From Kevin Smith & Friends comes a film festival so fit for a King or Queen that it can only take place in the SmodCastle! Presenting the Fifth Annual SModcastle Film Festival - a Central Jersey showcase of cinema hosted by the guy who made Clerks. Welcoming entries from all over the world, the SModcastle Film Festival will be a four day fall event filled with features, short films, animation, documentaries & more! All films will be screened by our panel of judges and selected entries will be screened at Smodcastle Cinemas over this four day event. The festival will include an opening day filmmaker meet and greet, panels and awards ceremony. Smodcastle Cinemas- "Where the Movies Come To Play"

*Please take note that we have removed the Horror category from our festival and we now have a stand alone Horror Fest . Please check our socials and Film Freeway for information on the Smodcastle HorrorFest which takes place in August.

Awards & Prizes

Awards will be given in the following categories : Best Feature (Drama/Comedy), Best Short (Drama/Comedy), Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Actor (Drama/Comedy), Best Ensemble, Best Director, Best Screenplay,( Submitted Film Selections Only) Best Original Music Score.

Rules & Terms

General Submissions Rules for the Smodcastle Film Festival.

The Smodcastle Film Festival accepts no responsibility for loss or damage of entries to or from Smodcastle Film Festival.

Rules & Regulations

1. Film entrants must provide a FilmFreeway online screener.
2. All screeners, if password protected must have a password and be downloadable.
3. Entry forms and payments will not be processed without accompanying preview copies in one of the accepted formats for film applicants.
4. All entries must be in English or - Subtitled, Dubbed in English, unless special arrangements have been made with the festival.
5. All films selected for screening at the festival grant Smodcastle Film Festival the right to use stills and excerpts of up to two minutes for promotional purposes. Trailers will be provided by the applicant if requested.
6. Festival is not responsible for any lost, stolen or damaged entries.
7. Exceptions to the festival regulations must be authorized by one of the festival directors.
8. Multiple entries are permissible, but each entry must be accompanied by a separate entry and fee.
9. All films under 40 minutes will be considered a short film. Feature films can be no longer than 120 minutes.
10. Submissions will not be returned
11. All fees are nonrefundable.
12. Films cannot be tied to a U.S. DOMESTIC DISTRIBUTION DEAL to be considered for competitive sections. Any film/project that has a current distribution deal can not be submitted into the festival.
13. The cost of delivery and pick-up of all materials is the responsibility of the filmmaker including any awards won.
14. If selected, all commercial/private property including all trademark copy-righted materials shown or recorded on the film/project is the responsibility of the filmmaker. Smodcastle will NOT be responsible for any infringement of copy-written materials.
15. Submitting to the festival for consideration is not a guarantee of being programmed.
16. Acceptable Encode settings include MP4, MOV with H264 and resolution no bigger than 2K and file size no greater then 25GB ( We do NOT accept ProRes files or H265) .If submitting a DCP we also require a MP4 back up.
17. All films must have been completed after January 1, 2023.
60 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Daniel Florio

    Nice festival with a great hometown theater. Had the best audio and picture quality! Big thanks to all involved!

    August 2025
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  • Neal O'Bryan

    Premiering Script Tease at the SModcastle Film Festival was an absolute honor — and honestly, one of the most fun fest experiences we've had. The whole vibe was pure indie film joy: killer lineup, great energy, and getting to see the Kevin Smith panel and Logic Q&A was just the cherry on top. Huge shoutout to the festival team who worked incredibly hard to make us feel welcomed and taken care of, and were super communicative every step of the way. If you’re a filmmaker who loves movies, this is the place to be.

    August 2025
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  • Roush Niaghi

    Though we weren’t able to attend, it’s a well run festival by passionate volunteers and staff. It was an honor for our film, “Ali Eats America”, to be selected and win Best Documentary this year. Highly recommend!

    August 2025
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  • Tiny Giants

    Quite simply, the greatest film festival I've ever been involved with. As indie filmmakers, there's nothing more gratifying than having the Kings of Indie Cinema select and screen the movie you spent everything on making. And to win Best Comedy Feature... It's a good job I was wearing an adult diaper cause I shat myself when our movie was called out. And my wife has no idea I spent the kids' college fund on making a movie called D*CKS, but that doesn't matter now cause you guys validated it (and I'll say it was all your idea to her if you don't mind?) I can't wait to bring D*CKS 2: A Few D*CKS More to you in the near future!

    August 2025
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  • Gregory Kasunich

    The SModcastle Film Festival is a warm celebration of independent film, smartly programmed and full of heart at Kevin Smith's own cinema a stone's throw from NYC.

    Full transparency, I was honored to win an award here, but what truly stood out was the sense of community and the genuine love of cinema. From Ernie's incredible programming and presentation to Tony's blood sweat and tears, it's a fest with a beating heart for cinema.

    Kevin Smith is an active, gracious host, the atmosphere is electric, and every film and filmmaker gets their moment. You leave feeling inspired, connected, and ready to make more movies.

    August 2025
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