Public Domain Film Festival

Welcome to the 1930s!

The BYU Copyright Licensing Office is proud to host the 7th annual BYU Public Domain Film Festival! This film festival celebrates creative works that have recently lost their copyright status by challenging student filmmaking teams to transform old books, films, and music into original short films.

This year, as of January 1st, 2026, creative works published in 1930 entered the public domain. We invite all students from BYU, BYU Hawaii, and BYU Idaho, to compete for a chance to have their film played in front of a packed crowd at our Finalist Screening and win a coveted PDFF Trophy.

Congratulations to all our winners for this year! Category winners and runner-ups can be found here.

Our 2026 Public Domain Film Festival Finalists:

CONSEQUENCE by ADG

Hot Garbage by CGI Dinosaurs

Deadhead by Eterna Pictures

Revelations 8:1 by Golden Touch Media

Out There by Hogwild Studios

Where the River Leaves the Road by Legacy Cinema

Where There's a Will, There's a Way by Luso/Stadium Pictures

The Flowers You Left by Phil Creates

Stare by Team TwoMorrow

Linger On by The 185ers