This is the 5th annual PopCon International Film Festival (PIFF) competition for PopCon, but we are in our 11th year as a physical convention. The film festival begins Friday, April 26, 2024 and concludes Sunday, April 28, 2024 and will feature films, post screening Q&A's, celebrity panels, filmmaker panels and more.

PopCon prides itself as being Indy's "only" locally owned and operated large pop culture fan event. PopCon will be programming a full-lineup film festival. Filmmakers from around the world are invited to submit their short/feature film and short/feature screenplays in multiple genres. The film festival will be honoring films of several pop culture genres, including but NOT limited to: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy, Anime/Animation, Horror, Action/Adventure, Fan Film, Supernatural/Thriller, Documentary, Internet Culture & Gaming/Sports.

PopCon continues to bring some of the largest names in pop culture to Indianapolis each year, but the event’s true mission is to give creators – of all kinds – a platform to find new audiences. Instead of focusing on one specific fandom, PopCon flips the script on the typical con experience by focusing on all genres of pop culture fandom. The film festival is an obvious expansion of that mission.

The film festival will be in addition to all the other programming at PopCon over the event’s weekend. The 9th Annual PopCon Podcast Awards, the 11th Annual Ultimate Cosplay Championships, and dozens of fan panels and workshops will be alongside video gaming, laser tag, escape rooms, state-of-the-art virtual reality offerings, and 24-hour board gaming. PopCon will also continue to have the best selection of vendors for fans to enjoy.

Upon filmmakers request and written consent, official selections can be submitted for distribution consideration to several of our domestic and international film distribution partners. NOTE- films already available free online are not eligible for submission to distributors.

Each Official Selection will receive the following:
One (1) Three-day Pass (in-person event admission) to Indy PopCon (full convention & film festival). Additional passes are easily purchased.

Award trophies will be given for the following*:
-Best Indiana Film
-Best Feature
-Best Short
-Best International Film
-Best Comedy
-Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy
-Best Action/Adventure
-Best Thriller
-Best Horror
-Best Fan Film
-Best Animated Film
-Best Drama
-Best Documentary
-Best Music Video
-Best Student Film
-Best Director
-Best Actress
-Best Actor
* Please note that trophies can only be received at the in-person awards ceremony. These winners will also receive a certificate.

Award Certificates will be given for the following categories*:
-Best Sound Design
-Best 1st Time Filmmaker
-Best Story
-Best Costuming
-Best Production Design
-Best Cinematography
-Best Special Effects (SFX)
-Best Original Score
-Best Editing
-Best Ensemble Cast
-Best Villain
-Best Hero
* Please note that certificates can only be received at the in-person awards ceremony, but will be sent out digitally for self-printing.

Films can be nominated for multiple awards.

***PLEASE READ ALL RULES & TERMS PRIOR TO SUBMITTING YOUR FILM***

PopCon International Film Festival is excited to consider your short film of 40 minutes or less or your feature film over 40 minutes in length within the categories of, but not limited to; Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Animation, Fan Films, and more!

Films must be submitted through FilmFreeway. Please submit a digital copy of your film. Please upload trailers and posters as well.

We accept films produced after May 2021.

In the interest of fair competition to all that submit their films/scripts, PopCon does NOT offer free submission waivers.

Please submit the version you want judged. We do not allow alternate versions to be submitted without being subject to another entrance fee.

By submitting your film to the PopCon International Film Festival you acknowledge and authorize the use of materials for promotional use which includes but is not limited to excerpts and images. You also agree to hold the PopCon International Film Festival harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, expenses and damages as a result of entry.

Premieres will be considered in final programming decisions.

All films not in English must have English subtitles.

Films can be nominated for multiple awards. PopCon reserves the right to eliminate a category if there are not enough viable nominations.

PopCon reserves the rights to disqualify any submission without refund and PopCon does not allow any refunds once a film has been submitted.

Films that have been acquired, produced, financed or distributed by any major motion picture studio(s) or production company(s), at the time of screening, will be screened out of competition. It is the sole responsibility of the submitting entity to attain all permissions required from the studio(s) or production company(s) prior to submission and screening.

By submitting, artists agree to all terms set forth in the rules.

Entering your film is considered giving the PopCon International Film Festival permission to screen your film during the course of the event.

PopCon International Film Festival is hereby granted the right to utilize an excerpt from any film submitted and accepted for exhibition prior, during, or after PopCon for promotional purposes.

The submitter shall indemnify and hold harmless PopCon and PopCon International Film Festival from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

SUBMISSION SUGGESTIONS:
Please include the following items when submitting your film:
1) Poster
2) Stills from the Film/Set pictures
3) Trailer- not required but highly recommended even for shorts (limit trailers to 90s)
4) Complete the Filmmaker Biography section in FilmFreeway

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Such a cool festival and excellent communication!

    December 2023
  • Very fun experience. The people were very helpful and I enjoyed the convention environment. However one of my biggest problems was how little the film festival was marketed during the event. The screening room was far off to the side and hard to find and there was very little announcement for the screenings. I'm sure this was a contributing factor for the very low turnout for the screenings which seemed to always have only about a dozen people out of the thousands at the con. Hopefully next year they will have more signs available to help reach the con audience. Also, it would be nice if they added a few animation specific awards to help balance out the live-action exclusive ones. Though, aside from these few issues, I found this a great first festival experience for me and I greatly appreciate the opportunity.

    November 2023
  • Jenna Cornell

    So excited to have That Curious Moon as part of the music videos for 2023. Terrific film festival that have stellar communication about all parts of the process and how to attend. I was bummed I was unable to make it in person; however, I’m looking forward to attending and submitting in the future.

    November 2023
  • It was fantastic, there was a lot of communication, Nicholas Rohrman was very attentive to the details

    September 2023
  • Thanks for selecting “Enter the Room” into your film festival. I wasn’t able to attend the festival in person, but appreciate the fact that the communication was frequent and concise, and I received everything I needed. I had a good experience overall and will definitely consider submitting future projects to this festival.

    September 2023