FilmQuest is a film festival centered around the Fantastic, and celebrates the best independent sci-fi, fantasy, and horror cinema in the world over 9 days of screenings, parties, events, workshops, panels and more in Utah each fall.

Festival Schedule:

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26th, 2023

12:00 PM
Check-In Begins
@ Velour, Downtown Provo
Arrive early and get settled. Check-in for the physical portion of the 2023 FilmQuest begins! Here you’ll get registered, receive your swag bag, VIP pass, and get the lowdown on the venue and what to expect. The earlier you are, the more you can get comfortable and prepare to enjoy the festival!

2:00 PM
“Get Your Goodie Bag” – Variety Shorts Block #1
The 2023 FilmQuest shorts lineup kicks off with an impressive offering of tasty delights from around the globe. You’ll need your passport stamped when you’re done with this batch! Films include: Bookworm, Dark Cell, La Nueva (The Newcomer), Lands of Steel, Requiem, Spoor, Terror, and Trapped

5:00 PM
“A Taste of Things to Come” – Variety Shorts Block #2
Another delectable offering of short films bring an assortment of terrors, strange wonders, and awe-inspiring visuals. Warm up by the fire, things are going to get toasty in here! Films include: Cornerboy, Kiddo, Middle Watch, Quiet, Shallots and Garlic, Ten With a Flag, The Black Box, Upside, Visitors

7:00 PM
Opening Night Red Carpet
Glam up and get some red carpet photos, where you’ll feel like the movie star you are! Have fun with your family, friends, cast, and crew on the 30 foot FilmQuest red carpet!

8:15 PM
“He Never Left” – Opening Night Feature
Straight out of the dark heart of Utah, our Opening Night sci-fi feature film He Never Left comes at you to show you how the business is done! Includes the Utah made short horror films Hannah Harbor and Poolside Inn.

10:30 PM
Opening Night Dinner
After the Opening Night feature and shorts, we’ll head on over to one of Provo’s great restaurants and enjoy the opening of FilmQuest with a delicious meal.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27th, 2023

11:00 AM
“Fantastic Worlds & Strange Discoveries” –  The Beyond Shorts Block #3
Films include: Booba, Heptapus, Hit Man: Secrets of Lies, Martyr of a Forgotten Dream, The Loop: Undeniable, Vestige, and Waving

2:00 PM
“Zombie Strain” – Friday Feature Matinee
Includes the short films Content: The Lo-Fi Man and P.F. Chang’s Signature Rice.

5:00 PM
“We Are All Made of Stars” – Sci-Fi Shorts Block #4
Films include: Frequencies, Gutter, Lux Chroma, Remote, Salvage, Septichexen, T-Minus, The Last Embrace, and The Universe and You

8:00 PM
“Double Blind” – Friday Night Feature
Includes the short films L’abattu des vents, Ringing Rocks, and the music video Old Flames.

10:00 PM
Opening Weekend Dinner Meet & Greet
We’ll get our hungry selves on over to Fat Daddy’s Pizza for some pizza and beers, meet and greet the filmmakers already in town, and get prepared for the adventure of FilmQuest together!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28th, 2023

11:00 AM
“Does It Tickle When We Touch Like That?” –  Comedy Shorts Block #5
Films include: 24/7, Casual Vignettes of Gilded Vulgarity, Five Stars, Headless: A Sleepy Hollow Story, Justus: Seaghan Destroy, Murder Camp, Pear, String, The Jellyfish Man, and Work Life

2:00 PM
“The Last Movie Ever Made” – Saturday Matinee Feature
Includes the animated short films A Beaver’s Tale and Dandelion, and the short film Radio Telescope

5:00 PM
“Hippo” – Saturday Night Feature #1
Includes the short film Velma

8:00 PM
“The Hyperborian” – Saturday Night Feature #2
Includes the short films Awake and Hideous Heart

11:00 PM
“Midnight Madness: The Revenge” – Midnight Shorts Block #6
Films include: All I Need, Cafe Cicatriz, Dead Enders, Drifter, For the Safety of Theo, High Fun, Hunter, In Your Hands, Nosepicker, Revolution Maker, The Mantis, The Third Ear, and The Foul

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 29th, 2023

11:00 AM
Filmmaker Luncheon #1
@ Downtown Provo
The sooner you arrive, the quicker you’ll be settled and served as it’s going to be packed! You’ll have 2 hours to eat, chat, and make new friends until the screenings begin again at 2:00 pm!

