The festival has several programming strands.

The main features programme is comprised of the very best that independent cinema has to offer as well as the occasional preview and premiere.

To complement the new movies, we have a classic features programme with some bits of horror cinema history on the big screen where they belong!

We have three short film programmes – those accompanying the features programme, a section called What You Make It, which is for films though not traditionally horror, will still make you feel so wrong, but in a good way, obviously!  And then there’s our Cutting Edge short film competition for debut and emerging film-makers, showcasing up to 15 short movies.

Three awards are made and all are decided by you!
Audience Award for Best Feature
Audience Award for Best Short
Cutting Edge short film competition winner

Each of the winners is awarded one of our beautiful Dead by Dawn chainsaw statuettes.

If you have any questions about the competition or about the submission and selection process, please don't hesitate to contact me

If you've seen a film in competition at Dead by Dawn and just need to own a copy, send your request to us here and we'll contact the filmmaker for you