***WE ARE TAKING 2024 OFF TO PURSUE OUR OWN CREATIVE ENDEAVORS AND FOR SELF CARE. WE WILL SEE YOU BACK AT THE ALAMO WINCHESTER IN 2025! PLENTY OF TIME TO GET YOURSELF READY FOR OUR RETURN!***

Named one of MovieMaker Magazine's Top 50 Best Genre Film Fests In The World!

Consistently Ranked Top 100 Best Reviewed Film Fests on FilmFreeway!

"An extraordinarily well-curated program that delivered on all fronts, offering a diverse tapestry of unforgettable films that surprised and delighted at every turn. Next year’s GenreBlast can’t get here soon enough!"
- Morbidly Beautiful

"...the genre film festival based out of Winchester, Virginia, is preparing to rock the local Alamo Drafthouse Cinema with a banger program."
- Screen Anarchy

"One of our top 3 film festivals. Great venue. We had a blast!"
- Indie Infestation

"We're huge fans of this spectacular film festival. A great time is always had by all."
- Gruesome Magazine

"Definitely the highlight of my year."
- Victims & Villains

"GenreBlast brought more than just horror and tears. The varied programming offered something for all (and often weird) tastes. I can't wait to go back next year!"
- PopHorror

"Honestly it's one of the better film festivals I've been to."
- In The Mouth of Dorkness

"GenreBlast is the rare festival that brings filmmakers and fans from every corner of the indie world together, and they do it seamlessly. It's a unique experience that you won't find anywhere else."
- HorrorPack

“GenreBlast is the kind of festival that you’ll never want to end, consisting of films big, small, strange and exciting, with one common denominator: passionate filmmakers."
- Interpreting the Stars

"I've had the pleasure of screening a number of films from creators that never cease to impress me with their grit, determination, and passion. GenreBlast does an excellent job of bringing together a good mix of features and shorts that has something to offer all genre fans."
- The Good, The Bad, The Verdict

GENREBLAST is an international independent genre film festival coming to you from the awesome Alamo Drafthouse Winchester in beautiful Winchester, VA!

GB9 will happen LABOR DAY WEEKEND - Aug. 28-31 2025 and will feature the best of truly independent films from around the world - specializing in action, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, martial arts, grindhouse, exploitation, Korean thrillers, Japanese gangster flicks, Chinese action movies, French horror, midnight movies, shoestring budget weird cinema, and everything under the sun! We really welcome all genres of interesting, original, exciting and daring moviemaking! All countries and walks of life are welcome here!

We also have a fantastic screenplay contest that is growing larger every year!

Our discussion panels at GenreBlast have been a big hit and we're bringing them back for GB9! Raw, uncensored real talk about indie filmmaking, gender bias, distribution, criticism, and much more will come your way from the mouths of some of the best indie talent out there!

After-parties, lively conversation, networking galore, TONS of movies, informative Q&A's and the chance to make new lifelong industry friends - all nestled in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley hamlet of Winchester, VA! Your movie will be shown in front of a lively, enthusiastic crowd of cinephiles and industry peers that don't walk around with their heads up their asses 24/7! What a refreshing way to attend a film fest!

Come Labor Day Weekend, you'll wish you were at GenreBlast!

#alltheflavors

First prize in the top categories will receive a trophy, sponsor swag, possibly cash prizes and potentially more!

Runners up in each category will receive a certificate and possibly an assortment of cool sponsor prizes.

Attending filmmakers/screenwriters will receive a weekend pass to the festival along with exclusive filmmaker lanyards to identify you as a special snowflake as well as VIP loot bags and the royal treatment you so richly deserve that can be lacking in a lot of festivals. We will treat you right, baby!

There will be a combined awards ceremony for screenwriters and filmmakers on Sunday afternoon followed by an after party to remember - the GenreBlast Aftermath Party!

The weekend will also be filled with other parties and informative and entertaining panels and discussions. You'll be in genre movie heaven.

Some of the categories for awards include:

TROPHY AWARDS
GenreBlast Forever Award (spirit of the fest)
Jury Award (short film or feature film)
Audience Award (short film or feature film)
Best Feature Film
Best Short Film
Best Director (Feature)
Best Director (Short)
Best Cinematographer (Feature)
Best Cinematographer (Short)
Best Score (Feature)
Best Score (Short)
Best Screenplay (Feature)
Best Screenplay (Short)
Best FX (Feature)
Best FX (Short)
Best Actress (Feature)
Best Actor (Feature)
Best Actress (Short)
Best Actor (Short)

Best Feature Script
Best Short Script
Best TV/Webisode Script

CERTIFICATE AWARDS
Best Regional Film
Best Song, Music Video or Musical Number (short or feature)
Best Trailer (feature)
Best On-Screen Duo or Trio (feature)
Best Ensemble (feature)
Best Supporting Actress (feature)
Best Supporting Actor (feature)
Best Poster (feature)
Best Poster (short)

Best Unproduced Local Script
Best Unproduced Script Title

Best Unproduced Script Title
Honorable Mention Feature Script
Runner-Up Feature Script
Honorable Mention Short Script
Runner-Up Shot Script
Honorable Mention TV/Web Script
Runner-Up TV/Web Script

THE NUCLEAR PEN AWARD (custom pen)
Awarded to screenwriters with at least two scripts placing in the semifinals or higher within out script competition.

