Top 110 Genre Film Festivals & Programs in 2026 + Submission Tips

By Adrian Țofei | Latest update: January 1st, 2025

Intro

While working on a private list of the most important genre film festivals to submit my first movie Be My Cat: A  Film for Anne back in 2015, I decided to make it public to be useful to fellow filmmakers as well. It instantly got over 5,000 shares (including by top festivals like Sitges and Fantasia), helping thousands of filmmakers around the world, both new and established (based on the feedback I received, calling it “the holy grail“, “gospels” or “the ultimate list“), so I decided to continue the work, researching festivals and updating the list regularly. It has become probably the most comprehensive and trusted resource of this kind on the internet, always coming at the top of Google search results for “top/best genre/horror festivals“.

Criteria

I take into consideration in my research the following criteria (dark red means newly added or updated):

  • over 50 other lists (see “Other lists” at the bottom of the article, with codes to identify the exact list each festival is mentioned on).
  • the feedback I receive from numerous top film professionals: filmmakers with significant festival experience, producers (both Hollywood and indie), lead programmers from established festivals such as TIFF, Tribeca, SXSW, Sitges or Fantasia, directors of indie festivals, studio executives, distributors, sales executives and journalists/critics
  • the opportunities the festivals offer to filmmakers and actors: distribution, publicity, networking, representation, awards, reviews, invitations to other festivals, talent discovery, new projects
  • whether the festival’s lineup/program is featured in major film publications such as Variety, Deadline, IndieWire, Hollywood Reporter or TheWrap [marked FP on the list]
  • whether the festival’s lineup/program is featured in major genre publications such as Bloody Disgusting, Dread Central, Fangoria or Rue Morgue [marked GP on the list]
  • the number of world premieres that find success afterwards, which can be an indicator for discovery festivals
  • the percentage of films selected from genuine submissions as opposed to curated from premium sources
  • the number (and quality) of reviews from filmmakers (as of fall 2025), marked on the list as no./y (average number of reviews per year), which can roughly indicate the number of films selected from submissions. Not all the filmmakers leave reviews, so the number of films selected from submissions each year since the festival joined FilmFreeway could be 2-4 times higher the no./y listed (although in most cases only 10% to 20% of them are features, and the rest shorts and sometimes scripts)
  • the number of years running (founding year listed for each festival)
  • the festivals’ status/prestige in the film industry
  • the location, communication, hospitality, atmosphere and safety
  • how the festivals make the selected/attending filmmakers feel
  • the size and genre relevance (the number of genre films screened and the audience size)
  • the quality of the selected films
  • the press and film industry attending
  • the festivals’ websites and social media
  • the entry fee, submission process and selection process – free to submit festivals (as of 2025) are marked as such on my list (when known to be so for features)
  • my own experiences when invited/selected/attended/rejected.

Notes:

  • The top does not include festivals focused exclusively on a specific category of filmmakers (one nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation etc.). Festivals must have a wide international focus (with a few exceptions such as those focused on found footage films or a larger region).
  • The top does not include festivals focused exclusively on short films. They must screen a decent number of features to be listed.
  • When there’s a tie between two or more festivals, top 5 can have more than 5 festivals, top 15 more than 15 festivals, top 35 more than 35 etc. 
  • The no./y listed on general festivals is for all the films, not just the genre programs, which are often curated separately from the main programs and make up about 5% to 25% of the total lineup.

NEW: Featured Genre Film Festivals & Programs: 

(ordered alphabetically) 

Contact me to get your festival featured in this section with a direct submission link, deadlines, dates and intro, visible for thousands of filmmakers using this list, regardless if the festival is in top 100 or not. If the festival is already in top 100, the submission link, deadlines, dates and intro will be added there as well. Max. 10 festivals will be featured, ordered alphabetically:

  • A Night of Horror International Film Festival – Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US, March 5-8, 2026 – Long Australia’s preeminent genre fest, ANOH is now based in the USA! Fest founder & programming veteran Dean Bertram watches every submitted film – Submit Here – Final deadline: Jan 14, 2026
  • FilmQuest – Provo, Utah, US, October 22-31, 2026 – One of the world’s highest regarded genre festivals, its elite programming and rock n’ roll vibe make it a must-attend event – Submit Here – Early deadline: Feb 2, 2026 | Mid deadline: May 4, 2026 | Final deadline: Aug 10, 2026
  • MidWest WeirdFest – Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US, March 5-8, 2026 – A cinematic celebration of all things fantastic, frightening, underground, & just plain weird! 90% of films screened at MWWF are cold submissions – Submit Here – Final deadline: Jan 16, 2026
  • Nightmares Film Festival – Columbus, Ohio, US, October 15-18, 2026 – A genre celebration of #BetterHorror known for its top-shelf program and warm, summer camp atmosphere – Submit Here – Early deadline: Jan 13, 2026 | Mid deadline: May 13, 2026 | Final deadline: Aug 30, 2026
  • Featured Genre Festival #5 – City, Country, Dates – Intro (100-150 characters) – Submit Here – Early deadline:… | Mid deadline:… | Final deadline:…

Top 5 Genre Film Festivals

(ordered alphabetically, 6 festivals due to ranking ties)

