One category
Mental Health Category
The category we built this for: films about mental health, recovery and asking for help — honest, and still funny.
Alongside Big Laughs Fest · Sept 15–19, 2027
BIG LAUGHS FILM FESTIVAL
Comedy and film, in the same theater, on the same weekend. The Big Laughs Film Festival (BLFF) screens at the Mary D Fisher Theater in Sedona while the festival is in town — features, shorts, podcasts, and one category close to our hearts.
WE'RE COMBINING WORLDS.
Comedy meets film
Big Laughs Fest proved what happens when comedians and a town get behind the same idea. BLFF is the next frame: the same three-day energy, but on the big screen. Filmmakers get a real audience in a real theater, and festival-goers get something to do between sets.
Laughter meets mental health
Our 2026 Podcast & Mental Health Symposium at the Mary D Fisher Theater filled a room with honest conversations. So the film festival gets one category built for exactly that — films about mental health and recovery, made by people who understand that laughing and healing happen in the same room.
THE CATEGORIES
Comedy first, and one category that isn't a joke. Here's what you can submit to at the first Big Laughs Film Festival.
Long form
Best Comedic Feature
Narrative features that make an audience laugh out loud in a theater. The big-screen award of the festival.
Short form
Best Comedic Short
Short films with a big payoff. Quick, sharp and built for a room full of people laughing together.
Audio
Best Comedy Podcast
Comedy podcasts and audio series — the worlds that filled our Podcast & Mental Health Symposium, now on the lineup.
Voted live
Audience Award
Decided by the people in the seats at the Mary D Fisher Theater. The loudest room wins.
Local
Best Arizona Film
Filmmakers and stories from Arizona and the Southwest, made with the communities that host the festival.
Emerging
Best Student Film
A slot for film students and first-time filmmakers — the next generation of comedy, on our screen.
Award names and the full category list are still being finalized — tell us what you'd love to see.
The mental health category
ONE CATEGORY THAT MATTERS.
Films about mental health, addiction and recovery, veterans' experiences, and asking for help — treated with honesty and humor instead of a PSA voice. This is the award we'll stay up late arguing about, and the one we're most proud to hand out.
Who we stand with
U.S. VETS Prescott serves the men and women who served us — housing, workforce development, mental health and wellness services, and suicide prevention support across Northern Arizona. They were with us in 2026 and they're part of this too.
Support U.S. VETS Prescott →If you or someone you love is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night.
The home of BLFF
MARY D FISHER THEATER
Screenings run alongside Big Laughs Fest, Sept 15–19, 2027, at the Mary D Fisher Theater in Uptown Sedona — the same stage that hosted our main showcases and the Podcast & Mental Health Symposium. Red rocks outside, a full house inside.
FILMMAKERS & PODCASTERS
Submission dates, entry requirements and fees for the first Big Laughs Film Festival will be announced here. Have a film, short, or podcast you want in the lineup? Send us a note and we'll keep you on the list.