– Your pitch video must answer the following questions: 1. What’s your story? 2. Why do you want to make this movie? 3. Why should we want to watch this movie? 4. Why is the Western genre important to you?

After reviewing your video, our festival team will determine if you have reached the second round: sending us your screenplay.

YOUR SCREENPLAY

We will contact you via email if your pitch has passed to the second round. We will request a copy of your screenplay (so start writing now if you haven’t already!).

Scripts must be:

– 60 to 120 pages in length
– Formatted as a PDF
– Professional script formatting (proper use of script writing programs) will be taken into consideration when judging your screenplay

If you pass the second round to become one of our finalist, you will be invited as a finalist in the competition and screen your pitch video at our fourth annual Tombstone Film Festival. In addition, our festival team will reach out to you with details regarding budget, schedule, and rules for making your Western if you are chosen as this year’s winner.

FINAL COMPETITION

During our fourth annual Tombstone Film Festival, finalist pitch videos will screen throughout our event for our audience. The winner will be selected by an average of the following two groups:

– Judge’s panel including festival co-founders Travis Mills and John Marrs, plus select industry professionals
– Audience vote, collected during our festival events

The winner will be announced at our awards ceremony on Sunday, February 1st, 2026.

Click Here to Submit via FilmFreeway

 

Awards

We will present a total of twelve awards this year:

Best Feature Film
Best Short Film
Best Arizona Film
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Screenplay (only for completed films)
Best Cinematography
Best Sound

And four other awards specific to the Western genre.

 

 

Rules

If accepted, filmmakers must supply a digital copy of your film. Failure to timely supply files can lead to disqualification.

1. All submissions must qualify as Westerns. This includes variations on the Western genre such as comedic westerns, horror westerns, documentary westerns, etc.

2. The Tombstone Film Festival Entry Fees are non-refundable.

3. There are no premiere requirements and the film may be available online prior to screening at the festival. However, we only accept films made no earlier than 2022.

4. All films must be in English or subtitled in English.

5. Very important: if selected, all filmmakers must reply via email to confirm your selection within no more than a week or your film will be removed from our program.

6. It is the sole responsibility of the Applicant to secure clearance from the copyright holders of any copyrighted materials included within the submitted Film. The Tombstone Film Festival will not be held responsible for the unauthorized inclusion of any copyrighted materials within or relating to the submitted Film. The festival reserves the right to disqualify, without refund of any or all submission fees previously collected from the Applicant, any Film with any unauthorized inclusion of copyrighted materials.

7. Filmmakers accepted and attending the Festival are responsible for travel, lodging, and all other expenses. However, the festival may provide discount rates for lodging if possible. As stated above, each selected film will receive two free VIP passes.

Our Venue

The Tombstone Film Festival takes place at Schieffelin Hall in Tombstone, Arizona. Schieffelin Hall is located at 402 E Fremont St, Tombstone, AZ 85638

All screenings will take place inside Schieffelin.

Click Here to Visit the Schieffelin Hall Facebook Page

 

The City of Tombstone

There is no better place for a Western film festival than Tombstone, Arizona. Home to many historical sites, great saloons, vintage shops, and fun living history events, Tombstone is the Western fan’s ultimate destination.

Our screening venue is walking distance from all these main street attractions. Click Here for More About Restaurants, Hotels, etc. in Tombstone.

Get In Touch

More Info

Please contact us if you have any questions about our film festival. You can use the contact form here or email Festival Director Travis Mills directly.

Email: travismills@runningwildfilms.com