I just finished watching 17 feature films over a period of two weeks for this year’s FilmQuest Film Festival that will be held in Provo, Utah from Oct. 23-Nov. 1, 2025.
This was my first time being a judge for a film festival, so I wasn’t sure how many films I could review in such a short time, but I made it through.
As a longtime lover of genre films, this was a dream come true. I enjoy watching and writing genre TV, films, and fiction, so this experience gave me greater insight into the next steps after you’ve completed the project. For some filmmakers, that might look like festival submission, distribution, audience reception, and awards! Just being nominated must be something special for the film’s crew, cast, and producers.
FilmQuest is one of the top-rated genre film festivals in the world and boasts the distinction of being the #1 best reviewed film festival on FilmFreeway. If I were an independent genre filmmaker, this festival would be one of the main stops for me because I watched films that had large budgets, and some that were clearly made with heart and passion on small budgets. In this festival, they were all on the same playing field.
Some of the genre films that I reviewed ranged from comedy musicals to gory horror to thrillers. I viewed them all and I can truly say that each one stood out in their own way. There were a handful of thought-provoking international films as well, both in English and other languages.
Not only did I rank the films, but also nominations for other categories, such as: Best Actress, Actor, Sound, Direction, etc. I actually found this the most difficult to rank these categories because some of the nominees were good for different reasons.
Some of the features that have stuck with me stood out for their creative story structure and pacing, out of this world plots, and some took visual storytelling to the next level. I was very pleasantly surprised by one of the comedies that made me laugh out loud (which is hard to do) and one that had a Tarantino flavor to it. I can definitely see a few of them hitting the theaters over the next year or on a streaming channel. They were just that good.
You can find a link to all of the features and short films (which I did not judge), and other category nominees here. The festival is on its 12th run, and based on the notable actors that I saw in some of the films, you may see some familiar faces if you attend in person. Tickets are on sale on the FilmFreeway and festival website as of the writing of this blog post, but they’re selling out fast.
Check out the 2025 Schedule to see which days you’d like to attend if you’re like me and can’t attend all of the days. There is also an option to view the films virtually if you want to get ahead of the festival and see what all of the films are about.
It’s been such an honor to review these films and I hope that this is the first of many more opportunities in the future. Future filmmakers, screenwriters, and film lovers can participate in film festivals in other ways like volunteering. I’d love to learn more about how others stay connected to the film community.
Full disclosure, I submitted my own screenplay to this festival, but it was not selected. Being a judge was a great cancellation prize.
Gina N. Anderson 