Overview
The Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF) is an entirely volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit film festival held annually in June at the Chattanooga Theatre Centre, 400 River St, Chattanooga, TN 37405. The 13th edition is scheduled for June 18 to 21, 2026 in person, with virtual programming running June 19 to 27, 2026. The festival programs an eclectic mix of independent films with a strong genre lean, describing its annual selection as a "movie mixtape" rather than a strictly curated genre event.
The festival screens more than 45 features and dozens of short films across each edition, plus live podcasts and a nightly secret screening series called the Red Eye. CFF is not Academy Award-qualifying and is not FIAPF-accredited. Its value proposition for filmmakers is audience engagement, community building, and the festival's growing reputation among independent genre filmmakers in the American South.
The 2025 edition (the 12th) ran June 20 to 28 and included two world premieres, a closing night selection, and a second wave announcement with more than 45 additional features. Badges are sold through the festival's Eventive platform. Individual tickets for certain screenings are available at $13 per film or short film block, though some films are badge-only due to rights restrictions.
Festival History
The Chattanooga Film Festival was founded in 2014, with the first edition held in 2015. The festival grew from a small regional event into one of the most respected independent genre festivals in the American Southeast over a decade. The 2026 edition is the 13th.
The festival was one of five founding partners of the Nightstream collaborative virtual festival, created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic alongside other regional genre festivals. This collaboration helped sustain the festival community during the pandemic and established CFF's hybrid format, which has continued with both in-person and virtual components.
The festival operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an all-volunteer staff. It is funded through badge sales, donations, and sponsorships.
Submission Details
CFF accepts submissions exclusively through FilmFreeway. The festival accepts all genres of film, not only horror or genre films, though the programming leans toward genre and independent work.
Submission rules:
- Entry fee is per category and non-refundable
- Short films must be under 30 minutes
- Fee waivers are not available except to alumni filmmakers
- Student submissions must include a copy of a current student ID or be submitted from a .edu email address
- Films must be submitted before the end of the deadline you paid for
- Submission does not guarantee screening
- The festival has a strict zero-tolerance policy for projects made using Generative AI. Any projects that have used generative AI tools in their creation will be disqualified
- From 2020 onward, the festival has an annual online component. Films restricted against inclusion in a virtual or hybrid event can still be submitted, but these restrictions may prevent selection
Submission fees: Specific fee amounts vary by deadline tier (Early, Regular, Late). Check the FilmFreeway listing for current pricing. Fees are modest compared to major festivals, consistent with the festival's nonprofit, volunteer-run structure.
Key Sections
- Feature Film Program - a mix of horror, sci-fi, thriller, comedy, and genre-adjacent independent features, including world premieres and special screenings
- Short Film Program - short films across all genres, with short films defined as under 30 minutes
- Red Eye - the festival's nightly secret screening series, a late-night program of surprise films
- Special Screenings - cult films, tributes, and repertory programming
- Live Podcasts - recorded podcast events with filmmakers and genre community figures
- Virtual Component - online screenings available to US audiences, running longer than the in-person dates (June 19 to 27 for the 2026 edition)
Past Winners
CFF's award structure is intentionally minimal, focused on celebrating films rather than industry competition. Recent winners of the Best Feature jury prize include:
- 2025 Best Feature: Abigail Before Beatrice (dir. Cassie Keet) - an isolated woman confronts her past when a fellow former cult member reaches out. No distribution announced as of August 2026.
- 2025 Audience Award (Feature): The Misadventures of Vince & Hick (dir. Trevor Stevens) - a world premiere crime comedy.
- 2024 Best Feature: Off Ramp (dir. Nathan Tape) - two Juggalos road-trip to the Gathering of the Juggalos. Picked up by Freestyle Digital Media for theatrical and VOD release in September 2024.
- 2022 Best Feature: The Leech (dir. Eric Pennycoff) - a Christmas horror comedy. Acquired by Arrow Films for streaming on ARROW Player and Blu-ray release in the US, UK, and Canada.
- 2022 Audience Award (Feature): Breathing Happy (dir. Shane Brady) - a surreal addiction drama. Acquired by Cinedigm for exclusive streaming on Fandor from December 2022.
Additional jury prizes include the Dangerous Visions Prize (2024: The Fix, dir. Kelsey Egan), the Spirit of CFF Award (2024: Blind Cop 2, dir. Alex Bonk), the Pride Award (2024: Ganymede), and the Jeff Burr Prize (2024: NoClip, dir. Gavin Charles and Alex Conn).
