Chattanooga Film Festival organizers have given their fans even more bang for their 2025 badge buck by announcing another jam-packed wave filled with a veritable Whitman’s sampler of the genre programming for which CFF has become known.
CFF’s third and final wave of 2025 includes a film programmed by a very special guest, another World Premiere, sneak preview screenings, and a gargantuan 2025 shorts program.
Joining the festival’s programmers and curating a secret screening as part of the 2025 edition of their fan-favorite REDEYE secret screening series is one of the hardest-working men in showbiz—actor/author/horror ambassador David Dastmalchian who will give fans insight into the wild world of his selection, a film presented by longtime CFF co-conspirators Arrow Video.
Further fleshing out the 2025 festival’s previously announced lineup of world premieres and early special screenings is the World Premiere of ALAN AT NIGHT, which manages to be freaky and funny in equal measures, a Top Secret Sneak Preview screening of a fantastically funny new film and CFF fan faves Olivia Taylor Dudley and Riley Dandy dazzling lead turns in Cassie Keet’s stone killer cult thriller ABIGAIL BEFORE BEATRICE, a film you should add to your watchlist right now.
If you’re into the whole brevity thing, Chattanooga’s massive 130 short film lineup–the largest in the festival’s 12 year history–includes scores of new voices and more than a few returning favorites including new short works from Megan Duffy, Andrew Bowser, Chloë Levine, Chris McInroy, Sam Fox, Benjamin Percy and more than 100 more of the most exciting voices in genre cinema spanning nine jam-packed shorts blocks. Like most of the festival’s lineup, these films can be experienced in-person and virtually for those who want to bathe in the weird waters of CFF’s party-fueled Summer Camp for Cinephiles atmosphere.
As festival tradition dictates there will also be special live episodes of podcasts film fans will know and love, including special episodes of The Hip Pocket, Horror Queers, Video Monsters, and even a special live episode from the folks at Dread Central.
Chattanooga Film Fest–a volunteer-run 501c3 non-profit–is also currently holding what it’s termed a “digital bake sale,” calling on its fans to help weather the financial storm of the current political climate. A donation at any level nets you interesting perks, including membership in the festival’s unhinged monthly virtual secret screening and film club, the Double Secret Cinema Society. The festival is seeking out any additional donors, sponsors, or fellow weirdos who’d like to help them keep the pilot light of strange and unusual cinema lit and burning strong.
Guests who attend in person will also be treated to one of the festival’s legendary complimentary cocktail competitions presented by the mixologists at the Choo Choo Cocktail Collective and join the previously announced free tattoos (from the popular Mainline Tattoo) as yet another perk for those who make the pilgrimage to Chattanooga.
With its commitment to audience and filmmaker accessibility, its warm-hearted southern hospitality, and its consistently surprising and eclectic programming, the Chattanooga Film Festival has, in just 11 years, been chosen as One of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World (MovieMaker Magazine), one of FilmFreeway's Top 100 Best Reviewed Film Festivals in the World out of the nearly 12,000 festivals on that platform, been chosen One of the Best Genre Film (MovieMaker) and Horror Festivals (Dread Central) and hailed as "the gold standard on how to run a welcoming, unpretentious, no-bullshit film fest for folks who want to hang out and have a good time together" by legendary cinema publication FANGORIA.
The Chattanooga Film Festival is a 501c3 non-profit run entirely by a small but passionate crew of volunteers. All proceeds from the festival's ticket and badge sales and donations go directly to the staging of each year's festival.
For more information, visit chattfilmfest.org