From the makers of GenreBlast comes a down and dirty 2-day celebration of grindhouse, exploitation, cult, underground and midnight cinema.

Emanating from the Palace Theater in downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, our aim above all is to have fun, have a few drinks and enjoy some great movies.

Features and shorts in three categories: Midnight/Cult, Grindhouse/Exploitation and Extreme Horror. Show us what you got!

We have all of the essentials: a kickass theater, a bar and your films! Plus access to restaurants and pubs in the downtown Chattanooga area. Network with fellow filmmakers and revel in all the juicy, gory, groovy cinematic goodness we're putting together.

We will have exclusive Tennessee premieres of both Lieutenant Jangles and The Theta Girl. In addition, director of The Theta Girl, Chris Bickel, will be our special guest of honor for the fest! He will be selling and signing copies of The Theta Girl and promoting his brand new film Sister Vengeance!

Awards & Prizes

Trophies for the following categories:

Best Feature Film
Best Short Film
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Director
Best FX
Best Cinematography
Best Score
Best Screenplay
Best Editing
Best Local Film
Best Fake Trailer

Sponsor swag, fest t-shirts, etc...

Rules & Terms

Short films are 59 mins. or less.

Feature films are 60 mins. and up.

No waivers. Please don't ask. Email requests for a waiver will be deleted without being read. Thanks for understanding.

All submission content must be owned entirely by you. No copyrighted content unless you have paid to use it.

No refunds for submissions, so if you have any questions, make sure you ask them BEFORE you submit.

All films not in English must be submitted with English subtitles. We don't like dubbing, so don't even bother with that.

That's pretty much it. Email us if you have any questions that don't have anything to do with asking for a waiver.

Shock us, scare us, make us laugh. Do your worst.

Do you have what it takes to be a part of Chattanooga's coolest, baddest film fest?

Prove it.
8 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • chandler gibson

    Outstanding!!!!!! friendly host, awesome venue, great networking, the love that they have for films and filmmakers here locally or out of town, awesome selection!. SUPER! supportive of local films and the sheer care that they have for us is amazing!!!. I recommend to anyone to enter their exploitative film into this festival!!! five stars all around!

    March 2019
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  • John Hale

    Was absolutely honored to have our short film, The Conduit, screen at this years inaugural Grindsploitation Fest.

    You hear a lot about people being cautious of first time festivals, but I can gladly say that this fest was a VERY positive experience. Chad and Nathan are the coolest cats I've met since I've embarked on my fest journey. They were both open, hospitable, and lovers of film!

    The networking opportunities were great! After the screenings we were all able to mingle and talk each others films. That was probably the best part for me personally, being able to talk to like minded filmmakers who love genre films and were not shy about the struggles that often come along with making a film. It made me feel like I was apart of this large tribe and it was great.

    The Palace Theater is a fantastic theater that provided great atmosphere while viewing all of the films. The screenings were crisp and the sound was great!

    I'm seriously inspired to make another film just for the chance to be submitting to this fest again!

    SO! Long story short. THIS FEST IS GREAT!

    March 2019
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  • Christopher Bickel

    Niche festivals like this tend to be run by fans with a deep love for the genre, and that is certainly the case with Grindsploitation. I was honored to be selected for their first year, and felt even MORE honored when I saw the quality of films that played over the course of the festival weekend. The festival directors have a clear love of low budget independent film and curate their selections very well. Festivals like this one foster a supportive community of like-minded filmmakers, and I felt right at home at Grindsploitation. I wouldn't hesitate to submit again and I am sure this festival is going to grow in size as it continues. From the selection process, to the communication, to the hospitality, to the awesome venue, everything about this festival was 5-star.

    March 2019
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  • Ricky Umberger

    Honored to have played at Grindsploitation, and also taking ‘Best Feature Film’ with The Fear Footage. Jump on now, This festival will become one of the best around!

    March 2019
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  • Mike McCutchen

    Chad and Nathan have something wickedly special here. The venue is quirky and fun, with excellent audio quality and happy faces. I am so glad I was able to attend the fest's first year and have absolutely no doubt it will only grow to be even more fun. Communication was great, the selection of films were truly wtf (in the best way possible), and the entire Grindsploitation team was nothing but awesome. I must now make another film just so I can hopefully attend in the future! (It's that good!)

    March 2019
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