Overview
The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (FEFFS) 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.
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 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 gives 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 and a VR film corner.
- Retrospectives - film revivals and heritage programming
- Great Strasbourg Zombie Walk - opening event since 2009
What Filmmakers Should Know
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.
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)
Festival History
The festival derives from the Spectre Film Festival, created in 2005 by 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. 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), added competitive sections, and was renamed. The first jury included Lamberto Bava, Caroline Munro, Philippe Nahon, and Jean-Francois Rauger. 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.
In 2012, the festival introduced a video game and virtual reality strand, renamed Connexions in 2020. 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.
Past Winners
2025 (18th edition):
- Golden Octopus: Good Boy (dir. Ben Leonberg, USA). A haunted house horror told from a dog's perspective. Premiered at SXSW 2025.
- Silver Melies: The Holy Boy (dir. Paolo Strippoli, Italy). A horror film about a teacher who discovers a dark secret in a secluded village.
- Golden Octopus for Best Short: Gynoid (Spain)
2024 (17th edition):
- Golden Octopus: U Are the Universe (dir. Pavlo Ostrikov, Ukraine). A science fiction film about the last man in space after Earth disappears.
Notable past Golden Octopus winners:
- 2021: The Innocents (dir. Eskil Vogt, Norway)
- 2019: In Fabric (dir. Peter Strickland, UK)
- 2013: Kiss of the Damned (dir. Xan Cassavetes)
- 2012: Sound of My Voice (dir. Zal Batmanglij)
- 2011: The Woman (dir. Lucky McKee, USA)
- 2009: Moon (dir. Duncan Jones, UK)
- 2008: Vinyan (dir. Fabrice Du Welz, France)
Notable past Silver Melies winners:
- 2009: Buried (dir. Rodrigo Cortes, Spain). Won the first Silver Melies at FEFFS and advanced to win the Golden Melies at Sitges.
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
FEFFS functions as a European genre cinema platform within the Melies International Festivals Federation circuit. Films that win the Silver Melies at Strasbourg advance to the Golden Melies at Sitges, which has led to distribution deals for European genre films.
- Good Boy (Ben Leonberg, 2025) won the Golden Octopus after premiering at SXSW. Shudder acquired US, Canadian, UK, Irish, Australian, and New Zealand rights. IFC gave it a wide theatrical release on October 3, 2025. The film grossed $8.7 million on a $70,000 budget.
- The Innocents (Eskil Vogt, 2021) won the Golden Octopus after premiering in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. IFC Midnight acquired US rights, with a theatrical release in May 2022. Now streaming on Shudder.
- In Fabric (Peter Strickland, 2019) won the Golden Octopus after premiering at TIFF 2018. A24 distributed in the US, Curzon in the UK. Available on MUBI.
- Moon (Duncan Jones, 2009) won the Golden Octopus and became a cult science fiction film. Sony Pictures Classics distributed theatrically.
- Buried (Rodrigo Cortes, 2009) won the first Silver Melies at FEFFS and the Golden Melies at Sitges. Lionsgate distributed in the US.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
FEFFS programs genre films across 6 feature sections, so filmmakers should identify the right section for their work. The International Fantastic Film Competition accepts fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and films with surrealism or magic realism elements. The Crossovers Competition is for thrillers, action films, black comedies, and films noir. The Silver Melies Competition is restricted to European fantastic films, with specific eligibility rules: if the director is not a European national, all financing must be European; if the director is a European national, part of the funding must be European.
Films selected for the Silver Melies competition get the strongest pathway: the winner automatically advances to the Golden Melies at Sitges, providing exposure at one of the world's largest genre festivals. Filmmakers should note that once a film is selected and agreement is reached, it cannot be withdrawn.
The festival also runs the Eurogenre short-film residency, with a call for projects in 2026, which offers a different entry point for short-form genre filmmakers.
Industry Reputation Notes
FEFFS is the only festival in France organizing the Silver Melies competition, making it the primary French platform for European genre cinema. The 18th edition in 2025 drew 22,000 attendees and 30,000 total visitors.
Compared to Sitges (Spain), FEFFS is smaller in attendance but offers a more focused European competition through the Silver Melies. Compared to Fantasia (Montreal), FEFFS has a stronger European orientation. The festival's location in Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament, gives it a cross-border French-German cultural identity.
The festival does not operate a film market. Its industry value lies in the Silver Melies pipeline to Sitges, the Connexions video game and VR strand, and the Eurogenre residency. Distribution deals triggered directly by FEFFS selections are less common than at Sitges or Fantasia, but the Silver Melies qualification carries weight with European genre distributors.
Watch
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.
