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WHAT MAKES AN ANTHOLOGY IO FILM
A curated showcase for work that challenges, provokes, and stays with an audience long after the credits roll. We're not looking for polish — we're looking for a voice.
01
GENRE BLURRING
Films that defy convention — horror, drama, and dark comedy inside a single narrative.
04
DIVERSE VOICES
Stories from underrepresented perspectives across culture, race, and community.
02
NARRATIVE RISK
Non-linear storytelling, complex character studies, endings that don't resolve neatly.
05
COMPLEX THEMES
Characters wrestling with identity, trauma, and the human condition — without easy answers.
03
CINEMATIC CRAFT
Striking cinematography, distinctive production design, deliberate sound and music.
06
CULTURAL IMPACT
Work built to hold an audience together as a collection, not a one-night screening.
LIVE PERFORMANCES ON THE MAIN STAGE:
We'll be updating more details here as we schedule more performances for the entire day's festivities.
We're so excited to have THE RIFT back for a second season!
2027 SPONSORS
& AFFILIATES
We're Seeking Films That Demonstrate
Authentic Vision
Your perspective, unfiltered and steadfast.
Narrative Impact
Stories that elicit genuine emotion and leave a lasting impression.
Visual Distinction
A strong, deliberate aesthetic that elevates your storytelling.
Cultural Relevance
Work that engages with the world as it is, not as studios wish it to be.
Resourceful Execution
Diverse Perspectives
Voices & stories that expand our understanding of cinemaand the human condition.
Proof that creativity thrives within constraints/limitations.
85%
OF SHORT FILMS NEVER EARN A CENT
60 / 40
FILMMAKER / FESTIVAL AD-REVENUE SPLIT
GOAL - A STANDALONE SHORT-FILM STREAMING APP
5-YR
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
"A filmmaker pours everything into a short film — and it ends up buried on a hard drive, collecting digital dust."
Anthology IO exists because the usual festival circuit ends in silence: a one-night screening, then nothing. We built a living collection instead — a curated streaming library where accepted films keep earning, keep an audience, and keep a life beyond the festival stage.
We're not chasing algorithms or approval from an industry that sidelines creative integrity for profit margins. We're focused on giving filmmakers a return on the investment they've already made in themselves.
- JORDAN BURBANK FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Empower Growth
We offer a 60% profit share of our ad revenue from your films, releasing payments bi-annually to filmmakers.
Payments are issued based on our viewership model, aiming to make sure that all members of our collection are awarded a piece of the profits, while also rewarding our artists whom have garnered strong viewership and attention for their works.