2:00 PM
“No One’s Getting Out of Here Alive” – Horror Shorts Block #7
Films include: 4 Little Angels, Captive, Dead Connection, Dysmorphia, Facies, Make You Wanna Cry, Merger, Night Nurse, Saint-Sacrifice, and Slashr

5:00 PM
“Me, Myself & The Void” – Sunday Matinee Feature
Includes the short films Scam and The Ghost Light

8:00 PM
“Lock Your Doors and Get the Axe” – Horror Shorts Block #8
 Films include: Bye-Bye, Interference, Let It Kill You, Lure, POV, Storm, The Hunt, They Call It… Red Cemetary!, Toggle, Up on the Housetop, and Yule Cat

10:00 PM
Opening Weekend Halloween Party
@ The Social, Downtown Provo
It’s Summer Camp at Camp Cthulhu! Dress up in your best retro summer camp outfit, whether you’re a boy scout, girl scout, camp counselor, Jason, a ***** teenager, etc. This is your time to pull up those socks and wear those short shorts as we party the night away celebrating Halloween and the 10th annual FilmQuest!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 30th, 2023

11:00 AM
“In this World, You Use It or You Lose It” – Fantastic Shorts Block #9
Films include: Dixieland, Fungus, Pink Reef, The Girl With the Haunted Vagina, The Legend of King Kang-Mi, Wesley Loses His *****, Where the Witch Lives, and Wraith

2:00 PM
“Black Mold” – Monday Matinee Feature
Includes the short films Cover Your Ears and Jeong-**** (Affects)

5:00 PM
“The Wait” – Monday Night Feature
Includes the short film Voyager

7:00 PM
Utah Red Carpet
Glam up and get your red carpet photos! A red carpet dedicated to the Utah filmmakers, although all are invited! Have fun with your family, friends, cast, and crew on the 30 foot FilmQuest red carpet!

8:00 PM
“The Beehive Feast” – Utah Shorts Block #10
Utah comes back at ya with a selection of the very best genre shorts made in the state over the past year. Horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and beyond will be your delight as you indulge in the best of what the Beehive State has to offer. Films include: An Arrangement of Skin, Body of Work, Box Boy, Bull Rider, ITIIITIATIIHYLIHYL, Munch, Saborrrr!, Sacrament, The Handbook, To Err, Ummm, and Will the Circle Be Unbroken

10:00 PM
Monday Night Mingle – Game Night
@ FilmQuest Filmmaker Lounge
We’ll cap off the day with a low-key night of games and vintage arcades at our Filmmaker Lounge. Defeat Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, dunk on faces in NBA JAM, save the galaxy with Atari’s Star Wars, match wits in Cards Against Humanity, and more. A night of games and face-offs will go on as long as you want to keep mingling and having fun!

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31st, 2023

11:00 AM
“The Six Demon Bag” – Grab Bag Shorts Block #11
Films include: A Little Help?, Angel Hare, Dead Dreams Falling, Deliverance, Haunted by Nikola Tesla, Leverage, Sincopat, The Inflection Scheme, and Vespa

2:00 PM
“Kill Your Lover” Tuesday Matinee Feature
Includes the short films Hide Your Crazy, Leech, Strange Bedfellows, The Stand-Up and the music video Kill for Your Love

5:00 PM
“Laugh, You ******!” – Comedic Shorts Block #12
Films include: Baby Face, Bounce House, ***’n Nuts, Gold and Mud, Goo Darts, Overnights, ******, The Haunted Baby Carriage from Hell, Variations on a Theme, Victim No. 6, and Violet Butterfield: Makeup Artist for the Dead

8:00 PM
“The Deep Dark” – Tusday Night Feature
Includes the films Alicia and The Spirit Became Flesh

10:00 PM
Hatchet Throwing Party or Haunted House Field Trip
@ Heber Hatchets or Haunted Forest
Who is the biggest and baddest lumberjack around? Got what it takes? Then prove it as we go out to throw Hatchets like our grandparents did at Heber Hatchets. We’re taking to what is always a popular event, so build up that arm strength – you’re going to need it! ORRRRRRR we’er going to rent a couple buses and go to one of Utah’s top haunts near Provo, The Haunted Forest! More to come!

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1st, 2023

11:00 AM
“See With Eyes Born Anew” – Fantasy Shorts Block #13
Films include: Clemency, Forlorn, Juggernaut, LIV, Spiderlily, The Ringmaster, The Sin-Eater, and Things Visible and Invisible

2:00 PM
“A Disturbance in the Force” – Wednesday Documentary Feature
Includes the short films Fun, Gus!, The Storm Chaser, Tower Theatre and the animated short film The Dark Odyssey 2: Ice Nexus

5:00 PMs
“Conquer Your Demons” – Horror & Thriller Shorts Block #14
Films include: A Dire Strait, Before I Go, Pruning, The Fledgling, The Forgotten, Volition, What Lies Within, and Whisper

8:00 PM
“How to Kill Monsters” – Wednesday Night Feature
Includes the short films The Heritage, The Lure, and The Management

10:00 PM
Karaoke Party
@ The Social, Downtown Provo
It’s another time to party, and an opportunity to show the world that you were truly destined to become the next Rock n’ Roll God! Mix, mingle, network, and build your legend on the stage as we rock the night away! Catered food and drink will be provided for an extra fee.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2nd, 2023

