ARTS REBORN
Zepstone International Film & Music Festival is a grass roots, nonprofit 501(c)(3), IMDb qualifying festival with in-person events (Zep Fest - film, music, arts) that take place annually in September, in the Salt Lake valley (Utah).
Zepstone is "arts reborn." Our goal is to reimagine how to support and showcase the arts, including films, screenplays, music videos, songs, podcasts, fashion, dance, books, theater, and visual arts.
HOW DOES OUR FESTIVAL WORK?
Our festival is broken up into 4 rounds a year. At the conclusion of round, we announce Official Selections and Quartlery Winners for each round.
From those best-of-the-best winners from each annual category (shown below), they will go on to compete for annual awards presented at ZepFest. Please take some time to review the annual award categories below. All other award categories are for Quarterly Rounds.
Mark your calendars!
“ZEPFEST”
September 8th - 14th, 2025
Salt Lake City, Utah
Every September, we host ZEPFEST, which showcases filmmakers, musicians, and the arts. If chosen as an annual Official Selection, your project will be screened during this week.
The Zepstone ArtsFestival culminates with the prestigious Red Carpet Awards Show, where annual award-winners will be announced.
FEST FAQ
A (*) next to a category means it is a qualifyer for an annual nomination if you win for a Quarterly Round.
What do the different FilmFreeway status mean?
Official Selection: means your project has been selected for the Quarterly Round in which you have entered. It also means that your project may be eligible for Quarterly Round awards.
Quarterly Finalist/Round Winner: means that you have won Quarterly Round awards.
Finalist: means that your project has been chosen to screen at during ZEP FEST.
Nominee: means that your project has been nominated for an annual award.
Winner: means that you have won an annual award.
Winner announcements: All Quarterly Round winners will be announced on our website and social media pages. Quarterly Round winners will also receive laurels & certificates. Annual award winners will be announced during ZEP FEST and will receive the prestigious Zepstone Arts Festival award trophy.
QUARTERLY ROUND CATEGORIES:
-Best Feature Film
-Best Short Film
-Best Ensemble Cast
-Best Cinematography
-Best Assistant Camera
-Best Editing
-Best Director
-Best First-Time Director
-Best Music Score
-Best Sound Design
-Best Film Colorist
-Best Original Screenplay - Feature
-Best Original Screenplay - Short
-Best Makeup/ FX Makeup
-Best VFX/ CGI
-Best Wardrobe Design
-Best Production Design
-Best Story
-Best Web/TV Series Episode
-Best International Film - Feature
-Best International Film - Short
-Best Documentary
-Best Horror Film
-Best Comedy Film
-Best Drama Film
-Best Family Film
-Best Fan Film
-Best Action/Adventure/Family Film
-Best Fantasy Film
-Best Experimental Film
-Best LGBTQ+ Film
-Best Animated Film
-Best Science Fiction/AI Film
-Best Film Noir
-Best Actor
-Best Supporting Actor
-Best Actress
-Best Supporting Actress
-Best Stunt Work
-Best Coloration
-Best Music Video
-Best Producer
-Best Proof of Concept
-Best Drone Cinematography
-Best Actor Under 18
-Best Actress Under 18
-Best Western Film
-Best Dystopian / Apocalyptic Film
-Best Micro-Short (Under 5 Minutes-Long)
-Best Student Film
-Best Thriller/Horror Film
-Best Period Piece
-Best Fictional Podcast Recording
-Best Non-Fictional Podcast Recording
-Best Fictional Podcast Script
-Best Non-Fiction Podcast Script
-Best Musical Film
-All Songs and Music Categories as Listed Below
ANNUAL FILM AWARDS
Awarded During ZepFest
Note: A (*) next to a category means it is a qualifier for an annual nomination if you win for a Quarterly Round.
*Short Film of the Year
*Micro Short of the Year
*Feature Film of the Year
*Web Series or Web Episode of the Year
*International Film of the Year
*Screenplay of the Year - Feature-Length
*Screenplay of the Year - Short
*Podcast Recording of the Year - Fiction
*Podcast Recording of the Year - Nonfiction
*Podcast Script of of the Year - Fiction
*Podcast Script of the Year - Non-Fiction
* Director of the Year
*Actress of the Year
*Actor of the Year
*Supporting Actor of the Year
*Supporting Actress of the Year
*Music Score of the Year
*Cinematographer of the Year
*Editor of the Year
*Sound Designer of the Year
*Film Colorist of the Year
*Documentary of the Year
*Costume Design of the Year
*Production Design of the Year
*Animation of the Year
*Makeup and Hair Styling of the Year
*VFX of the Year
*Best Musical Film of the Year
*Inspirational Film of the Year
*Social Impact Award
*The Brightstone Award (Youth Actor/Actress)
*The Willowstone Award (Family Friendly)
*The Grimstone Award (Horror)
*The Sunstone Award (Comedy/Dramedy)
*The Powerstone (Drama)
*The Fablestone Award (Sci-Fi/Adventure/Fantasy/Action)
*Audience Choice Award (each screening, whether virtual or in-person, will be balloted)
ANNUAL MUSIC AWARDS
Awarded during ZepFest
Note: A (*) next to a category means it is a qualifier for an annual nomination if you win for a Quarterly Round.
*Best Acoustic Song
*Best Bluegrass
*Best Blues Song
*Best Country Song
*Best EDM/Techno Song
*Best Folk/Indie Song
*Best Funk Song
*Best Jazz Song
*Best Metal/Progressive Song
*Best Pop Song
*Best Psychedelic Song
*Best Punk Song
*Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song
*Best Reggae/Ska Song
*Best Rock Song
*Best World Song
*Best Alternative Song
*Best Contemporary Song
*Best R&B/Soul Song
*Best Classical Song
*Best Instrumental Song
*Best Original Song From a Musical
*Best Music Video Producer
*Best Music Video Sound Engineer
*Song of the year
*Album of the Year
*Music Video of the Year
SECRET NOMINEES: At the jury discretion, annual nominees for highly scored categories may be included as nominees in the annual events, even if they were not formally winners of a Quarterly Round. Many factors go into inclusion for secret nominees. These nominees may have proven to have achieved high scores by the jury, but perhaps they didn’t formally win during a certain round because of volume, or perhaps these particular filmmakers have achieved more than one accomplishment during a festival year, etc. Love surprises? So do we!
