2025 AWARD WINNERS
The following list are the winners and full list of nominees (including secret nominees) for the 2025 FilmQuest Awards. The award winners, including the coveted FilmQuest Cthulhu Trophy winners, were announced in full at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on November 1st, 2025 at Velour Live Music Gallery in Downtown Provo, Utah. The 2025 FilmQuest Winners are, as usual, filled with many more deserving films than can possibly win or be nominated. To the nominees, congratulations!
The following winners and nominees were culled from a process that began with a record breaking 2,325 submissions for the 2025 festival. Each Feature Film category, unless otherwise noted, has 6 to 8 nominees. Each Short Film & Other category, unless otherwise noted, has 10 nominees. A “secret” nominee in all short film categories (unless otherwise indicated) will be announced at the Awards Ceremony, however there are no secret nominees for feature films this year. These “secret nominees” often became the winner of their categories, and is our patented twist on the awards process, a unique and fun activity that many have come to enjoy. All “Virtual Exclusive” films are also eligible for awards, and several winners have emerged from this group as well. For this year, all Feature Films are eligible for “Best Feature Film” and as such no specific nomination will be announced at this time for the feature film.
Winners & Nomination laurels for the 2025 season can be found on our site here and via FilmFreeway here.
Congratulations to all the 2025 Award Nominees, and start spreading the word today! Use hashtags #filmquest #prepareforfantastic #filmquest2025 #thebestofthebest #filmquestawards #filmquestwinner #filmquestnominee as you promote online!
BEST FEATURE FILM
Buffet Libre
GRAND PRIZE BEST SHORT FILM
The Singers
BEST COMEDY SHORT
The Sentry
BEST FANTASTIC & BEYOND SHORT
The Singers
BEST FANTASY SHORT
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting
BEST FOREIGN SHORT
Two People Exchanging Saliva
BEST HORROR SHORT
Gimme
BEST MICRO SHORT
Milk
BEST MINI SHORT
Loud
BEST MIDNIGHT SHORT
Red Ribbons in the House of Stained Glass
BEST SCI-FI SHORT
The Lord of All Future Space & Time
BEST STUDENT SHORT
The Demon Core
BEST UTAH SHORT
I Hid My Heart Inside My Head
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Dreamwalker
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Chokin’ (Kai Straw)
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Rat Rod
BEST FOUND FOOTAGE FEATURE
Frogman Returns
BEST FOUND FOOTAGE SHORT
Devil’s Prism
THE MINERVA AWARD
Jill Sachs for “Taga”
BEST DIRECTOR – FEATURE
The Flesh Itself – Ian SBF
BEST SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
Buffet Libre – Zoe Berriatúa
BEST ACTOR – FEATURE (TIE)
Orion – Drew Van Acker
Peeping Todd – Chris Alan Evans
BEST ACTRESS – FEATURE
Buffet Libre – Yan Huang
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – FEATURE
Bad Haircut – Frankie Ray
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FEATURE
Influencers – Emily Tennant
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – FEATURE
Damned If You Do
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – FEATURE
Influencers
BEST EDITING – FEATURE
Appofeniacs
BEST SOUND – FEATURE
Influencers
BEST SCORE – FEATURE
Peeping Todd
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – FEATURE
The Flesh Itself
BEST COSTUMES – FEATURE
The Flesh Itself
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – FEATURE
Orion
BEST MAKEUP – FEATURE
Jump Scare
BEST DIRECTOR – SHORT
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting – Alexander Thompson
BEST SCREENPLAY – SHORT
The Lord of All Future Space & Time – Chris Paul Russell
BEST ACTOR – SHORT (TIE)
Inheritance – Anthony Misiano
The Demon Core – Connor Paolo
BEST ACTRESS – SHORT
The Other Girl – Madeleine Coghlan
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SHORT
Chasers – Louie Chapman
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SHORT
Nightfall – Teri Hatcher
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – SHORT
The Singers
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SHORT
The Companions
BEST EDITING – SHORT
Rough Cut
BEST SOUND – SHORT
Blindsided
BEST SCORE – SHORT
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting**
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN/ART DIRECTION – SHORT
Jacques the Giant Slayer
BEST COSTUMES – SHORT
Margaret the Brave
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS – SHORT
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting
BEST MAKEUP – SHORT
Frankenbabes from Beyond the Grave!