  • Beyond Fest – Los Angeles, California, US – founded 2013 – MMGe10, MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, SM7, DC20new, FP, GP, 5/y
  • Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) (formerly Puchon/PiFan, focused on Asian genre films) – Bucheon, South Korea – founded 1997 – RGe7, MIFF, R100, MMGe5, MMGe8, V50, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, StHo10, DC8new, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Fantasia International Film Festival – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – founded 1996 – RGe20, MIFF, R100, IW100, MMGe5, MMGe8, HR3, MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, MM20, MM50new, N32P, Qf, SM7, StHo10, DC3new, FP, GP, 18/y
  • Fantastic Fest – Austin, Texas, US – founded 2005 – RGe20, MIFF, R100, IW100, MMGe5, MMGe8, MMHoSF5, MM25, HR20, MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, MM50, FIAPF, SM7, StHo35, DC8new, FP, GP, 4/y
  • FrightFest – London, England, UK – founded 2000 – RGe7, MMGe5, MMGe8, HR10, MMGe30, FDHo, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, MM25new, SM7, StHo10, DC20new, FP, GP, 8/y total (London + Glasgow program)
  • SITGES – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia – Sitges, Catalonia, Spain – founded 1968 – RGe7, MIFF, R100, FIAPF, MMGe5, MMGe8, MM25, HR3, MMGe30, V50, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, Qf, AA, SM7, StHo10, DC3new, 11/y

Top 15 Genre Film Festivals

(ordered alphabetically, 17 in total due to ranking ties)

  • Brooklyn Horror Film Festival – New York City, US – founded 2016 – MMGe30, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, N32P, StHo25, DC20new, FP, GP, 13/y 
  • Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF) – Brussels, Belgium – founded 1983 – RGe7, MIFF, MMGe8, HR10, MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, StHo35, DC20new, 4/y
  • Fantaspoa – Porto Alegre, Brazil – founded 2005 – RGe20, MIFF, MMGe8, MMGe30, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, MM50new, MM25new, DC20new, FP, GP, 18/y
  • Fantasporto International Film Festival – Porto, Portugal – founded 1981 – RGe7, HR20, DC55, DC45, MM25new, DC40new,  ?/y (free to submit)
  • FilmQuest – Provo, Utah, US, October 22-31, 2026 – founded 2014 – MMGe30, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, MM50new, MM25new, N32P, DC20new, FP, 52/y – One of the world’s highest regarded genre festivals, its elite programming and rock n’ roll vibe make it a must-attend event – Submit Here – Early deadline: Feb 2, 2026 | Mid deadline: May 4, 2026 | Final deadline: Aug 10, 2026
  • MOTELX – Lisbon International Horror Film Festival – Lisbon, Portugal – founded 2007 – MIFF, RGe40, MMGe15, HR20, FIAPFs, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, StHo10, DC20new, 4/y
  • Nightmares Film Festival – Columbus, Ohio, US, October 15-18, 2026 – founded 2016 – MMGe30, DC55, MMGe50, N32P, DC40new, FP, GP, 48/y – A genre celebration of #BetterHorror known for its top-shelf program and warm, summer camp atmosphere – Submit Here – Early deadline: Jan 13, 2026 | Mid deadline: May 13, 2026 | Final deadline: Aug 30, 2026
  • Overlook Film Festival (formerly Stanley Film Festival) – New Orleans, Louisiana, US – founded 2013 – IW100, MM25, MMGe10, MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, SM7, DC20new, FP, GP, 3/y
  • Screamfest Horror Film Festival – Los Angeles, California, US – founded 2001 – RGe7, MIFF, MMHo13, HR20, MMGe30, FDHo, MMGe50, MM50new, NYT5, StHo10, DC20new, FP, 12/y
  • Telluride Horror Show – Telluride, Colorado, US – founded 2010 – RGe20, MMHo13, MMGe50, DC45, NYT5, StHo25, DC20new, GP, 5/y
  • Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TADFF) – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – founded 2006 – RGe7, MMHo13, HR20, MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, Qf, SM7, StHo10, DC20new, 3/y

Top 35 Genre Film Festivals

(ordered alphabetically, 37 in total due to ranking ties)

