PensacolaBeach.com Pensacon Short Film Festival, the 9th annual official event as part of Pensacon, the largest pop culture convention on the Gulf Coast. As part of this convention, the films screened will celebrate science fiction, horror, fantasy, comic books, pop culture, animation, and documentaries (documentaries must be related to the previously stated genres).

Each Official Selection will be given two weekend passes to Pensacon (travel not included) to attend the screening, and filmmakers may participate in a Q&A session about their films immediately following the screening.

Over the past nine years, Pensacon has taken pride in screening some of the best short films from all around the world. In addition to the United States, we have had submissions from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.

Pensacon would like to congratulate the 2023 Winners:

BEST IN SHOW
"Welcome Home Eugene!"
Written by Noah Jorgensen, Nolan Watt; Directed by Noah Jorgensen; Produced by Samara Fitzgerald

JURY SELECTION
"There's Something Wrong with Paul"
Written & Directed by Mark Clauburg; Produced by Chris J Cullen, Alex Aldea, Lucille Clauburg and Gail Dehren

AUDIENCE CHOICE
"Hellscape"
Written & Directed by Sam Sorenson; Produced by Leigh Sorenson

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"The Interrogation"
Written, Directed & Produced by Marisa Cohen and Peter Issac Alexander

BEST COMIC BOOK/SUPERHERO FILM
"Agent Heads"
Written by Ajay Varma Nandyala and Joseph Van Landschoot; Directed by Ajay Varma Nandyala; Produced by Ajay Varma

BEST DOCUMENTARY
"A Door Away"
Written, Directed & Produced by Alex H. Rafi

BEST FANTASY FILM
"The Barmaid and the Serpent"
Written & Directed by Rose Louise Hoover; Produced by Andrew Bourne

BEST HORROR FILM
"Hellscape"
Written & Directed by Sam Sorenson; Produced by Leigh Sorenson

BEST POP CULTURE FILM
"Duplicitous Minds"
Written by Catalina Yue; Directed by Rober Rippberger; Produced by Catalina Yue

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM
"Launch at Paradise"
Written by Daniel Mitura; Directed by Carrie Anne Quinn; Produced by David M. Night Maire

Trophies for 2023 Best in Show, Jury Selection, and Audience Choice winners provided by GinGee Girls Art.

Entry Rules
• Films must have been produced after January 1, 2021.
• Films must have a running time no longer than 20 minutes. Films longer than 20 minutes will not be considered for competition.
• Categories—science fiction, fantasy, horror, superhero or comic book, pop culture, animation, and documentary. Documentary films must have topics in the previously stated categories (in other words, must be related to science fiction, fantasy, horror, superheroes, comic books, pop culture, or animation).
• Films may contain “R-rated” content, but no pornography.
• It is permissible to enter films that have screened at other film festivals, but not commercially distributed.
• Films cannot have been previously screened at Pensacon.
• Filmmakers must retain the rights to characters, stories, and music. Fan films (i.e. fan-made versions of established properties) are not allowed and WILL BE DISQUALIFIED WITHOUT REIMBURSEMENT OF ENTRY FEE.
• Unfortunately, Pensacon Short Film Festival is UNABLE TO OFFER FEE WAIVERS.
• Entry fees are paid for the purpose of being judged for participation in the Pensacon Short Film Festival and will not be refunded in the case of films not accepted, withdrawn, or disqualified from selection.

Selection Process
• Official Selections will be determined by Pensacon staff based on a number of factors, including but not limited to genre, content, quality of filmmaking, time allotment, and copyright ownership. All decisions are final.
• Pensacon staff and their families are ineligible to enter.
• All Official Selections will be announced via email to the filmmakers and on the Pensacon website and social media on December 16, 2024.
• Entry fees will be charged to all submissions, but do not guarantee acceptance into the film festival. Entry fees will not be reimbursed for films not selected, withdrawn, or disqualified.
• Pensacon reserves the right to change the category for submissions as deemed appropriate.

Additional Info
• It is recommended to upload the best quality of your film upon submission. However, an updated screener copy will be accepted until January 14, 2024. Resolution should be 1920x1080 with an audio bit depth of 16 bits.
• We recommend making the video file available to download, either through FilmFreeway, Vimeo, or YouTube (with password is fine). Otherwise, you will need to provide means for us to download the film such as through Dropbox or OneDrive no later than January 14, 2024.
• Publicity material such as stills and a movie poster are optional, but must be submitted no later than January 14, 2024.
• Non-English language films must be subtitled in English.
• All Official Selections of the Pensacon Short Film Festival will be shown as an official event of Pensacon during the weekend of February 23-25, 2024.
• Each Official Selection will be provided with two free weekend passes to Pensacon (travel and lodging not included) to attend the screening, and filmmakers may be invited to participate in a Q&A session about their films immediately following the screening.
• Admission to the screening will be free to anyone with a Pensacon weekend pass or day pass on the date of the screening.
• Due to the possible content of the films, anyone under the age of 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
• Posted schedule is subject to change.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Adam Kirkey

    This is a hidden gem of a festival and convention! Great organizers, and an overall great time!

    March 2024
  • Unfortunately, my team and I were unable to attend in person but the communication with the festival director was great and it looked like a lot of fun! We were delighted to be in the official selection.

    February 2024
  • Unfortunately I couldn't travel to see it, but it seems to me to be a very complete and wonderful festival for the children and adults who were able to attend. The staff is very competent and kind. Congratulations on the excellent work. I recommend it to everyone!

    March 2023
  • Keith Rubin

    Pensacon was a terrifically run program from top to bottom and the communication was great throughout! We were honored to be a part this festival and will definitely submit future works -- highly recommend!

    March 2023
  • David Van Der Like

    We had a great experience and were honored to have our submission accepted. This festival is continually growing and will be a player for film makers in the future.

    March 2023