Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the US, specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. The festival is dedicated to championing challenging and thought-provoking cinema, celebrating new voices and new stories from around the world and supporting new filmmakers. We work with various other festivals, archives, cinematheques and individuals to spotlight lesser-known film regions, luminaries and more in an ongoing effort to expand the general knowledge and appreciation of cinema. We are committed to supporting film in its most provocative, ground-breaking and underseen forms, and giving the audience a chance to find new favorites and future genre classics.

Each year we bring together fans, guests, industry, press and others in an inclusive and fun environment for a weeklong celebration of film in all its forms through carefully curated screenings and events, both in and outside of the theaters.

In years past, Fantastic Fest has been home to world premieres of THE BLACK PHONE, JOHN WICK, FRANKENWEENIE, MACHETE KILLS, RED DAWN, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, APOCALYPTO, ZOMBIELAND, RED, SPLIT, OVERLORD, APOSTLE and THE NIGHT COMES FOR US, while the guest roster has included such talent as Edgar Wright, Julia Ducournau, Noomi Rapace, Bong Joon-Ho, Tim Burton, Nicolas Winding-Refn, Lilly and Lana Wachowski, Robert Rodriguez, Rian Johnson, Bill Murray, Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Edward Norton, Ryan Reynolds, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Josh Hartnett, The RZA, Dolph Lundgren, Paul Rudd, Bill Pullman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jon Favreau, George Romero, Darren Aronofsky, Mike Judge, M. Night Shyamalan, James McAvoy, Jonah Hill, Jamie Lee Curtis, Steven Yeun, Danny McBride, Tenacious D and more.

Fantastic Fest has been hailed as one of the “25 coolest film festivals” by MovieMaker Magazine, “the wildest film festival in America” by The Guardian, “a secret weapon for the arthouse market” by Indiewire as well as “the coolest film festival in the world” by IGN.

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Rules & Terms

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
Eligibility Requirements for film selection:
- Running time for all feature films must be 70 minutes or more
- Running time for all shorts must be less than 30 minutes.
- Selected films must be made available in a 35mm composite print, Blu-ray, or DCP.
- Film submissions in a foreign language must be subtitled in English.
- All feature films must be at least a Texas premiere and short films must be at least an Austin premiere at the time of Fantastic Fest participation.
- Selected films cannot be made available publicly online at any time before the fest, and cannot have been available publicly online previously - outside the context of a limited streaming window as part of a geo-blocked virtual festival.
- Preview screening format is an online screener ONLY - No DVD screeners.
- If submitting more than one film, a separate completed entry is required for each title.
- All films must have been completed on or after January 1, 2021.

ENTRY FEES, DEADLINE, NOTIFICATION, AND SCHEDULING
- An entry fee must accompany all submitted films, and submissions must meet published deadlines for the current year’s call for entries.
- All films will be notified of rejection or acceptance through the contact information in FilmFreeway. Submitters are responsible for ensuring contact details are correct, and checking the email they provide for any communications from the programming team.
- 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.
18 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Marina A Marzotto

    Nomen omen: Fantastic! The bee's knees of genre festivals with a great atmosphere, incredibly competent and passionate audience, best possible introductions to your movies and help from all the organization. A bit expensive and US-centric for European productions but a great test for any film.

    October 2022
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  • Ella Gale

    Fantastic fest was wonderful, with great parties, well-organized events, and a positive atmosphere for casual at-the-venue conversations. I was thrilled to screen my short here.

    October 2022
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  • Ted Marsden

    One of the most fun film festivals in the world, especially for filmmakers. I had a blast and am chomping on the bit to go back.

    October 2022
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  • Laura Seay

    The best festival we’ve been to, hands down. This is a high end fest while still operating for the fans. Not for itself. This is truly rare and I won’t soon forget my time there. The programming was superb, even in the short blocks. The folks running this love what they do, and it really shows. The filmmaker events were thoughtful and aplenty :)
    Thank you Fantastic Fest.

    October 2022
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  • Emil Benjamin

    Hands down the most fun I’ve ever had at a festival, and I was only able to be there the last few days. The viewing experience is top-notch, the programming is phenomenal, the team is kind and helpful, the events are deliciously bizarre, and perhaps most importantly, the attendees are true cinephiles. It’s not about the pomp and circumstance—people come to Fantastic Fest because they love film. I felt fortunate to share my film, The Breakdown Parables, for this edition, but I will happily return even if I don’t have a film in the lineup.

    October 2022
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