Gen Con Film Festival

Gen Con Film Festival Logo

Where Cinema and Gaming Collide

Celebrate genres that spark the imagination of our gaming community. The annual Gen Con Film Festival is a cinematic adventure that brings together storytellers from around the globe. Filmmakers from countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Japan converge at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis to showcase their works. Attendees can enjoy screenings, attend insightful film panels, and celebrate the creative spirit at the Gen Con Awards Ceremony.

The festival highlights films that focus on themes including fantasy, sci-fi, horror, animation, gaming-related documentaries, parodies, and more. Whether you're a die-hard fan or a curious newcomer, the Gen Con Film Festival offers a fresh perspective on storytelling, crafted for those who embrace adventure and creativity.


Gen Con Film Festival Participants


The 2025 Film Festival

If you'd like to participate, submissions for the 2025 Gen Con Film Festival opened January 10. Film submissions will be exclusively available through Film Freeway. Complete details and rules are available on the Film Freeway site.


Awards Ceremony

Winners of the Gen Con Film Festival will be announced on Thursday, July 31 at 7pm (Eastern) in Westin: Capitol 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 are awarded in the following categories:

  • Best Feature Film: $750
  • Best Short Film: $750

Certificates are awarded to the following selections:

  • Best Independent Series
  • Best Animated Film
  • Best Gamer Film
  • Best Documentary Film
  • Best Fantasy Film
  • Best Sci-fi Film
  • Best Horror Film
  • Best Fan Film
  • Best Comedy Film
  • Best Student 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 2024 Winners!


  • Best Feature Film - Empire Queen and the Golden Age of Magic (USA)
  • Best Short Film - Dragon Fruit (Canada) Play Series EP3 "Not Another New Hope" (USA)
  • OVID Award - Black Dragon (USA)
  • Best Series - RPG All-Stars Guardians of the Gap (USA)
  • Best Animated - Truth Detector (USA)
  • Best Student - Carved In Stone (USA)
  • Best Documentary - Arcade Gamer the True Story (USA)
  • Best Fan Film - Dr. Spiderwack's Mind-boggling Compendium of Fantastic Urban Beasts (USA)
  • Best Gamer - The Venus Gambit (USA)
  • Best Comedy - Clone Cops (USA)
  • Best Sci-Fi - Restraint (USA)
  • Best Fantasy - Return to Hairy Hill (Canada)
  • Best Horror - The Monitor (USA)

Gen Con Film Festival Participants

2023 Gen Con Film Festival Winners


Join the 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! Join the Gen Con Discord.

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