  • A Night of Horror International Film Festival (ANOH) – Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US (formerly Sydney, Australia) – founded 2006 – RGe20, DC55, DC45, StHo35, DC90new, 10/y – Long Australia’s preeminent genre fest, ANOH is now based in the USA! Fest founder & programming veteran Dean Bertram watches every submitted film – Submit Here – Final deadline: Jan 14, 2026
  • Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF) – Cambridge suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, US – founded 1998 – MMUn5, MMGe30, DC55, MMGe50, DC90new, GP, 6/y
  • Calgary Underground Film Festival (CUFF) – Calgary, Alberta, Canada – founded 2003 – MMGe50, DC45, MM50new, Qf, DC90new, 4/y
  • Celluloid Screams: Sheffield Horror Film Festival – Sheffield, England, UK – founded 2009 – DC55, DC45, DC40new, 3/y
  • Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) – Chattanooga, Tennessee, US – founded 2014 – MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, MM25, DC40new, GP, 11/y
  • L’Etrange Festival – Paris, France – founded 1993 – MMGe10, HR20, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, DC90new, ?/y (invite only)
  • GenreBlast – Winchester, Virginia, US – founded 2016 – MMGe50, N32P, GP, 26/y
  • Grimmfest – Manchester, England, UK – founded 2009 – RGe40, MMGe30, MMGe50, DC45, MIFF, StHo25, DC40new, GP, 7/y
  • Imagine Fantastic Film Festival – Amsterdam, Netherlands – founded 1984 – RGe20, MIFF, HR10, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, StHo25, DC40new, 3/y
  • Morbido Fest – Mexico City, Mexico – founded 2008 – MIFF, MMGe10, HR20, MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45m, StHo10, DC40new, 6/y
  • Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival (NIFFF) – Neuchatel, Switzerland – founded 2000 – RGe20, MIFF, MMGe15, MMGe8, HR20, DC55, StHo25, DC40new, FP, ?/y
  • Nevermore Film Festival – Durham, North Carolina, US – founded 1999 – DC55, N32P, StHo25, DC90new, 11/y
  • Night Visions – Helsinki, Finland – founded 1997 – HR10, MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, StHo10, DC90new, ?/y (invite only)
  • Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival – Eureka Springs, Arkansas, US – founded 2024 – NYT5, GP, 5/y
  • Panic Fest – North Kansas City, Missouri, US – founded 2013 – MMGe30, MMGe25, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, MM25new, N32P, StHo25, DC40new, GP, 12/y
  • Philip K. Dick Film Festival (focused on sci-fi films) – New York City, US – founded 2012 – MM25, DC90new, 7/y
  • Popcorn Frights Film Festival – Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Florida, US – founded 2015 – DC55, MMGe50, MM25new, N32P, StHo35, DC40new, GP, 24/y
  • SLASH Fantastic Film Festival – Vienna, Austria – founded 2010 – MMGe25, DC55, MIFF, DC40new, 2/y
  • Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (FEFFS) – Strasbourg, France – founded 2008 – MIFF, MMGe25, DC55, DC40new, zero/y
  • Trieste Science+Fiction Festival (focused on sci-fi films) – Trieste, Italy – founded 2000 – MIFF, DC90new, 4/y

Top 65 Genre Film Festivals

(ordered alphabetically, 67 in total due to ranking ties)

  • Abertoir Horror Festival – Aberystwyth, Wales, UK – founded 2006 – MIFF, RGe40, DC55, DC45, StHo25, 4/y
  • Another Hole in the Head Film Festival – San Francisco, California, US – founded 2004 – MMGe50, 15/y
  • Atlanta Underground Film Festival – Atlanta, Georgia, US – founded 2004 – 11/y
  • Boston Sci-Film Festival – Boston, Massachusetts, US – founded 1976 – DC55, 7/y
  • Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre (BARS) – Buenos Aires, Argentina – founded 2000 – RGe20, DC55, DC45, DC90new, 9/y
  • Dead Northern Horror Film Festival – York, England, UK – founded 2019 – DC90new,  GP, 11/y
  • Eerie Horror Fest (reopened after a hiatus) – Erie, Pennsylvania, US – founded 2004 – MMHo13, RGe40, NYT5, 9/y
  • Fantafestival – Rome, Italy – founded 1981 – DC55, StHo25, 2/y
  • Fantasy Filmfest – Berlin/Nuremberg/Munich/Frankfurt/Cologne/Stuttgart/Hamburg, Germany – founded 1987 – HR3, MMGe30, MMGe25, StHo35, DC90new, zero/y
  • Gerardmer International Fantastic Film Festival – Gerardmer, France – founded 1994 – HR10, MMGe50, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Grossmann Fantastic Film & Wine Festival – Ljutomer, Slovenia – founded 2005 – MIFF, MMHoSF5, MMGe30, MMGe50, MM25new, DC90new, 3/y
  • Horror-on-Sea Film Festival – Southend-on-Sea, England, UK – founded 2013 – DC55, DC45, DC90new, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Isla Calavera: Canary Islands Fantastic Film Festival – San Cristobal de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain – founded 2017 – DC45, StHo25, MIFF, DC90new, 1/y
  • Knoxville Horror Film Fest – Knoxville, Tennessee, US – founded 2009 – DC45, DC90new, 5/y
  • Lund Fantastic Film Festival – Malmo/Lund, Sweden – founded 1995 – RGe20, MIFF, HR10, MMGe25, StHo10, 2/y
  • Macabro: Mexico City International Horror Film Festival – Mexico City, Mexico – founded 2002 – MMGe15, MMGe30, FDHo, DC55, MMGe50, DC45, MM25new, DC90new, zero/y
  • MidWest WeirdFest – Eau Claire, Wisconsin, US – founded 2017 – DC90new, 15/y – A cinematic celebration of all things fantastic, frightening, underground, & just plain weird! 90% of films screened at MWWF are cold submissions – Submit Here – Final deadline: Jan 16, 2026
  • Molins Horror Film Festival (TerrorMolins) – Molins de Rei suburb of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain – founded 1973 – MIFF, StHo35, DC90new, 3/y
  • Monster Fest – Melbourne, Australia – founded 2009 – DC55, MMGe50, 7/y
  • New York City Horror Film Festival – New York City, US – founded 2001 – RGe40, MMGe15, MMGe50, 6/y
  • Portland Horror Film Festival – Portland, Oregon, US – founded 2016 – FDHo, MMGe50, StHo35, DC90new, 13/y
  • Ramaskrik Film Festival – Oppdal, Norway – founded 2011 – MMGe30, MIFF, DC90new, 4/y
  • Romford Horror Festival – Romford suburb of London, England, UK – founded 2020 – DC90new, 17/y
  • Salem Horror Fest – Salem, Massachusetts, US – founded 2017 – MMGe50, DC90new, GP, 6/y
  • San Sebastián Horror and Fantasy Film Festival – San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain – founded 1990 – RGe20, MIFF, DC55, DC90new, ?/y
  • Sci-Fi-London – London, England, UK – founded 2002 – 7/y
  • Soho Horror Film Festival – London, England, UK – founded 2018 – MMGe25, GP, 8/y
  • Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF) – Newtown suburb of Sydney, Australia – founded 2007 – MMUn5, DC90new, 3/y
  • Unnamed Footage Festival (UFF) (for found footage, screenlife, mockumentary and POV films) – San Francisco, California, US – founded 2018 – DC45, DC90new, GP, 6/y
  • The Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival (VHS) – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – founded 2018 – Qf, DC90new, 11/y

