The Magnolia Independent Film Festival is a filmmaker-friendly festival encouraging both amateur and professional filmmakers. Films are judged in seven categories: Best Feature, Best Short, Best Documentary, Best Foreign, People's Choice, United Way Best Student Film, and Ron Tibbett Award for Excellence in Film. Awards are presented at the end of the Saturday events. This is a three-day event that many filmmakers have called their favorite film festival experience and one of the leading steps to the Sundance Film Festival.