Baba Yaga International Horror Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 24 October 2026      Festival end: 24 October 2026

Baba Yaga International Horror Film Festival (Baba Yaga Horror Film Fest) is an independent international film festival dedicated to showcasing bold and high-quality horror cinema from around the world.

The festival focuses on strong genre storytelling — from atmospheric and psychological horror to intense, audience-driven films. We welcome both arthouse and mainstream approaches, as long as the film delivers a compelling and authentic experience.

The project is built around the idea that horror is a safe space to confront fear:

“Let fears exist only in cinema.”

The festival operates primarily in an online format, featuring quarterly selections and an annual final round. All films are reviewed by the festival team and jury through private screenings.

Selected films will be included in the Official Selection and may be considered for future offline showcase events.

We aim to support filmmakers who are passionate about the genre and open to different forms of horror expression — from minimalistic indie projects to visually striking works that leave a lasting impact.

Awards & Prizes

Winners of the Baba Yaga Horror Film Fest will receive:

• Official digital award certificates
• Official digital laurels for all selected films, finalists, and award winners
• Promotion across the Festival’s official platforms

Main awards include:

Best Short Horror Film
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Special Jury Prize

Additional awards may be presented at the discretion of the Festival, including:

Best Antagonist
Final Girl Award
Best AI Horror Film

Awards may vary depending on the season and selection.

1. General Information

Baba Yaga International Horror Film Festival (the “Festival”) is an independent international film festival dedicated to showcasing high-quality horror cinema from around the world.

The Festival is conducted in an online format with an annual final event and potential offline screenings.

2. Eligibility

The Festival accepts short horror films only.

Maximum runtime: 20 minutes (including credits).

Special Rule for the First Season:
As a one-time exception for the inaugural edition, the Festival accepts horror short films completed on or after January 1, 2020.

Films from all countries are eligible.

Premiere status is NOT required.

Films that are publicly available online are eligible.

3. Language & Subtitles
Films may be in any language.
English subtitles are mandatory for all non-English films.

4. Submission

All submissions must be made via Festhome.

Submission fees are non-refundable.

The submission fee covers the cost of reviewing and processing the film. Payment of the submission fee does NOT guarantee selection, nomination, or screening in the Festival.

Only films officially selected by the Festival will be included in the program.

The submitter must hold all necessary rights to the film, including music, images, and any third-party content.

The Festival does not provide feedback on submitted films.

5. Selection Process
Films are reviewed by the Festival selection team and jury.
Selected films may be included in:
Quarterly Selections
Annual Final Selection
The Festival reserves the right to determine the final selection.
The decision of the Festival selection team and jury is final and cannot be appealed.

6. Screening
Selected films may be screened:
privately (for jury and internal review)
at online events (restricted access)
at offline screenings (if applicable).
The Festival will not make films publicly available online without explicit permission from the rights holder.
The Festival does not require premiere status and accepts films that are publicly available online.

7. Main awards include:

Best Short Horror Film
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Special Jury Prize

Additional awards may include:

Best Antagonist
Final Girl Award
Best AI Horror Film

Awards are presented at the discretion of the Festival and may vary each season.

Best AI Horror Film — awarded to films created primarily using artificial intelligence. To be eligible, AI-generated content must constitute at least 90% of the finished film. Limited use of live-action footage, stock footage, sound effects, music, or other supplementary materials is permitted, provided that the primary creative content is AI-generated. The Festival reserves the right to determine eligibility for this category.

8. Rights & Permissions

By submitting a film, the submitter:

confirms they own all rights necessary for festival screening
grants the Festival the right to:
use excerpts (trailers, clips, stills) for promotional purposes
display the film during Festival screenings

The Festival does not claim ownership of submitted works.

The submitter is solely responsible for ensuring that all content included in the film (including music, images, and third-party materials) is properly authorized for use. The Festival shall not be held responsible for any unauthorized use of copyrighted materials in submitted films.

9. Liability

The Festival is not responsible for:

copyright violations by submitters
technical issues related to submitted materials
third-party claims regarding submitted content

10. Disqualification

The Festival reserves the right to disqualify any film if:

false or misleading information is provided
copyright violations are identified
the content violates applicable laws

11. Changes

The Festival reserves the right to:

modify the rules and regulations
change dates or format if necessary

12. Acceptance of Rules

By submitting a film, the participant fully accepts these Terms & Conditions.

The Festival operates as an independent international project. These Terms & Conditions are governed by applicable international practices. The governing law may be determined upon official legal registration of the Festival.

The Festival reserves the right to update or clarify these Terms & Conditions without prior notice.