Top 110 Genre Film Festivals

(ordered alphabetically, 115 in total due to ranking ties)

  • Atlanta Horror Film Festival (Atlanta Horrorfest) – Atlanta, Georgia, US – founded 2006 – RGe40, 17/y
  • Austin Horror Film Festival – Austin, Texas, US – founded 2024 – 17/y
  • Berlin Sci-fi Filmfest – Berlin, Germany – founded 2019 – 17/y
  • Bizarroland Film Festival (formerly Sick ‘n’ Wrong) – Orlando, Florida, US – founded 2015 – DC55, 10/y
  • Blodig Weekend (Bloody Weekend) – Copenhagen, Denmark – founded 2012 – DC90new, ?/y (invite only)
  • Buried Alive Film Fest – Atlanta, Georgia, US – founded 2008 – RGe40, 6/y
  • Cabane a Sang Film Festival – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – founded 2017 – 6/y
  • Chicago Horror Film Festival – Chicago, Illinois, US – founded 2000 – 22/y
  • Comic-Con – San Diego, California, US – founded 2000 – R100, ?/y (free to submit)
  • Crimson Screen Horror Film Fest – Columbia, South Carolina, US – founded 2014 – 15/y
  • Crystal Palace International Film Festival – London, England, UK – founded 2009 – 30/y
  • CURTAS – Festival do Imaxinario – Vilagarcia de Arousa, Galicia, Spain – founded 1973 – DC90new, 5/y
  • Dark Red Film Fest – Albuquerque, New Mexico, US – founded 2022 – NYFA, 11/y
  • Dark Nights Film Fest – Randwick suburb of Sydney, Australia – founded 2024 – DC90new, 17/y
  • The Dead of Night Film Festival – Liverpool, England, UK – founded 2023 – DC45, 10/y
  • Dracula Film Festival – Brașov, Transylvania, Romania – founded 2013 – DC55, DC90new, 3/y
  • FANCINE – Malaga, Andalusia, Spain – founded 1990 – MIFF, 1/y
  • FANT Bilbao – Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain – founded 1995 – RGe40, MIFF, ?/y
  • Fantasmagoria – Medellin, Colombia – founded 2019 – StHo25, 1/y
  • FERATUM International Fantastic Film Festival – Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico – founded 2012 – MMGe25, DC45, DC90new, 4/y
  • Freak Show Horror Film Festival – Orlando, Florida, US – founded 2005 – MMHo13, RGe40, 3/y
  • Fright Nights: The Ultimate Festival of Fear – Linz, Austria – founded 2005 – 8/y
  • Future Gate Sci-Fi Film Festival – Prague and other cities in Czechia – founded 2014 – zero/y (free to submit)
  • H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival (focused on lovecraftian films) – Portland, Oregon, US – founded 1995 – 9/y
  • Haapsalu Horror & Fantasy Film Festival (HOFF) – Haapsalu, Estonia – founded 2005 – MIFF, StHo25, 1/y
  • HARD:LINE International Film Festival – Regensburg, Germany – founded 2014 – MIFF, DC90new, 2/y (free to submit option)
  • HorrorFest International – St. George, Utah, US – founded 2002 – DC45, 18/y
  • HorrorHaus Film Festival – Santa Clarita, California, US – founded 2016 – 16/y
  • HorrorHound Weekend (spring & fall) – Cincinnati, Ohio, US – founded 2007 – DC45, StHo35, 14/y spring, 9/y fall
  • HorrOrigins Film Festival – Tucson, Arizona, US – founded 2019 – 17/y
  • Houston Horror Film Festival – Houston, Texas, US – founded 2023 – 12/y
  • It’s Alive! Horror Film Festival – Sofia, Bulgaria – founded 2023 – 4/y
  • KORK International Horror Film Festival – Istanbul, Türkiye (Turkey) – founded 2024 – DC90new, 7/y
  • LUSCA Fantastic Film Fest (formerly Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest) – San Juan, Puerto Rico, US -founded 2007 – MMHo13, DC55, 8/y
  • Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival (MiSciFi) – Miami, Florida, US – founded 2014 – 9/y
  • Octopus Film Festival – Gdansk, Poland – founded 2018 – StHo35, 2/y shorts (features are invite only)
  • Offscreen Film Festival – Brussels, Belgium – founded 2008 – MIFF, DC55, ?/y (invite only)
  • Ravenheart International Film Festival – Oslo, Norway – founded 2019 – 13/y
  • Ravenna Nightmare – Ravenna, Italy – founded 2003 – RGe20, MIFF, 1/y
  • Razor Reel Flanders Film Festival – Bruges, Belgium – founded 2008 – MIFF, 2/y
  • Santiago Horror Film Festival – Santiago, Chile – founded 2018 – DC45, 8/y
  • Sin City Horror Fest – Las Vegas, Nevada – founded 2016 – 10/y
  • South African HorrorFest – Cape Town, South Africa – founded 2005 – MMGe50, DC45, 7/y
  • Splat!FilmFest – Warsaw, Poland – founded 2015 – MIFF, MMGe25, DC45, 2/y
  • Sydney Science Fiction Film Festival – Sydney, Australia – founded 2020 – 12/y
  • Utopiales (for sci-fi films & art) – Nantes, France – founded 2000 – ?/y (invite only)
  • Weekend of Fear – Erlangen, Germany – founded 1988 – StHo25, 1/y (free to submit)
  • Wench Film Festival – Mumbai, India – founded 2021 – MIFF, DC90new, 7/y

