AfterImage Film Festival
Stories create empathy and remind us what it means to be human. That belief became the foundation for AfterImage Film Festival. Since 2019, Rule29 has helped shape the brand into an immersive experience designed to attract audiences, engage filmmakers, and build community.
Services Provided
Messaging Strategy
Brand & Voice AI
Sonic Logo Design
Online Brand Guide
Brand Identity
B2C Website Design
UX and UI Development
Social and Digital Strategy
HTML Emails
PowerPoint, Keynote, and Google Slide Presentations
Infographics
Brochures and Sales Collateral
Event Marketing
Sales Decks
Launch Campaigns
Interior and Exterior Signage
Trade Show Booths
Pop-up Banners
Vehicle Wraps
Wayfinding
AI Strategy and Integration
Project Overview
Challenges
Creating a film festival identity that felt cinematic, emotionally engaging, and culturally relevant while still remaining approachable and community-driven.
Building a scalable visual and messaging system capable of supporting annual campaigns, event marketing, sponsorship outreach, merchandise, signage, and social content.
Developing a digital-first strategy that could increase awareness, attract filmmakers and attendees, and create engagement before, during, and after the festival experience.
Solutions
Rule29 developed a complete brand and experience system centered around the emotional power of storytelling and the lasting impact film can have on people and culture.
The work included strategic messaging, visual identity development, motion graphics, website design, social and digital strategy, event signage, sponsorship materials, merchandise systems, and AI-supported content planning.
Every touchpoint was intentionally designed to create a more immersive, memorable, and emotionally connected festival experience both online and in person.
Results
A fully unified festival brand experience implemented across web, social, motion, print, environmental graphics, and live event touchpoints.
A scalable identity system capable of supporting future festival growth, annual creative campaigns, sponsorship expansion, and audience engagement.
Stronger visibility, recognition, and emotional connection between the AfterImage Film Festival brand, filmmakers, attendees, and community partners.
The Meaning Behind AfterImage
An afterimage is the image that remains even after you look away. That idea became the foundation for the AfterImage Film Festival, a festival created to spotlight meaningful films that audiences might not otherwise experience while celebrating stories that stay with people long after the credits roll.
A Festival Built Around Lasting Impact
“Rule29 helped us shape more than a visual identity. They helped us shape the experience itself. From the annual themes and campaign artwork to the way the festival shows up across the community, digital platforms, and event spaces, they understood how to bring the emotional idea of ‘afterimage’ to life in a way people could actually feel.”
Andrew Carlin
Festival Director, AfterImage Film Festival
2025 Festival Poster
2024 Festival Poster
2023 Festival Poster
2021 Festival Poster
2019 Festival Poster
AI-Enabled Website and Digital-First Social Strategy
The AfterImage Film Festival website was designed to function as more than a traditional event site. The interactive experience helps festival goers explore films, create personalized schedules, and receive their festival lineup directly through the platform. The site also connects audiences to where films can be streamed after the festival, includes ratings and information across different platforms, and features an AI-powered experience that provides festival details, historical insights, movie trivia, and interactive games that extend engagement beyond the screenings themselves.
The digital-first strategy was built to make the festival feel immersive, accessible, and community-driven before, during, and long after the event. Through social storytelling, motion graphics, AI-enabled interaction, and ongoing digital engagement, the AfterImage experience continues to evolve while keeping audiences connected to the power of film and storytelling.
The AfterImage Film Festival experience was intentionally designed to extend beyond the theater itself.
2019
Year that Rule29 began partnering with the AfterImage Film Festival to help shape and grow the brand experience.
100+
Films, shorts, documentaries, and storytelling experiences showcased through the festival and related programming.
1
Connected festival ecosystem spanning website experience, social campaigns, event graphics, merchandise, motion design, AI engagement, and community activation.