Ashfield FilmFest

09/23/2026

What a wonderful Friday night at the Ashfield FilmFest!

Local filmmaker Galen Knowles returned to his hometown for the Ashfield FilmFest to showcase the documentary "Girl Climber."

09/13/2026

COMING THIS WEEKEND: Ashfield becomes Hillywood 🎬

The 18th Annual Ashfield FilmFest brings feature filmmaking, homegrown creativity, and a little small-town glamour to Ashfield Town Hall.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 | 7 PM
Girl Climber + post-screening discussion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
5:30 PM — Ashfield Community Band
6:30 PM — Doors open
7 PM — Local Shorts Competition + Awards Gala

📍 Ashfield Town Hall, 412 Main Street
🎟 $7 per night; tickets sold separately

Friday tickets:
https://events.humanitix.com/ashfield-filmfest-girl-climber

Saturday tickets:
https://events.humanitix.com/ashfield-filmfest-short-film-competition

Have you bought your tickets yet??!!

09/10/2026

🎬 THE SHORT FILMS ARE IN!

Thank you to every filmmaker who submitted work to the 2026 Ashfield FilmFest. We’re thrilled to see the stories, creativity, and local talent headed our way.

Now the selection process begins! And soon we’ll reveal the films that will light up the big screen at our Short Film Competition Gala.

📅 Saturday, September 19
📍 Ashfield Town Hall

Join us for an unforgettable night of films, big-screen energy, awards, and the chance to help choose the Audience Choice/Grand Prize winner.

08/10/2026

FRIDAY NIGHT IN HILLYWOOD…
OUR 2026 FEATURE HAS ARRIVED!!

GIRL CLIMBER

A documentary from Red Bull Studios, Louder Than 11, and Tyler Young Films - the film follows professional climber Emily Harrington as she attempts to free-climb the Golden Gate route on Yosemite’s El Capitan—in less than 24 hours.

The film has a special connection to Ashfield FilmFest. Executive Producer Galen Knowles began making award-winning films for the festival as a teenager. Proof that a five-minute movie made here in the hills can be the beginning of a much bigger journey.

Join us Friday night for the feature screening, followed by a conversation about the film. Panel participants and full details will be announced soon.

GIRL CLIMBER | Friday, September 18 | Ashfield Town Hall

The Ashfield FilmFest unfolds across two nights: Friday brings a feature documentary and post-film conversation to Town Hall.

Saturday is the Ashfield FilmFest you know and love: our flagship short-film competition, decided with the help of the audience.

Save the date and follow Ashfield FilmFest for ticket and panel announcements.

08/06/2026

https://reader.recorder.com/story/gr-grr-20260806-demo_art0000000000000000076321710/content.html

Congratulations Tony! We are so proud of you and grateful that you are part of the Ashfield FilmFest committee! You bring expertise, smarts, humor, kindness, and love to our committee and everything we do and we love you for it! 🎉🎬🎥❤️

07/29/2026

A FUN NOR’EASTER FACT:

Most of us know Nor’easters as those enormous winter storms that arrive with powerful winds and snow.
They form along the East Coast, where cold air from the north meets warmer, moisture-rich air over the Atlantic. In winter, that atmospheric disagreement can produce heavy snow, blizzards, and the sudden rush to the store for the last gallon of milk.

But “Nor’easter” doesn’t actually mean “snowstorm.” The name comes from the strong northeasterly winds.

They can happen at any time of year – they’re just much more common in winter.
So when one shows up in July, there’s no cold air to turn all that Atlantic moisture into snow.

Instead, the Hilltowns get 3.5+ inches of rain and every local filmmaker gets the perfect excuse to stay inside and edit.

Which brings us to today’s severe weather warning:

HAVE YOU FINISHED YOUR FILM YET?

The storm will pass.
The deadline will not. 🦉🌧️🎬

07/22/2026

Hillywood awaits - the Ashfield Film Festival is coming this September!

First film? Fiftieth film? Comedy, documentary, animation, music video, or a tiny cinematic experiment we don’t have a name for yet? We want to see what you can make.

New for 2026: the $500 Hillywood Award, this year celebrating a short submitted by a female filmmaker. Other cash prizes include the Audience Choice Award and Youth Prize.

Keep it to five minutes or less. Give it a connection to the hilltowns. Submit your film by August 15th.

We'll see you September 18-19th at the Ashfield Town Hall!

Know someone with a story and possibly a camera? Tag them or send them this post.

07/11/2026

Baby Cecil absolutely adores his neighbor Greg Ruth.

A solo exhibition by Greg Ruth, on view with CODA in New York City, July 2026

04/25/2026

Another great local film opportunity!

For Shutesbury filmmaker Samantha Rose Valletta, bringing “Watching Mr. Pearson” to the Greenfield Garden Cinemas is more than just another stop on a national tour — it’s a homecoming. Crafted by a team of New England-based creators, the film tackles the universal challenges of aging, mental...