Below, you’ll find the prep list and need-to-know essentials to get you ready for the Fall 2025 FilmQuest. This page will be updated as needs be, so do check-in and feel free to ask questions that may help us update this page if needed. This page will also cover ALL the need to know essentials, so do be sure to read through it if you’re planning to participate so we’re all on the same page moving forward.
Our 12th Edition of FilmQuest!
The 2025 FilmQuest marks our 12th season of celebrating the majesty and might of genre cinema! If you’ve been to FilmQuest before, or if it’s been a while or even your first time, then you 100% need to come and participate not only to see our incredible growth, but to see the legacy of the amazing festival you’ve helped us build.
Virtual Festival via the EO FLIX App (Entertainment Oxygen)
This season’s virtual festival is again presented in partnership with the streaming app EO FLIX – short for Entertainment Oxygen. They’ve made dramatic improvements since their first year with us in 2023, making the app easy for RSVP’sing your seats to film blocks, participating virtually, and more.
To use it, just download the app on your devices, sign up, and follow-up any other steps to start enjoying the films. If you’re a filmmaker with an all-access pass, you’ll be given a special code to access all the films and bonus content. If you’re a FilmQuest fan or associated filmmaker, cast, or crew member for a film, we’ll also get you access to watching all the films.
We’re quite excited about EO and its potential, which is a new streamer that is best described as Netflix meets LinkedIn, connecting filmmakers together while also sharing each others movies. You can add your cast and crew, upload and control your content, connect with other filmmaker’s whose films you like, post job listings, find other producers and investors, and more. EO also works as an app for the festival, allowing you to RSVP for screenings and events. So download the app today, join the community, upload your films (which you are also able to monetize should you choose), and enjoy FilmQuest in a new and fresh way!
The page will be updated frequently with information and links as needs be to get access to the virtual screenings, mixers, and workshops, so come to it often as this is your portal to accessing the festival. Explore EO today!
Virtual Fest EO Access Page: Coming soon
Fest Schedule, Film Info, Program Guide & Nominations
Program Guide & Info: Coming late September/early October
Fest Schedule: Released
Award Nominees: Coming late September
Hotel – Discounted Rate Expires October 2nd , 2025
Downtown Provo Marriott Hotel booking link ($134 per room per night): Hotel Discount Link (click me)
Book ASAP as rooms are limited at the special rate, and the cutoff date for prime nights are September 23rd with final bookings needed by Thursday, October 2nd, 2025!
*IMPORTANT NOTE: While we recommend looking for anywhere to stay in and around Provo based on your budget, we are currently no longer partnered with the Hyatt Place Provo. While a great venue, we fight to get the best rates for our guests and highly recommend booking early while rooms are available through the Downtown Provo Marriott – only a block and three minute walk from the venue. Again, book by Thursday, October 2nd, 2025 for the best rate.
Film Camp! Filmmaker Workshops & Labs
With the 2025 festival, we’re rebranding all our labs and workshops as “FilmQuest Film Camp.” This means that a new separate pass will be available for those who only want to attend these series of filmmaking mastery classes from established film professionals from around the world. These include labs on directing, producing, marketing, distribution, sound design, screenwriting, acting, and more. We wanted to create a top-notch series of workshops that covers the entire filmmaking process, from script to post-production to distribution, and to create the best experience possible we are currently finalizing our guest and workshop/labs list.
In-Person Check-In, Festival & Special Event Passes
1.) When you arrive, come to the front check-in desk and Jonna (our Assistant Director) or a member of our staff will check you and your team in.
2.) Feature films are allotted two festival passes each (normally reserved for the film’s directors unless previously notified). Short films, screenplays (unless they have more than one writer, etc.), web series, etc. are allotted one festival pass per project.
3.) If you have additional cast & crew with you that aren’t covered by the above festival pass rules, they will need to buy either the associated filmmaker VIP full or half pass (depending on how many days they attend).
