Fortean Film Festival

The 'International Fortean Film Festival' is run by filmmakers and people with a passion for all things weird and paranormal, for filmmakers and people with a passion for all things weird and paranormal...

ABOUT US

We are non-elitist and non-political, and welcome entries from all Fortean (and non-Fortean) filmmakers around the globe irrespective of age or experience.

It is a multi-level award festival with opportunities to receive award laurels and trophies for OFFICIAL SELECTION, HONORABLE MENTION, BRONZE, SILVER, GOLD, and PLATINUM awards in each category.

The trophy for the 'Judge's Award for Best of Show' will be presented to the submission which they deem to be the overall best entrant in the festival.

There will also be an 'Audience Choice Award' which attendees of the live event will be able to vote for in-person.

WHAT DOES 'FORTEAN' MEAN?

Fortean - /ˈfôrdēən/ /ˈfɔrdiən/

adjective.
1) A subject of the unexplained, unknown, paranormal, supernatural or strange/anomalous phenomena.
2) Of or relating to 'Charles Fort' (6th August 1874 – 3rd May 1932); he was an American writer and researcher who studied anomalous phenomena.

noun.
1) A person who studies and investigates the unexplained.

WHY CHOOSE US?

There are many perks to submitting your project to the 'International Fortean Film Festival', which include: -

A guarantee that your project will be viewed and judged by an international panel of industry professionals from the world of film and television, from both in front and behind the camera, with a wealth of connections to numerous main-stream television networks, distributors and media outlets.

This is an IMDb approved festival.

We are the sister event of the 'MegaFlix Film Awards', which is also an IMDb approved festival.

£1 SUBMISSION for the category of 'Best Film Poster/Press Kit'.

Guaranteed free publicity for all official selections via our social media platforms.

The potential for publicity through interviews on established genre-specific YouTube channels and podcasts, as well as the possibility of being interviewed by the prestigious 'Fortean Times' magazine.

The potential for reviews to be published in a range of media forms with a range of media outlets, including British national newspapers.

A non-elitist approach which will offer constructive feedback to every submission.
Bespoke selection and award laurels.

This festival aims to champion British filmmakers with a specialist category for 'Best British Short'.

Discount on submission for FilmFreeway Gold members.

The creators of the most exceptional submissions may be invited to join the judging panel for the next season of the festival, offering a potential opportunity to gain experience behind the scenes of the judging process and live film screenings.

A great opportunity to network with industry professionals and have your project catch the eyes of international distributors.

THE EVENT

Live screenings will be held annually at physical locations in the United Kingdom; however, in any such event that a lock-down may impact the in-person live event, there will be provisions made for an online alternative as a contingency measure to ensure the festival definitely takes place.

Films which do not have a Fortean theme can be submitted, but will automatically be placed into the 'MegaFlix Film Awards'.

SUBMISSIONS ENTERED INTO ONE SINGLE CATEGORY WHICH THE JUDGING PANEL DEEM TO FIT IN OTHER CATEGORIES MAY BE MOVED INTO ANOTHER CATEGORY OR JUDGED IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES.

PLEASE NOTE THAT IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE FOR EVERY SELECTION TO BE SCREENED AT THE LIVE EVENT.

Short submissions are less than 45 minutes in duration; feature submissions are more than 45 minutes in duration.

THE JUDGING PANEL

Brian Sergent

Born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand, Brian is a famous actor best known for his work alongside award-winning director, Peter Jackson. Brian starred in the 90's horror cult classic 'Braindead' and later went on to star in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring', and 'Flight of the Conchords'. Brian is a fun and enthusiastic performer, who has a natural skill with accents and impressions, which has enabled him to bring comedy to his many film and TV roles; including working as a voice artist on 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'.

Janet Kidder

Janet is a multi award-winning actress with a career spanning over two decades of working in high-profile film and television roles. One of Janet's early film roles saw her star in the fourth sequel of the 'Child's Play' franchise, in the cult horror classic, 'The Bride of Chucky'; she later went on to star in a multitude of other shows including 'The X-Files', 'Star Trek: Discovery', and 'Charmed'. She has a keen interest in all aspects of the paranormal and also works at the renowned 'Vancouver School of Acting' in Canada.

Emanuel Rotstein

Emanuel is a multi award-winning filmmaker and programming executive. He is the current 'Senior Director Programming' at A+E Networks in Germany; overseeing all strategic programme planning, commissions and acquisitions for Crime + Investigation and the History Channel. He also holds the role of 'Head of EU Editorial', overseeing compliance and content standards for a further 14 international TV channels under the jurisdiction of the Bavarian media authority BLM.

James "Bobo" Fay

Affectionally known as "Bobo", James is a world famous 'squatcher, member of the BFRO, and star of Animal Planet's hit TV show 'Finding Bigfoot'. He is a passionate cryptozoologist, paranormal investigator, TV presenter, and also has acting credits to his name. As his nickname would suggest, he is a hardcore science-fiction buff and his passion, love and knowledge of the genre are rarely matched.

Doug Hajicek

Doug is a TV producer who has also pioneered new scientific advancements in the field of cryptozoology. His smash-hit TV series 'MonsterQuest' aired on the History Channel, and he was not only responsible for leading the research team that first recorded footage of a living giant squid in its natural habitat, but also for designing and building a bespoke camera system for the task.

Susan Slaughter

Susan is a paranormal expert, TV presenter and actress who openly identifies as a witch. She has appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, including 'Ghost Hunters International' on the SyFy Channel and 'Paranormal Caught On Camera' on the Travel Channel. Aside from her paranormal endeavours, Susan has a love for the dramatic arts on stage, and not only excels in musical theatre, but also in costume design and stage direction.

Ryan Cassella

From New York City, Ryan is a media producer and content creator who works for the global sports entertainment and multimedia giant 'World Wrestling Entertainment' (WWE). When at college, Ryan had a background in student film projects, where he developed a base of skills which he would only refine further working on the internationally revered weekly episodic TV shows 'WWE: Monday Night RAW' and 'WWE: Friday Night SmackDown'.

For full details of every member of our judging panel please visit: https://www.forteanfilmfestival.com/#JUDGES