Gen Con Film Festival

Gen Con Film Festival Logo

Filmmakers from around the world gather each year to compete in the Gen Con Film Festival. In 2019, some traveled as far away as Brazil and Denmark to the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis for screenings, film panels, and the awards ceremony. Over the years, films from across the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, Japan, and Great Britain made it a truly international event.

This year, the Film Festival will be more accessible to our attendees than ever with both onsite and online experiences. Films will be screening on site at Gen Con Indy supplemented by a collection of events and panels, and participating films will also be available to stream from the comfort of your home as part of Gen Con Online.

The Gen Con Film Festival focuses on genres that appeal to our gaming attendees. These include fantasy, sci-fi, horror, animation, anime, martial arts, gaming, related parodies, and documentaries.


Gen Con Film Festival Participants


PARTICIPATE IN FILM EVENTS

There are a bunch of different film events, including a slate of both in-person and online panels hosted by many of the filmmakers who submitted films for this year's festival. Check out the list of Gen Con Indy film events or Gen Con Online film events and register for a ticket!

Some events may be recorded to be shared on the Gen Con Film Festival facebook page or in the Gen Con Discord.


Gen Con Discord

The Film Festival has a dedicated channel in the Gen Con Discord for community chat and continued conversations throughout the weekend. Join in the discussion with fellow filmmakers and enthusiasts, recommend your favorite films from the festival to fellow attendees, and maybe even ask a filmmaker themselves about their work. Hope to see you there!


Awards Ceremony

Winners of the Gen Con Film Festival will be announced on Thursday, August 3 at 7pm (Eastern) in Westin : Capital III . For those attending Gen Con Indy, you can get tickets to the in-person event "Gen Con Film Festival Awards Ceremony". Join us in celebration of all the participants and then go check out the films yourself! Category awards are voted upon by a jury of judges and will include the following:

Cash prizes will be awarded in the following categories:

  • Best Feature Film: $1,000
  • Best Web Series: $250
  • Best Short Film: $250

Certificates will be awarded to the following selections:

  • Best Animated Film
  • Best Gamer Film (films that focus directly on gamers or games)
  • Best Documentary Film
  • Best Fantasy Film
  • Best Sci-fi Film
  • Best Horror Film
  • Best Fan Film

The Ovid Award is named after the Roman poet known for his immense influence on imaginative interpretations of classic myths. This award was granted for the first time in 2017 to the "most interesting and creative story" among the Best Short Film entries, regardless of genre. The recipient will receive a $1000 cash prize. The Ovid Award has been made possible through a contribution from a generous anonymous Film Festival benefactor.


Congratulations to the 2022 winners!

  • Best Feature Film: Ticket (Japan)
  • Best Short Film: Reel Trouble (USA)
  • Best Independent Series: The Demon Vlogs (USA)
  • OVID Award: Static Space (USA)
  • Best Horror Film: What Is Buried Must Remain (Lebanon)
  • Best Fantasy Film: Finding Feodan (Canada)
  • Best Sci-fi Film: The Repairman (USA)
  • Best Comedy Film: Fred Crisman: Cabe of the Space Nazis! (USA)
  • Best Gamer Film: The Satanic Panic and the Religious Battle for the Imagination (Canada)
  • Best Fan Film: A Blaster In The Right Hands: A Star Wars Story (Australia)
  • Best Documentary: Mike Mignola: Drawing Monsters (USA)
  • Best Animated Film: Paradise Lost (USA)

Gen Con Film Festival Participants


The 2024 Film Festival

If you'd like to participate next year, submissions for the 2024 Gen Con Film Festival will open in January. Complete information and film submissions will be exclusively available through Film Freeway. Add the Gen Con Film Festival to your list on Film Freeway so you don't miss out!


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