Azalea Film Festival returns to Mobile with 2026 feature submissions opening July 25

Mobile filmmakers now have a date to mark: Azalea Film Festival 2026 will open feature submissions on July 25. The festival’s current listing centers on feature-length work, accepting films over 40 minutes and under 120 minutes, and says entries are open to all genres.

The Mobile festival has also been framed as a comeback. On June 22, Jack Teague posted that it was back after a hiatus and said submissions were open, with a regular deadline of June 30. The Azalea Film Festival’s Facebook page says the festival returns on September 19 and accepts shorts, features and music videos from all genres, while its feature-film submission fee is listed at $30.00 and awards are listed at up to $750.

For Alabama independent filmmakers, that mix makes Azalea more than another date on the calendar. A feature that fits the 40-to-120-minute window can use Mobile as a regional proving ground, especially for low-budget dramas, documentaries, thrillers, comedies and experimental work that may not yet have national distribution. The Gulf Coast location also gives Alabama projects a lane outside the Birmingham-centered conversation that often dominates state coverage.

The practical move now is simple: get a finished feature ready for the July 25 opening, keep the runtime within the posted limits, and be prepared for a submission fee that sits well below the cost of many larger festival runs. The festival’s Instagram promotion says it is back, will take place on September 19th, welcomes films of all lengths and lists July 25 as the regular deadline, which reinforces that the relaunch is being pushed as a real screening opportunity.

By the time July 25 arrives, Azalea should give Alabama filmmakers a clear Gulf Coast target again. For anyone sitting on a completed feature, Mobile is suddenly one of the first dates worth circling.