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
1st Place – The Re-Education of Jane Brown by MK McGehee
2nd Place – The Experience by Anna Kathryn Long & Olivia Haller
3rd Place – Beneath the Undercurrent by Helen Alexis Yonov
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – SHORT
1st Place – Meeting Your Maker by Gregory JM Kasunich
2nd Place – Eval by Katherine LaVictoire
3rd Place – The Bonding by Vincente DiSanti
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – LONG PILOT
1st Place – The Spirit Photographer by Joey Scoma
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – SHORT PILOT
1st Place – Buried by the Dark by Joe Mitchell
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – FEATURE – TOP 20
Beast with Two Backs by Amanda Jane Stern
Beneath the Undercurrent by Helen Alexis Yonov
Bitter Harvest by Jack Warner
Brick Fist by Rob Neilson & Colin Ochs
Carnal by Taylor Olson
Charades by Avishai Weinberger & Ari Marmell
Ecclesia: Cold Sun by J. Patrick Nunn
Gains by James Tison
Necrotica by Wesley Drent
Oar River by Jody McNicholas
Residue by Matilda Szydagis
Respirar by August Joaquim Soto
The Crude by Zach Green
The Experience by Anna Kathryn Long & Olivia Haller
The Farm by Craig Urquhart
The Nightchaser by Edward Balli
The Night Mother by David Todd Ocvirk
The Re-Education of Jane Brown by MK McGehee
The Sacrament by Brianna de Silva
Violent Delights by Jack Warren
What’s Wrong, Wendy by Spooky Madison
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – SHORT – TOP 10
Cyclical by Kaitlin N. Larson
Doomsday for Dodos by Miguel Vega
Eval by Katherine LaVictoire
Eve by Kirsten Spalding
Fetch by Patrick Curran
Frankie by Rachel Thomas Medwid
Meeting Your Maker by Gregory JM Kasunich
The Bonding by Vincent DiSanti
The Menacing Orb by Patrick Curran
The Thompson Girls by William Vincent
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – PILOT LONG FORM – TOP 3
Gilgul by Adam Shiri
Monarch by Mauricio Herrera Manzur
The Spirit Photographer by Joey Scoma
BEST UN-PRODUCED SCREENPLAY – PILOT SHORT FORM – TOP 3
Buried by the Dark by Joe Mitchell
Pearly Gate Estates by James Crisp
Power Couple by Ari Donnelly
All Un-produced Screenplay Competition judging was done by a group of third party professional judges.
**Indicates winner was a secret nominee
Live Awards Show Stream (Part 1) – courtesy of Social House Films
Live Awards Show Stream (Part 2) – courtesy of Social House Films
2025 NOMINEES (COMPLETE LIST)
BEST FEATURE FILM
All 17 Features in Competition
BEST FOUND FOOTAGE FEATURE
Frogman Returns
We Put the World to Sleep
BEST COMEDY SHORT
Alpaca
Beauty Sleep
Butter Knife
Five Star
Guardian Asshole
Max Distance
The Man That I Wave At
The Quackening
The Sentry
SECRET NOMINEE: Supper
BEST FANTASTIC & BEYOND SHORT
Are you F*cking Kidding Me
Chasers
Don’t Watch This
Foxbody
Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart
Stroke of Genius
The Ride
The Singers
Very Prosperous Men
SECRET NOMINEE: Would You Rather
BEST FANTASY SHORT
Bluebird
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting
Iurima: A Tale of Three Fisherman
Jacques the Giant Slayer
Man & Mattress
Margaret The Brave
Pearls
Teddy
The Pearl Comb
SECRET NOMINEE: Triptych
BEST FOREIGN SHORT
Hard Cash (Germany)
Last Night Together (S. Korea)
Once Upon a Time in the Apocalypse (Portugal)
Pasung (Indonesia)
The Cauldron (Slovenia)
The Companions (Spain)
The Leader Will Come (Belgium)
Two People Exchanging Saliva (France)
Yathoom (United Arab Emirates)
SECRET NOMINEE: The Rat Among Us (Sweden)
BEST HORROR SHORT
Death Red
Gimme
Grandma is Thirsty
Masks
Monster Medicine
Taga
The Last Draft
The Night Within
The Sequence
SECRET NOMINEE: The Conduit
BEST MIDNIGHT SHORT
Balls
Bidet
Frankenbabes from Beyond the Grave!
Grunge
Open Wide
Red Ribbons in the House of Stained Glass
Rough Cut
Scissor Sleepover
Wall Udder
SECRET NOMINEE: Sewing Machine
BEST MICRO SHORT
A World of Ashes
Chips or Crackers
Is That a Mime?
