Carnival of Darkness: The Haunted Pamlico Film Festival

1. All entries will be submitted via FilmFreeway.com. DVDs or films in formats other than those accepted by FilmFreeway will not be considered. We accept films of most any length. While the majority of our categories are open to films of various lengths, please note that this event includes a specific category for short films. You must provide stills or a digital copy of your film poster for use in publicity for the festival. Our judges pledge to watch each submitted film through to the end credits and to read every screenplay from the first to last line.

2. We will accept submissions from midnight April 30, 2026, until midnight Sept. 1, 2026.

3. Awards will be publicly announced during the festival. Winners will be informed of their awards via email on or near Oct. 1, 2026. Our email address is hauntedpamlico1@gmail.com. Each category will have two finalists, and we will announce these finalists in advance. You may submit films in more than one applicable category, but be advised there is a fee for each submission beyond the early bird period.

4. While filmmakers whose work receives finalist or featured-selection status may publicize that fact prior to the festival, information about winning entries is embargoed until the announcement is made during the awards ceremony at the festival. We will inform winning filmmakers and those whose work achieves featured-selection status during the first week of October to allow time for travel plans. Winning filmmakers may inform cast, crew, friends, and family about their award(s), but public announcements of the awards are prohibited before the awards ceremony. Any advance public announcement of awards could result in disqualification. After the festival, we will post news about the winning entries on our website and social-media platforms. Winners may publicize their awards immediately after the ceremony. You needn't be present during the ceremony to receive your award. Please provide us with your email address through FilmFreeway and/or via email, hauntedpamlico1@gmail.com.

5. By submitting your film to us, you give us the right to screen your film during the festival. If your film is named a winner, finalist, and/or an official selection of the festival, it will be shown during the festival barring any unforeseen acts of God, time constraints, or technical difficulties. By submitting your film to this festival, you grant us permission to show your film during regular festival hours, and during any screening events that are part of the current season for Carnival of Darkness. Your film has the potential to reach hundreds of people through this event in person, and thousands through our online promotions. We will notify filmmakers of the times during which we expect their selected films to run. This notification will go out with private emails regarding awards and/or featured-selection status.

6. We only accept submissions from filmmakers, individuals, or production companies holding full legal rights to their work and all of its aspects, including music, stock footage, or other elements. We do not accept responsibility for copyright violations that may arise from the fraudulent submission of work to which the entrant doesn't hold the rights.

7. We accept independent films only.

8. Films previously screened online or at other venues are eligible for submission, but we encourage submissions from filmmakers who wish to premiere their work during our festival.

9. We discourage submission of films scheduled for public screening in Pitt, Hyde, Martin, Craven, Beaufort, or Washington counties in North Carolina during September or October 2026. The discovery of scheduled public screenings at venues in any of these counties during the months of September or October may be grounds for disqualification.

10. Designation of your film as a featured selection doesn't guarantee award status. Not all entries will be selected for screening. Only finalists, winners, and/or official selections, or films chosen by the organizers to be shown out of competition will be screened during the festival.

11. Filmmakers whose work is chosen for featured or award-winning status are entitled to two free tickets. Excepting special guest panelists, all other attendees will be charged $10 per ticket for a single day. If you are entitled to two free tickets, we will reserve those tickets and will release them to you at the door. To receive your reserved tickets, you or someone you have designated to represent you must provide identification in the form of a drivers license or other generally accepted ID. Please provide us with the names of your designated attendees in advance by emailing hauntedpamlico1@gmail.com.

12. Judging will be conducted by a panel selected by the organizers. Films the judges had a hand in creating will not be featured in competition. The judges will not be publicly identified. In selecting finalists, winners, or official selections, we won't give special consideration to films made by friends, colleagues, or associates of Haunted Pamlico/Alternative Stage. Short films co-produced by Haunted Pamlico may be screened out of competition on opening night of the festival.

13. Our judges will choose up to five films for the Honorable Mention category with the intention of screening those films during festival hours. These films may be drawn from any of the eligible submissions. Filmmakers are unable to apply for Honorable Mention directly, though all submitted films are automatically eligible for this honor. We will provide digital certificates signifying these films' status.