FilmQuest 2026 Announces Its Nominees for the Coveted Cthulhu Awards - Genre Movie Madness Awaits!

I’ve been attending the FilmQuest film festival since it first launched, and it’s been incredibly cool watching the festival grow and evolve over the years into what it is today.

It has become one of my favorite genre film festivals to attend, and every year I look forward to heading back and seeing what kind of wonderfully weird, wild, creepy, funny, unique, and imaginative movies the filmmakers have cooked up.

FilmQuest is just an extremely fun festival. It consistently delivers a great lineup of short films and feature films spanning horror, sci-fi, fantasy, comedy, and all kinds of other genre-bending insanity. One of the things I’ve always loved about the festival, though, is the community that has formed around it.

There’s an awesome group of filmmakers, actors, writers, artists, and movie fans who show up every year, and that community is a huge part of what makes the FilmQuest experience so much fun.

I’m very excited to be attending again this year, and judging by the 2026 lineup and the films represented among the award nominees, there are going to be a ton of great genre movies to watch!

FilmQuest has now announced its nominees for the 2026 FilmQuest Awards, which were selected from a record-breaking 2,944 submissions. The winners, including those taking home the festival’s coveted Cthulhu Trophy, will be revealed during the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on October 31st in Provo, Utah.

You can check out the full announcement and list of 2026 FilmQuest Award nominees below!

The following list are the nominees (not including secret nominees) for the 2026 FilmQuest Awards. The award winners, including the coveted FilmQuest Cthulhu Trophy winners, will be announced in full at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on October 31st, 2026 in Provo, Utah. The 2026 FilmQuest Nominees are, as usual, filled with many more deserving films than can possibly win or be nominated. To the nominees, congratulations!

The following nominees were culled from a process that began with a record breaking 2,944 submissions for the 2026 festival. Each Feature Film category, unless otherwise noted, has up 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.

Nomination laurels and laurels for the 2026 season can be found on our site here and via FilmFreeway here.

Congratulations to all the 2026 Award Nominees!

BEST FEATURE FILM
All 18 Features in Competition

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Rubberhead: The Life and Monsters of Steve Johnson

BEST COMEDY SHORT
A Hand to Hold
Callback
Cherubs
Matches
Please and Thank You
Scissors
That Damn Cat
The Humbug
The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST FANTASTIC & BEYOND SHORT
Bundle
Four Itchy Boys
Headcase
Love in All the Wrong Places
Magpie
Meeting Your Maker
Odyssey on a Loop
Shelly
The Afters
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST FANTASY SHORT
Oma
Pack
Redneck
The Great Fish of the Lake
The Nymph
The Soulless
To Be Human
To Catch a Siren
Xolo
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST FOREIGN SHORT
Filther – Norway
Hermit – Venezuela
Kāalgaon – India
Karayr – Jordan & United Arab Emirates
Madre Mia – Mexico
Something Scary – Argentina
Summer Project – Japan
The Catcher – Belgium
The Veil – Brazil
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST HORROR SHORT
99 Ghosts
Artichoke
Banshee
Crybaby
Hell House
It Helps
The Bones Exist
The Dysphoria
Tor Lewa
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST MIDNIGHT SHORT
Bedfuck
Man Eating Pussy
Mantis Stream Like and Subscribe!
No. 3
Open Mic
The Candle
The Devil’s Lettuce
Udders!
Zits
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST MICRO SHORT
Domeownation
Dormant
Family Dinner
How I Met My New Best Friend
Needle
Overlooked
Secondhand
Vape Glow
Vector
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST MINI SHORT (New Category!)
Bloodsteel: Operation Kaboom
Clown Song
Feed the Dark
Headphones
Marv
Story Arcs Inc.
The Cranberry Effect
The Me in the TV
Tranquil
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST SCI-FI SHORT
Anomaly | TR-3B
Aurora
Azul
Focal Point
Human Resource
Imprint
Infinite Rifts
The Color
Visitors
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST STUDENT SHORT
Beware the Wolves (AFI)
Empty Lands (USC)
If Tomorrow Ever Comes (Loyola Marymount)
In My Blood (NYU)
Mr. L (Univ. of Television and Film Munich)
Night Feeds (AFI)
Nothing Grows on Salt (KASK School of Arts, Gent)
The Fabric of Darkness (Lodz)
The Sorrows of Young Charlotte (National Film School)
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST UTAH SHORT
After Us
Can I Put You On Hold
For Better or Hearse
Frostburn
Intramus
Relict (BYU)
The Sweater
Vampires Suck I.T.
Winds Howling: A Witcher Fan Film
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Remembrance of Night Whispers

