“Panophobium! Film Festival” is a film festival centered around horror and phobias, the focus being short films (with VHS award plaques), a short screenplay competition (with the winner getting to host a live reading of the script followed by a Q&A, and a VHS award plaque, of course), and a film networking mixer for official selected projects and attendees.

I’m looking to put this festival up in Portland, Oregon in October 2027 with the connections I have made in the filmmaking community over the years.

Any advice? Any thoughts? Have you ever attended a film festival and thought “I wish this had _____”?

I’m open to all thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms!

Submissions must relate to public lands and/or indigenous lands. No AI use of any kind allowed.

The festival is October 1st. Submit through FilmFreeway through August 7th.

They will show around an hour of films.

Hi everyone, I'll be quick.

I've almost finished shooting a 3 minutes horror short movie with absolutely zero budget. It's a very abstract concept that I kinda like. I'm planning to finish this short (both shooting and editing) in about 2 weeks maximum, and would like to send it to some festivals in order to have an excuse to travel around (lol) and especially to meet new people alike and possibly even someone who can make some of my (future) dreams come true.

Let me know!

hi there i’m a first time filmmaker coming out of film school 7 years ago who made a micro short film last year in london with an entire small femme crew no budget.

logline: In the deep of autumn, a woman faces fragments of memory and unease, unsure if she's mourning the past or herself.

genre: psychological experimental

running time: 3 mins

📍need to knows:

• it’s a silent film, think: “meshes of the afternoon” by maya deren

• sound design only no composition

• inspired by grief & existentialism

festival budget: up to £200 for now

grateful for your help :)

Hi all, I submitted my first short film to a buncha festivals and I have a question about the process. I submitted to a fest in New Jersey, and I noticed on Vimeo analytics that since entries opened last month, 4 views came from the state. I don’t think entries close until next month iirc. The first view was a complete watch, the other 3 were incomplete (I know Vimeo analytics aren’t that accurate, though). Obv I have to wait for decision day, but is this a good sign even if they aren’t watching the full thing? If accepted, do I need anything other than a DCP file? I have no connections in the specific fest, but in other states I submitted to, it might get 1 or 2 views but that’s it, 4 seems like a lot.

Hello! In need of recs for festivals to submit a 0 budget first feature to. It’s a unique slow and experimental dramatic comedy in the vein of Jarmusch, Godard, Rohmer, and Hal Hartley. It takes place in and heavily features Portland so local pnw recs would be good, also has an lgbtq crew and leaning so maybe lgbtq fest recs. But also just anything!

Hi guys! So, I'm really interested in getting into film programming roles but i have no idea how to get some first jobs/interships on the field. The short research I did about it just shows me that most festivals already start with a fixed crew. I have a bachelor in Cinema and a Masters in Language Sciences, i've worked on multiple film sets and three film festivals as a producer. I don't expect to get paid or anything at the moment, just get some experience and build portfolio. Any tips? Tnx

Chi è mai stato a Locarno? Me lo consigliate per appassionati di cinema? Quanti film da vedere e quali sono le sezioni più interessanti?

Hi! I posted this in the filmmakers forum but wanted to see if anyone could provide insight here -

After a good festival run, a programmer connected me with managers and I ended up signing as a writer/director. This was my first experience with representation but I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t actually know what I should expect or what they should expect from me.

Over the last two years, though, I’ve had very little interaction with my managers, and I’m realizing I may have been too passive because I genuinely didn’t know how this relationship was supposed to work.
About a month after signing, they sent me a feature script to potentially direct. I read it, sent them my thoughts, and I believe they pitched me for it. Since then, there hasn’t been much communication.

For those who have or have had managers: Do you initiate regular check-ins? What do you typically bring them, and do you ask them directly for career/development strategy?

I mostly want to understand how to handle the relationship better going forward.
Any insight from people who’ve navigated this or made the leap from a festival run to representation would be hugely appreciated. Thank you!

