
In 2020 we screened 52 short films in five programs, selected from submissions received from over 30 countries. For 2021 we're making the festival bigger and better by including horror features and adding small cash prizes for Best Feature, Best Short and Best Script. We plan to screen six features and over 40 shorts in front of live audiences during an October weekend.
We want to screen your best indie horror films! Send us your slashers, monster movies, supernatural, zombie, psychological, found-footage, horror-comedy and everything in-between.
Hellifax Horror Fest is a second-year festival in the seaside city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Therein lives a contingent of die-hard horror fans with a taste for blood (in film, that is). This festival has been created for those fans, and for the filmmakers who deliver innovative and compelling stories.
We're filmmakers ourselves, and we're doing this for the love of the horror genre. We aim to showcase the next generation of horror filmmakers to a warped and wonderful audience.
The festival has 3 components:
Feature film competition:
-Horror feature films 45 minutes or longer can be submitted.
Short film competition:
-Horror short films 25 minutes or less can be submitted.
Script competition:
We're ready for your horror genre scripts (maximum length - 25 pages).
-Each script will receive brief reader notes (if requested).
-The Hellifax jury will select the top 15 semi-finalists from the submissions, followed by the top 5 finalists. The top five and the grand prize winner will be announced at the awards ceremony and be available on the Hellifax website (although it's not mandatory - the writer can choose not to make their script available on the site). Laurels will be provided to the top 5 finalists.
-The grand prize winner will receive $100 (CDN) cash award.
Hellifax Horror Fest is committed to recognizing filmmakers in a number of categories, including:
Audience Favorite Film (audience vote)
Audience Favorite Film - Runner Up (audience vote)
Juried Awards for both feature and shorts categories:
Best Film
Best Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Ensemble
Best Script
Best Cinematography
Best Score
Best Editing
Best Practical Effects
Best Visual Effects
Scariest Film
Best Monster/Villain
Best Poster
Every winner will receive an award laurel graphic.
Best Feature Film and Best Short Film will each receive a $100 (CDN) cash prize and a trophy.
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Screenplay category: the top five will receive an award laurel graphic. The first place script will receive a $100 (CDN) cash award.