Fantastic Fest Announces 2025 Award Winners Including ‘The Plague’ and ‘Camp’

Fantastic Fest today unveiled the winners of this year’s awards, celebrating a remarkable array of genre films from around the world. Fantastic Fest was also thrilled to host the first edition of Fantastic Pitches this year, presented by Chroma. The winning pitch receives $100,000 in funding for their feature film, global distribution, and a world…

Caroline C Ryan

September 23, 2025

1–2 minutes

Fantastic Fest today unveiled the winners of this year’s awards, celebrating a remarkable array of genre films from around the world.

Fantastic Fest was also thrilled to host the first edition of Fantastic Pitches this year, presented by Chroma. The winning pitch receives $100,000 in funding for their feature film, global distribution, and a world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026.

“To celebrate our 20th anniversary, we curated a remarkable lineup of feature and short films,” said Annick Mahnert, Director of Programming for Fantastic Fest. “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.”

“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