Sundance Film Festival
Park City, United States
100
Tier AOscarScreenings
Festival dossier
The Nihilist Film Festival
Los Angeles, United States · Est. 2000 · Established legitimate festival with meaningful track record
Tier BTrusted
Los Angeles, United States
63
Legitimacy ScoreShould I submit?
Solid signals — do normal diligence
Tier B looks established enough for many filmmakers. Check fees, programming fit, and recent editions before submitting.
- No physical screenings
- 26 years of verifiable history
- 2 verified pro signals
Overview
The 2026 Nihilist International Film Festival announced that it is looking for short videos for this year’s program. Festival Director Elisha Shapiro says, “It’s the Nihilist Film Festival for god’s sake. Heresy, tastelessness, offensiveness…you get the idea. We’re looking for that film other festival are afraid of.” If you are a filmmaker who wants to be part of the fun, Shapiro hopes you will send your entry to the twentieth edition of the Nihilist Film Festival.
Last updated Sep 18, 2026
Legitimacy Analysis
Positive Indicators (+28 pts)
- 26 years of verifiable history
- 2 verified pro signals
- Verified trusted status
- Legitimacy signals outweigh concerns (3 vs 1)
Red Flags (-15 pts)
- No physical screenings
Trust Signals
Positive Signals
- Documented history with archived programs
- Has FilmFreeway community ratings
Festival Details
Founded
2000
FilmFreeway community
Avg. rating
4.0/ 5
Reviews
23
Synced 4 days ago
- Filmmaker
It was a pleasure to end this year of videopoetry broadcasting with the Nihilist Film Festival. I would have liked to celebrate the arrival of the end of the world in Los Angeles with you! Thank you for the great organization and the impeccable communications... and for the calendar! A reference for the next year!
- Filmmaker
Fantastic collection of offbeat films put together by an offbeat character. We were honored to be selected.
- Filmmaker
What a fantastic, twisted festival! Awesome selection of films and I'm glad we were selected to be a part of it. The swag bag was totally unexpected and was very welcomed :) Can't wait to create something offensive for 2025.
- Filmmaker
It was an honour for me and Le Zoo to be a part of The Nihilist Film Festival. Elisha Shapiro has a wonderful communication. Highly recommended transgressive film fest!
- Filmmaker
Great experience with festival organizers! Even though we weren't able to attend, we were kept up to date on every single step, and they even have little gifties for the selected films. Really wish we could have been there in person - because it sounded like a blast!
FilmFreeway reviews are filmmaker opinions, not our score. Cross-check red flags before paying fees.
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At a glance
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Scores are calculated from structural indicators: accreditations, physical screenings, award category count, submission frequency, and acceptance rate. Higher scores reflect more verifiable legitimacy signals.
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