Yeh! Nah!
Say it in an Aussie accent and it will all make sense!

The Yeh! Nah! Horror Film Festival is an Australian based festival of International and Local Horror, Thriller and Genre films, made by exclusively, up and coming, emerging and independent filmmakers. The festival screenings will take place in Canberra, Australia in the lead up to Halloween 2026 and will include feature films, short films, filmmaking Q&A discussion panels, and social events including an awards event.

The Festival Director for 2026 Mikey J Watson has been the Festival Programmer since it's inception and takes on running the festival from Founder Dan Sanguineti.

Awards & Prizes

Official Selections will recieve laurel and digital certificate.

Nominations for the awards will be announced on release of the festival program.
Laurels will be awarded for all nominations.

Local Canberra Awards will be announced at the start of the Festival, with winners to join National and International entrants for Silver and Gold Awards. These will be announced on the final day of the festival.

GOLD AWARDS
- Best Short Film - Yeh! Nah! Overall Winner
- Best Feature Film

SILVER AWARDS
- Best Short Film - Made for Us
- Best Short Film - Canberra
- Best Student Production
- Best Feature Screenplay
- Best Short Screenplay
- Best Horror Kill
- Best Scare
- Best Practical Effects
- Best Animation film or use of VFX
- Best Performance by a Leading Performer
- Best Performance by a Supporting Performer

CANBERRA AWARDS

- Best Short Screenplay
- Best Horror Kill
- Best Scare
- Best Practical Effects
- Best Animation film or use of VFX
- Best Performance by a Leading Performer
- Best Performance by a Supporting Performer

Rules & Terms

Yeh! Nah! Horror Film Festival - 2026

Film Submission Terms and Conditions

1. Submission Process:
1.1 Filmmakers must submit their film projects, including short films and feature films, via FilmFreeway.
1.2 The submission period opens on Feb 17, 2026

2. Entry Deadlines:
2.1 Early Bird Entry Deadline: July 15, 2026 (Feature Films & Short Films).
2.2 Standard Entry Deadline: August 15, 2026 (Feature Film Final Deadline).
2.3 "Oh! Naur! I'm Late" Deadline: August 31, 2026 (Short Film Final Deadline).

3. Selection Process:
3.1 Final Official Selections Notification Date: September 7, 2026.
3.2 The Festival Program will be released on September 25, 2026.

4. Festival Dates:
4.1 The Yeh! Nah! Horror Film Festival in 2026 will take place in the week leading up to Halloween.

5. Festival Schedule:
TBC

6. General Terms and Conditions and Content Guidelines:
6.1 By submitting a film to the Yeh! Nah! Horror Film Festival, filmmakers agree to comply with all rules and regulations set forth by the festival organizers.
6.2 All submitted films must be the original work of the filmmaker, and the filmmaker must have the necessary rights and permissions for the content.
6.3 Filmmakers are solely responsible for any legal issues arising from the content of their submitted films.
6.4 For festival content reasons, all films (features and short films) submitted for inclusion in the Yeh! Nah! Horror Film Festival must be equivalent to Australian classification MA15+ or below.
6.5 Filmmakers are responsible for ensuring that their films comply with the Australian classification standards. More details can be found at Australian Classification Ratings: More details visit: https://www.classification.gov.au/classification-ratings/what-do-ratings-mean#MA.
6.6 The Festival organizers reserve the right to disqualify any film that does not meet the specified content guidelines.

7. Filmmaker Notifications:
7.1 Filmmakers will be notified of the selection status of their films on the Official Selections Notification Date.

8. Awards and Prizes:
8.1 Awards will be presented at the closing night screening.
8.2 The Festival organizers reserve the right to modify or add awards.

9. Publicity and Promotion:
9.1 Filmmakers grant the Yeh! Nah! Horror Film Festival the right to use excerpts from their films for promotional purposes.

10. Contact:
10.1 For any inquiries or additional information, please contact The Festival Director

By submitting a film to the Yeh! Nah! Horror Film Festival, filmmakers acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agree to abide by these terms and conditions.