Our 17th Another Hole in the Head Film Festival will run November 29th through December 13th 2020, at New People Cinema in San Francisco.

With this festival, we seek broader horizons than our original genre designation allowed. All styles of independent film are welcome to compete. Whether it's a major production from a professional company, a student film, or a micro-budget labor of love, we are committed to giving each film due consideration.

We are located in a very receptive town for film, and we've built a passionate following over the years. 2020 will mark our 17th year among the most highly rated festivals in the world, and we're still growing!

San Francisco is the second largest film market in the country and a great promotional platform for indie filmmakers who are trying to get their film out into the world. Many films that screen at our festival spark the attention of other film festivals and film brokers/buyers. In addition, the films and the festival are reviewed by some of the top players in the industry, such as Variety, The San Francisco Chronicle, Dread Central, Bloody Disgusting, Twitch, and Way Too Indie, just to name a few.

Our "theatrical home" is New People Cinema in San Francisco's Japantown. A 143-seat underground venue located in the New People Building, the Cinema is equipped with cutting-edge HD digital projection, 35mm film projection and a THX®-certified sound system. New People Cinema hosts many local film festivals including the San Francisco International Film Festival, CAAMFest, Green Film Festival, and the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco.

Awards & Prizes

AWARD CATEGORIES:

*Audience Awards:
Best Film of the Fest
Best US Film
Best Foreign Film
Best Local Film
Best Student Film
Best Action/Adventure Film
Best Animated Film
Best Art/Experimental Film
Best Comedy Film
Best Crime Film
Best Documentary Film
Best Drama Film
Best Fan Film
Best Fantasy Film
Best Horror Film
Best Music Video
Best Mystery/Noir Film
Best Science Fiction Film
Best Thriller/Suspense Film
Best Western Film

* When there are a sufficient number of features and shorts in a category, one of each will receive an award.

Staff Awards:
Best Feature
Best Short
Best Trailer (entries limited to films screening in the festival)

2019 Winners:

Best Feature Film of the Fest: Senior Love Triangle
Best Short Film of the Fest: Urban Scout
Best US Feature Film: EAT BRAINS LOVE
Best US Short Film: FOOLS, GOLD
Best Foreign Feature Film: Dead Dicks
Best Foreign Short Film: Dong Kae (My Little One)
Best Local Feature Film: X
Best Local Short Film: "The Escort"
Best Student Film: Passenger
Best Action/Adventure Feature Film: She Never Died
Best Action/Adventure Short Film: The Redeemer
Best Animated Film: TO YOUR LAST DEATH
Best Art/Experimental Film: Amaterasu
Best Comedy Feature Film: Holy Trinity
Best Comedy Short Film: The Last Callback
Best Crime Feature Film: Easy Does It
Best Crime Short Film: Cut
Best Documentary Feature Film: Phantom of Winnipeg
Best Documentary Short Film: Fixing L.A.
Best Drama Feature Film: The Man With the Silver case
Best Drama Short Film: CHICKEN
Best Fan Film: Friday the 13th "REVISION"
Best Fantasy Feature Film: The Wretched
Best Fantasy Short Film: Furube
Best Horror Feature Film: THE DEAD ONES
Best Horror Short Film: Killer Date
Best Music Video: Clouds
Best Mystery/Noir Film: The Tangle
Best Science Fiction Feature Film: Giantess Attack versus Mecha Fembot
Best Science Fiction Short Film: Hacked
Best Thriller/Suspense Feature Film: Greenlight
Best Thriller/Suspense Short Film: Playtime's Over
Best Western Film: Bleeding, Kansas

Staff Awards:

Best Feature Film: Get Gone
Best Short Film: La Noria
Best Trailer: 8 (South Africa)

2018 Winners:

Audience Awards (Genre Division):
Top Feature - [Tie] Alive; Galaxy Lords
Top Short - The Quiet Room
Best US Feature - The Night Sitter
Best US Short - Unzipping
Best Foreign Feature - Lifechanger
Best Foreign Short - Hangover Food
Best Local Film - Snaggletooth
Best Student Film - Beyond Horizons
Best Action/Adventure Film - Earthy Encounters
Best Animated Film - Double King
Best Art/Experimental Film - Pee Free Pool
Best Comedy Feature - Killer Unicorn
Best Comedy Short - Toasted
Best Documentary - Giant Women, Micro-Budget
Best Fantasy Film - Should You Meet a Lady in a Darkened Wood
Best Horror Feature - Echoes of Fear
Best Horror Short - The Hidebehind
Best Music Video - Avicenna
Best Science Fiction Feature - Reborn
Best Science Fiction Short - Deep Clean
Best Thriller/Suspense Feature - Rondo
Best Thriller/Suspense Short - Frank's Last Job
​
Audience Awards (Non-Genre Division):
Top Feature - Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records
Top Short - No Tricks
Best US Film - Heather Has Four Moms
Best Foreign Film - Piscina (Pool)
Best Local Film - The Last Lesson
Best Comedy - Pretty Pretty Prison
Best Documentary - The World is Round So That Nobody Can Hide in the Corners, Part 1 - Refuge
Best Drama - Good Morning Pakistan
​
Staff Awards:
27 West (Genre Feature)
Faulty Father (Genre Short)
I Love My Mum (Non-Genre Film)

Rules & Terms

Only online screeners will be considered for short films. Any questions or other correspondence regarding short film submissions should be addressed to Romany Adams (romany@ahith.com).

Feature film screeners in the form of DVD, Blu-ray, and USB drive may be accepted for consideration with prior permission from the Festival Producers [George Kaskanlian Jr. (415-793-6868) or Eric Ringer (eric.ringer@gmail.com)].

LEGAL STUFF: Submitters understand that submission of their work authorizes the Festival to use the work for exhibition, education and/or publicity purposes related to the festival; that the Festival will handle any prints and drives with a maximum of care but cannot be held liable for any damage or loss during shipping, preview, or screening, and also that the Festival is not responsible for any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, or royalty infringement related to the work. Submitters may receive future correspondence from the Festival. The festival will never publish your film online under any circumstances.
32 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Daniel Woltosz

    Just back from this awesome fest! AHITH had a great selection of films and the theater sound was AMAZING! George, Benji, and Romany were awesome! A great way to end the year:)

    December 2019
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  • Vanda Ladeira

    I absolutely loved Another Hole In The Head!
    I wasn't able to attend in person, but they were very communicative and kept me informed of the status of my submission and every step of the submission process up to the screening. Strong publicity: the festival's website and graphics are amazing and user-friendly, and posts on social networks kept me informed of the buzz around the festival. The coolest festival ever!

    January 2020
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  • John Denton

    This is my second year in a row being accepted into this festival. It’s all around amazing for genre fans. The staff is very awesome and communicative. I will continue to submit my films to them in hopes of being accepted again. So worth it!

    January 2020
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  • Rodman Flender

    A terrific, smartly curated festival in a fantastic theater. The Q&A was fun, the crowd was appreciative and enthusiastic.

    December 2019
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  • Giles Sander

    I was really impressed with how this festival was run! I would recommend any film maker to submit their film to this festival.

    December 2019
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