No Coast Film Fest

Specific Need

We need your help to:

• Grow community outreach programs
• Bring more filmmakers and visitors to Emporia
• Raise awareness of the festival and the city
• Establish monetary awards to incentivize filmmakers 
• Put on the best short film festival we can for Emporia and the surrounding communities

Mission

No Coast Film Fest is an annual independent short film festival in Emporia, KS. We aim to elevate the already-vibrant creative community in our region by sharing unique voices and perspectives that locals my not often get the chance to encounter. We believe in bringing enriching experiences to our community that are free and accessible to all.

We strive to bring together experienced and first-time filmmakers from Kansas and all over the world, right here in Emporia. We are not just inviting our filmmakers and audiences to share their stories with us, though, we are inviting them to share Emporia with us. 

In the past five years No Coast Film Festival has:

• Entertained 400-855 people per year – both community members, and out-of-town visitors
• Seen a 478% increase in our yearly submission pool as more and more filmmakers want their festival to screen here in Emporia
• Received submissions from 38 states and 23 different countries – a reach we never dreamed of as we planned the first No Coast 5 years ago.

Filmmakers have come from as close as Wichita and Kansas City, a little farther (Missouri, Oklahoma) and from quite a bit farther away. We’ve welcomed filmmakers from:

• NYC, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, NY
• Los Angeles, CA
• Oxford, MI
• Chicago, IL
• Austin, TX
• Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Queensland, Australia

Visiting filmmakers explore the town, spend money at local businesses, bring in tax revenue when they stay at area hotels, and bring in more visitors through wider awareness of Emporia and through location scouting trips. Each filmmaker we bring in spends an average of $200 a day while they're here on dining, drinks, souveniers, and lodging.

Profile

No Coast Film Fest has been a labor of love, by a group of volunteers who love film and love Emporia. To that end we've poured our hearts, time, and pockets into the festival, but things like getting filmmakers to Emporia from local airports, venue rental, awards, site hosting, marketing, and dozens of other small costs really add up.

We've made it part of our mission to put No Coast on for free each year, to make sure we are as accessible to as many people as possible, so any and all gifts, offers of support, and endorsements are welcome. Our entire team is made of volunteers, so all proceeds go directly to the festival.

With the support of people like you–who care about Emporia, and want to see it thrive– we can continue our mission to connect people through great films, lively conversation, and an unforgettable experience.