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Top 5 Genre Programs in General Film Festivals

(ordered alphabetically, 6 festivals due to ranking ties)

  • Cannes Film Festival: Midnight Screenings + genre films included in Directors’ Fortnight – Cannes, France – DC20new, ?/y
  • International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR): Horror, Thriller & Wildcard – Rotterdam, Netherlands – DC40new, ?/y
  • Sundance Film Festival: Midnight – Park City, Utah, US – DC8new, 3/y all films
  • SXSW Film & TV Festival (South by Southwest): Midnighter + genre films also included in other programs – Austin, Texas, US – DC8new, ?/y
  • Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF): Midnight Madness – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – DC3new, zero/y all films
  • Tribeca Festival: Escape from Tribeca – New York City, US – DC8new, zero/y all films on FF, ?/y all films on fest site

Top 30 Genre Programs in General Film Festivals

(ordered alphabetically)

  • Austin Film Festival: Dark Matters – Austin, Texas, US – DC90new, 9/y all films & scripts
  • Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale): genre films included at times in Panorama, Forum and Critics’ Week – Berlin, Germany – DC40new, ?/y
  • BFI London Film Festival: Cult – London, England, UK – DC40new, ?/y (invite only)
  • Busan International Film Festival (BIFF): Midnight Passion – Busan, South Korea – ?/y (free to submit)
  • Chicago International Film Festival: After Dark – Chicago, Illinois, US – DC90new, 3/y all films
  • Cinequest Film Festival: Thriller, Fantasy & Sci-Fi – San Jose, California, US – DC90new, 11/y all films
  • Cucalorus Film Festival: Convulsions – Wilmington, North Carolina, US – DC40new, 9/y all films (Convulsions is invite only)
  • Dances With Films (DWF:LA/NY): Midnight Series – Los Angeles, California, and New York City, US – DC40new, 36/y all films
  • Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF): Midnight Madness – Edinburgh, Scotland, UK – DC40new, zero/y all films
  • Festival du nouveau cinema (FNC): Temps 0 – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – DC90new, 1/y all films
  • Florida Film Festival: Midnight Movies – Maitland suburb of Orlando, Florida, US – DC90new, 9/y all films
  • Glasgow Film Festival: FrightFest – Glasgow, Scotland, UK – DC90new, 1/y all films (8/y genre films FrightFest London+Glasgow)
  • IndieLisboa: Mouth of Madness – Lisbon, Portugal – 3/y all films
  • Julien Dubuque International Film Festival: Horror/Thriller/Sci-Fi – Dubuque, Iowa, US – 18/y all films
  • Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF): Midnight Screenings – Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic – DC40new, ?/y
  • Leeds International Film Festival (LIFF): Fanomenon – Leeds, England, UK – RGe40, DC90new, 5/y all films
  • Locarno Film Festival: genre films included at times – Locarno, Switzerland – DC90new, ?/y
  • Phoenix Film Festival: International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival – Phoenix, Arizona, US – DC40new, 4/y genre films
  • Raindance Film Festival: Midnight Features – London, England, UK – RGe40, 6/y all films
  • San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF): genre films included at times – San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain – ?/y
  • Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF): WTF: Wild, Terrifying, Fantastic! – Seattle, Washington State, US – DC90new, 5/y all films
  • Sydney Film Festival: Freak Me Out – Sydney, Australia – DC90new, 2/y all films
  • Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (POFF): Rebels With a Cause + Midnight Shivers – Tallinn, Estonia – DC40new, zero/y all films
  • Venice Film Festival (Biennale Cinema): genre films included at times in Orizzonti and Out of Competition – Venice, Italy – DC40new, ?/y

Top 60 Genre Programs in General Film Festivals

(ordered alphabetically)

