Avant-Garde Horror & Fantasy Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 05 June 2025      Festival end: 08 June 2025

Avant-Garde Horror & Fantasy Film Festival (AGHFFF) is a bold new force in the global genre circuit, celebrating boundary-pushing horror and fantasy cinema in the breathtaking coastal town of Novigrad - Cittanova, Istria. From slasher to surrealist, folk horror to experimental and hybrid fantasy, AGHFFF showcases daring films that thrill, shock, and mesmerize the senses.

The 1st Edition (June 5th - 8th, 2025) will transform the stunning CMIK - CMC Novigrad - Cittanova cinema including its open-air venue into a pulsating genre film wonderland, complete with exclusive industry panels, a celebrity masterclass, and engaging filmmaker networking nights. Backed by renowned European genre film festivals, AGHFFF is on a mission to establish Istria and Croatia as a premier hub for the celebration and promotion of captivating genre filmmaking. More than just a festival, AGHFFF is a movement, bringing filmmakers, cinephiles, audiences and industry insiders together to freely connect and explore new horizons in genre storytelling—without red ropes. If your film dares to break boundaries, AGHFFF wants it!

Awards & Prizes:

WILD GOAT AWARD for one (1) Best Feature and PETIT WILD GOAT AWARD for one (1) Best Short in each of the following categories:

1. International Competition
2. National/Regional Competition
3. Experimentation Competition
4. At the Stroke of Midnight Competition

PETIT WILD GOAT AWARD for one (1) Best Short in the following category:
1. Animation Competition

SURREALIST SHOCK GOAT AWARD for Best Hybrid Artistic Genre Film, awarded to one (1) Best Feature and one (1) Best Short chosen from all films in competition, regardless of presenting section excluding the closing night feature, AGHFFF Kids, and retrospective categories.

AUDIENCE GOAT AWARD for one (1) feature film chosen by spectators from all films in competition, excluding the closing night feature, AGHFFF Kids, and retrospective categories.

*The Festival does not award cash prizes.

General Submission Guidelines - 2025 AGHFFF

For Detailed version please refer to the Rules, Terms & Conditions of 1st edition of AGHFFF PDF document on the platform and/or our website www.aghfff.com.

1. Submission Deadline: April 29, 2025. Submissions received after this date will not be considered.

2. Film Selection: The festival's selection committee determines all accepted films and reserves the right to change the film category from the submitted one, per Festival programming Committee’s choice and at their discretion.

3. Once submitted, and if selected, films cannot be withdrawn from The Festival.

4. Premiere Requirement: Competitive categories must be at least Croatian premieres. Exceptions can be made at the discretion of the Festival selection committee on a case by case basis. AGHFFF Kids section allows prior screenings in Croatia, provided films were not shown in Istria, Croatia up to a minimum of six (6) months prior to AGHFFF’s 2025 edition and that they are not publicly available on any/all free or paid digital channels/networks in or across Croatia before or until June 9th 2025.

5. Genres Accepted: Only genre films (horror, thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, exploitation, etc.) and their sub genres collectively known as “genre films” will be considered.

6. Film Length:

a. Feature Films: Minimum 60 minutes
b. Short Films: Maximum 25 minutes

7. Subtitles: All films must be in their original version with English subtitles. Upon selection, the Festival additionally welcomes Croatian and/or Italian subtitles.

8. Eligibility: All submitted Films must have been completed after January 1, 2022.

9. *Not Eligible: If the film is freely available on digital distribution platforms (ex: You Tube, Vimeo etc.), and/or is currently distributed/available commercially on any free or paid platform in the country of Croatia and/or available to Croatian audiences/territory (with exception as written in Article 4.) we will be obligated to refuse your film for selection or withdraw it from the selection.

10. Submission Process: Submit via Festhome platform only in one (1) of the following categories per film length:

a. International (Feature or Short) - International Films ONLY

b. National/Regional (Feature or Short) - Croatian and Ex-Yu region films ONLY *see definition below Article 11. & 12.

c. Experimentation (Feature or Short) - ANY NATIONALITY (including Croatian/EX-Yu films)

d. At the Stroke of Midnight (Feature or Short) - ANY NATIONALITY (including Croatian/EX-Yu films)

e. Animation (ONLY Short films) - ANY NATIONALITY (including or Croatian/EX-Yu films)

f. AGHFFF Kids (Feature or Short) - ANY NATIONALITY (including or Croatian/EX-Yu regions) - NON-COMPETITIVE

11. *National/Regional Feature or Short Films are films from Croatia and/or any of the Countries of Ex-Yu including co- productions (where the majority producer was from a Croatian and/or Ex-Yu territory).

12. *If the Festival Selection Committee finds that a submission to the National/Regional category is not in compliance with the above as stated in Article 11., The Festival Selection Committee will reject the submission and refund the fee. If such a case were to occur, the Festival will accept a re-submission of the same title in the appropriate category with appropriate fee, granted it is in the AGHFFF deadline range and not submitted after April 29th 2025.

13. FEES:

I. Regular Deadline is from date of posting till 11:59 pm CET on April 9th, 2025

II. Late Deadline is from April 9th until 11.59 pm CET on April 29th, 2025.

a. Feature Films (All Categories except National/Regional): €20 REGULAR DEADLINE, €30 LATE DEADLINE

b. Short Films (All Categories except National/Regional): €10 REGULAR DEADLINE, €20 LATE DEADLINE

c. National/Regional Feature Films: €10 REGULAR DEADLINE, €20 LATE DEADLINE

d. National/Regional Short Films: €5 REGULAR DEADLINE, €10 LATE DEADLINE

14. Work-in-Progress: Accepted. Completion must be guaranteed and final completed film delivered by May 15, 2025.

15. Digital Submissions through Festhome Platform Only. No DVDs/Blu-rays or screener links by email and/or other delivery forms.

16. SELECTION: Delivery of Materials for Selected Films Deadline: May 15, 2025

18. Screening Fees: The Festival does not offer screening fees for selected features or shorts, nor cover other costs such as delivery, lab and/or KDM fees. The Festival will exceptionally take into consideration requests for one of the above for Feature Films ONLY on a small case-by-case basis.

19. Screening Formats: Unencrypted DCP or HD digital file (.mov, .mp4) by digital delivery.

20. For selected Films: The Festival reserves the right to use film excerpts for promotional purposes.

21. Accommodation & Travel: The Festival does not cover transport nor accommodation nor other any/all guest related expenses for selected films.

22. Dispute Resolution: Any legal disputes will be governed by Croatian law.

23. By submitting, you agree to the festival's rules as described here and in the Rules, Terms & Conditions PDF document attached here on the platform and on our website www.aghfff.com

We are excited to receive your films! Meeeeee!