Anthem Libertarian Film Festival presents the year's best films about personal and civil liberty. We seek narrative films and documentaries about self-reliance, innovation, entrepreneurship, individual rights, and the power of persuasion over force. And we love shorts.
Why should you choose Anthem? Most film festivals struggle to attract an audience to watch their movies. But that's not a problem at Anthem, where filmmakers often screen to standing-room-only audiences. That's because Anthem is part of FreedomFest, “the world’s largest gathering of free minds.” With over 2,500 attendees, 250 speakers, and a cadre of journalists on Media Row, FreedomFest provides a ready audience of eager viewers for Anthem’s filmmakers, as well as expert panelists for post-screening discussions.
Filmmakers have a blast at Anthem. They go to yoga classes in the mornings, listen to fascinating speakers during the day, watch and comment on each other's movies, network with filmmakers and potential producers, and celebrate at our Gala Awards Banquet. And FreedomFest attendees love the film festival. Viewers pack the theater.
Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that so many of our films have gone on to find distribution when carrying the Anthem laurel. "Seized," which premiered at Anthem in 2016 and won our award for Best Short Documentary, went on to win an Emmy in 2017. So did "Saber Rock" in 2018. Our 2017 grand prize winners both found distribution deals and critical acclaim: Ramsey Denison's expose of police brutality and corruption, "What Happened in Vegas" and Courtney Balaker's full-length narrative "Little Pink House," with A-list actors and an outstanding libertarian theme about eminent domain. Our 2016 grand prize winner, "Can We Take a Joke?" topped several critics' lists for documentaries that summer. Another of our 2016 films, "Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made" reached 92% on RottenTomatoes during its theater run. Our 2014 winner, "Poverty, Inc.," screened at several prestigious festivals worldwide, -- and we screened it first at Anthem. If you're a filmmaker creating movies about individual liberty, you need to be at Anthem.
FreedomFest invites the best and brightest minds to speak about geo-politics, health & wellness, finance, history & philosophy, science & technology, art & literature, investments and more, attracting an audience of intelligent influencers and free thinkers. In 2017 William Shatner and producer Fraser Heston headlined the conference, and Hercules Kevin Sorbo was a keynote speaker in 2019, along with Shark Tank's Kevin O'Leary . Regular speakers include publisher Steve Forbes, Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, Skeptic Magazine publisher Michael Shermer, and Hollywood's biographer, Marc Eliot. We've also hosted science fiction authors David Brin and Orson Scott Card. FreedomFest speakers are available for your post-screening panel.
Why the name "Anthem"?
We think Anthem is the perfect name for our film festival. An anthem is a choral composition that stirs its hearers to action. We consider our Anthem to be a similar voice of warning, one that stirs viewers to action against both tyranny and mediocrity.
"Anthem" is also the title of Ayn Rand's second novel, and for pure storytelling, we think it's her best book. Set in a dystopian future when the concept of individuality has been completely stamped out, it tells the story of a man who discovers this suppressed truth: all humans are and ought to be free to think and act for themselves. Written in 1937, "Anthem" was a precursor to such great warning voices as George Orwell's "1984" (1948), Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" (1953), and Lois Lowry's "The Giver" (1992).
Serendipitously, "Anthem" is also the name of a little town near Las Vegas, Nevada, where FreedomFest and Anthem Libertarian Film Festival are held in the middle of July each year. We hope to see you at Paris Resort, Las Vegas, July 17-20, 2019.
Libertarian films tell stories about choice, opportunity, and overcoming obstacles. They often point out the unintended consequences of government intervention, but they're just as likely to present a personal struggle for self-expression. They show us how to make the world a better place simply by making our own lives better. If that describes your film, we urge you to submit it to Anthem!
Filmmakers receive two tickets to FreedomFest and our gala Saturday night banquet and dance-- a package worth $1,200. Trophies are awarded for Best Overall, Excellence in Filmmaking, and Best Libertarian Ideals in four categories: Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Short Narrative, and Short Documentary. We also award a Grand Prize worth $2,500 and a prize for Best Original Score worth $500.