11:00 AM
“My Mom Says I’m Funny” – Comedy Shorts Block #15
Films include: Abandon, Bento Banana, Dog Breath, Don’t Let Kyle Sit Down, Old Time Radio: Your Move, Quiet! Mom’s Working, Seeing Other People, The 44th Chamber of Shaolin, The Orb, They Grow Up So Fast, and Too Slow

2:00 PM
“Frogman” – Thursday Matinee Feature
Includes the short films The Princess and the Formaldehyde Specimen, The Forest King and Toad Boy

5:00 PM
“Through Infinity We Chase Our Falling Stars” – Sci-Fi Shorts Block #16
Films include: Alone, Autopilot, Closing Time, Eject, Ensouled, Entrainment, From Above, GOV.OS, Homecoming, Human Resources, Lost in the Sky, and TLG

8:00 PM
“Hundreds of Beavers” – Thursday Night Feature
Includes the short film Look! The Invisible Man and the animated short film Regular Rabbit

11:00 PM
“Midnight Madness 2: The Revenge of the Revenginator” – Shorts Block #17
Films include: Ashes in the Wind, Bag for Life, Decay Process, Engulfed, Eyestring, Finger Bang Your Day, Fudgie Freddie, Gummies, Heart of Vengeance, High Stakes, Hit and Run, Lord, Ride Baby Ride, Shoes Off, Sneak Over, Sugar Rag, Tooth, Unkind Cut, We Forgot About the Zombies, and You Have Reached Your Destination

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd, 2023

11:00 AM
Filmmaker Luncheon + Speed Dating Event
@ Bistro Provenance, Downtown Provo
Hosted by the newest restaurant in Downtown Provo, the French themed Bistro Provenance, will be our filmmaker luncheon and get together. The sooner you arrive, the quicker you’ll be settled and served as it’s going to be packed! You’ll have 2 hours to eat, chat, and make new friends until the fabled filmmaker speed dating event starts at 1 PM.Then our fabled and original Filmmaker Speed Dating networking event is back! You’ll get to meet everyone at the festival and find out how you can help each other with your productions and projects in this rapid fire meet and greet session that will tire you out – but will be well worth it for all the connections you’ll make!

2:00 PM
“Bang a Gong and Get It On!” – Variety Show Shorts Block #18
Films include: [subtext], A Cotton Moon, A Sweet Tooth, Accidental Stars, Judgement Day, Nash, No 8 Reporting, Not Us, Robbie Ain’t Right No More, and Virgil’s Rings

5:00 PM
“All You Need is Blood” – Friday Nigth Feature #1
Includes the short film Farmer Ed and the animated short film Demons in the Closet

8:00 PM
“New Life” – Friday Night Feature #2
Includes the short films Get Away, Shelter Half, and The Reclaimers

11:00 PM
“You Only Revenge Twice” – Horror Shorts Block #19
Films include: A Suit and a Straight Razor, Are You Awake?, Candor, I Could Just Die… and That Would Be All Right, Make It Stop, Meadowville, Red Velvet, Sempre Avanti, The Invaders, The Perfect Place to Cry, Thin Skinned, and Worry No More

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4th, 2023

11:00 AM
“A Highway to Hell” – Horror Shorts Block #20
Films include: 13 Steps, A Good Scream, D I G, Honk, No Overnight Parking, Oddities, Ten of Swords, The Drawing, and The Queue

2:00 PM
“Irati” – Closing Night Feature
Includes the short film Villain

5:00 PM
“10 Years of Fantastic!” – Closing Night Shorts Block #21
The 2023 FilmQuest closes the book on 10 years of Fantastic! We move into the infinite with a block of shorts that prove all things are possible when we give ourselves to the Beyond and let Cthulhu take us! Films include: Come Home, Escape Attempt, Evenveil, In the Heat, My Scary Indian Wedding, Recollector, The Voice in the Hollow, and ZIB

7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Pre-Awards Show Red Carpet
The end of FilmQuest 2023 upon us! Time to get your best tie and dress on, look like a rock star, and celebrate in style. Photos and interviews (as available) before the big shebang. Take pictures with all your friends looking your slickest!

9:00 PM
Closing Night Awards Show
Time to find out, once and for all, who the winners from the 2023 FilmQuest lineup are. Is it you? Is it them? Is it us? Let’s all find out together in this fun, audio/visual spectacle! A live feed will be provided for those watching virtually.

10:00 PM
Post Awards Show Red Carpet
The closing night awards show has come to an end, and at long last we know who has claimed a coveted Cthulhu! Get your picture taken, enjoy victory with friends, and celebrate together, one and all, for one last time on the FilmQuest red carpet for the 2023 festival!

11:00 PM
Closing Night Party
@ The Social, Downtown Provo
At long last, FilmQuest 2023 is officially over and ten years of Fantastic have led way to the next ten. Celebrate the festival, your victories, new friendships and collaboration, and more before you all bid adieu until next time. Catering and drink to be provided with extra fee.

Fest Date: October 26 - November 4, 2023

Location: Velour Live Music Gallery - 135 N University Avenue Provo, UT 84601

Click here to buy tickets.

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