4.) During check-in, we will also be scheduling you for your complimentary on-site portraits with our festival photographer as well as on-site interviews with our videographer. Don’t miss this appointment, as we’ll only have the allotted windows to get you all in!
5.) To prepare our attendees for any additional costs you may encounter at the festival so there are no surprises when you arrive below are some items you can expect to come across at the festival. While your festival badge covers screenings, labs, panels, and many gatherings, some events do carry extra fees to help us cover costs for venues, staff, food, drink, etc.
Social & Networking Events
- Friday Opening Mixer Dinner – Attend for free, pay directly to restaurant for food and/or drink
- Two Filmmaker Luncheons – Paid directly to the venues
- Axe Throwing Night – Paid directly to the venue to participate or spectate for free
- Midnight Madness – $20 entry fee for non-screening attendees.
- Free Gatherings – Such as our popular Monday Night Game Night and other mixers open to all filmmakers and guests
Special Event Parties
We also host three Special Event Parties, which are open to all but do require a VIP festival pass plus a nominal fee to enter.
- $10 – Entry + Soft Drinks (no food or alcohol)
- $30–$50 – Entry plus Dinner
- $40–$60 – Entry plus Dinner and unlimited alcohol
These fees ensure we can provide a high-quality experience for everyone by covering the costs of the venue, staff, food, and drink. Please note, under Utah liquor laws, we cannot sell an alcohol pass without food. Our venue and bartenders are fully licensed, and sometimes fees are reduced if we have a sponsor partner supporting the event.
All Special Event Parties are advance purchase only, all-inclusive, and no cash will be exchanged at the door. Full details are available at check-in.
Travel from SLC Airport to Downtown Provo
You have a few options here, which are:
Train: There is a train (the Frontrunner) that goes directly from the SLC airport to Provo. From there, a very short uber ride or bus ride will take you to either the Marriott or your place of stay. This train ride takes about 2 hours and is the cheapest option.
Uber/Lyft: I’d recommend avoiding a taxi as it’ll likely be more expensive, but an Uber ride down to Provo is probably the fastest way to get here. We all know how this works, so pretty simple.
Shuttle: There is a shuttle service from the airport to wherever you need to go, but I believe it’s the most expensive option and you’ll have to wait for others to be dropped off along the way.
Rent-a-car: You can of course rent a car. I wouldn’t recommend this unless you plan to travel around the area a bit, and/or if you plan to stick around Utah and enjoy the Memorial Day weekend and then some. Save the money, keep it simple. Everything at the festival is literally a short walk away from each location – like, a less than 5 minute walk.
Provo Airport: Provo has a new regional airport, and has nonstop flights via Allegiant, Breeze Airlines, and American Airlines. These flights come from LAX, Orange County, Florida, Arizona, San Fransisco, Austin, Houston, and more with more destinations and flights being added as the airport continues to expand. Check the dates and availability for more information.
Bring Extra Cash & Swag Bags
We want you to have the most fun and memorable experience possible. Consider these other items as you prepare for the festival:
Petty Cash: We pride ourselves with the sweetest merch in the festival game. So be sure to bring some money to buy yourself some merch like t-shirt, satin jackets, hats, pennants, pins, buttons, keychains, etc. We also accept all major credit cards.
Merchandise: As mentioned above, we sell a bevy of what we believe to be the absolute best merch on the festival circuit. From shoe laces to t-shirt, hats to belt buckles, satin jackets to scarves, we’ve though about all of it. Each year we introduce unique t-shirt designs that sell out fast, while also adding new items to the merch. It doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty stylish as well! Be the envy of your film set and load up on FilmQuest merch!
Concessions: There will be concessions provide at the festival for a small fee. Popcorn, sweets, drinks, etc. will be available to you for the screenings.