  • Atlanta Film Festival: genre films included at times – Atlanta, Georgia, US – RGe20, 6/y all films
  • Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF): Midnight Screenings – Cairo, Egypt – DC90new, 1/y all shorts on FF, ?/y all features on fest site
  • Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF): After Dark / Late Shift – Calgary, Alberta, Canada – 5/y all films
  • Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF): After Hours – Cleveland, Ohio, US – DC90new, 13/y all films
  • Coney Island Film Festival: Horror & Sci-Fi – New York City, US – 18/y all films
  • Denver Film Festival: Late Night Showcase – Denver, Colorado, US – 2/y all films
  • Galway Film Fleadh: What the Fleadh? – Galway, Ireland – 8/y all films
  • Goteborg Film Festival: Midnight Mania – Gothenburg, Sweden – ?/y
  • Hamilton Film Festival: genre films included – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada – 11/y all films
  • Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF): Horror – Indianapolis, Indiana, US – DC90new, 5/y all films
  • Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF): Midnight Heat – Hong Kong – zero/y all films
  • International Film Festival of India (IFFI-Goa): Macabre Dreams – Goa, India – ?/y (free to submit)
  • Jeonju International Film Festival: Midnight Cinema – Jeonju, South Korea – ?/y (free to submit)
  • Lighthouse International Film Festival: Darkhouse – Long Beach Island, New Jersey, US – 10/y all films
  • Mar del Plata International Film Festival: Midnight Screamings – Mar del Plata, Argentina – DC90new, ?/y
  • Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF): Night Shift – Melbourne, Australia – 1/y all films
  • Newport Beach Film Festival: genre films included – Newport Beach, California, US – 13/y all films 
  • Noir in Festival: genre films included – Milan, Italy – ?/y
  • On Vous Ment! Mockumentary Film Festival: genre films included (mockumentary, screenlife and found footage) – Lyon, France – zero/y on FF, ?/y via email
  • Philadelphia Film Festival: After Hours – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US – 1/y all films
  • Portland Film Festival: Midnight – Portland, Oregon, US – 10/y all films
  • Rio de Janeiro Int’l Film Festival (Festival do Rio): Midnight Movies – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – ?/y
  • Revelation Perth International Film Festival: genre films included – Perth, Australia – 6/y all films
  • Shanghai International Film Festival: Midnight Fantasy – Shanghai, China – ?/y (free to submit)
  • Sherman Oaks Film Festival: genre films included – Glendale suburb of Los Angeles, California, US – 22/y all films
  • Stockholm International Film Festival: Twilight Zone – Stockholm, Sweden – zero/y all films
  • Torino Film Festival (TFF): genre films included – Turin, Italy – zero/y all films
  • Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF): Full Moon – Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, Romania – DC90new, ?/y (Full Moon is invite only)
  • Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF): Altered States – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – 6/y all films
  • Woodstock Film Festival: genre films included – Woodstock, New York State, US – 7/y all films

NEW: Festival Strategy & Custom List of Festivals for Your Film:

Submission Tips:

Dark red means newly added or updated tips.

