Welcome filmmakers,

Thank you for your interest in submitting your film to the 2025 SCREAMFEST® NOLA. The 2026 film competition is open for all new genre features and short films from around the world. We will accept submissions until Sept. 4 2025.

2026 SCREAMFEST® NOLA takes place in October in NOLA! It is a perfect destination to celebrate all things horror and Halloween!

Past premieres include DEAD ANT starring Sydney Sweeney, Jake Busey and Tom Arnold, Hulu's CARVED and EAT BRAINS LOVE starring Jake Cannavale, Angelique Rivera and Sarah Yarkin,

About Screamfest®:
Screamfest® is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to showcasing and furthering the careers of talented filmmakers in the genre. Some of the largest horror online publications have called it the "Sundance of Horror." Moviemaker Magazine's 25 Film Festival's Worth the Entry Fee & 13 Film Festivals to Die For and 30 Bloody Best Genre Fests in the World 2019 and Moviemaker's 50 Best Genre Festivals 2021.

Screamfest® Horror Film Festival is the largest and longest running horror film festival in the United States. Paranormal Activity was discovered and premiered at the festival in 2007.

The festival showcases new genre films from around the world. Other premieres have included Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, Paranormal Activity, Dead Ant, Trick 'r' Treat, 30 Days of Night, The Human Centipede, American Mary, Diary of the Dead

To view past Screamfest® short films visit our YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/screamfestla

Awards & Prizes

PRIZES:

Best Feature
Best Director
Best Horror Short Film
Best Student Short
Best Louisiana Film
Best Actor
Best Actress

Full Festival Pass to Screamfest Los Angeles 2027
Movie Magic Screenwriter

Rules & Terms

Thank you for your interest in submitting your film to the 2026 SCREAMFEST® NOLA. The 2026 film competition is open for all new features and short films from around the world. We will accept submissions until Sept. 4 2026.

A DCP is required for projection.

Films must have been completed after January 1, 2025.
-Feature films and short films must not have had any commercial theatrical, television, or internet play in the US.

-To keep our lineup fresh and exclusive, all feature and short films must make their New Orleans premiere at Screamfest NOLA. Films that have screened anywhere in the New Orleans area — whether for cast, crew, or any public or private audience are not eligible. Submissions that do not meet these requirements will be disqualified and removed from the program without refund.

-Screamfest NOLA reserves the right to disqualify any submission without refund of submission fees.

-Feature films and short films in a language other than English must be subtitled in English for festival presentation.

The following are the film length that should determine your film submission type:

Feature-length fiction and documentary films — 60 minutes or more
Super Short films — Less than 10 minutes
Short films — between 10-25 minutes
Extended-length short films — between 26 and 35 minutes

Films that have been submitted for consideration in previous years are eligible for re-submission only if significant changes have been made to the film. A detailed list of the changes must be included in the submission packet.

Please do not email us links to new versions of your film after you have completed your submission. We are only able to judge ONE version of each film.

For submission purposes, online screeners may be works-in-progress, films with temporary soundtracks or digital outputs. Rough cuts and works-in-progress can only be submitted in the FINAL deadline and if the completed film will be available by September 15th, 2026.

We will accept films completed after January 2025. If your film has been released it is not eligible for this competition.

You will be notified of acceptance via phone or email.

Complete press kits for films will be requested only after acceptance.

Acceptable screening formats are: DVD or digital files.

All entries selected into Screamfest® grant Screamfest® the right to use any footage from the preview screener and all submitted publicity photos and any other materials sent to us pertaining to this entry for Screamfest's® promotional purposes, without limitations.

All prints must be picked up after the screening and signed for by the filmmaker.

14 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Luke and Martha Van Garza

    What an incredible honor it was to have our short film SOUS VIDE screen at this festival. Sadly, we weren't able to attend, but we know we were in excellent company with the other selections.

    November 2025
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  • Sophia Zolan

    Got to screen our short film "Shadow" here and we had such an amazing time. The other films programmed were awesome; the Broad staff were kind and welcoming; and on top of running a busy festival, Rachel, Karen, and Fernando went out of their way to give us the real NOLA experience. Would definitely recommend!

    November 2025
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  • Wesley Boone

    Talk about a wonderful event. The Broad Theater was an excellent venue and the programming was perfectly curated. We were very lucky to screen our film "Donor" among such excellent work. Thank you again for awarding our film "Best Louisiana Film" and we can't wait to participate again!

    November 2025
    Helpful
  • Taylor Bustamante

    We were absolutely thrilled to have the world premiere of our short film, The Baby, at Screamfest New Orleans. What better place to kick off a horror festival run than spooky, magical NOLA?

    Screamfest NOLA may be the younger, smaller sister to Screamfest LA, but it packs a serious punch. Karen, Rachel, and Fernando are a powerhouse team - working the LA festival for two intense weeks and then immediately flying out to New Orleans to close out October with another phenomenal event. Their dedication is unmatched, and they were incredibly helpful throughout the entire process.

    They even had a great hotel deal lined up for filmmakers, which made planning easy. The screenings took place at The Broad Theater, a perfect venue with a fun, local vibe, and solid projection/sound. We were lucky to premiere alongside some truly top-tier films and filmmakers...and were honored to take home the award for Best Student Short!

    A major highlight: the festival hosted a Q+A with Allen Danziger ("Chainsaw Jerry" from Texas Chainsaw Massacre), which horror fans in the audience absolutely loved. And they went the extra mile with a group outing to "Krewe of Boo," New Orleans' Halloween-time version of Mardi Gras. So much fun.

    If you're a filmmaker - especially in horror - definitely put this festival on your radar. It's well-run, deeply passionate, and full of heart. Thank you again to Karen, Rachel, and Fernando for giving The Baby such a special start to its journey!

    May 2025
    Helpful
  • John T. Hill

    Screamfest LA may be the flagship, but NOLA is the same great programmers and staff, but in one of the greatest cities in the world. The staff at the Broad (the venue) we're also awesome.

    October 2024
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