Swag Bags: Every Filmmakers & Screenplay VIP badge holder will be given a sweet swag bag, filled with goodies and offers. It’s at lesat $75 in value, so enjoy the prizes inside as our extra special gift to you! We also provide this bag of goodies to everyone who buys a FULL VIP Filmmaker pass (because of the high value of the bags and high demand, we can no longer provide the swag bag for those who only purchase a half VIP filmmaker pass).
Restaurant Discounts
We’ve been working with the local businesses in Provo to provide for you food discounts when you show your access pass. A full list of locations available for discounts will be made available to you upon check-in.
Q&A’s – In-Person & Virtual
IN-PERSON: Every single screening, unless filmmakers are not in attendance, will have a 15 minute Q&A after the screening block. We’ll be recording these Q&A’s for preservation and broadcasting them live via Facebook whenever possible.
VIRTUAL Q&A’s: Due to there being so many time zones and nations to consider for the Q&A’s, making it impossible to do them live, we will be getting pre-recorded Q&A’s from the filmmakers (due Friday, October 10th) and put them with their respective blocks online for the virtual festival on EO. We’ll keep these Q&A’s though for a future FilmQuest YouTube channel we’re launching later this year so they can be seen forever!
Press at the Fall 2025 Fest
Many of the press “attending” the festival will be doing so virtually. While we’re finalizing this press list of those who will be available at the festival in-person and virtually, they’ll be doing interviews, reviewing films, and taking red carpet photos when able.
Virtual press will be watching your films from afar on the EO App, writing reviews, and also reaching out to you at their discretion for interviews and/or additional information.
Distributors at the Fall 2025 Fest
Most of the distributors participating at the festival will be doing so virtually. While we’re finalizing the full distributors list who will be looking for films, we are working to confirm that the premiere genre short film distributors ALTER and DUST will be in attendance, along with several other feature film distributors
Awards, Closing Night Awards Show & Red Carpets
One of the most fun experiences at any fest are the awards. Let’s be honest – everyone wants one! We provide an audio-visual event, that highlights the winners while giving due praise to all the filmmakers.
Trophies vs. Plaques: Not every award gets a Cthulhu. That would be crazy expensive for us. This year also so a HUGE increase in material costs for our full metal trophies due to several external factors, the incoming recession, the war in Ukraine, etc. What we will do is highlight the 12 or so “high profile” categories and award them the coveted Cthulhu Trophy (think Best Feature, Best Director, etc.), and the rest get a high quality, brushed silver plaque.
That said, if you are fortunate enough to win an award and didn’t get a Trophy – you can still get a Cthulhu! You just have to pay for the duplicate when we put in our orders for the next festival, which we do once a year. So you can always get one even if you “only” got the plaque. But be wary – it’s not cheap (but totally worth it)!
Dress Code: There is no dress code – however, we do recommend you come looking like a rock star and being what you feel is your best self. There will be pictures, a small touch of glam, and excitement. So look the part if you desire, but t-shirts and jeans are A-Okay as well.
Red Carpets: There is a 30 foot red carpet on location. This is accessible to you at any time, but there are also designated times we’ll be “glamming” it up as well. We’ll have our photographers there, and it’s really a time to have fun, get those red-carpet essential photos, and be with your friends. Here you’ll also sign the commemorative festival poster, hang out, relax, write, talk to other filmmakers, etc. if not attending a screening or event if not hanging out at The Social
Winners Photos: If you happen to be a winner of either a FilmQuest Cthulhu or a plaque, you’ll get just a touch extra attention after the Awards Show to get pictures your with wins and your team.
Filmmaker Lounge
Partnering with us for the 4th year in a row will be The Social, located a block from Velour where you can lounge, play games, socialize, network, get food, adult beverages, and more. Here you’ll sign the commemorative festival poster, hang out, relax, write, talk to other filmmakers, etc.
The filmmaker’s lounge is a great place to quietly mingle with your new friends, for press to do write-ups, eat some food away from a crowd, or play some vintage arcade games!