FAQ
The FAQ section is a constant work in progress as more and more questions are asked about the festival. Feel free to check and see if a question you have about the fest is answered here before you give us an email.
What is the KORK International Horror Film Festival?
KORK International Horror Film Festival (KIHFF) is a film festival centered around horror cinema and celebrates the world's best independent horror, thriller and fantasy cinema with screenings, events and more in Istanbul each year at the end of October.
Should I submit my film?
Absolutely. If you have made a feature or short film in the horror, thriller, mystery, or animation genre, KIHFF is for you!
What disqualifies my film?
Your film is usually disqualified when it is submitted for a film that does not belong to our thematic genre (horror, thriller, fantasy, etc.). Also, adult cinema or XXX genre films are not considered. We do not recommend sending your film to the festival if it is not genre based.
Is there a time limit for my film?
For feature films the limit is 60 minutes or more.
For short films the limit is 30 minutes or less.
Why might my film not be accepted?
There are many reasons why a film might not be accepted to KIHFF, and none of these reasons should be taken personally. Sometimes a film sent to us is not a genre film and therefore does not fit the theme and mission of the festival. Sometimes a short film is too long and we have to reject several other films if we accept it. Sometimes, despite all our wishes and desires behind the scenes, we simply do not have enough space to program a film, no matter how much we want it. Sometimes we choose one film over another because we think our audience will respond better to it. There are many reasons why a film might be accepted to KIHFF or not. The important thing is that all films are fairly graded and given a fair chance to become an Official Selection of the KORK International Horror Film Festival.
You can also re-apply to the festival the following year if your film is rejected. This will increase the chances of being selected in the new year if we liked your film but could not find a place in the program that year. We also recommend films that we did not accept but liked very much to other festivals.
For feature films, the reality is that since KIHFF is held on a limited number of days and in a limited number of theaters, we do not have the time and space to program as many feature films as we would like. Therefore, competition for feature films to be selected is fierce.
Finally, KIHFF does not require a premiere, but if we have to reject two films with similar scores and similar lengths, we will occasionally look at whether the film has previously been shown at another festival in our country. If the film has been shown at another festival in Türkiye before KIHFF, this may be one of the reasons we reject the film, but it is not the only reason.
How can I get the KORK Golden Skull Award?
If you have won an award at our festival, you or a representative must be physically present at the festival's award ceremony that year to receive the Golden Skull Award free of charge. If you are unable to attend the award ceremony physically, you can get the KORK Golden Skull Award by paying the packaging and shipping fees.
Do you pay for flights or hotel accommodation?
No. Do not ask us for flights or hotel coverage, as we cannot cover this. If you are planning to physically attend our festival by paying for your own flights and hotels, we can guide you by suggesting transportation routes and accommodation areas and help you get information or make a choice.
I want to volunteer. How can I do it?
Click on our "Volunteers" tab and fill out the form, we will register you as a potential Volunteer for our festival. We can only accept a certain number of Volunteers each year and we cannot accept new members while our existing Volunteers are still active. Volunteers receive many benefits while working at the festival, such as free screenings, access to all festival services and gifts.