Metanoia
Milk
My Left Hand is a Part of Me
Skeeter
The Nightwalker
Treasure Imagination
SECRET NOMINEE: Tacocunr
BEST MINI SHORT
And They Shall Handle Serpents
Blindsided
Crowded Out
Eeothoh
Loud
Meat Crayon
One Second
Strip Mall
Tapestry
SECRET NOMINEE: Daddy is a Hunter
BEST SCI-FI SHORT
Amira
Bot or Not
Dual
Houston, We Have a Crush
Neuro
Sim
The Camcorder
The Lord of All Future Space & Time
The Traveler
SECRET NOMINEE: Triangle
BEST STUDENT SHORT
A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers
Dissent
Ever After
Pulpitum
Strawberry Shortcake
Take Two
The Demon Core
The King in Yellow
Under the Ice
SECRET NOMINEE: Glory Hole
BEST UTAH SHORT
A Ghosted Heart
Be Not Afraid
Cyranø
Dead Pen Tracks
I Hid My Heart Inside My Head
The Falling
The Father/The Son
The Relic
The Split
SECRET NOMINEE: Radio Silence
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
*No Secret Nominee
A World with No Fences
Breaking the Line: The Peta Searl Story
Rat Rod
This Werewolf Complex
Visible Woman
BEST FOUND FOOTAGE SHORT
*No Secret Nominee
Devil’s Prism
Follow You
New Followers
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Animal Math
Dagon
Dreamwalker
Flocky
Help Me Tom
In Half
Love & Gold
Next Show in 90 Minutes
Shrine of Abominations
SECRET NOMINEE: The Ottoman
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Born at Night – Pile
Chokin’ – Kai Straw
Dear Sara – Lola Blanc
Embalmed – Die Shiny
Good Life – Jeff Hilliard
IRL – Lowswimmer
Lamento – Gaby Moreno
Loser – Elli Moore
W.H.W.D. – Timothy Hautekiet
SECRET NOMINEE: Dark Things – Starset
THE MINERVA AWARD
(Awarded to a short film female identifying filmmaker/duo/group whose work embodies the advancement of the voice and empowerment of the female filmmaker in genre cinema today. Must have been a film directed, written, and/or produced by the same female filmmaker.) (*No Secret Nominee)
Alexah Acuña – Thump
Alexandre Singh & Natalie Musteata – Two People Exchanging Saliva
Brittany Ashley – Take Care
Erin Brown Thomas – Chasers / Tacocunr
Faith Liu – Sundowning
Iris Dukat – Long Pork
Jill Sachs – Taga
Kika Magalhães – Devil’s Prism
Lucía Forner Segarra – Berta
Madeleine Coghlan – The Other Girl
Meredith Berg – Tether
Nee Kirschman – Scissor Sleepover
Sylvia Caminer – Alpaca
Veronica Felicity Johnson – Monster Medicine
Wendy Wang – The Man Upstairs
BEST DIRECTOR – FEATURE
Appofeniacs – Chris Marrs Piliero
Buffet Libre – Zoe Berriatúa
Hacked – Shane Brady
Influencers – Kurtis David Harder
Labyrinth – Ryuhei Kitamura
Orion – Jaco Bouwer
Syphon – Tom Botchii
The Flesh Itself – Ian Sbf
BEST SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
Buffet Libre – Zoe Berriatúa
Damned If You Do – Eric Gilde & Ellen Adair
Hacked – Shane Brady
Influencers – Kurtis David Harder
Kombucha – Geoff Bakken & Jake Myers
Orion – Anne Vithayathil
Peeping Todd – Chris Alan Evans & Josh Munds
The Cramps – Brooke H. Cellars
The Flesh Itself – Deive Pazos, Alexandre Ottoni and Ian Sbf
BEST ACTOR – FEATURE
Bad Haircut – Spencer Harrison Levin
Buffet Libre – Carlos Wu
Kombucha – Terrence Carey
Orion – Drew Van Acker
Peeping Todd – Chris Alan Evans
Syphon – Jeffrey Decker
Syphon – Shuhei Kinoshita
The Flesh Itself – Luiz Carlos Persy
BEST ACTRESS – FEATURE
Buffet Libre – Yan Huang
Damned If You Do – Kate Siegal
I See the Demon – Alexis Zollicoffer
Influencers – Cassandra Naud
Labyrinth – Alexxis Lemire
Peeping Todd – Mabel Thomas
We Put to the World to Sleep – Duru Yücel
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – FEATURE
Appofeniacs – Sean Gunn
Bad Haircut – Frankie Ray
Damned If You Do – Harvey Guillén
Hacked – Chandler Riggs
I See the Demon – Dave Martinez
Influencers – Jonathan Whitesell
Orion – Andrew McCarthy
The Flesh Itself – Jorge Guerreiro
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FEATURE
Damned If You Do – Beth Dover
Hacked – Katelyn Nacon
Influencers – Emily Tennant
Influencers – Georgina Campbell
Jump Scare – Natasha Estrada
Kombucha – Claire McFadden
Orion – Debby Ryan
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – FEATURE
Appofeniacs
Bad Haircut
Damned If You Do
I See the Demon
Influencers
Labyrinth
Peeping Todd
The Cramps
The Flesh Itself
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – FEATURE
Appofeniacs
Bad Haircut
Buffet Libre
Influencers
Jump Scare
Orion
Syphon
The Cramps
BEST EDITING – FEATURE
Appofeniacs
Damned If You Do
Frogman Returns
Hacked
I See the Demon
Syphon
We Put the World to Sleep
BEST SOUND – FEATURE
Appofeniacs
Hacked
Influencers
Jump Scare
Orion
The Flesh Itself
BEST SCORE – FEATURE
Damned If You Do
Hacked
I See the Demon
Jump Scare
Peeping Todd
The Cramps
The Flesh Itself
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN / ART DIRECTION – FEATURE
Bad Haircut
Jump Scare
Labyrinth
Orion
The Cramps
The Flesh Itself
BEST COSTUMES – FEATURE
Jump Scare
Orion
The Cramps
The Flesh Itself
