This one-day festival is looking to shine a spotlight on strange and bizarre short films. This festival will place an emphasis on films that are funny, weird, creepy, or all of the above.

Our primary focus is horror-comedy, but we try not to limit ourselves by genre too much so we may include films that are entirely comedy, entirely horror, or that don't fit neatly into any genre. We also don't adhere to strict rules about what is and isn't horror.

We love underground filmmakers, low budget filmmakers, first time filmmakers, and people who are passionate about filmmaking. There is no budget too small to make a great film!

What are we looking for? It's probably easier to just throw some words at you to get the idea:
Existential Dread!
Lynchian!
Bizarre!
Cronenberg!
Creepy!
B-horror/camp!
Low budget!
Bloody!
Weird!
Unsettling!
FUNNY!

Rules & Terms

All films must be under 20 minutes in length.
All entries must be complete.
All films must be in English or subtitled. Selected films that are not in English must have embedded subtitles.
No physical copies - all films must be provided in high res digital format.

IF YOU ARE SUBMITTING TO THE LOCAL CATEGORY, YOUR LOCATION DETAILS (AT LEAST STATE) MUST BE INCLUDED IN YOUR PROFILE. If you submit to the local category but we cannot determine that you are actually local, you will be disqualified.

We do not offer waivers. Almost all of our submissions are passion projects with low or no budget. Waiving the fee for anyone is unfair to all the other filmmakers who pay to submit. The submission fees pay for our venue and other expenses and the festival cannot happen without them. If you need a discount, follow us on Instagram or Facebook where we post discount codes through the year.

Selected films will be featured at the Strange Maynard Independent Film Festival as well as other screenings and conventions throughout the year with the filmmakers permission.
14 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • george fraser

    Beautiful celebration of weirdos. More of this, please.

    May 2026
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  • Allison Courtney

    This festival is an absolute blast. It was such an honor to be included.

    May 2026
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  • Michael George

    Strange? Yes. But also super professional and fun. No doubt this is going to rise up the ranks of festivals in Massachusetts.

    May 2025
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  • Kim Katzberg

    A gem of a festival. Unusual, original and funny films- the programming is expert!

    May 2024
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  • Neil Willoughby

    Grateful to have been part of this festival with some very talented filmmakers! Great communication from the festival team- we will definitely submit again!

    May 2024
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