Con Nooga is Chattanooga's multi-fandom convention spanning: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Anime/Manga, Paranormal, Literature, Comics, Gaming, Music, Movies, and so much more! For over a decade, Con Nooga has been the premier fandom event in Chattanooga, and Tennessee's largest three-day convention! Every year, we host the Con Nooga Film Festival, showcasing the contributions of independent filmmakers from all over the world, with a strong emphasis on sci-fi/fantasy, horror, comedy, and more with special awards categories for fan films and regionally-produced films across three days of the convention!

Join us for three days of films, fandom, and fun at Con Nooga!

Awards will be given to multiple categories, including (but not limited to):
Best in Show (our grand prize for the best overall film submitted)
Best Fan Film (for non-profit fan-films)
Best Regional Film (for films from Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas)
Best Genre Films (for comedy, horror, and sci-fi/fantasy)
and Audience Choice (100% voted on by the attendees of Con Nooga!)

All winners will receive award laurels and credit on our official IMDb page.

SHORT FILMS = 21 MIN. OR LESS. / FEATURE FILMS = 22 MIN. OR MORE.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE OR ENGLISH SUBTITLES ONLY.
All films must be in English, or otherwise be fully subtitled in English.

NO FEE WAIVERS.
We purposely keep our submission fees low so that anyone, on any budget can afford to participate. We do not offer any fee waivers as this is unfair to those who paid the fees. Filmmakers from countries not allowed to send money to the United States need not apply.
**DO NOT e-mail us asking for a fee waiver. You will be blocked and added to the blacklist**

NO REFUNDS. NO RETURNS. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Once a film has been accepted, it cannot be withdrawn from competition. No refunds of any submission fees will be refunded for any reason, and no submitted materials will be returned for any reason. No exceptions.

Submission to the Con Nooga Film Festival will be considered to be an acknowledgement of and agreement to all convention and film festival rules and policies, and grants Con Nooga full authorization to use the submitted film for any/all screening and promotional purposes up to and during the event for the year it was submitted. Con Nooga reserves the right to reject any film for any reason, as well as screen or not screen any submitted film for any reason. Schedule subject to change. Selection and awards are chosen by the convention committee and their decisions are final. Accepted filmmakers MUST provide their own travel/lodging for the event, should they wish to attend. Con Nooga does not provide any travel or lodging accommodations. Con Nooga will not pay any screening fees for any film under any circumstances. Con Nooga reserves the right to remove (or even ban, if necessary) anyone for violations of any rules at any time. Full convention rules/policies can be found on the official Con Nooga website.

Overall Rating
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  • Grateful to have taken part in this amazin event! The staff and organizers were friendly, communicative and very welcoming. We'll be back for sure!

    March 2026
  • Thanks for selecting “Bay for Blood” into your festival! I had a good experience with this fest and will definitely considering submitting again in the future.

    February 2026
  • I was delighted to hear that my short film LATE SLEEPER was selected to be screened in this festival and I wanted to attend, but I never received scheduling information despite two e-mail requests that I sent.

    March 2025
  • Suzie Nguyen

    Such a great festival and so much fun to attend! I had a really nice time at the film festival and getting to attend a whole big comic book/sci-fi convention event on top of that was so cool! I can't wait to come back again!

    February 2025
  • Casey Lloyd

    Thank you Con Nooga Film Festival for acknowledging our film Dauntless and the Demigod with the Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film award! I'm very sorry I couldn't make it, but we were watching from afar and your programming for your con looked like tons of fun. Thanks again!

    February 2025