BEST VISUAL FX – FEATURE
Frogman Returns
I See the Demon
Jump Scare
Kombucha
Labyrinth
Orion
BEST MAKEUP FX – FEATURE
Buffet Libre
Frogman Returns
Jump Scare
Kombucha
Labyrinth
The Cramps
BEST DIRECTOR – SHORT
Chasers – Erin Brown Thomas
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting – Alexander Thompson
Foxbody – Cameron Monaghan
Gimme – Steven Schloss
Margaret the Brave – Danny Chandia
The Lord of All Future Space & Time – Chris Paul Russell
The Sentry – Jake Wachtel
The Singers – Sam Davis
Very Prosperous Men – Josiah Walker
SECRET NOMINEE: Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart – Julian Doan
BEST SCREENPLAY – SHORT
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting – Alexander Thompson
Margaret the Brave – Danny Chandia
Supper – Joshua Ryan Dietz
The Conduit – Conor Soucy & Zack Kampf
The Lord of All Future Space & Time – Chris Paul Russell
The Pearl Comb – Ali Cook
The Ride – Grigory Borodavkin & Slava Denisov
Two People Exchanging Saliva – Alexandre Singh & Natalie Musteata
Very Prosperous Men – Josh Oakly & Josiah Walker
SECRET NOMINEE: Stroke of Genius – Charlie Brafman
BEST ACTRESS – SHORT
Chasers – Ciarra Krohne
Don’t Watch This – Natalie Polisson
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting – Milly Shapiro
Foxbody – Kelli Berglund
Long Pork – Lena Headey
Maraschino – Lacey Claire Rogers
Solipsis – Jennifer-Lynn Christie
Take Care – Courtney Pauroso
The Other Girl – Madeleine Coghlan
SECRET NOMINEE: The Traveler – Natalie Knepp
BEST ACTOR – SHORT
Inheritance – Anthony Misiano
Jacques the Giant Slayer – Aaron Moorhead
Margaret the Brave – Roberto Raad
Nightfall – Guy Hershler
Self-Tape – Nick Samson
Stroke of Genius – Maxim Baldry
The Demon Core – Connor Paolo
The Waking Call – Michael Maggi
Tusky – Phil Davis
SECRET NOMINEE: The Sentry – Daniel Raymont
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SHORT
Belly Belly – Katie Lynn Stoddard
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting – Pollyanna McIntosh
Forever, Caroline – Sierra Harper
Guardian Asshole – Constance Zimmer
Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart – Hồng Đào
Margaret the Brave – Veronica Mitsuk
Nightfall – Teri Hatcher
Take Care – Stephanie Courtney
The Mortician’s Daughter – Bonnie Aarons
SECRET NOMINEE: The Pearl Comb – Beatie Edney
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SHORT
All Us Animals – Nick Puya
Bloodsport – Robert Bathurst
Chasers – Louie Chapman
Forever, Caroline – William Mann
Max Distance – David Brown
Max Distance – Jon Daly
Self-Tape – Jonathan Dylan King
Soulmate – Joe Dempsie
The Other Girl – Chris Conner
The Sentry – Dara Phang
SECRET NOMINEE: The Demon Core – Sam Jacobs
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – SHORT
*No Secret Nominee
Agonist
Bot or Not
Chasers
Dadda
Fireflies in the Dusk
Last Night Together
My Dead Dad’s Funeral
Pocket Change
Slush
Supper
The Demon Core
The Leader Will Come
The Singers
Unalived
Very Prosperous Men
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SHORT
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting
Gimme
Metanoia
Neuro
The Companions
The Lord of All Future Space & Time
The Singers
Under the Ice
Yathoom
SECRET NOMINEE: Jacques the Giant Slayer
BEST EDITING – SHORT
A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers
Belly Belly
Dunwich
Margaret the Brave
Rough Cut
The Conduit
The Lord of All Future Space & Time
Undertone
You Have Her Eyes
SECRET NOMINEE: Gimme
BEST SOUND – SHORT
Blindsided
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting
Gimme
Loud
Never Let You Go
No Trouble
The Conduit
Triangle
Undertone
SECRET NOMINEE: The Lord of All Future Space & Time
BEST SCORE – SHORT
A World with No Fences
Animal Math
Gimme
Margaret the Brave
Plastic Surgery
Red Ribbons in the House of Stained Glass
Tasteless
The Lord of All Future Space & Time
The Specter of Christmas
SECRET NOMINEE: Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN / ART DIRECTION – SHORT
Cavewoman
Gimme
Jacques the Giant Slayer
Margaret the Brave
Starfisher
The Demon Core
The Pearl Comb
The Specter of Christmas
Triangle
SECRET NOMINEE: Neuro
BEST COSTUMES – SHORT
Bluebird
Frankenbabes from Beyond the Grave
Kukeri
Margaret the Brave
Neuro
The Golem
The Lord of All Future Space & Time
The Pearl Comb
The Specter of Christmas
SECRET NOMINEE: Amira
BEST VISUAL FX – SHORT
Drifters
Dual
Dunwich
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting
Guardian Asshole
Margaret the Brave
The Lord of All Future Space & Time
The Saint Antoine
Wizdom
SECRET NOMINEE: The Quackening
BEST MAKEUP FX – SHORT
Frankenbabes from Beyond the Grave
Grandma is Thirsty
Inheritance
Jacques the Giant Slayer
Monster Medicine
Pearls
Plastic Surgery
VÄSEN
Where the Shadows Feast
SECRET NOMINEE: Houston, We Have a Crush
CONGRATULATIONS to ALL the 2025 FilmQuest Award Nominees & Screenplay Finalists!
