THE 2025 RIVERS EDGE HORROR SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
Welcome to the 6th Annual RIVERS EDGE Horror Short FILM FESTIVAL!!!
All residents who live in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia are invited to shoot and edit their own horror short films and submit the films to the festival before October 3, 2025, for judging!
RIVER’S EDGE SHORT HORROR FEST will be a live in person event on Saturday, October 18th at the Clarke Theatre. We’ll kick off the event with several International Short Horror Films, then continue with last years’ winners, and then all the submissions for 2025. The juried 2025 winners will be presented their awards after all films have been shown.
A jury will select a ‘Best in Show’ and an ‘Honorable Mention’ in the categories of ‘18 and under’, and ‘Adult’. Cash Prizes of $500 for best in Show Adult, $250 for Honorable Mention Adult, $150 Best in Show youth and $100 Honorable Mention Youth. The Audience will vote for an “Audience Choice Award” to win $50, this winner will be announced the week after the event.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
How to apply:
• Create an account on FilmFreeway
• Find our REHSFF here - https://filmfreeway.com/MissionArtsCouncil
• Review the requirements and submit the film
Important Note on Payment:
All entry fees must be paid directly to the Mission Arts Council before submitting your film on FilmFreeway. Please pay in one of the ways listed below, then email officemanager@missionartscouncil.ca for submission details. Once payment is received, you will be sent a private code to unlock your submission.
Ways to pay your entry fee:
• Send an e-transfer to macart@shaw.ca using password REHSFF25 (please include your name and film title in the message).
• Pay over the phone with VISA or MASTERCARD
• Pay in person with CASH, DEBIT, VISA, or MASTERCARD
Once your payment is received, you will be emailed a private FilmFreeway code to use when submitting.
Entry fees:
We have two age categories:
● Youth - 18 and under
● Adult - 19+
Adult $25 per film. Maximum 2 entries per person
Youth $20 per film. Maximum 2 entries per person
Accepted filmmakers will receive 2 complimentary tickets to the show.
ALL ENTRIES MUST COMPLY WITH THE GUIDELINES LISTED BELOW
There is no specific theme for 2025 – it simply must fit the Horror genre.
The winners will receive:
Cash Prizes; Adult: Best in Show - $500. Adult: Honourable Mention - $250.
Youth: Best in Show - $150. Youth: Honourable Mention - $100. Audience Choice - $50
SUBMISSION DATE: On or before October 3, 2025
We do not accept new versions of the films after you have completed submissions. If there is an error in the upload, please contact officemanager@missionartscouncil.ca
GUIDELINES:
For adult and youth categories:
● Shoot a 2-minute horror film. Submissions under 2 minutes will be accepted. SUBMISSIONS OVER 2 MINUTES IN LENGTH WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Opening titles and closing credits are included in your runtime. Minimum 1 minute films.
● The film must be filmed on a cell phone or other consumer camera.
Professional camera equipment may not be used. External audio recorder is permitted
● Your film must be acceptable for a PG-13 audience.
● Filmmakers can use their own original music in their film, or they may use music that is copyright-free or public domain. Youtube has a free archive of music and sound effects here: youtube.com/audiolibrary/music
● We suggest you download iMovie for free if you have a Mac. You can also use a free editing program like OpenShot if you do not have video editing software. OpenShot is a cross platform free editing software available at www.openshot.org and a basic editing tutorial is available here: https://youtu.be/BQS2tmgD_Rk
● Each filmmaker may submit a maximum of two films.
● No guns
● The film must not be plagiarized from other works.
● The film cannot depict drug use in a recreational manner or include sex, sexual violence or nudity.
● The MAC reserves the right to disqualify any film that it deems inappropriate for a teen audience.
● Your entry must be your original work and must not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity.
● You must allow the MAC to download your film to be able to be shown at the festival.
● By submitting your film, you pledge that identifiable people appearing in the film consent to the submission.
● By submitting your film, you agree that the Mission Arts Council can use your work (in whole or in part) to promote the Mission Arts Council’s programs and events and the River’s Edge Short Horror Film Festival program.
For the 18 and under category:
● Participants must be 18 years and under and in middle school or high school to enter.
● Other than being used as actors, adults cannot be involved in significant phases of the film’s production.
● The film must include teen actors
SPECIFIC INTERNATIONAL CATEGORY GUIDELINES
• This category has NO entrance fee.
• This category is for filmmakers submitting from outside of Canada.
• Films in this category can be up to 15 minutes in length. Minimum 1 minute.
• Films must be horror-themed and suitable for a PG-13 audience.
• External audio recorders and post-production sound mixing are allowed.
• Submissions should reflect an independent or amateur spirit—high-quality work is welcome, but this is not a studio-level competition.
• All dialogue must be in English or include English subtitles.
• No guns.
• No sex, nudity, or drug use in a recreational context.
• Films must not be plagiarized and must not infringe on the rights of others.
• By submitting, you confirm all identifiable people in your film have given permission, and you grant the Mission Arts Council permission to use your film (in whole or in part) for promotional purposes.
• This is a non-competitive category. Selected films will be included in the International Category but are not eligible for prizes.
