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The winners of the 2025 Fantastic Fest awards have been officially announced, marking a significant milestone as the festival celebrates its 20th anniversary. Held in Austin, this genre festival showcased an impressive lineup of jurors, including renowned figures such as Patton Oswalt, acclaimed author Ottessa Moshfegh, and Fred Durst, the frontman of Limp Bizkit. Each juror brought their unique expertise to the table, contributing to the festival’s rich legacy.

This year, the jurors selected Charlie Polinger’s film The Plague as the winner of the main competition. Additionally, Avalon Fast’s film CAMP took home the award for the Next Wave competition, while Majid Al Ansari’s The Vile was honored as the Best Horror Feature. The festival also introduced the inaugural Fantastic Pitches competition, presented by Chroma, which awards $100,000 to the winning treatment for a genre film, along with a guaranteed premiere slot 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.”

Here are the 2025 Fantastic Fest award winners:

• 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, Ottessa 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
• Winning Project: PLAY HOUSE directed by Nicolas Curcio, Producers Kirby Gladstein and Ben Gojer

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