FILMQUEST 2025 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
The 2025 FilmQuest saw 2,325 films and screenplays submitted for consideration, shattering yet again our record for submissions with a 30% increase over 2024, which made judging and selecting this year’s lineup the most difficult ever for our programming team. From these submissions, the jury made our Official Selections across several categories from around the world to play and compete at the 12th edition 2025 FilmQuest Festival.
Screenplay finalists were chosen by a group of professional third party judges, of which the top 25% of the un-produced screenplays in both the feature and short film categories were chosen. These finalists can be seen below the film selections on this page.
A total of 37 nations are represented in the final selections from a field that saw over 65 countries submit to the festival for consideration. 60% of all films selected were either written, directed, and/or produced by a female filmmaker.
The 12th annual FilmQuest will take place October 23rd – November 1st, 2025 at the Velour Live Music Gallery in beautiful Downtown Provo, Utah. VIP Passes are now on sale, with tickets for individual screenings and events going on sale once the schedule of events and screenings are finalized by the last week of September. A virtual cinema, with selections screening exclusively online will also be a part of the festival, will be hosted with our festival streaming platform partner EO Flix, aka EO (download the mobile app today). More information on how to access the films for the online screenings will be coming in September. The website will also be fully updated in September with information on every film and screenplay in preparation for the physical festival this Fall.
Nominations will be announced for all awards at a later date in September. Premiere statuses TBD. Selections are subject to change before the festival.
Start planning your FilmQuest experience today and prepare for Fantastic as our 12th season is going to be a can’t miss experience and event attended by filmmakers, screenwriters, actors, and press from around the world!
FEATURE FILMS
Appofeniacs – (Regional Premiere) USA
Bad Haircut – (Regional Premiere) USA
Buffet Libre – (World Premiere) Spain
Damned If You Do – (Regional Premiere) USA
Frogman Returns – (Regional Premiere) USA
Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma – (Regional Premiere) USA
I See the Demon – (Regional Premiere) USA
Influencers – (Regional Premiere) Canada
Jump Scare – (World Premiere) USA
Kombucha – (Regional Premiere) USA
Labyrinth – (Regional Premiere) USA
Orion – (World Premiere) USA
Peeping Todd – (Regional Premiere) USA
Syphon – (North American Premiere) USA
The Cramps: A Period Piece – (Regional Premiere) USA
The Flesh Itself – (North American Premiere) Brazil
We Put the World to Sleep – (Regional Premiere) Romania & Turkey
SHORT FILMS
COMEDY, DARK COMEDY & FANTASY/HORROR/SCI-FI COMEDY SHORTS
401 – USA
A Reconciliation at the Donut Shop – USA
Alpaca – USA
Are You Fucking Kidding Me? – USA
Baby Tooth – USA
Balls – USA
Banjo – USA
Bart & Bobbi Kill Each Other – USA
Beauty Sleep – United Kingdom
Better Luck Than Chuck (Pilot Episode) – USA
Bidet – Canada
Bill – United Kingdom
Blossom Needs a Ride Home – USA
Bone – USA
Butter Knife – Canada
Cavewoman – USA
CHÄIR – USA
Cheat Meal – USA
Chips or Crackers – USA
Crowded Out – USA
Dawn of the Ick – Ireland
End of Things – USA
Endzgiving – USA
Fireflies in the Dusk – USA
Five Star – USA
Follow You – Canada
Frankenbabes from Beyond the Grave! – USA
Gemini – USA
Guardian Asshole – USA
Halfway Haunted – Canada
Hand – USA
Help, I’m Alien Pregnant – New Zealand
Houston, We Have a Crush – USA
Humpty Dumpty’s Last Stand – USA
Inventing – USA
Is That a Mime? – USA
