News
News
2026 Guest Speaker - Jim Farmer
For the last 17 years, Jim Farmer has been the festival director of Out on Film—Atlanta's Oscar® qualifying LGBTQIA+ film festival. This year, he'll join us as the 4th Kennesaw Film Festival's guest speaker.
2026 Judges
-updates in progress-
Prof. Tristan Dyer
Born in Maine, Tristan found a passion for film and photography in high school. After serving five years in the U.S. Army he pursued an education and career in Southern California. After working on set and eventually earning an M.F.A at the University of Southern California, School of Cinematic Arts he embarked on an 11-year journey as a visual effects artist. He now enjoys living in North Georgia with his family and teaching at Piedmont University with some of the best faculty and students to ever draw breath.
Prof. Rowena Pedrena
Rowena Pedrena is a Peabody and Emmy Award-winning television producer with more than a decade of experience in scripted, reality, and documentary formats for feature films and television. Her credits include work featured on Netflix, ABC, NBC, CBS, CNBC, PBS, TLC, History Channel, NatGeo, Hearst Television, Food Network, and Discovery Channel.
Featured in The Sentinel Newspaper
Didn't experience the festival in 2025? Get the details in "And That's a Wrap!": Student filmmakers run the gamut by KSU's student newspaper.
2025 Guest Speaker - Chris Escobar
In 2025, Atlanta Film Festival Executive Director Chris Escobar joined us for the 3rd Kennesaw Film Festival, sharing his dynamic journey of how he joined the Atlanta Film Festival's board of directors. With this, he brought advice, humorous stories, and impactful opportunities to KSU's student filmmakers.
Looking back on last year's merch...
Didn't get awesome merch last year? No worries! Join us this year and find out how you can get your free T-shirt!
*Merch designs vary each year
© Kennesaw State University Film Festival 2026