[1] The festival was initially created to celebrate the vehicles and history of the famous Route 66 highway.

The Festival mission and objective is to support and recognize independent filmmakers of all ages and backgrounds.

The films represented at the festival highlight journeys from the American West as well as from around the world.

International films that have been screened at the Route 66 Film Festival include country representations from Belgium, France, South Africa, Japan, Brazil, Spain, Great Britain, Uruguay, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

New talent has been discovered every year and some films go on to be honored at other festivals, distributed by companies such as Netflix and have even been nominated at the Academy Awards.