Documentary Film Festival With Student Competition Launching In Wheeling

A new film festival coming to Wheeling this summer will spotlight documentaries from around the world — and offer student filmmakers an opportunity to showcase their work.

From Sept. 11 to 14, the Foxfire Film Festival will screen films, hold discussions with filmmakers and host a student short film competition as part of its inaugural program at the Towngate Theatre. The festival was founded by Kristin Seibert and Molly Hughes, who found inspiration in the Appalachian art of storytelling.

“What we are taking from this idea of Appalachia is the history of storytelling that comes from our region. Telling stories from generation to generation,” said Hughes, who grew up in Wheeling. “We’re looking at that, and we’re looking outward across the world and thinking about how that relates to other communities.”

The festival will screen documentaries from within Appalachia and beyond, and will feature conversations with some of the creatives behind these projects, Hughes said.

“We want to kind of bring those stories to our region to show how we’re all having these similar community stories,” she said. “Storytelling is really at the heart of the festival.”

Films slated for this year’s festival include “King Coal,” a renowned documentary on the legacy of West Virginia’s coal industry, plus “Mr Nobody Against Putin,” which examines the dissemination of wartime propaganda in Russian schools amid the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Hughes said the festival is also an opportunity for student filmmakers based in Appalachia to highlight their work and build connections in the film industry through the student short film competition. Plus, the contest comes with prizes: $2,500 for first place, $1,500 for second place and $750 for third place.

Students enrolled in a high school, college or university in West Virginia, Ohio or Pennsylvania as of 2025 — including community and technical colleges — are eligible to apply.

Documentary short films must be from 3 to 10 minutes long, and the submission deadline is Aug. 4. Prize winners will be notified by Aug. 28, according to the festival website.

Hughes said she found inspiration to create the student film contest, and the film festival at large, because of barriers to entering the film industry in places like Appalachia. When she visited high schools in the Wheeling area to speak to students, she learned that several had interest in making films but did not know where to begin.

“There was a question of: How do I do that? How do I get into the film industry?” Hughes said. “There’s editing, there’s music, there’s sound, there’s cinematography. You don’t have to be a director. You don’t have to be a writer. There are so many different professional positions in the film industry and so many smart, motivated people in our area.”

“I just thought it would be great to expose students to those offerings out there,” she added.

Hughes also said documentary filmmaking is one of the most “accessible” ways into the industry, which made it a compelling focus for the festival.

“Anyone can pick up a camera or their iPhone and tell a story about themselves or about their family or about something they’re interested in,” she said. “You don’t need a script. You don’t need actors.”

“That’s where we’re starting,” Hughes added. “We’re going to see where it goes over the next few years.”

For more information on the Foxfire Film Festival and how to attend, visit the festival’s website.

For more information on the student short film competition, visit the contest’s film submission portal.