Our festival mission is to create a community of area cinema enthusiasts and filmmakers of all experience levels for networking, support, and inspiration. Vortex showcases movies produced by regional Midwest filmmakers and filmed in South Dakota and neighboring states.
The third annual Vortex Film Festival blows into town September 25–27, 2026. It’ll be a full weekend celebration of Midwest cinema and filmmakers.
Submissions are OPEN! We’re accepting short film submissions now through July 26. Early discount deadline is May 31. Spread the word to your filmmaking friends! We’d love to beat our two-year average of 45 submissions.
New this year: we’re partnering with Hiike Independent, a filmmaker-focused festival submission platform. Vortex was selected by Hiike to be one of the first 100 festivals featured on the site, and we’re excited to use their tools to plan our festival this year. You can still submit to Vortex through FilmFreeway, and if you’ve already submitted through FF, don’t worry—we got you!
Follow @vortexfilmfest on Facebook and Instagram for updates, film lineup announcements, and sneak peeks.
Vermillion is nestled in the southeast corner of South Dakota, not far from the Missouri River. It’s the homeland of the Lakota Wasé Wakpa community, seat of Clay County, and location of the National Music Museum and flagship institution University of South Dakota. We are just 1 hour south of Sioux Falls, 40 mins from Sioux City, and an easy 2 hours from Omaha.
Vermillion’s bustling downtown features several local eateries, a lot of USD Coyote Spirit, and the Coyote Twin Theater, of course. Download the LiveVermillion mobile app to start planning your trip!
10 E. Main Street
A dedicated cinema for almost a century, the Coyote Twin is an entirely nonprofit theater that screens current feature films and hosts special screenings and private rentals.
Our two auditoriums seat a combined total of 228 persons and feature industry standard digital projection and newly updated Dolby speakers. In 2023 we refreshed our lobby and concessions area for improved customer service, and as of 2025, our auditoriums both feature state-of-the-art laser projection.
Click here for theater accessibility details.