An Art League of Ocean City Production

See You in 2027!
Returning March 4th-7th, 2027
Artboard-27

Film Challenge

Winners

For Filmmakers

The Film Festival was founded in 2017, and is a production of the nonprofit Art League of Ocean City, whose youth and outreach programs benefit from the festival. This annual event attracts international, national, and regional artists working in film. In 2026, the festival screened 100 independent films, both short and feature length, and offered socializing with the filmmakers. The four day festival creates community engagement for film lovers and networking opportunities for filmmakers of all levels, and it’s the best excuse to visit the beach in March with special discounted rates on oceanfront rooms!

Upcoming Events

9th Annual OC Film Challenge Premiere & Awards Night

Saturday, August 8 Doors open at 7pm | Films begin at 8pm 94th St. Tennis Courts next to the Arts Center FREE! Registration encouraged, but not required.

Register Here

Join us under the stars to watch the next generation of film stars!

The Ocean City Film Festival invites you to premiere night of the 9th Annual Ocean City Film Challenge. Be among the first to view original short films about Ocean City created by talented filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers.

Filmmakers were challenged to produce a short film between July 1–31, 2026, shot in Ocean City or about Ocean City. Winners will be revealed during Film Night and prizes will be awarded.

Watch the films, celebrate the awards, and meet the filmmakers. You may be meeting the next Steven Spielberg!

Please bring a chair. If it rains, films will move inside the Arts Center. This event is free, but donations are welcome and happily accepted.

Filmmaker Testimonials

Fantastic festival. The whole community gets involved in rare fashion. Packed venues with people sitting/standing in the aisles. OCFF goes out of their way to make filmmakers feel special. Highly recommend.
Christopher S.
A fantastic festival!! Can't wait to submit more work to them in the future!
Zach K.
From top to bottom, this was a great festival and a wonderful experience. This festival has fantastic community support, great venues, and outstanding audience participation—excellent communication before and throughout the event. Lots of filmmakers in attendance, and opportunities to network.
Eric D.
Well organized high quality festival. Easy to interface with. Even their post-festival follow-up was excellent. I recommend your festival to all filmmakers. Ocean City is a great venue!
Paul B.
Awesome festival! Had a great time meeting tons of amazing filmmakers, great screening venues & after parties. Enjoyed the Q&A sessions as well
JB A.
The Ocean City Film Festival was a great experience. B.L. and the whole team can be proud of how they have grown this festival and of all the fantastic, eclectic films they showcase
David S.
What a wonderful event we had the opportunity to attend in Ocean City, MD. The festival director and personnel, in addition to their sponsors, hosted an extraordinary event at the lovely beachfront town of Ocean City, Maryland. Organized, detail oriented and beautifully scheduled, this was a gem in our festival journey. Thank you!
Melissa Jo P.
Amazing Fest! Will definitely be submitting again and can only hope they’ll have us back! Excellent all around, films, communication, venues etc… Do yourself a favor and submit to this - you won’t be sorry!
Loring M.
The Art League of Ocean City did an excellent job putting together a fun event for filmmakers to come to, while also being able to enjoy the nice beach setting.
Teresa P.
This is an amazingly organised festival, whose team make you feel extremely welcome with such professional communication. So a big congratulations to B.L. Strang-Moya and the "tastemakers" of OCFF. We'll be back!!
Mike C.

Attendant Testimonials

I’ve been in attendance every year since the beginning, and it keeps getting better and better. The films and the talent behind them have been superb, the opportunities to network and gain insight are plentiful, and the John Waters performance—YOWZA—that was another high-water mark of the festival.
Eugene O.
Wide selection of films, great chatting with the filmmakers, interesting discussions
Mary Ann W.
The films were great and the venues were easy to get to and comfortable
Gabrielle D.
Enjoyed the John Waters performance tremendously—high energy, great set; he was on fire.
Eugene O.
I really enjoyed the Q&A sessions after each screening and the John Waters event was excellent.
J. Meehan
I found the selection of films and events to be excellent. The venues were comfortable and safe. The discussions were well managed and informative.
P. Higgin
Enjoyed the films. Good diversity.
Jamie R.
We loved every film we saw, every filmmaker we met and heard from, and of course all the OCFF volunteers!
Kwong H.