The El Paso Community Foundation’s Plaza Classic Film Festival is accepting submissions for its ninth annual Local Flavor showcase and awards. More than $3,500 in cash prizes will be awarded.
Sponsored by the El Paso Film and Creative Industries Commission and the Texas Film Commission, Local Flavor is accepting short and feature-length films. Works-in-progress will not be accepted. Projects must have been completed on or after January 1, 2025 and must be made locally, set locally, or have a connection of some kind to the El Paso-Juárez-Las Cruces area, which should be noted in the entry form’s synopsis window.
A panel of judges will select submissions for the Local Flavor showcase and awards in the Plaza Theatre on Sunday, July 26, the last day of the film festival. Awards will be announced at the end of the program.
First prize is $1,500, with a second prize of $1,000, $750 third prize, $250 audience favorite award, and a $100 student award for a college or high school student entry.
There is no cost to submit a film. It’s FREE. Entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. Monday, June 22, 2026.
For the third year, Local Flavor will be curated by Emmy Award-winning Producer Javier Gonzalez of El Paso (Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, In the Summers). He’s joined by Jaime Mendez, Ed.D, the UTEP Assistant Dean for Student Support and a longtime PCFF program advisory committee member, and Sophia Santos, a 2024 UCLA film school graduate from El Paso.
Go to plazaclassic.com/localflavor to submit. Call 915-533-4020 or email local@plazaclassic.com for more information.
The Plaza Classic Film Festival returns for its 19th year July 16-26, 2026. Festival passes are on sale now.
