***We will announce the festival lineup no later than Tuesday, September 5th at some point during the day (the 6th notification date as listed is only to keep the announcement from releasing too early). Thank you to everyone who submitted and best of luck!***

Welcome to the 10th annual FilmQuest Festival!

Gaining legendary raves as one of the very best festivals on the planet, genre or otherwise, for its high quality of selections, great events, bevy of attending filmmakers, the highly coveted and prestigious Cthulhu Trophy, and as one of MovieMaker Magazine's "25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World" (2023), "50 Bloody Best Genre Fests in the World" (2021 & 2019) and five-times named one of their "Top 50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" (2023, 2022, 2021, 2017, 2015), as well as one of Dread Centrals "Best Horror Festivals in the World" in both 2022 and 2021, and Utah's 6x Best of State film festival (2018 - 2023), FIlmQuest celebrates the majesty and might of genre filmmaking in the realms of fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and the beyond (including action, thriller, western, kung-fu, and more). The 2023 season will continue this grand tradition of celebrating the world's greatest genre filmmaking in our beautiful home of Utah!

FilmQuest has been designed specifically to cater to the empowerment of the filmmaker through various events, awards, swag, connections, and more. In creating the festival, we thought long and hard about what it is that makes a festival great. We asked ourselves the tough questions. What we’ve come up with is, we believe, a festival experience that is the kind most filmmakers dream about.

The Juries will award our filmmakers in over 45 individual categories. Our selection committee is also made up of a group of industry professionals from various fields, such as directors, actors, producers, professors, writers, animators, casting directors, and more.

Want more? We will also be hosting exclusive parties, panels, and more! So get involved today and consider becoming a part of one of the most exciting film festivals to emerge on the circuit in years! We look forward to seeing your submissions!

We encourage you to explore our website (www.FilmQuestFest.com) for new information and updates as it comes, including more info on what to expect, the celebrities who will be involved with FilmQuest, our events, parties, workshops, panels, and more!

Prepare for Fantastic at FilmQuest, one of the world's most exciting and beloved genre film festivals!

Awards & Prizes

We’ve created a festival that gives away awe-inspiring awards, fills your bag with the swag a pirate would be envious of, connects you to other filmmakers and celebrities in ways that encourages future collaboration, and offers an event to explore that will be talked about for years to come in FilmQuest.

We have the FilmQuest Cthulhu trophy designed specifically for FilmQuest and manufactured by the same company who makes the Golden Globes, making what we are sure will soon become one of the most coveted awards on the festival circuit. And this is just the beginning. The trophy will be available for over 20 categories, with high quality plaques available to the rest.

More prizes and awards are added frequently, so stay tuned and don't miss out on FilmQuest!

Rules & Terms

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR ENTRY SUBMISSION : All film submissions must be postmarked by August 20, 2023. All submissions must be complete, with all of the items on the checklist order completed to be considered for the submission. All submissions received after August 20, 2023 will be considered for next year's festival unless otherwise notified. Notification of acceptance into the 2023 film festival will occur no later than September 1st, 2023. If accepted, a screening print or digital copy must arrive at FilmQuest's office no later than October 9th, 2023. All screeners must be clearly labeled. These screeners will become the property of FilmQuest unless a self-addressed, self-stamped package is provided with original submission.

All entries selected into FilmQuest grant FilmQuest the right to use any footage from the screener, and all submitted publicity photos and any other materials sent to us pertaining to this entry for FilmQuest's promotional purposes, without limitations. Complete press kit for films will be requested only after acceptance. All prints must be picked up after the screening and signed for by the filmmaker.

ELIGIBILITY : We will accept films completed after January 2021, unless otherwise noted. We will accept films that have previously screened in other festivals. Entry fees are non-refundable, and may be paid in the form of Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, Discover, check or money order paid in US dollars, only through a US affiliated bank. A $2.00 processing fee will be added to all credit card payments.

Locally made and produced Utah films are strongly requested, and in most cases required, to give FilmQuest its local Utah premiere. If the film premiered before FilmQuest, it will have needed to have held its most recent local screening at least 6 months prior to FilmQuest's announced dates. Failure to meet these requirements will likely prevent the entry from selection into the festival.

SCRIPT ELIGIBILITY : Scripts must be bound and formatted correctly. Feature film script length should be at least 40 pages and not over 180. Shorts scripts at least 2 pages. Scripts will not be returned. All scripts must be accompanied with a synopsis in the submission info. We also accept digital script submissions either via FilmFreeway or email.

AWARDS ELIGIBILITY: Only films that have been completed and released after January 1st, 2022 will be eligible for awards. These rules are in compliance with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences standard for Oscar Qualifying. Films completed and released before this date will still be eligible for acceptance and screening at the festival, just not major awards consideration.

PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT : I represent and warrant that I have full legal right and authority to submit the heretofore mentioned film/video project for consideration by FilmQuest, and that all necessary consents, licensing and approvals have been obtained with respect thereto. I agree to hold FilmQuest and its sponsors harmless in any and all matters pertaining to the consents, licenses, and approvals of heretofore film/video project. I understand that my submission is in no way a guarantee of acceptance or nomination into and at FilmQuest. No one from FilmQuest or its sponsors has guaranteed me admission into the festival. I, the undersigned, have read the terms and conditions appearing herein, and agree, without exception, to all the terms and conditions stated.

For FULL rules and conditions, please visit our website at www.FilmQuestFest.com
332 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Ryan Stevens Harris

    FilmQuest was just an incredible experience. We were fortunate enough to play there with our dark fantasy film, "Moon Garden" and cannot recommend the festival highly enough. Before we arrived, our entire team in LA had heard about the magical event and in particular about the carefully curated program and audience that makes the trip up to Provo, Utah every year. Indeed, the crowd was electric - an audience of cinephiles, filmmakers and press - celebrating the very best in genre cinema. The short blocks were especially unique and interesting with great sponsers through Alter and Dust, rounding out a selective collection of features. From Jonathan and Jonna to all their volunteers, FilmQuest is just a special festival and the best genre festival we played at in the states without a doubt.

    Cannot recommend highly enough!

    September 2023
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  • Regina Pigsley

    Our film has gotten into 35 festivals, and Filmquest has been our favorite! The caliber of films is high, and there are so many filmmakers that attend. The festival is such a blast; there are events every day such as axe throwing, karaoke night, the Halloween party, and more! They also have distributers and press in attendance. FIlmquest is an incredible experience that we would love to do again.

    February 2023
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  • Shane Bannon

    My absolute favorite festival! Jonathan, Jonna, and Richard make every effort to imbue the atmosphere with a sense of camaraderie that is unmatched in all my experience. The audience for each screening is packed with other filmmakers, each of whom is eager to support and discuss your film. In the two years I have attended, I have forged plenty of friendships, and I eagerly await the next addition.

    One thing to note: the festival is so packed with programming, parties, and panels that, if you have the chance to attend in person, you will not sleep for the duration of your time there. But it's worth it!

    December 2022
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  • Travis Bible

    Great festival. Our feature film had its world premiere here and the screening was amazing. The venue was cool, events were fun, but casual and lots of great screenings to go to. The entire FilmQuest team did an amazing job putting everything. together.

    November 2022
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  • Megan Dahl

    FilmQuest feels a bit like a 2-week long viewing party. It’s very easy to make friends with other filmmakers, as there are lots of late-night mixers and events, and everyone is friendly. If you like genre films and fun - these are your people.

    November 2022
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