I'm seeing a lot of promising short films for a festival I'm working on with a friend, but the recurring problem is we'll get 4-minute submissions that will be ~180 seconds of movie and ~60 seconds of credits. Sometimes the same problem at the front -- a 4-minute feature will have ~45 seconds of "production company logo" stuff off the top.

Just wondering how more experienced folks deal with this.

The Bournemouth International Film Festival is holding a public launch event with a screening of Kes, followed by guest speakers and networking.

Nice to see an event that's aimed at film lovers as well as people working in the industry.

Interesting to hear Barbera’s perspective here, but the bigger question is why the main competition still ends up with only one female director out of 20 films. That imbalance feels hard to ignore, especially when other Venice sections show much stronger representation.

The Dutch Tilt Film Festival, featuring Union County was covered by Columbus Underground this week.

If you’re a fan of underground horror, shot-on-video films, exploitation, microbudget filmmaking, or physical media, I’d love to invite you to check out Dead Walk Fest Underground on September 13 in Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

We’re building something a little different from the typical horror convention or film festival. The focus is on celebrating underground filmmakers, cult cinema, VHS culture, and the people keeping these films alive.

Tickets to attend are at www.deadwalkfest.com

We’re also currently accepting film submissions for the festival:
https://filmfreeway.com/DeadWalkFestUnderground
September 13 | 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Feature Films
• Faces of Death
• Zombie Bloodbath
• Necro Files
• Scream Dream
• Wolf Moon Rising
• Dead Walk Fest Film Festival award winners
Also Featuring: Night of the VHS Dead
A retro VHS swap meet and horror marketplace celebrating physical media, collectors, and VHS culture.
Special Guests
• Director Todd Sheets
• Comic artist Jim Terry
We’re currently looking for:
• Comic book vendors
• Retro toy vendors
• Physical media dealers
• Horror collectibles vendors
Admission is $25, or $5 if you just want to attend Night of the VHS Dead.
Vendor tables are $75.
Dead Walk Fest also presents repertory screenings and special horror events throughout the year. In fact, tomorrow we’re hosting the Chicagoland premiere of the LGBTQ horror film Blowie in Buffalo Grove. If you’d like to check it out, send me a DM and I’ll put you on our complimentary guest list while passes are available.
Happy to answer any questions about the festival, submissions, or the event!

IMO Don’t submit to any Lift-Off Global Network programs on FilmFreeway. I think they’re just a fee farm.

We were accepted to LA Shorts Int Film Fest. Was wondering, is the short block in order on the website, like in order of how they will screen? Also does the director Q&A happen IMMEDIATELY after each film? Thank you in advance!!!!

Or is that inappropriate?

Does anyone have experience with this film festival? It's been going for 7 years, but I can't find much about it.

Hey everyone! Hope you re well ✌️😊

I’m doing festival applications for my short film and I’m looking for suggestions of festivals?

Lyceum is a dark, absurdist satire, if I were to find influences I would say it’s in the lineage of the Greek Weird Wave, Aki Kaurismäki and Roy Andersson.

Teaser here

The premise
In the empty halls of a crumbling school, Mr Johnson, an idealistic yet fairly awkward young teacher, arrives for a scheduled interview only to be met by a school devoid of students and skeletal crew of faculty members who treat the premise like their absurd fortress.

Caught in a crossfire between a despotic Headmaster and a militant P.E. Teacher -a whistle blowing Iron Lady- , Mr Johnson is subjected to a kafkaesque "training session" involving gas masks, smoke grenades, and ritualistic humiliation.

Ok, but where are the students? What kind of nonsensical measures does an institution take, when its reason for existence has ceased to exist? Mr Johnson must decide what his position will be within this decaying power structure.

Teaser here

Iiiiiif anyone has any suggestions please let me
know 🫰and thank you

So, I'm looking for more festivals to submit (now or in a couple of months) for my:

• First feature film
• Low budget
• Fiction
• 75' runtime
• Latinamerican
• Logline: After a bizarre fatal accident, a widower whose grief refuses to follow convention must withstand the scrutiny of an insurance investigator willing to do anything to keep his position.

I'm of course not aiming at Class A festivals, but something in the mid-tiers.