  • First of all, if you’ve never made a film before, but you’re thinking of making one, don’t listen to advices about what’s required, if that puts you down. You don’t necessarily need a script or a professional camera or a team or a lot of money. Escape the mental entrapment about what filmmaking is. The best is to find your own ways.
  • In case you have no idea whatsoever about how festivals work, here are the basics: The best way to have your video recognized as a professional artistic film is to be vetted by at least one festival which has a certain degree of recognition in the industry. The festivals are the gatekeepers, they’re launchpads for new filmmakers and indie films, as well as boosters for established filmmakers and studio productions. The films are either invited by festival curators, or selected by festival programmers from submissions made by the filmmakers, film producers, production companies, sales agents, distributors or PR agencies. Thousands of fests are listed on submission platforms where you put your film out (via private link with password), and then you choose which festivals to submit to (some also accept submissions via email or directly on their websites). Programmers check out the submitted films and select a few. For feature films, make sure to have the world premiere in a top festival. Your success will depend on that.
  • Promote your film (project) like crazy before, during and after festivals. Use social media, send press releases, anything you can to ignite people’s interest and ultimately the interest of the film industry. A good percentage of your film’s success will be about the expectation and buzz surrounding it.
  • Keep your genre feature film below 90 minutes if possible and never above 100 minutes. Most festivals are commercially oriented and don’t wanna risk boring their audiences and fade away in popularity. Even the artsy ones!
  • Keep your genre short film between 5 and 1 5 minutes if possible. Festivals prefer to screen a bigger number of shorter short films instead of a single longer short film (except shorts below 5 minutes which some festivals may disregard as micro-shorts, unless they have a specific category for micro-shorts).
  • Some festival programmers won’t watch your feature film entirely and might reject it based on the first 10-20 minutes. Try to have a powerful beginning or one that shows potential for a powerful development and entices the viewer to watch more.
  • Get feedback about your final cut from people with experience in the film industry that you trust before submitting to festivals.
  • For feature films, it’s important to have the world premiere in a top festival. The selections after the world premiere will be in smaller or at best similar festivals, rarely in bigger festivals. Plan carefully your world premiere (and also the premieres at continental and country/state/big city level), don’t settle for a little-known festival if you think your movie can do more than that. Exception: a feature can gather buzz and publicity in smaller festivals on one continent (such as North America), before being selected to premiere in a bigger festival on another continent (such as Europe).
  • For short films you don’t necessarily need to have the word premiere in a big festival. A short film can travel the festival circuit in smaller festivals, gathering publicity, before being selected to a bigger one. Although premiering in a big one is still an advantage.
  • Don’t waste your money and/or chances submitting to world premiere your feature film in festivals which don’t screen world premieres, but take most of their films from other festivals. Focus initially on discovery festivals known for selecting world premieres and leave the rest for your regional premieres.
  • Don’t waste your money submitting to festivals which have little to no reviews on FilmFreeway (unless the festival joined FilmFreeway recently and there wasn’t enough time to gather reviews, check the joining date at the Transparency question mark in the left column on FF). When festivals have very few reviews, it could mean that they choose to curate/invite most of their films from premium sources (sales agents, contacts, other festivals, sponsorships etc.), and view paid submissions mostly as revenue. A lot of reviews could mean more selections from paid submissions (although the reviews can come mostly from selected shorts and sometimes scripts, check if any belong to feature selections).
  • Check the number of FilmFreeway reviews per year listed on most festivals on my list (no./y), which can roughly indicate the number of films selected from genuine submissions. For example, assuming that only a quarter to half the filmmakers leave reviews, 5/y could mean an average of 10-20 films selected from genuine submissions each year since the festival joined FilmFreeway. In most cases only 10% to 20% of them are features (the rest shorts and sometimes scripts), which in our example could mean 1-4 features per year. Some festivals are not on FilmFreeway and hence we can’t estimate how many films they select from submissions (marked ?/y on my list) – pay to submit at your risk to those.
  • But the number of reviews alone is not enough, as there are many scammy award events and pseudo-fests on FilmFreeway with numerous reviews because they select and award almost everything they receive, just to be on top on FF and make more money while offering zero value to “selected”/”winning” filmmakers. Make sure the festival has recognition and respect in the industry as well, from other sources (such as my list), before paying to submit.
  • Do not limit yourself to FilmFreeway. Some great festivals in Europe, Asia and South America are free to submit and are not on FilmFreeway. You’ll have to find their submission forms or emails on their websites. Such festivals are funded from the state cultural budgets, and if selected, they may pay for your travel and accommodation, because their budgets are usually higher. Don’t be put down by the unattractiveness of some of their websites or the more complicated and time consuming submission method, that’s because such festivals have little interest in “selling” themselves to filmmakers, since they don’t depend on submission fees.
  • In Europe and Asia, most festivals pay for filmmakers’ travel and/or accommodation (especially for features). In the US and rest of Anglo-sphere, that’s the exception, so plan your budget accordingly, because attending important festival premieres where there’s a significant industry present could be crucial to the success of your film.
  • Check out the genres & types of films the festival usually screens. If you’ve made a micro budged found footage film, but the festival never screened micro budget found footage films in the past, you might want to keep the money to submit to festivals which are more relevant for your film. Check out also the geographical region the festival focuses on.
  • A premiere in a big major festival is not always preferable for micro-budgeted indie films. Smaller films could get overshadowed by much bigger and star-filled productions. Find the festival that is right for your film.
  • Keep the project description, email or cover letter as short and concise as possible. Programmers are very busy and might not read long letters. Same for the synopsis, unless they ask for a detailed one, try to keep it short and catchy.
  • Include in the intro, email or cover letter the best things about your movie and yourself, to catch the programmers’ interest, like known cast & crew, past known films of yours, awards and top festivals, niche focus, anything else unique or sensational about your film. When submitting for any type of premiere (world, regional, local), mention that.
  • When submitting, try to use a Vimeo private screener with the download option enabled, as some festivals prefer Vimeo over YouTube, and their programmers may be in different corners of the world where the internet is not good enough to stream, so they need to download.
  • Don’t fall for partial discount offers received via email, thinking they are personalised and the festival is interested in your film. Most of the times they are not, those are discount codes listed publicly on the submission platform or mass-sent to filmmakers. When a festival is interested in your film, they offer you a 100% discount code or fee waiver. With very few exceptions, the partial discount is just a marketing strategy.
  • Ask for fee waivers before submitting, but only if you have good reasons to do so which are relevant for the festival, like important recognition for your current or previous film, being an alumni, coming from a very poor country, or anything exceptionally unique and valuable that would make the festival staff want to check out your film so much that they would waive the fee.
  • Do your online research and also submit to major competitions like the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes, the European Film Awards, Film Independent Spirit Awards, British Independent Film Awards and other regional or national major film awards not listed here. For a chance at the Oscars, don’t miss the Academy Awards Qualifying Festivals for documentary and short films, or if you have major production with major connections in the industry, the 5 festivals known to be top Oscar boosters for narrative feature films (Venice, Cannes, Toronto, Telluride, Sundance).
  • Don’t be put down when you get tons of festival rejections. Usually only 5% to 25% of those you submit to will end up selecting your film. My first horror movie Be My Cat: A Film for Anne received over 200 festival rejections, including over 50 rejections from major festivals listed here, yet those that did select it mattered a lot, the buzz grew and Be My Cat eventually became a cult film praised by major publications such as IndieWire, Vulture, Collider or Dread Central. Have patience and don’t get discouraged. 
  • When you get accepted and/or win an award in a very important festival such as those in top 10, email the other festivals you are waiting a decision from and inform them about your success and change in premiere status (but try not to bother them with too many emails).
  • If you don’t already have one, create an IMDb page for your film and list your festival premieres, screenings, nominations and awards (if attached to your name, nominations and awards will also appear on your name page on IMDb), so the film industry can easily check you and your film out. 
  • If distributors express interest in your film, try to negotiate an advance payment (minimum guarantee – MG) or at least a gross corridor. Otherwise chances are you will see little to no money later. Go without an advance or gross corridor only if the backend split is great and you trust the distributor. From my direct experience with my first movie, Terror Films is one of the distributors that pay.

