ShaoCon

ShaoCon Creative Expo is bringing Georgia Communities, Sponsors, & Gamers together for Competition, Collaboration, and Cooperation on Halloween Weekend. This Four Day event will also feature the ShaoCon International Film Festival will Feature the Finest Films & Flicks of the Fantastic!

We're not just talking about Sci-Fi, Fantasy, & Horror flicks; we welcome any film that throws a Hadouken at the mundane slice-of-life genre. Bring us your Mysteries, Thrillers, Film Noirs, Comedies, Slip Stream/Magical Realism, Asian influenced epics, Surrealistic journeys, most dramas, and all sorts of animated shorts. We’re looking for narrative shorts, documentaries, and a select few features that can deliver a roundhouse kick to the senses.
But wait, there’s more! Mix in panels, celebrity guests, epic discussions, concerts, contests, seminars, and the 11,000+ warriors of ShaoCon, and you’ve got an extraordinary film event that could rival the Battle of Helm’s Deep.

Our tournament awards prizes for 1st place in each genre category. Specific categories will emerge based on the entries. But, there will be crowned champions in Action, Comedy, Fan Films, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror, Horror Comedy, Documentary, Animated Comedy, Animated Horror, and Animated Fantasy. We also bestow the Best of Fest (Live Action) and Best of Fest (Animation) titles, chosen from the 1st Place winners in each category (excluding features), complete with a prize worthy of a Conqueror!

By submitting your film to the ShaoCon Film Festival (presented by 4USTV), you declare yourself the true master of the film, having read and understood the submission regulations and procedures, and agreeing to comply with them as if they were sacred scrolls. You certify that all rights and clearances have been obtained, and that your film is not under the shadow of any legal threat. Once your film is selected, there’s no going back – you won't withdraw it from the festival. You accept that ShaoCon is not responsible for any damage or loss of physical materials en route to the festival; shipping costs are on you, brave entrant.
Exhibition copies must be sent via online link for download. Any actual copies must be prepaid, with all DVDs and cases labeled like the sacred artifacts they are. Disks/storage materials will not return from this quest. You agree to let your film excerpt be used in a radio, video program, or cinema trailer for the festival. If your film is selected, ShaoCon will screen it during the Creative Expo, and allow permit accredited press and industry pros to view it.
The festival does not pay rental fees for submitted work. You also agree for your film to be considered for all Festival jury prizes, standing proud like a warrior among legends.
In addition, as an additional reward for your brilliant Creativity, ShaoCon will submit your Film to 4USTV for additional consideration of programming on their network… But, afterward that’s between you and them.
Prepare your entries, warriors of the imagination. ShaoCon awaits!

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Dates & Deadlines

August 7, 2024
Opening Date
August 31, 2024
Earlybird Deadline
September 23, 2024
Regular Deadline
October 19, 2024
Late Deadline
October 24, 2024
Notification Date
October 24 – 27, 2024
Event Date

