Make Believe Seattle Year Two: March 21-24, 2024

MAKE BELIEVE SEATTLE is an imagination-focused genre festival located in the Capitol Hill section of Seattle, dedicated to shining a light on the best in genre cinema, while also expanding the definition of what ‘genre’ means for a new generation of cinephiles. The backdrop of the Pacific Northwest lends a mysterious and fantastical energy that already courses through its veins, and our diverse and unpredictable programming aims to take even the most ardent genre fans out of their comfort zones. Let’s make believe…together.

ATTENTION: If you submit for free as a Black or Native American filmmaker and DO NOT identify as Black or Native American, your film will NOT be considered and immediately disqualified. Cuz that's just a gross thing to do. Don't be gross.

Awards & Prizes

JURIED AWARDS ($500 prize)
Best Feature - given to the best narrative or documentary feature
Best Short - given to the best narrative or documentary short
Best Mid-Length - given to the best mid-length film
Mindbreaker - given to the film that best breaks the brain

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS ($250 prize)
Best Feature
Best Mid-Length
Best Short

Rules & Terms

1. All submitted films must meet the criteria of a 'genre' film; if it does not, it will not be considered, and the entry fee will not be refunded;
2. By submitting to MBSFF, you are agreeing that, if your film is chosen, you will not receive a screening fee, but may have your travel costs covered;
3. All submitted films must have been completed no earlier than 1/1/2023;
4. If a rough cut is submitted for review and your film is accepted to the festival, you must inform us of any major changes made to the film before an exhibition copy is received;
5. We will require you to submit your film with captions, or work with our festival team to create captions for your film for exhibition.
8 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Sydne Horton

    It was such a treat to have The House Sitters included in the inaugural Make Believe line-up. This is a home for genre lovers and genre makers and the selected films reflect this. I won’t be surprised when this becomes a top genre fest around the world. Thank you for having us!!

    April 2023
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  • michael lavine

    Make Believe Seattle made a believer out of me! Thanks so much for including my short The Dark Odyssey 2: Ice Nexus in this year’s Make Believe Seattle: A Genre Film Festival. Billy and his whole team did an incredible job, with great communication, highly organized email and social media promotional campaigns that were on point all the way through. The Catalog and Promo Poster were both gorgeously designed and most importantly, the line-up of films was top notch.

    April 2023
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  • Natalie Metzger

    Super fun genre festival in Seattle!

    April 2023
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  • Sonderbar Pictures

    We have no doubt that Make Believe Seattle will become one of the top genre film festivals in North America in the coming years, so we were delighted to be part of its first edition. It is a festival programmed and run by people who love film, and who care about filmmakers. Our director attended and was treated like royalty. Can't recommend this festival highly enough, well worth the entry fee!

    April 2023
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  • The Jessica Cabin

    Wow, I love this festival. (It's Seattle's first genre film festival!) Stellar location, fantastic staff, Billy Ray (the festival director) knows his audience and has a keen eye for crafting a balance of wild, weird, and wonderful films and events. Our filmmaker field trip was a killer way to connect with other filmmakers, my favorite "networking" event I've ever been to. The venues were wonderful, the location is perfect, and the people are some of the best I've met. 10 out of 10, highly recommend.

    March 2023
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