Man and Mattress – USA
Max Distance – USA
Milk – USA
Miracle Wood – USA
My Dead Dad’s Funeral – USA
My Left Hand is a Part of Me – USA
Obey! – USA
OK/NOTOK – United Kingdom
Oliver – Canada
Open Wide – USA
Poly Baggage – USA
Scissor Sleepover – USA
She Devil – USA
Skate Bait – Canada
Skeeter – USA
Something Real – Netherlands & USA
Spanked by a Ghost – USA
Star-Crossed – USA
Starver – Iran
Status: Active – USA
Supper – USA
Tacocunr – USA
Take Care – USA
Terror Night – Sweden
The Leader Will Come – Belgium
The Man That I Wave At – United Kingdom
The Quackening – Wales
The Rug – Canada
The Sentry – Cambodia, Norway & USA
The Time Capsule – USA
Tide for MAGA – USA
Trad – USA
Unalived – USA
Wall Udder – USA
Weirdest Shit – USA
Whole – USA
Worst. Experience. Ever. – United Kingdom
Would You Rather – Ireland
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
A World with No Fences – USA
Breaking the Line: The Peta Searle Story – Australia
This Werewolf Complex – United Kingdom
Visible Woman – USA
FANTASTIC SHORTS
All Us Animals – USA
Chasers – USA
Foxbody – USA
Jacques the Giant Slayer – USA
No Trouble – USA
Pinion – USA
Restraining Order – Israel
Stroke of Genius – United Kingdom
The Rat Among Us – Sweden
The Ride – USA
The Singers – USA
FANTASY & DARK FANTASY SHORTS
Bluebird – Australia
Eeohtoh – USA
Em & Selma Go Griffin Hunting – USA
Gator Girl – USA
Iurima: A Tale of Three Fishermen – Finland
Kukeri – Bulgaria
M.U.B. – USA
Margaret the Brave – USA
Moti – India
Teddy – Norway
The Nightwalker – USA
The Pearl Comb – United Kingdom
The Traveler & The Troll – USA
Treasure Imagination – USA
HORROR & THRILLER SHORTS
A Drive at Dawn – United Kingdom
Agonist – USA
And They Shall Handle Serpents – USA
Belly Belly – USA
Berta – Spain
Blindsided – USA
Blood Boys – USA
Bloodsport – United Kingdom
Boy Band – USA
Call 154 – USA
Dead End – USA
Death Red – USA
Defile – Canada
Devil’s Prism – USA
dont.4get2smile – USA
Dunwich – USA
Feast – USA
Forever, Caroline – USA
Gimme – USA
Grandma is Thirsty – United Kingdom
Grima – USA
Grizzly Peak – USA
Grunge – USA
Haint – USA
Heirlooms – Canada & USA
Help – USA
Housewife – USA
Inheritance – USA
Junk – USA
Just a Game – USA
Just Wait – USA
Long Pork – USA
Loud – Canada
Masks – USA
Meat Crayon – Canada
Midnight Movie Club – USA
Mimic – USA
Monster Medicine – USA
Necrosectos – Spain
Never Let You Go – USA
New Followers – New Zealand
Plastic Surgery – United Kingdom
Red Ribbons in the House of Stained Glass – USA
REM – USA
Rough Cut – USA
Seance for the ‘Gram – USA
Self-Tape – USA
Sewing Machine – USA
Sins of the Father – USA
Skinwalker – USA
Slaughterhouse – United Kingdom
Sleep Tight – USA
Sundowning – USA
Taga – Philipines & USA
Tapestry – USA
The Cauldron – Slovenia
The Conduit – USA
The Last Draft – USA
The Man Upstairs – USA
The Mortician’s Daughter – USA
The Night Within – USA
The Sequence – USA
The Smell of Sin – USA
The Specter of Christmas – USA
Time Eater – Canada
Triangle – Spain
Väsen – Sweden
Vermin – USA
Vowels – USA
Where the Shadows Feast – USA
Will Helm – USA
Yathoom – United Arab Emirates
You Have Her Eyes – USA
SCI-FI & THE BEYOND SHORTS
A World of Ashes – France
Amira – Spain
Bear – Australia
Benny’s Second Birthday – USA
Bot or Not – USA
Daddy is a Hunter – USA
Deep Dish Dimples – USA
Don’t Watch This – USA
Dream Machine – USA
Drifters – Canada
Dual – USA
Hard Cash – Germany
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead – USA
Jake Goes on a Date – United Kingdom
Last Night Together – South Korea
Let It Flow – United Kingdom
Lone Mountain – USA
Long’s Long Lost & Mini Mart – USA
Maelström – United Kingdom
Metanoia – USA
Muted – USA
Neuro – USA
Nightfall – USA
Once Upon a Time in the Apocalypse – Portugal
One Minute Ahead – USA
One Second – USA
Pandora, Inc. – USA
Pasung (The Wooden Stocks) – Indonesia
