Gen Con is the original, longest-running, best-attended, gaming convention in the world!

Featuring hundreds of game companies, award-winning authors and artists, costumed attendees, more than 19,000 events, a Family Fun Pavilion, and the debut of exciting new games, Gen Con truly is The Best Four Days in Gaming™!

2017 saw more than 61,000 attendees and set an all-new attendance record for the 50-year event.

Don't miss out on Gen Con 2018!

The biggest complaint we hear is that there is simply too much to do, see, and experience. Get lost in a phantasm of art exhibits. Stare at jaw-dropping costumes, or better yet, wear one of your own. Meet the movers and the shakers in the gaming industry. Check out the newest games and get a sneak peek at the latest editions.

Filmmakers from around the world gather to compete in the Gen Con Film Festival. Some travel from as far away as Australia and the United Kingdom to the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis for screenings, film panels, and the awards ceremony. Films from across the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Israel, Japan, and Great Britain make it a truly international event.

The Gen Con Film Festival focuses on genres that appeal to our gaming attendees. These include, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror, Animation, Anime, Martial Arts, Gaming, related parodies and documentaries.

Awards & Prizes

The Ovid Award is named after the Roman poet known for his immense influence on imaginative interpretations of classic myths. This award will be granted for the "most interesting and creative story" among the Best Short Film entries, regardless of genre. The recipient will receive a $1000 cash prize. The Ovid Award has been made possible through a contribution from a generous anonymous Film Festival benefactor.

Cash Prizes will be awarded in the categories:
· Best Feature Film $1000
- Ovid Award $1000
- Spirit of Gen Con $250
· Best Short Film $250
· Best Web Series $250
Additionally certificates will be awarded to the following selections:
· Best Animated Film
· Best Gamer Film
· Best Documentary Film
· Best Fantasy Film
· Best Sci-fi Film
· Best Horror Film
· Best Fan Film
· Best Comedy Film

Filmmakers are encouraged to attend and participate in the many film related panels and discussions during the festival.

2017 Award Winners!
Best Feature Film – Thrill Ride (USA)
Best Series – Mad Scientists Consortium (USA)
Best Short – Real Artists (USA)
Ovid Award - Passage of Flick (Australia)
Spirit of Gen Con – Witch-Hunt (USA)

Best Horror Film – 2AM (Australia)
Best Gamer Film – 4 or More (USA)
Best Animated Film – Dia de los Muertos (USA)
Best Fantasy Film – Might (Finland)
Best Sci-Fi Film - Real Artists (USA)
Best Documentary – The New 8-Bit Heroes (USA)
Best Comedy – JourneyQuest Season 3 (USA)
Best Fan Film - Where No Jedi Has Gone Before (USA)

Rules & Terms

Eligibility All films must be:

Gaming, sci-fi, fantasy or horror related.

Films deemed obscene or defamatory will be disqualified

An original work. The filmmaker is responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions for use of trademarks, copyrights or any other properties (including, but not limited to logos, images, characters or music) in his or her film.

The film being submitted is in its completed and final form and will not be changed between now and the time it is shown at the Gen Con Film Festival.

Gen Con LLC reserves the right to reject any film at any time for any reason.

All entries must be received by May 1st, 2018.

Please make sure that your DVDs and Blu-rays are encoded region 0 or 1. Films that do not play on our equipment will be rejected.

Please include (on a separate sheet) a brief typed summary of your film (50 words or less) as well as a typed bio sheet about central film staff (directors or writers).

Please include at least three (3) production stills for use in promotion and publicity. If you submit these as digital images, please make sure they are 300dpi.

No submissions will be returned.

Please send a copy of your film, and not the original.

You may submit as many films as you want, but each film must be submitted separately with its own entry form.

Judging & Awards· Cash Awards will be presented for the first place entries in each category.·

Category awards are voted upon by a jury of Gen Con judges.All awards will be presented on Sunday, August 5th, 2018 at Gen Con. Specific time & location are TBD.Additional Info·

Gen Con employees and their immediate families are excluded from competition.

Films that have previously won any award in the Gen Con Film Contest are not eligible for competition.

Entry provides Gen Con all permissions to screen submissions at any venue(s) during the Gen Con 2018 show dates, selected by the convention organizers. Schedule TBD. Gen Con is further provided permission to make copies of submissions as necessary for screening purposes only.

If your film is accepted, up to five (5) 4-day badges to Gen Con will be provided for production staff attending to introduce and discuss the film.

Selected films will be notified no later than June 15th 2018.

7 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Patrick Yaney

    This festival presents a wide range of straightforwardly-entertaining to truly unusual films from multiple genres across the budget spectrum. I have had 2 radically different animations screen there. It is not limited for gamer-centric films. It also hosts multiple filmmaker meet-ups that are not unlike being welcomed into a family. The pre-fest communication is significant, detailed, and superior. You also get to experience Gen Con!! Overall a very positive experience.

    September 2017
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  • Huseyin Hassan

    My film was made for gamers, comic book lovers, horror fans. I wanted a festival who's audiences fit my film. Gen Con was that festival. An amazing festival run by an excellent team of people. A must submit festival to genre film makers. Thank you for selecting my film 2AM to participate at the festival, screen at the festival and also selecting it as a winner.

    August 2017
    Helpful
  • David Cornelius

    A terrific fest, and not just for "gamer" movies. The audience is very eager to check out all kinds of genre films. The fest itself was sharply organized, well-promoted, and extremely filmmaker-friendly. Highly recommended.

    August 2017
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  • Curtiss Markham

    I had a great time at this year's Gen Con Film Festival. Many film festivals tend to lean toward traditional dramas and/or films made with Hollywood stars and connections. Independent genre films made with love and passion are not always as likely to be seen. so it is great that such films have a home at Gen Con. It is part of the larger Gen Con gaming convention, but if that event consisted solely of this film festival it would still be a great event! It was great to meet other filmmakers on my wavelength and to see some very entertaining films that I might not otherwise have heard of.

    August 2016
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  • Rob Imbs

    I enjoyed the festival, very well run.

    August 2016
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