Horror film festivals in Australia listed here include Monster Fest and Fantastic Film Festival Australia, alongside broader festivals tagged for horror. Use the format details to check whether a festival accepts your short or feature. Before submitting, read its genre criteria, runtime limit and premiere rules, including any restrictions on earlier screenings or online release.
Submission calendar (7)
├─┤ Submissions▬ Festival┄ Approximate / recurring dates│ Today: 2026-11-09
Next festival edition and its preceding submission window; closed windows stay visible. Dashed boxes show possible months, not confirmed days. Scroll for all festivals and months; hover a row for dates.
Submission windows and festival dates for the current filters
Festival
Dates by month
MUFFSubmissions: opens Dec 2025 (approx.); closes 28 Oct 2026. Opens Dec · Closes late Oct. Festival: 26 Nov 2026 – 29 Nov 2026.
FFFASubmissions: opens Sep 2026 (approx.); closes 31 Jan 2027. Opens late Sep · Closes late Jan. Festival: 23 Apr 2027 – 16 May 2027.
SLSFFSubmissions: opens Aug 2026 (approx.); closes 31 May 2027. Opens Aug · Closes late May. Festival: 6 Aug 2027 – 7 Aug 2027.
Dark Nights Film FestSubmissions: opening TBC; closing TBC. Opening TBC · Closes Aug. Festival: Oct 2027 (approx.).
Monster FestSubmissions: opens Jan 2027 (approx.); closes 1 Sep 2027 (typical; unconfirmed). Opens early year · Closes early Sep. Festival: Oct 2027 (approx.).
AFINSubmissions: opens Oct 2026 (approx.); closes 27 Jun 2027. Opens late Oct · Closes late Jun. Festival: 10 Oct 2027 – 23 Oct 2027.
Cinematic Horror Film FestivalSubmissions: opens Apr 2027 (approx.); closes 31 Aug 2027. Opens Apr · Closes Aug. Festival: 31 Oct 2027 – 31 Oct 2027.
Includes festival dates for all current matches. Approximate dates cover the possible months and are marked tentative. This is a one-time import; changes here will not sync automatically.
Long-running independent festival showcasing cutting-edge, cult, experimental, transgressive, and alternative Australian and international cinema across feature, short, and documentary formats. Submissions via FilmFreeway with no premiere requirement; selected films are bound by an irrevocable screening agreement.
Genre festival for sci-fi, horror, fantasy and boundary-pushing cinema, screening at Lido Cinemas (Melbourne) and Ritz Cinemas (Sydney). Australian features compete for the $10,000 Fantastic Film Prize, presented with Umbrella Entertainment. VIC and NSW premieres required for features.
Brisbane, QLD · PIP Theatre Next: 6 Aug 2027 (in 9 months)
Open for entries · closes 31 May 2027
Festival
August
Entries
Opens Aug · Closes late May
Fees
~$10–$30 AUD
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Independent short film festival held at PIP Theatre in Milton, Brisbane, dedicated to unique, heartfelt short films up to 20 minutes. Accepts drama, comedy, horror, queer, animation, student, music video, and documentary works. No premiere requirements.
Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW · The Reservoir Cinema Next: Oct 2027 (in 11 months)
Submission dates TBC
Festival
October
Entries
Opening TBC · Closes Aug
Fees
Fee schedule not confirmed
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Horror and dark-genre short films, webisodes, narrative music videos and unproduced screenplays. Film submissions must be under 30 minutes, retain NSW premiere status and meet public-availability restrictions. The festival reserves most short-film slots for its open call.
Melbourne, VIC · Cinema Nova Next: Oct 2027 (in 11 months)
Entries open Jan 2027
Festival
October
Entries
Opens early year · Closes early Sep
Fees
Shorts $35–$60 AUD · Features $60–$90 AUD
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Horror, dark fantasy and extreme genre cinema. Features (60–120 min, Australian premiere) and shorts (15 min or less, Victorian premiere). Strict anti-AI policy.
Brisbane, QLD · SunPAC & Dendy Cinemas Portside Next: 10 Oct 2027 (in 11 months)
Open for entries · closes 27 Jun 2027
Festival
October
Entries
Opens late Oct · Closes late Jun
Fees
Shorts $26–$44 AUD · Features $33–$50 AUD (free for First Nations)
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Brisbane-based international festival celebrating independent cinema across features, shorts, documentaries, animations, series, and screenplays. Features 22 award categories with crystal trophies and memberships, plus free entry for Australian First Nations filmmakers. No strict premiere required, though premieres are prioritised.
Southport, Gold Coast, QLD · Dendy Cinemas Southport Next: 31 Oct 2027 (in 11 months)
Entries open Apr 2027
Festival
31 Oct 2027
Entries
Opens Apr · Closes Aug
Fees
Shorts $25–$30 · Features $50–$100 · Other categories vary; currency unconfirmed
Submit via
FilmFreeway
Horror features, shorts, documentaries, animation, music videos and television pilots. No premiere requirement; recent work is prioritised. Student entries have a separate category and discretionary fee waivers are available.
