To celebrate the halfway point for this year’s Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, the winners of this year’s awards have been announced. Featuring a range of gruesome and always-entertaining genre films from around the world, this year’s lineup brought an abundance of unique and intriguing features and shorts.
Let’s take a look at all of the winners, including the announcement of the winning pitch from the first-ever Fantastic Pitches competition, which saw the winning pitch receive $100,000 in funding for their feature film, global distribution, and a world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026.
Fantastic Fest 2025 Award Winners
Fantastic Fest 2025
Credit: Fantastic Fest
While we’re still waiting to see what all of the secret screenings end up being, the main award winners for Fantastic Fest 2025 have been unveiled and are all fascinating shorts and features that showcase the best up-and-coming voices in horror and genre cinema.
“To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we curated a remarkable lineup of feature and short films. Each year, our jurors face the difficult task of choosing from an extraordinary pool of talent, and this year was no exception. Despite the challenge, their selections reflect the true spirit of Fantastic Fest — a celebration of global cinema and the diverse voices that bring it to life.” — Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest.
Here’s the full list of award winners, including the winning pitch from the first edition of Fantastic Pitches this year
"MAIN COMPETITION" FEATURES
Jurors: Mercedes Bryce Morgan, Fred Durst, Patton Oswalt
Best Picture: THE PLAGUE, directed by Charlie Polinger
Best Director: Bartosz M. Kowalski - 13 DAYS TILL SUMMER
Special Mention: DECORADO, directed by Alberto Vázquez
"NEXT WAVE" FEATURES
Jurors: Aaron Schimberg, Otessa Moshfegh, Lars Knudsen
Best Picture: CAMP, directed by Avalon Fast
Best Director: Paolo Strippoli - THE HOLY BOY
Special Mention: LUGER, directed by Bruno Martín
“HORROR” FEATURES
Jurors: Jose Cañas, Mònica García Massagué, Brandon Hill
Best Picture: THE VILE, directed by Majid Al Ansari
Best Director: Martín Mauregui - CRAZY OLD LADY
Special Mention: Best Kill - Knife in Bed in THE CURSE, directed by Kenichi Ugan
SHORT FILMS
Jurors: Lisa Ogdie, Shams Mohajerani, Matt Pifko
SHORTS “BEST OF FEST”
WATER SPORTS, directed by Whammy Alcazaren
SHORTS WITH LEGS
Best Picture: WATER SPORTS, directed by Whammy Alcazaren
SHORT FUSE
Best Picture: THE DYSPHORIA, directed by Kylie Aoibheann
FANTASTIC SHORTS
Best Picture: GIANT SKELETON, directed by Austin Birtch
DRAWN AND QUARTERED
Best Picture: A BREATH OF MINDFULNESS, directed by Milly Cohen
Honorable Mention: THE GNAWER OF ROCKS, directed by Louise Flaherty
AUDIENCE AWARD
THE HOLY BOY, directed by Paolo Strippoli
FANTASTIC PITCHES
Jurors: Barbara Crampton, Toby Poser, Tim League, Matt Johnson
PLAY HOUSE director Nicolas Curcio, Producer Kirby Gladstein, Producer Ben Gojer
For more information on the films listed above, visit https://www.fantasticfest.com/film-guide. And for the latest developments, visit the Fantastic Fest official site and follow the festival on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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