Etheria is the world's most respected competition showcase of new sci-fi, fantasy, action, thriller, and horror films directed by women. Our audience includes producers, managers, show runners, distributors, and genre fans. Our festival’s goal is to highlight women directors making fantastic genre films and to connect these filmmakers to industry professionals.

For 2024 The Etheria Competition Lineup will air on SHUDDER TV (https://www.shudder.com/) for 30 days in JUNE 2024. SHUDDER has over 1 Million+ subscribers and is the largest horror streaming service in the world. There will also be a live, in-person theatrical event.

Jury Award - prizes, cool stuff, shiny award
Audience Award - prizes, cool stuff, audience award

GENDER

Your film MUST be directed by a woman. We embrace the queer and LGBT communities. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please do not hesitate to ask at etheriafilmfestival@gmail.com.

GENRE

Etheria Film Night only screens science fiction, horror, action, thriller, fantasy, speculative fiction, adventure, dark drama, grindhouse, crime, western, satire, dystopian, apocalyptic, mystery, noir, dark comedy, heist, disaster films, and any combination thereof.

LENGTH

Etheria Film Night plays a lineup of roughly 6-12 short films and one feature-length film. A short film should be between one minute and 20 minutes in length. We are no longer accepting feature film submissions. Feature films are invite-only. Please contact etheriafilmfestival@gmail.com for more information. Feature films may not be submitted through the form on the website or through the submission services.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. It doesn’t matter if your short film has screened anywhere else first; this is a showcase of the very best new films regardless of previous screenings. Think of us as a “best of” short film event.

FEATURE FILMS are invite-only and are no longer accepted via submissions. If you have any questions, email etheriafilmfestival@gmail.com

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Have your acceptance materials READY to send in. If accepted you will need to deliver materials with a very tight deadline, otherwise your film may get cut from the lineup. It’s your responsibility to provide materials so we may effectively screen your film.

2. You must be the copyright owner of the film.

UPON ACCEPTANCE

Filmmakers will be notified regarding their acceptance status in April, 2024. Your film materials will be due immediately upon acceptance. These materials are due immediately, otherwise, your film may not be screened (please, do not zip digital files).

1. Three high-resolution digital photos of the director. Photos need to be 300 DPI and over 800 pixels. Aim for production stills that capture filmmakers directing/producing on set.

2. Five high-resolution digital images from the submitted entry. This can be screenshots, posters, and production stills. Photos need to be 300 DPI and over 800 pixels.

3. These are the film file requirements:

Quicktime File (MP4 or MOV)
23.976 fps
Codec: H.264
Bitrate: 40 Mbps
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (add letterboxing/pillarboxing if necessary)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
AAC Audio at 16-bit or 24-bit, at least 48kHz

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • One of the best blocks of films I've ever been a part of. Heidi and Stacy go above and beyond to make this festival special for its filmmakers. With only 10 films selected each year, this festival really invests in the filmmakers who are a part of it. I'm grateful to be among them. Our screening was completely sold out with true horror fans in the audience and streaming on shudder with raves reviews has been the cherry on top. Highly recommend!

    July 2023
  • One of the best festivals I have ever been to. A true dream for a filmmaker. The other directors are fantastic people and filmmakers. Exploring KCMO was really fun. What Heidi and Stacy have done is phenomenal. The crowd in person was a blast and Shudder's response has been great. Truly an honor to be a part of this and so happy I was able to be there for the fest.

    July 2023
  • Deanna Milligan

    THIS! This festival and it's amazing team really care about female voices in the genre world. They made this festival so special for everyone that participated and I can not recommend it enough! Wonderful people! Wonderful festival!

    March 2023
  • FREYA Films Inc.

    Our film was selected for the festival in 2022 and our whole team decided to travel down from Vancouver Canada to attend. The festival staff was extremely welcoming and went above and beyond to create a memorable experience for all the filmmakers. There was a private filmmaker dinner the night before the screening, and a filmmaker brunch the following day. The screening was well attended and professionally run. All the staff were so friendly and welcoming and you got a sense that Etheria really is a festival that tries to cultivate a community. We would recommend this festival and will submit again!

    August 2022
  • Mel Piper

    Thank you for shortlisting Shadow Players as a finalist :)

    June 2022