Film Submission

SUMISSION GUIDELINES

Running time for all feature films must be 70 minutes or more.
Running time for all shorts must be less than 30 minutes.
Film submissions in a foreign language must be subtitled in English.
All films must be at least a Texas premiere and cannot be made available publicly online at any time before the fest, and cannot have been available publicly online - outside the context of a limited streaming window as part of a geo-blocked virtual festival.
Preview screening format is an online screener. We do not accept DVD/Blu-ray screeners.
If submitting more than one film, a separate completed entry is required for each title.
Films are scheduled at the discretion of Fantastic Fest. Fantastic Fest retains the right to make changes to the published schedule at any time and for any reason. Films may be screened more than once.
Selected films must be made available in a 35mm composite print, Blu-ray, or DCP.

What kind of films does Fantastic Fest play? Should I submit my film?

Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, science-fiction, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. Really, we're interested in any film with a fantastic element in it (including offbeat comedies!). Is that too vague? Well, take a look at the Letterbox’d list of films we have previously played at the Festival to get a better idea.

Does Fantastic Fest accept work in progress submissions?

Yes! We often get films submitted that are works in progress, missing some ADR, VFX, final color grade, sound, etc. We suggest adding a pre-roll/title card at the beginning of your video indicating this is the case and what parts are unfinished.

Does Fantastic Fest grant waivers for submission?

Similar to your struggles as filmmakers, we're still a relatively young festival struggling to do our best with the resources we have available. Our incredible staff is primarily volunteers, and every dime we take in goes directly to support the festival itself. If we could forego submission fees altogether, we would, but they're a fundamental part of keeping the Fantastic Fest engine running. Due to this, we are currently unable to grant waivers except for very exceptional, one-off cases.

Does my film need to be a world premiere to be considered for Fantastic Fest?

Nope! While we consider a world premiere status to be preferable, we accept national, regional, and at the very minimum, Texas premieres.

My film is longer than 30 minutes but shorter than 70 minutes. Can I still submit?

Shorts that are longer than 30 minutes and features that are shorter than 70 minutes are very difficult to program and schedule. While we’re happy to view any work of any length, please know that your film will have to be truly excellent to overcome its non-standard running time.

Do you accept music videos for shorts?

We have no problems accepting music videos, but please note that we do not have any specific program dedicated to them and your music video must have not been released online for us to be able to consider it.

Further questions or comments?

Email programming@fantasticfest.com and we'll be in touch!

FILM SUBMISSION