THE GENREBLAST HALLF OF FAME (plaque)
Awarded to talented GenreBlast veterans who've attended multiple times and contribute to keeping the spirit of GenreBlast alive wherever they go.

Ask yourself this question: would you ask Sundance or Fantasia for a submission waiver?

So, with that answer in mind, please know that it's insulting when you ask us for one. We get plenty of awesome films through straight up submission fees and we prioritize them above all else.

No works in progress! Do not submit your film until it is finished!

We DO NOT provide feedback for projects not selected. Please do not ask.

We are NOT looking for:
- Faith-based/inspirational films
- Troma films (films already acquired by Troma)
- Fan films of any kind
- Straight-up porn
- AI/Artificial Intelligence created or assisted films and scripts
- Submissions from third parties (Festival Formula, etc...)

If you have submitted a film to us during a previous submission period and it was not accepted, your chances of getting accepted with the same film in a current submission period are very slim. As in zero.

Please do not submit your film to multiple genre categories. You're wasting your money. It doesn't give you an extra chance to get accepted. That's just silly. Pick the one that you feel best suits your film and let us do the rest. If we like your film, it won't matter what category it gets submitted under. Ya dig?

We are a physical, in-person theatrical experience festival above all else. We have no plans to ever go virtual unless a physical venue is unavailable to us. There are no plans for a hybrid fest, either.

Email us if you have any questions about anything before you submit.

Again, no waiver requests. Please don't ask. We want to make it an even playing field for anyone who submits via FilmFreeway. We don't play favorites, we don't pander to anyone and we don't kiss up to the big festivals or follow trends. We program what we think will play well over the weekend. It's that simple.

We can't stress enough that if you email us with a waiver request, it will be completely ignored. You'd be surprised how many people don't read these rules and ask us for a waiver. Or they read these rules, think they don't apply to them, and still ask for a waiver. It boggles the mind.

If your film is already available online prior to the fest, there's a slim-to-none chance we will select your film. By that, we mean if you put it on YouTube or Vimeo or whatever for the public to view. Virtual screenings for other fests are okay. Space is limited and we prioritize the theatrical experience with films unavailable online to the public. Films with distribution deals that release prior to the fest will most likely not be selected. However, if you have a deal that doesn't happen until after the fest, we have no problem programming you then.

We do not pay screening fees. Ever.

Feature films must be at least a Virginia premiere. If you've already played somewhere else in Virginia, we congratulate you and wish you well in your future festival endeavors.

PLEASE FILL OUT YOUR PROJECT INFO ON YOUR FilmFreeway PAGE. It is extremely frustrating when we filter projects by running time or try to see where your film was made and your film page has no info. It doesn't make you mysterious or interesting. Take the time to fill out your project page properly, please.

Feature films and scripts qualify as at least 60 mins/pgs and up. Short films qualify as 40 mins. and under. Short scripts qualify as 30 pages and under. TV/Webisode scripts qualify as 60 pgs and under. Pretty simple.

All screenplays submitted MUST be in standard screenplay format as a PDF from a program such as Celtx, Movie Magic, Final Draft, etc... Word docs with improper formatting will be disqualified without a refund. Your cover page should just have the title of your script and nothing else.

By submitting, you agree that you own all copyrights and intellectual properties to your work. Any violations of that agreement will result in immediate disqualification from the festival and a cheerfully vulgar rejection letter.

GenreBlast reserves the right to use any part of your submission for promotional purposes regarding the festival itself. This includes Facebook, Twitter, local advertising, promo trailers and other related venues. Don't freak out, this stuff is pretty routine. We just might use a clip or still from your work to help promote the festival so we can sell tickets for people to see your awesome flick. That means we like you.

Submitting to GenreBlast Film Festival does not guarantee selection. Neither does liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter or Instagram. Cash bribes might work, but why risk it? We reserve the right to disqualify anyone based on violation of rules & regulations, objectionable content (although we can handle a lot) rude behavior via email or social media, poor sound and/or video quality (as in unwatchable) or due to a love of Kevin James films.

International films not in English MUST be subtitled or dubbed in English. We Americans are stupid. We need subtitles because we're too lazy and arrogant to learn a second language. Do us a favor and make sure your awesome foreign film has those lovely ENGLISH subtitles. Thanks! Seriously though, dubbing blows. Don't do it.

Pretty much anything is fair game as far as content is concerned. We love violence, raunch, gore, and outrageous situations; just make sure it all comes with some kind of actual story.

Again, If you're not sure about something, please email us before you submit. We'll answer your queries as quickly as possible.

Happy submitting!

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • What an honor to have our film Violet Butterfield be part of GenreBlast!! What a bummer we couldn't attend in person! One of these days we are going to make it up there! Communication was glorious and so was promotion! Thank you to Nathan and everyone on the team!!

    December 2023
  • Julien Allen

    Genreblast is a wonderful festival - they're clearly super passionate about horror. We were delighted that our film screened there.

    December 2023
  • Chris Borgo

    We had a very good experience with Genreblast. The organizers are professional, organized and kept us updated throughout their event. We highly recommend submitting your film to them!

    November 2023
  • Was honoured to be selected for such an amazing festival. Great comms throughout - only sad that I wasn’t able to make it to the US for the screening! Thanks so much!

    November 2023
  • Alison Peirse

    GenreBlast has an amazing reputation and it totally lived up to it - a wonderful experience.

    October 2023