Festivals to Avoid:

Dark red means newly added or updated tips.

  • Award events, online festivals, monthly festivals and seasonal festivals (that happen multiple times a year) listed on submission platforms. Most are scams and won’t help your career or film in any way, no matter how well rated and reviewed they are (unless they are established award events like the European Film Awards). Most award events and monthly festivals have many positive ratings usually because they award/select tons of movies regardless of quality, and are not worthy of submitting.
  • Festivals that appear valuable, but are just cash-cows for the owners. Some are outright fake (the event doesn’t happen), while most are pseudo-festivals or half-scams organised to get as much money as possible from filmmakers while offering them as little value as possible (most of the times zero value). I’d go as far as to say that most festivals listed on submission platforms are pseudo-festivals. Do your research before submitting to any festival that is not in top 100 on my list.
  • Festivals that send invitations to submit via email, sometimes even personalized with your name and film title, but offer only a discount code and not a full fee waiver. They are not interested in your film, they haven’t watched it, probably they haven’t even heard of it, the email is part of an automated marketing campaign which links your film’s title with your name and sometimes even with a past festival your film went to. Numerous other filmmakers get the same email. Ignore, mark as spam, report to FilmFreeway, and expose them on socials. When a festival reaches out to you and is genuinely interested in your film, they always offer a full fee waiver, that’s the industry rule, no exceptions!
  • Warning signs: multiple different festivals in various locations around the world or the US run by the same company or person(s), huge number of submission categories with high fees, huge number of awards given (in order to satisfy filmmakers’ ego and buy their silence), the festival happens multiple times a year (monthly or every season), big sounding festival titles that have no recognition in the industry and just sound similar to established festivals, the event happens far away (different country or city) from the administrative headquarters, the festival mass-sends discount codes to filmmakers to attract more submissions, they mark your film as a semi-finalist on FilmFreeway in order to get a review from you even though it’s not selected and won’t be screened, they take advantage of selected filmmakers by making them pay for promo materials, trophy, the awards gala or party, they offer submission categories with include film reviews for a higher fee (never buy film reviews), the festival happens in a hotel, in the city outskirts or other improper venue/location, there’s no industry or press or even audience present besides the attending filmmakers, the films selected in previous editions have little to no online presence and no ratings/reviews on IMDb/Letterboxd, the event excessively promotes that it’s “IMDb qualifying” (there are numerous festivals on IMDb which mean nothing for nominated/awarded filmmakers), the event generally looks more like a business than a film event.
  • Festivals which have little to no reviews on FilmFreeway (unless the festival joined FilmFreeway recently and there wasn’t enough time to gather reviews, check the joining date at the Transparency question mark in the left column on FF). When festivals have very few reviews, it could mean that they choose to curate/invite most of their films from premium sources (sales agents, contacts, other festivals, sponsorships etc.), and view paid submissions mostly as revenue. A lot of reviews could mean more selections from paid submissions (although the reviews can come mostly from selected shorts, check if any belong to feature selections).
  • Established festivals that view paid submissions mainly as a source of revenue and curate/invite most of their films from premium sources like sales agents, contacts, sponsorships or other festivals. These festivals could offer you a lot of value if selected, but you can pay big money submitting thinking you have a chance, when you actually don’t (unless they offer you a waiver, in that case go for it). Here’s what a former TIFF programmer had to say: “The top of the festival food chain feasts on submission fees. These festivals have deep industry networks, do extensive tracking of productions, and actively solicit works for their events. At the major festivals and most credible film festivals, submission fees remain a tax on the outsiders and unsolicited entries are merely revenue-generating fodder.“
  • Unless they offer you a fee waiver, avoid paying to submit feature films to festivals with less than 3 FilmFreeway reviews per year (marked zero/y, 1/y or 2/y on my list). Less than 3/y could mean zero features selected from genuine submissions (but to be sure you’ll have to check all the reviews to identify feature selections). Also pay to submit at your risk to those that are not on FilmFreeway and hence we can’t estimate how many films they select from submissions (marked ?/y on my list).

  • If your film is found footage, before paying to submit to any festival, make sure they’re not found footage haters. Check if they ever premiered or at least selected indie found footage films in previous years. I wasted lots of money submitting my first movie Be My Cat: A Film for Anne to festivals which never selected a single found footage movie in their entire history (except for found footage studio hits which are obviously invited for their notoriety and don’t count, or found footage films premiered at bigger festivals which again don’t count because they were invited for the notoriety). Such fests probably have programmers/directors who either hate the genre or think it will put their fest in a bad light, and chances are they won’t even consider your film regardless of how good it is. I won’t name any because things can change, what was valid for my film years ago might not be the case anymore, so check out if the festivals you’re interested in selected any indie found footage film in recent years.

Other lists:

Below are the lists that helped put mine together (ordered from newest to oldest), with codes to identify the exact list each festival is mentioned on (except for general fests with have all the codes on my Top 250 International Film Festivals). Dark red means newly added or updated lists: