The NOLA Horror Film Fest is a festival created by horror filmmakers for horror fans. It’s no small wonder - and no great surprise - that so many of today’s top directors got their start in “low budget horror”. With determination and imagination, these artists have created some truly memorable work that has encouraged and inspired a new generation of filmmakers. Our goal is the promotion of Genre Filmmaking in Louisiana, as well as nationally and internationally. The NOLAHFF is committed to celebrating the craft and advancing the art form of Genre Films.

***** Selected as one of the WORLD'S 50 BEST GENRE FILM FESTIVALS by MovieMaker Magazine *****

“The festival is tucked into the sleepy Garden District, which is magical in itself,” said one attendee, who also stated the obvious: “Most of the food you’ll find in this city is excellent.” And the ghosts are also of very high quality. “The festival coordinators planned an outing for moviemaker where we took a Ghost Tour of the French Quarter in New Orleans,” another filmmaker said. “It was a blast!” The festival team, quality of the presentation and audience, and, of course, the Crescent City also scored highly. The midnight WTF Shorts Block is known for raising the most experimental spirits in genre cinema, and the fest also earned respect for its championing of female filmmakers and LGBT+ horror. - MovieMaker Magazine

Even though the festival is called NOLA Horror Film Fest, the NOLAHFF accepts ALL SUB-GENRES: Horror / Science Fiction / Fantasy / Thriller / Suspense / Psychological / Action / Gothic / Dark Drama / Dark Comedy / Horror Comedy / B-Movie / Campy / Experimental / Documentary

*[Please read the Rules & Terms BEFORE submitting]

Best Feature Film
Best Short Film
Best Student Film
Best Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting
Best Writing (Film)
Best Cinematography
Best Editing
Best Score
Best Makeup Effects
Screenplay (Writing) Competition

*[Please read the Rules & Terms BEFORE submitting]

TERMS:
By submitting to the NOLA Horror Film Fest through FilmFreeway, you are stating that the work is original and owned by the submitter, and is not the subject of any disputes regarding ownership. You are also stating that there is no defamation, invasion of privacy, violation of rights of publicity, intellectual property infringement or similar violation of law.

You understand that your entry is valid only upon completion of the following conditions: (1) receipt of a copy of the work, (2) the processing of the entry fee by the festival organization, and (3) when the work is found to be original and owned by you or those you represent.

While we understand that you retain all rights to ownership of the work, if selected, you hereby give the NOLA Horror Film Fest permission to feature, advertise, display, in whole or in part, the work for festival purposes, including promotion.

Each work is judged solely on its own merits.

RULES:
1. Please select only ONE SUBMISSION CATEGORY per project. Projects submitted in multiple categories could be subject to disqualification.
2. All films MUST BE submitted via ONLINE screener (Vimeo preferred, but not required). NO PHYSICAL DVDs accepted for submission.
3. There is no completion date. The NOLAHFF accepts films from any year.
4. NO Premiere Status required.
5. Films can have a distribution deal, but should not be available Online (VOD, NetFlix, etc.) prior to the festival dates.
6. Foreign films (in their original language) must be presented with English language subtitles.
7. Student film submissions require proof of enrollment. Entries by filmmakers UNDER 18 years of age MUST be submitted by a parent or legal guardian.
8. All submitted films must be COMPLETE. The NOLAHFF no longer accepts Work-In-Progress submissions.
9. The NOLAHFF does not pay screening fees.

Unfortunately, the NOLAHFF cannot offer submission fee waivers.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Thank you NOLA! You guys are great!

    November 2021
  • Zeus Kontoyannis

    AWESOMENESS!!! Such great people here, truly folks it was incredible. Movies were awesome, the organizers are top of the line and the festival was just killer. 100% worth the submission!

    November 2020
  • Dan Pedersen

    What an awesome horror festival! This was the second year that a film of ours has played in NOLA, and we sincerely hope to come back for a third. JT really cares about the films, and it shows. This was one of the most welcoming and inviting festival teams we worked with in 2020, and the festival's teaser trailer (the promo video JT cut together featuring all the films, including ours) was an incredible online promotion piece. Thanks again for everything!

    November 2020
  • Elizabeth Williams

    Highly recommend! The communication was solid and the quality of films was great. The virtual fest was enjoyable and it was clear JT put in a strong committment to make it happen. So happy to participate this year. Thank you!

    October 2020
  • Rocky Grispen

    Great to be part of the NOLO Horror Film Fest! Thank you JT for all the help! Kind regards from Belgium and The Netherlands.

    October 2020