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™!

2018 saw more than 61,000 attendees and set an all-new attendance record for the 51-year event.

Don't miss out on Gen Con 2019!

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

· 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.

2018 Award Winners!
Best Feature Film – Alien Theory (USA)
Best Series – Strowlers (USA)
Best Short – Connect (USA)
Ovid Award - Companion (USA)

Best Horror Film – The Night Delivery (USA)
Best Gamer Film – Tournament (USA)
Best Animated Film – Agent Bird (USA)
Best Fantasy Film – Past & Future Kings (Canada)
Best Sci-Fi Film - White Space (USA)
Best Documentary – Eye of the Beholder: The Art of D&D (USA)
Best Comedy - The Mistress of The Forest (Australia)
Best Fan Film - Ceti Alpha No. 5 (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 April 15, 2019.

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 a brief typed summary of your film (150 characters or less) as well as a 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.

Category awards are voted upon by a jury of Gen Con judges.All awards will be presented on Sunday, August 4th, 2019 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 2019 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 2019.

17 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Haleigh Ciel

    Chuck and the team are super supportive throughout the entire festival. They host several events exclusively for the filmmakers, which foster a great comradery among the attendees. Everyone was excited to network and I am already working with a few people that I met there. I had a wonderful time sitting on two panels which were well attended and organized. I was really impressed by the films I saw and felt super inspired by the festival. I was in the fan film block and we had a great turnout. I would 100% love to attend again and am grateful for such a memorable experience.

    August 2018
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Thanks Haleigh. Glad you enjoyed the event, hope to see you again next year!

  • Tom Loveman

    Chuck and his team do a great job of communicating through the whole process. At the festival, finding the room to check in and get our badges was easy. The convention is amazing. That said, it's a table top gaming convention, so people are there primarily for that. Still, our screening had 40-50 people in it, which was great. A filmmaker panel I sat on earlier in the day, while the exhibit floor was still open, was sparsely attended. Still had a really enjoyable time meeting with other filmmakers and sharing our stories of production. I unfortunately wasn't able to attend the events they had planned (Filmmaker Meet & Greet, parties or the awards ceremony). I would go back again though and make sure I had time to do those things.

    August 2018
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Thanks Tom. It was a pleasure sharing your film with our audience!

  • Joseph Lawson

    Couldn’t have had a better experience.

    August 2018
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Glad you enjoyed it! Hope to see you back again soon!

  • Jason Bigart

    This festival just keeps getting better every year. My film, "Dark Trepidation" was welcomed with open arms. Chuck and the festival's organizers were amazing. The competition was very tough this year. The bar has most certainly risen since I had first participated in 2008. My production crew and I had a lot of fun this year and did not miss out in any opportunity to network with the other awesome film makers this year. I hope to see you all next year. Thanks goes to Chuck and all who were involved to make this film festival one to look forward to every year.

    August 2018
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Thanks Jason! It was great hosting you and your crew. Excellent guests!

  • Samuel Platizky

    Loved the festival. Great communication from Chuck from beginning to end, great venues, great networking.

    If I had one complaint, it would just be to let filmmakers know how difficult it is to get people into their screenings when a whole gaming convention is going on at the same time... especially for a Feature.

    August 2018
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    Samuel, Great feedback. It is true that there are tons of events happen at the same time as our screenings, though we are making good headway on informing the general attendees about the awesome films we have chosen. Hope to host you again soon!