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
Several films that screened at CFF went on to secure distribution and wider release:
- Things Will Be Different (dir. Michael Felker, 2024) - a sci-fi time-loop thriller and the feature directorial debut of Benson and Moorhead's longtime editor. Premiered at SXSW 2024, played CFF 2024, then acquired by Magnolia Pictures / Magnet Releasing for theatrical and digital release on October 4, 2024.
- Hot Spring Shark Attack (dir. Morihito Inoue, 2025) - a Japanese horror-comedy that served as CFF 2025's Opening Night selection. Acquired by Utopia Distribution for US theatrical and digital release starting July 2025.
- Queens of the Dead (dir. Tina Romero, 2025) - CFF 2025's Closing Night film. A zombie comedy starring Katy O'Brian and Jack Haven. Acquired by IFC Films for theatrical release on October 24, 2025.
- NoClip (dir. Gavin Charles and Alex Conn, 2024) - a liminal horror short feature that won the inaugural Jeff Burr Prize at CFF 2024. Acquired by Ethos for distribution, with a sequel (NoClip 2: Return to Lunchland) world premiering at CFF 2025.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
CFF programs films that its volunteer team genuinely loves, not films that fit a rigid category. If your work is weird, unconventional, or genre-adjacent, CFF is more receptive than festivals with strict category definitions. The selection process values creative vision and originality over production polish.
The festival's strict AI policy is a defining filter. Any project using generative AI in script, footage, or audio will be disqualified. If your film uses any generative AI tools, do not submit to CFF.
Because CFF runs a hybrid format with a virtual component extending beyond the in-person dates, films with online screening restrictions may face reduced selection chances. Confirm your film can participate in both in-person and virtual screenings before submitting.
Alumni filmmakers receive fee waivers, so if you have screened at CFF before, contact the festival before submitting.
Industry Reputation Notes
CFF is not a market festival. There are no industry accreditations, no distribution marketplace, and no sales agents attending. The festival's industry value is community-building and word-of-mouth among genre filmmakers and fans. Films that generate buzz at CFF can catch the attention of genre distributors (Arrow Films, Utopia, Freestyle Digital Media, Magnet Releasing) through audience response and programmer networks rather than through formal market activity.
Compared to peer festivals like Overlook Film Festival and Popcorn Frights, CFF is smaller in scale but more community-driven. Overlook operates closer to the industry orbit of Los Angeles and attracts more distributor attention. Popcorn Frights serves a similar genre audience in Florida with a more competition-focused structure. CFF differentiates itself through its volunteer-run ethos, its hybrid format, and its reputation as "Summer Camp for Cinephiles" - a festival where filmmakers and audiences socialize informally rather than transact business.
Awards / Accreditation
CFF is not Academy Award-qualifying and is not FIAPF-accredited. The festival's award structure is intentionally minimal:
- Best Feature - jury prize for the best feature film
- Best Short Film - jury prize for the best short
- Audience Award - voted by festival attendees
- Dangerous Visions Prize - for boundary-pushing work
- Spirit of CFF Award - for films embodying the festival's spirit
- Pride Award - for LGBTQ+ cinema
- Jeff Burr Prize - honoring the late filmmaker and CFF fixture
The focus is on programming and audience experience rather than competition. Awards carry no cash prize and no Oscar qualification pathway.
What Filmmakers Should Know
CFF is run entirely by volunteers, not industry professionals. Communication may be slower and infrastructure leaner than at staffed festivals, but the selection process is driven by genuine enthusiasm rather than commercial calculations. The atmosphere is informal and community-oriented. There are no market events, no industry accreditations, and no distribution deal-making. The value is in the audience experience and the community of filmmakers and genre fans.
The festival's motto is about celebrating films and filmmakers, not the film industry. CFF was one of five founding partners of the Nightstream collaborative festival during COVID-19. Chattanooga sits at the foot of Lookout Mountain in the Tennessee River valley, and the city has reinvented itself from an industrial center to a creative and outdoor destination.
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See Also
Use the Festival ROI Calculator to model the total cost of submitting to and attending CFF, including submission fees, travel to Chattanooga, and accommodation. Use the Festival Acceptance Odds Estimator to assess your likelihood of selection based on film type, runtime, and premiere status. For broader festival strategy, read Film Festival Strategy. For independent filmmaking approaches, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies.
