Independent film in Dayton, Ohio

Amplifying
Cinematic Voices.

A celebration of local films, and of the storytellers behind them.

Filmmaker
Mixer

Wednesday, Nov 11, 2026

Dayton Art Institute
456 Belmonte Park North

Catalano
Film Festival

MLK Weekend, Jan 15-17, 2027

Roger Glass Center for the Arts
29 E. Creative Way

Catalano Film Festival

Why This Festival Exists

There are great filmmakers all over Ohio who never get to see their work on a real screen with a real audience. This festival exists to fix that. We bring local films to the big screen, and put them in front of an audience that appreciates them.

The Festival Experience

An icon of people watching a film

Screenings

Shorts, features, documentaries, animation, and student work from the region.

An icon of an award

Awards

Best Picture, craft awards, and the John A. Russo Lifetime Achievement Award.

An icon of a filmmaker at a podium

Filmmakers

Come for the films. Stay for the conversations that happen around them.

Your film deserves
an audience.

See It In Action

A glimpse of past festivals