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.

We're looking for features, shorts, and fake trailers mainly in the categories of Midnight/Cult, Grindhouse/Exploitation and Extreme Horror. Show us what you got!

We have all of the essentials: a kick-ass theater, a sweet 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.

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
  • Christian Eaves

    The Grindsploitation festival delivers on its name! The films are over-the-top gore and violence!

    Considering this was their first annual festival in the chattanooga region, it ran very smooth (most of the time ahead of schedule!). Chad & Nathan were great hosts who expressed genuine care to the filmmakers involved.

    Despite my film along with another not being Grindhouse in style, they recognized the importance of showcasing local films that haven't had any representation in the Chattanooga area, and for that I'm thankful they gave us the opportunity.

    Networking was fun and I got to meet a lot of people who brought nothing but their best, supportive attitudes. I hope they come back next year! I'll be first in line!

    March 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Christian for the great review! We plan on being around for a long time and we will continue to support local films in Chattanooga!

  • Nicolas Champeaux

    This is a festival run by passionate film makers, catered for people who love film and the cinema experience.

    The fest director and programmer are in the thick of it, meeting everybody, and making you feel welcome.

    A great event to catch some flicks and network with other filmmakers.

    March 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Nick! We want everyone to feel welcomed at Grindsploitation! There's nothing we like more than talking to filmmakers that submit to us. Y'all are the reason we do this!

  • Mack Lewis

    Thank you for including my faux trailer HELLCATS HIGHWAY! in your festival. It was a honor to be involved. My interactions with Chad and Nathan were great. I hope to work with them again in the future. Thanks, guys!!!

    March 2019
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for submitting Mack! We hope to see a Hellscats Highway Feature in the future. The faux trailer was outrageously funny!!

  • 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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    Response from festival:

    John, it was a pleasure to meet you and to screen The Conduit at the first ever Grindsploitation film Festival. We hope to see you and your crew at future festivals. Talking about 80's b-monster movies with you made me happy!!

  • 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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    Response from festival:

    You're OUTSTANDING Chandler and so was you're short film!! We hope we get to see more of your creations in the future.