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Återsådd
Grylu Sker
Honey Business
Living with a Visionary
Meteoric
Miseros Morsu
My Name is Ringo
The Bard of the Mountain Valley
The Whistle
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST MUSIC VIDEO
(T)ouch! (Vanity)
Animals (Mowth)
Anthrax’s Edge of Perfection (Anthrax)
Fingers Crossed (The Moth & The Flame)
Gold Star, Good Citizen (Die Shiny)
Lightning Scar (Bronco Forte)
The Core
The Kill 2 (Lex Amarni)
Trophia (Kataria)
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

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)

8:38 – Imole Ladipo
Coffin Therapy – Zéré Turlykhanova
God’s Future Soldiers – Jerry J Sampson
It Had To Be You – Monisha Dadlani
Man Eating Pussy – Emily Lawson
Method – Mackenzie Breeden
Money’s Tight – Scarlet Moreno
No Worries – Amber Steigelfest
Pea – Summer Benowitz
Red Velvet – Haley Hope Bartels
Redneck – Alexandria Basso
The Candle – Ren Ariel Sano
The Intimacy Coordinator – Louisa Connolly-Burnham
The Witchening – MK Kopp
Thick Skin – Helena Hawkes
Yaoguai – Mimi Lee

BEST DIRECTOR – FEATURE
Bandit – Brian L Tan
Gaua – Paul Urkijo Alijo
Godhead – Mark H. Rapaport
Ithaqua – Casey Walker
Rain Catcher – Michele Fiascaris
Sender – Russell Goldman
The Avalanche – Johnny Coffeen
THE RELIC | DRAGON – J.M. Logan

BEST SCREENPLAY – FEATURE
Bandit – Husein M. Atmodjo
Bravado – Alex Hanno & Luca Malacrino
Gaua – Paul Urkijo Alijo
Godhead – Mark H. Rapaport
Rain Catcher – Michele Fiascaris, Alba Moyano & Filippo Polesel
Sender – Russell Goldman
The Avalanche – Johnny Coffeen
The Peril at Pincer Point – Jake Kuhn & Noah Stratton-Twine

BEST ACTOR – FEATURE
Bandit – Wafda Saifan
Godhead – Al Warren
Ithaqua – Luke Hemsworth
Rain Catcher – Dudley O’Shaughnessy
The Avalanche – Lou Taylor Pucci
The Crawling – Will Brittain
The Peril at Pincer Point – Jack Redmayne
The Velocipastor 2 – Greg Cohan

BEST ACTRESS – FEATURE
Bravado – Caitlin Morris
Gaua – Yune Nogueiras
Godmother – Paige Evans
Mother and Me – Caylee Cowan
Oddities – Lilimar
Sender – Britt Lower
The Avalanche – Alex Essoe
THE RELIC | DRAGON – Taylor Bini

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – FEATURE
Bandit – Teuku Rifnu Wikana
Bravado – Luca Malacrino
Godhead – Kimball Farley
Godmother – Bruce Davison
Ithaqua – Michael Pitt
Mother and Me – Brady Noon
Sender – David Dastmalchian
Whiskey Throttle – Jasen Wade

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – FEATURE
Godhead – Sarah Coffey
Godmother – Dee Wallace
Mother and Me – Tara Janae Smith
Oddities – Adrienne Barbeau
Oddities – Lovie Simone
Rain Catcher – Jessie Mei Li
Sender – Rhea Seehorn
The Crawling – Katherine Hughes

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – FEATURE
Gaua
Grind
Ithaqua
Sender
The Peril at Pincer Point
THE RELIC | DRAGON
The Velocipastor 2
Whiskey Throttle

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – FEATURE
Bandit
Gaua
Godhead
Mother and Me
Rain Catcher
Sender
The Peril at Pincer Point
Whiskey Throttle

BEST EDITING – FEATURE
Bravado
Gaua
Grind
Rain Catcher
Rubberhead
Sender
The Avalanche
Whiskey Throttle

BEST SOUND – FEATURE
Bandit
Gaua
Grind
Ithaqua
The Crawling
The Peril at Pincer Point
THE RELIC | DRAGON
Whiskey Throttle

BEST SCORE – FEATURE
Gaua
Godhead
Ithaqua
Rain Catcher
Sender
The Avalanche
The Peril of Pincer Point
THE RELIC | DRAGON

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN / ART DIRECTION – FEATURE
Gaua
Grind
Ithaqua
Sender
THE RELIC | DRAGON
The Velocipastor 2

BEST COSTUMES – FEATURE
Gaua
Ithaqua
THE RELIC | DRAGON
The Velocipastor 2

BEST VISUAL FX – FEATURE
Gaua
Godmother
Grind
Ithaqua
Oddities
The Avalanche
The Peril at Pincer Point
THE RELIC | DRAGON