Pearls – United Kingdom
Pocket Change – USA
SCP: Containment Breach – USA
Shitfly – USA
Sim – Belgium
Simon – Spain
Slow – USA
Slush – USA
Solipsis – Canada
Soulmate – United Kingdom
Spool – USA
Starfisher – USA
Stomach It – USA
Strip Mall – Canada
Tasteless – USA
Tether – USA
Texas Strange – USA
The Bait – United Kingdom
The Camcorder – USA
The Companions – Spain
The Hiring Protocol – France
The Lord of All Future Space & Time – USA
The Other Girl – USA
The Saint Antoine – Spain
The Traveler – USA
The Vanity – USA
The Waking Call – Italy & USA
The Wanderer – USA
The Woman in the Bed – United Kingdom
Thrift Store Ouija Board – USA
Thump – USA
Tracers – USA
Triptych – United Kingdom
Tusky – United Kingdom
Two People Exchanging Saliva – France
Undertone – United Kingdom
Very Prosperous Men – USA
Wizdom – USA
UTAH SHORTS
A Ghosted Heart – USA
Be Not Afraid – USA
Cyranø – USA
Dead Pen Tracks – USA
I Hid My Heart Inside My Head – USA
Love & Gold (Animation) – USA
Microplastics and Me (Animation) – USA
Radio Silence – USA
Rat Rod (Documentary) – USA
Shadow Rabbit – USA
The Diving Bell – USA
The Falling – USA
The Father/The Son – USA
The Lemon Yellow Tights with Cats – USA
The Lonely Wanderer (Music Video) – USA
The Relic – USA
The Split – USA
STUDENT FILMS
COMEDY & DARK COMEDY STUDENT FILMS
Check Please (Northwestern) – USA
Dadda (AFI) – USA
Maraschino (AFI) – USA
FANTASTIC STUDENT FILMS
A Brighter Summer Day for the Lady Avengers (San Francisco State) – Taiwan
Strawberry Shortcake (Columbia) – Taiwan
The Demon Core (USC) – USA
FANTASY STUDENT FILMS
Ever After (Film Academy Vienna) – Austria
HORROR & THRILLER STUDENT FILMS
Dissent (ArtCenter College of Design) – USA & United Arab Emirates
Glory Hole (ESCAC) – Spain
The Golem (Columbia) – Canada & USA
The Hand of Darkness (Chapman)) – USA
The King in Yellow (USC) – USA
SCI-FI & THE BEYOND STUDENT FILMS
Pulpitum (High School) – USA
Take Two (SCAD) – USA
Under the Ice (ZHDK) – Switzerland
ANIMATED FILMS
113 Words for You Today – China, Taiwan & USA
Almost Ten – USA
Animal Math – USA
Cosmic Crash – Germany
Crimson Harbor – Spain
Dagon – Italy
Dino Doki Magisaurs – USA
Dreamwalker – United Kingdom
Emersion – United Kingdom
Flocky – Spain
Franken Struck – USA
Help Me Tom – China
I Beg Your Pardon – USA
In Half – Spain
Monitor – USA
Next Show in 90 Minutes – USA
Observer – USA
Poppa – USA
Shrine of Abominations – USA
Terror in the Valley – USA
The Ottoman – USA
The Synthetic Age – Greece
The Trashmen – USA
Tortured Artist – United Kingdom
Trial of the Concubine – USA
Wracu – USA
MUSIC VIDEOS
American Zombie (Lolo) – USA
Baza (Richard Akam) – United Kingdom
Begin Again (Matt Farren) – USA
Born At Night (Pile) – USA
Buddha Was a Rich Boy (That Handsome Devil) – USA
Chokin’ (Kai Straw) – USA
Dark Things (Starset) – USA
Dear Sara (Lola Blanc) – USA
Embambled (Die Shiny – Utah) – USA
Everybody (Lola Blanc) – USA
Good Life (Jeff Hilliard) – USA
Gran Buffalo (Laboratorios Moreno) – Mexico
Hatman (Capital Vice) – USA
IRL (Lowswimmer) – United Kingdom
Lamento (Gaby Moreno) – USA
Loser (Elli Moore) – USA
Omar, Pray for the Prophet (Omar Hosni) – Saudi Arabia
Postcards from the Chalet – United Kingdom
RIXXA (Curra) – USA
Silicone Wave – Tal Rom Remix (Jeff HIlliard) – USA
They Look Like Shadows (Neon Nightmare) – USA
W.H.W.D. (Timothy Hautekiet) – USA
SCREENPLAYS
All un-produced screenplay finalists chosen by a team of third party judges. Finalists are the Top 25% of un-produced screenplays in their respective categories. We have also introduced a new category for un-produced screenplays with pilots for both long-form and short-form pilots. Winners and Top 20 (Features) and Top 5 (Shorts) will be announced at the festival. Semi-Finalists and Quarter-Finalists in the competition are currently listed on the website.