Categories & Fees

Nonstop ACTION!
If you can't make it Good, Make it LOUD! Nothing says "good time" like things blowing up every five minutes. In action movies, everything can explode: cars, buildings, pens, cupcakes, and everything else you can imagine. Budget or Not, if it Goes Boom this is your Category! Give us your Impossible Stunts & Over the top Action & Martial Arts! Gravity? Physics? Never heard of 'em. Action movie Heroes defy the laws of nature with the finesse of a ninja and the swagger of a rock star. So, like ol' Jack Burton always says... Give us your best shot! We can take it! Best of all? One-Liners That Kill... No action movie is complete without the hero delivering a cheesy one-liner after dispatching a villain. It’s the cherry on top of the adrenaline sundae. Plus, they give you the perfect line to use in real life... you know, just in case you ever find yourself in a life-or-death struggle with an international arms dealer and only 3 minutes to disarm the bomb.
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $20
- Student: $10
- Gold Members: $10
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $25
- Student: $15
- Gold Members: $15
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Student: $25
- Gold Members: $25
Submit Now
Mystery/ Suspense / Thriller (with some Drama)
Thrillers are like a never-ending rollercoaster ride for your brain, keeping you on the edge of your seat, clutching your popcorn like it's a life preserver. Every creak of the floorboard and every shadow lurking in the corner makes you question your life choices. Thrillers give us villains who are as charming as they are terrifying. They can deliver a chilling speech about world domination while sipping a glass of wine and petting a cat. By the end, you almost admire their dedication... almost. Then, just when you think you’ve got it all figured out... BAM! Plot twist! The gardener was actually the long-lost twin brother of the protagonist’s wife’s second cousin! Thrillers are Masters of the Unexpected. Question Everything and Trust No One. By the end of the movie, you're so tangled in the web of deception even your own dog starts looking a bit shifty... especially when they steal your food.
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $20
- Student: $10
- Gold Members: $10
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $25
- Student: $15
- Gold Members: $15
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Student: $25
- Gold Members: $25
Submit Now
Horror!!! AAAaaahhhh!!!!
The Adrenaline Rush, the Jump Scares, the Questionable Decision Making... Your heart races, your palms sweat, and your fight-or-flight instincts kick in. Horror movies test your nerve, as you clutch a pillow and scream at the screen, “Don’t go in there!” It’s the only time when being jump scared out of your wits is considered a good time. Give us all the Makeup, Practical Effects, Chocolate Syrup ichor, Green slime, & other Dollar Store Brilliance, Creativity, & Grossness your budget allows! Horror movies are a treasure trove of terrible life choices. Whether it's splitting up in the creepy building, investigating the spooky noise in the basement alone, or reading aloud from that ancient book bound in human skin, characters in horror movies make decisions that make us look like a strategic genius. You can’t help but yell at the screen, "Why would you do that?!" Deep down, you know if they made better choices, the movie would be over in five minutes, but where’s the fun in that?
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $20
- Student: $10
- Gold Members: $10
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $25
- Student: $15
- Gold Members: $15
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Student: $25
- Gold Members: $25
Submit Now
Sci-Fi & Fantasy! FTW!!!
Give us your Best & Most Epic World Building, Arcane Science & Technology, & Mystic Heroes & Villains with Cosmic Power! Take us to worlds where dragons rule, robots rebel, and gravity is more of a suggestion than a law. Whether navigating the depths of space or exploring enchanted forests, let's escape the mundane reality of doing laundry. Science and magic are basically just fancy excuses for mind-blowing macguffins, gadgets, and spells. Deliver unto us your Heroes equipped with epic catchphrases and legendary weapons, your villains with their maniacal monologues. Have them all sport the kind of dramatic outfits that make us wonder how long they spend getting ready in the morning. Give us amazing Cosplay Couture where the stakes are the Fate of the Universe!
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $20
- Student: $10
- Gold Members: $10
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $25
- Student: $15
- Gold Members: $15
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Student: $25
- Gold Members: $25
Submit Now
Anime, Animation, & Video Games? Let's GO!!!
BOUNDLESS Creativity! (Even with an Inside Joke) Characters with Hair & Clothing that defy gravity. EPIC Battles & Boss Fights. Anime, animation, and video games —anything goes! Want a story about a talking sponge who flips burgers under the sea? Done. How about a plumber who battles evil turtles by jumping on them while consuming questionable mushrooms? You got it. Let logic take a vacation and let imagination run wild. The laws of physics? What's that? These worlds are where fashion meets fantasy, and practicality takes a backseat. Whether it’s a colossal boss fight in a video game, an all-out anime battle that spans several episodes, or a F-F-FINAL SHOWDOWN in an animated movie, these clashes are the stuff of legend. Show us characters surviving explosions that break open the world, only to dust themselves off and deliver a speech about friendship. There’s nothing more satisfying than finally defeating that final boss, except maybe the sweet, sweet cutscene that follows.
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $20
- Student: $10
- Gold Members: $10
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $25
- Student: $15
- Gold Members: $15
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Student: $25
- Gold Members: $25
Submit Now
Creative Music Video!
What's the point of a Festival / Convention/ Expo about Creativity if we don't issue a Challenge for you to Actively CREATE for the Event? ShaoCon is all about Sparking Creativity in you and using any and all creative tools at your fingertips-- even AI. We all learn best when we play. So, We want You to PLAY with this new, sometimes scary, technology. The more you PLAY, the more you'll LEARN. The more you learn, the more confident you'll become in being able to adapt and the better positioned you'll be in the coming weeks and months. Change is scary when it happens To us. But, it's a good thing when it comes FROM us. So, this is to inspire the GOOD Kind of Change. Learn while making amazing Videos to any of the songs in the incredible ShaoCon Playlist: https://bit.ly/ShaoConSoundtrack Give us your most amazing, original, & imaginative creations in whatever medium and style you choose-- Animated? Live Action? Claymation? Photographic? Magazine Art Collage? WHATEVER! iALLEZ CREATE!
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $20
- Student: $10
- Gold Members: $10
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $25
- Student: $15
- Gold Members: $15
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Student: $25
- Gold Members: $25
Submit Now
Give Us Your Shorts!
Short Attention Span-Friendly: Let’s face it, in the age of TikTok and cat videos, who has the time for a three-hour epic? Short films cater perfectly to our modern attention spans, so you can enjoy a full cinematic experience in the time it takes to microwave popcorn—without the guilt of pausing halfway through to check your phone! No Need to Fake Your Opinion: Ever felt trapped in a conversation where someone’s dissecting every layer of a long, artsy movie you didn't understand? With short films, the commitment is so low that you don’t even have to pretend to be a film critic. You can just say, “Loved it!” and move on, sparing yourself the awkwardness. Budget-Friendly Entertainment: Short films pack all the creativity and talent of feature films into a bite-sized package, but without the million-dollar budget. Who needs a blockbuster budget when you can make cinematic history with cardboard props and a lot of enthusiasm?
- Earlybird Deadline
- Standard: $20
- Student: $10
- Gold Members: $10
- Regular Deadline
- Standard: $25
- Student: $15
- Gold Members: $15
- Late Deadline
- Standard: $35
- Student: $25
- Gold Members: $25
Submit Now

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