BEST MAKEUP FX – FEATURE
Gaua
Godmother
Grind
Ithaqua
Oddities
The Crawling
THE RELIC | DRAGON
The Velocipastor 2

BEST DIRECTOR – SHORT
99 Ghosts – Gonzalo Torrens
Azul – Algoritmo Malvado
Bundle – Carlo Milillo
Callback – Matthew Puccini
Hell House – Collin Black
Love in All the Wrong Places – John Roche III
Man Eating Pussy – Emily Lawson
The Catcher – Luka Galle
Tor Lewa – Paul Holbrook
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST SCREENPLAY – SHORT
4 Minutes Before Forever – Yoann Zak
99 Ghosts – Gonzalo Torrens
Callback – Matthew Puccini
Hell House – Collin Black & Erin Bechler
Intimité – Aldo Arias & Poppy Gordon
Odyssey on a Loop – Benjamin Lussier
Savage – Connor Paolo
The Seeing Eye Dog Who Saw Too Much – Eric Jackowitz
The Veil – Gabriel Motta & Jonts Ferreira
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST ACTRESS – SHORT
4 Minutes Before Forever – Tilly Woodward
Are We Still Married? – Taylor Misiak
Human Resource – Mia Vallet
I Wanna Go Home – Ashley Bell
Lacuna – Sadie Soverall
Love in All the Wrong Places – Aedin Waldorf
Savage – Bridget Regan
The Intimacy Coordinator – Louisa Connolly-Burnham
When She Sings – Laura Bayston
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST ACTOR – SHORT
4 Minutes Before Forever – Gabriel Gil-Sanllehi
Are We Still Married? – Dustin Milligan
Bundle – Fionn Whitehead
Callback – Justin H Min
Callback – Michael Hsu Rosen
Cherubs – Richard Sammel
Hell House – Jim Cummings
Milo – Sam Huntsman
Please and Thank You – Tony Cavalero
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – SHORT
Beware the Wolves – Amy Aquino
Human Resource – Veanne Cox
Magpie – Margarita Levieva
Marge – Liv Davenport
Mr. L – Lara Feith
Nothing Grows on Salt – Iona Kewney
Revolver – Kelly Tappan
Thick Skin – Courtney Eaton
Venus in Furs – Ashley BeLoat
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – SHORT
Albert – James Howard
Bundle – Finn Cole
Headcase – Pat Moonie
Ignis – Allen Leech
Milo – Maddox Blackwell
My Private Yellowstone – Jason K. Ralph
The Intimacy Coordinator – Kieron Moore
The King of the Full Moon Night – Alex McKelvey
The Smother – Demetri Belardinelli
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST – SHORT
*No Secret Nominee
99 Ghosts
Banshee
Empty Lands
Four Itchy Boys
Intimité
Is It Okay To Pick Up a Gucci Box
Lily of the Valley
Matches
Obscure Identity
Reset
Savage
Scissors
The Afters
The Higher Path
This is a Zombie Movie
Total Party Kill

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SHORT
Artichoke
Azul
Night Ride
Nothing Grows on Salt
Odyssey on a Loop
Okay
Relict
Savage
The Color
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST EDITING – SHORT
Azul
Focal Point
Four Itchy Boys
Hell House
Infinite Rifts
Intramus
Love in All the Wrong Places
Million Dollar Man
The Humbug
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST SOUND – SHORT
99 Ghosts
Bundle
Focal Point
Headphones
Hell House
It Helps
Krew
The Color
The Manor
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST SCORE – SHORT
Artichoke
Banshee
Europa
Filther
Hand Job
Odyssey on a Loop
Something Scary
The Nymph
The Sweater
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN / ART DIRECTION – SHORT
Charlie is Not a Boy
Grylu Sker
Hell House
Lightning Scar: Bronco Forte
Nothing Grows on Salt
Odyssey on a Loop
The Core
The Cranberry Effect
The Nymph
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST COSTUMES – SHORT
Charlie is Not a Boy
Filther
Lily of the Valley
Newcomer
Nothing Grows on Salt
Space Chai
The Great Fish of the Lake
The Lone Piper
Winds Howling
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST VISUAL FX – SHORT
Aurora
Azul
Dormant
Europa
Filther
Kemet
The Bones Exist
The Color
The Manor
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st

BEST MAKEUP  FX – SHORT
Anthrax’s Edge of Perfection
Bigfoot Lover
Feed The Dark
Filther
Grylu Sker
Imago
Nail-Biter
Sapling
There is Always a Monster
SECRET NOMINEE: Announced Oct. 31st