SCREENPLAY FINALISTS – FEATURES (Top 25%)
A Dead Man’s Coffers by G.S. Leitgeb
Beast with Two Backs by Amanda Jane Stern
Beneath the Undercurrent by Helen Alexis Yonov
Birth of a Supervillain by Alec Gibbons
Bitter Harvest by Jack Warner
Blood of Israel by Davey Morrison
Brick Fist by Rob Neilson & Colin Ochs
Caligo Inn by Shaun Delliskave
Carnal by Taylor Olson
Charades by Avishai Weinberger & Ari Marmell
Deathsled by Wesley Steven Drent
Don’t Let Them In by David Lawrence & Heather Foster
Drain by Kazimiera Szyperski & Matthew Kollar
Ecclesia: Cold Sun by J. Patrick Nunn
Exuvium by Jordan Blaiklee Miller
False Moon by John Hintz
Gains by James Tison
Hogwash by Ryan Love
Human Skinsuit by Stephen Vanderpool
I Don’t Want To Fight Anymore by James Tison
I Found a Gun by Will Lee & Ian Hedman
Love to Watch You Bleed by Virginia Powers Hendry & Amanda Ellis
Michael Saint by Samer Saifan
Midnight Sun by Joseph Day
Mon$ter Parties by Omar Attia
Nasty Trick by Brad Bergeron
Necrotica by Wesley Steven Drent
Nightlings by Mike Disa
No More Good Girls by Shahine Ezell
Oar River by Jody McNicholas
One More Time With Feeling by Isabella Rebecca Vergun
Ostrich Boy by Ricardo Bonisoli, Holly Pavilk, Rodmon Sevilla
Pray with a Bullet by Julius Galacki
Remington by Stephonika W. Kaye
Residue by Matilda Szydagis
Respirar by August Joaquim Soto
Roach Bit by A.K. Espada
Sa’Be: The Legend of Bigfoot by Benjamin Sarno
Slumber by Jared Michael Delaney
Sunnyside 666 by Benjamin G. Sarno
Tear Me to Pieces by VJ Mancuso
The Crude by Zach Green
The Experience by Anna Kathryn Long & Olivia Haller
The Farm by Craig Urquhart
The Hunted by Anissa Matlok & Leonardo J. Leonie
The Last Schoolhouse by Adam William Galassi
The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair by Ryan Mekenian
The Night Mother by David Todd Ocvirk
The Nightchaser by Edward Balli
The Re-Education of Jane Brown by MK McGehee
The Sacrament by Brianna da Silva
The Seer by Brady Jacquin & Shelby Flaherty
The Watchmaker by Adam Getz
This Wound I Call My Soul by Geroge Rhodes Wessel
Thrash by Kieran Shea & David Osorio
Treasure Trap by Jack Warner
Ultimate Werewolf by Brian Ulrich
Violent Delights by Jack Warren
What Lurks Above by Jeffrey Howe
What’s Wrong, Wendy? by Spooky Madison
Woo Girls by Julie Sharbutt
Yermomenem of the Dead by Scott Simpson
SCREENPLAY FINALISTS – LONG PILOTS (Top 7)
Aris by V.P. Evans
Brain Worms by VJ Mancuso
Children of the Night by Brian R. Hauser
Gilgul by Adam Shiri
Lily and the Kid by Shane Morrisun
Monarch by Mauricio Herrera Manzur
The Spirit Photographer by Joey Scoma
SCREENPLAY FINALISTS – SHORTS (Top 25%)
Ash Hole by Victoria Fratz Fradkin
Bad Mourning by Meg Swetlow
Black Iris by Matthew Shawn Miller
Carne by Bryan Mittelstadt
Cut by Sean Kenealy
Cyclical by Kaitlin N. Larson
Doomsday for Dodos by Miguel Vega
Dysphoria? by Anissa Matlock
Eval by Katherine LaVictoire
Eve by Kirsten Spalding
Fetch by Patrick Curran
Frankie by Rachel Thomas-Medwid
Gouge by Kade Linville
High-Rise by Jerry D. Ochoa
Hypnagogia by Jerry J. Sampson
Legendary Street Team by David Bornstein
Lyla’s Last Dance by Michael Clifton
Manclave by Frederik Ehrhardt
Meeting Your Maker by Gregory JM Kasunich
Miséria by J.C. McNaughton
Our Home is Better Buried by Michaela Barton
Pluck by Eva Louise Hall
Second Honeymoon by Ken Teutsch
Soft by Matt Moeller
Spectacle Society by Alison Leigh Valente
Stuck by Shannon Brown
The Bonding by Vincente DiSanti
The Drowning of a Witch’s Kin by Kent David Green
The Elevator Pitch: Or How I Got Stuck in an Elevator with the Incomparable Doug Jones by Kieran Shea
The Job Interview by Pierfranco Allegri
The Menacing Orb by Ryan Callahan
The Sangria Murders by Robert Tiemstra
The Stain by Phil Bucci
The Thompson Girls by William Vincent
We’re Not Them by Stirling McLaughlin & Wilder Konschak
ZMB-17: Deadbeat by J. Rhys Kaiser
SCREENPLAY FINALISTS – SHORT PILOTS (Top 10)
Buried by the Dark by Joe Mitchell
Goody by Julie Sharbutt
Hekate: The Awakening by Christina Barsie
Jack’d by Mike Ede
Kenny, Camera! by Michael Clifton
Paired by Liz Anderson
Pearly Gate Estates by James Crisp
Power Couple by Ari Donnelly
Served by Sebastian Hunt
The Trail by Kari Mote
Congratulations to all the 2025 FilmQuest Official Selections!