Move Over Sundance, Drone Film Festivals Are A Real Thing

The United States is now home to the first Drone Film Festival, an event dedicated to drone cinematography, journalism and aerial videography. The first-ever event took place over the weekend in Oklahoma, and received  180 submissions from 44 different countries.

The event was spun out of The Unmanned Systems Research Institute at Oklahoma State University, started up by Jamey Jacob, Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma State University.

Jacob and his team have been looking for even more drone applications than we know about today.

“It’s kind of like the smart phone industry ten years ago,” said Jacob. “You didn’t know all the things you could do with it.”

According to the U.S. Drone Film Festival, the event “is a way to celebrate the art of drone cinematography and reduce the stigma associated with drones.”

The organizers, comprised of Oklahoma State University faculty, as well as some aviation experts and space technology doctoral candidates, developed the event to demonstrate the economic, environmental, and public safety benefits of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), as well as encourage innovation in the UAV industry.

Those interested in submitting a drone-captured video for next year’s festival will have to do so by February 2017, as well as follow some guidelines. Films must be under five minutes and shot by a drone at least 50% of the time, for example.

Visit the U.S. Drone Film Festival website to watch this year’s winners in multiple categories.