Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (FEFFS)

Overview

The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (FEFFS, or Festival Europeen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg) is a competitive genre film festival held annually in September in Strasbourg, France. The 19th edition runs September 25 to October 4, 2026. The festival screens approximately 130 films across 10 days, programming fantasy, horror, science fiction, thrillers, black comedies, films noir, and animation. The festival is organized by Les Films du Spectre, a non-profit association. The artistic director is Daniel Cohen.

FEFFS is an affiliated member of the Melies International Festivals Federation (MIFF). The festival is unique in France as the only festival organizing the Silver Melies competition for European fantastic films. The Silver Melies winner advances to the Golden Melies competition held annually at the Sitges International Film Festival in Spain.

The festival's origins trace back to the Hammer Film Festival in 2006, organized by Les Films du Spectre as a tribute to British studio Hammer Film Productions. In 2007, the organization launched the Spectre Film Festival, dedicated to golden-age science fiction. In 2008, the festival joined the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (EFFFF), added competitive sections, and took its current name.

Strasbourg's position as the seat of the European Parliament and its dual French-German cultural identity give the festival a distinctly European sensibility. Since 2009, the festival opens with the Great Strasbourg Zombie Walk, which drew approximately 4,000 participants in 2014.

Submission Details

Submissions are made through Festhome or FilmFreeway.

Submission fees:

• Feature films (60 minutes or longer): EUR 30
• Short films (30 minutes or less, 25 minutes for Melies films): EUR 20

Submission window for the 19th edition (2026):

• Opens: February 15, 2026
• Closes: June 7, 2026
• Notification date: September 18, 2026

Feature film eligibility:

• Completed within 24 months prior to the start of the festival
• At least 60 minutes long
• Original language version, subtitled in French or English
• Films in competitive sections must be unreleased in France

Short film eligibility:

• Completed within 24 months prior to the start of the festival
• Maximum 30 minutes (25 minutes for Melies competition films)
• Original language version, subtitled in French or English

Late submissions are handled individually at the festival's discretion.

Key Sections

Competitive sections (4):

• International Fantastic Film Competition - fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and films with elements of surrealism or magic realism. Awards: Golden Octopus, optional Special Jury Mention, Audience Award.
• Crossovers Competition - international thrillers, action films, black comedies, films noir. Award: Crossover Grand Prix, optional Special Jury Mention.
• International Animated Film Competition - animated feature films. Award: Golden Stork, optional Special Jury Mention.
• Silver Melies Competition - European fantastic films only. Award: Silver Melies for best European fantastic feature. The winner automatically competes for the Golden Melies at Sitges. European eligibility: if the director is not a European national, financing must be entirely European; if the director is a European national, part of the funding must be European. Europe is defined as Member States of the Council of Europe.

Non-competitive sections (2):

• Midnight Movies - horror, fun gore, over-the-top and disturbing films
• Special Screenings - documentaries relevant to cinema, directorial tributes, new productions out of competition

Short film sections:

• International Short Film Competition - fantastic short films competing for the Golden Octopus for best short
• Silver Melies Short Film Competition - European fantastic short films
• Midnight Shorts (non-competitive) - horror, gore, and disturbing short films

Additional programming:

• Connexions - video games, digital creation, and virtual reality section (since 2012, renamed in 2020). Includes the Indie Game Contest for independent video game developers, installations by digital creators, and a VR film corner.
• Retrospectives - film revivals and heritage programming
• Great Strasbourg Zombie Walk - opening event since 2009

What Filmmakers Should Know

FEFFS is the primary French platform for European genre cinema. The festival's 6 feature film sections provide multiple entry points for genre filmmakers, from art-house horror to mainstream thrillers. The European focus of the Silver Melies competition means European genre films compete among peers from across the continent.

The Silver Melies competition is the most significant pathway for European genre filmmakers. Winning the Silver Melies at Strasbourg automatically qualifies the film for the Golden Melies competition at Sitges, one of the world's most important genre festivals. This dual-stage competition structure provides European genre films with international visibility.

The festival covers round-trip transport for selected films. However, if a film is being sent to another festival or organization after FEFFS, the festival covers inbound transport only. Once a film is selected and agreement is reached, it cannot be withdrawn.

For selected films, the festival requires: HD stills (landscape preferred), a poster in HD (portrait preferred), a press kit in English or French, a trailer with English or French subtitles if available, a dialogue list, a downloadable file of the film for the translator, a photo and bio of the director, and a visa number if available.

The festival also runs a short-film residency called Eurogenre, with a call for projects in 2026.

Major Awards

Feature films:

• Golden Octopus - best international fantastic feature film
• Crossover Grand Prix - best film in the Crossovers Competition
• Golden Stork - best animated feature film
• Silver Melies - best European fantastic feature film (advances to Golden Melies at Sitges)
• Audience Award - best fantastic feature film, voted by festival audience
• Special Jury Mentions - optional, in each competition section

Short films:

• Golden Octopus for Best Short - best international short fantastic film
• Silver Melies for Best Short - best European short fantastic film (advances to Golden Melies at Sitges)

2025 Golden Octopus: Good Boy by Ben Leonberg (USA)

2025 Silver Melies: The Holy Boy by Paolo Strippoli (Italy)

Notable past Golden Octopus winners:

• 2021: The Innocents by Eskil Vogt (Norway)
• 2019: In Fabric by Peter Strickland (UK)
• 2013: Kiss of the Damned by Xan Cassavetes
• 2012: Sound of My Voice by Zal Batmanglij
• 2011: The Woman by Lucky McKee (USA)
• 2009: Moon by Duncan Jones (UK)
• 2008: Vinyan by Fabrice Du Welz (France)

Festival History

The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival derives from the Spectre Film Festival, created in 2005 by the association Les Films du Spectre. The organization first launched the Hammer Film Festival in 2006, a tribute to Hammer Film Productions, screening original 35mm prints at the STAR cinemas in Strasbourg. Hammer screenwriter Jimmy Sangster was invited to present several films. The success of this event led to the Spectre Film Festival in 2007, focused on science fiction from the 1950s to the 1980s, including 3D screenings of Creature from the Black Lagoon.

In 2008, the festival joined the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation (EFFFF) as an adherent member, added competitive sections for European short and feature films, and was renamed the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival. The first jury included Lamberto Bava, Caroline Munro, Philippe Nahon, and Jean-Francois Rauger. The inaugural edition paid tribute to Ray Harryhausen.

In 2009, the festival became an affiliated member of the EFFFF, enabling it to hold the Silver Melies competition. The first Silver Melies was awarded to Buried by Rodrigo Cortes (Spain), which went on to win the Golden Melies at Sitges that year.

In 2012, the festival introduced a video game and virtual reality strand at the city's digital arts center, which was renamed Connexions in 2020. The strand includes the Indie Game Contest, digital art installations, and a VR film corner.

The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the festival organized three weekend screening events called "Les Week-ends du Fantastique" from September to November, presenting new productions, short films, homages, and retrospectives.

See Also

For the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, where the Golden Melies is awarded, see Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For festival strategy guidance, see Film Festival Strategy. For genre filmmaking approaches, see Independent Filmmaking Strategies.