February 5-7, 2027

*Paranormal group number will be assigned to you upon purchase of weekend pass.

The Great Beyond Festival

What is it?

A film festival for storytellers, seekers, and the seriously curious—right here, in person, at the Mansfield Center for the Performing Arts.

Step into The Great Beyond Festival, a celebration of cinema that dares to explore the unexplained. This festival dives deep into the worlds of extraterrestrials, cryptids, and the paranormal—shining a spotlight on the strange, the mysterious, and the stories that live just beyond the edge of what we know. Join us in Great Falls, Montana for an unforgettable in-person experience featuring:

Incredible short and feature films that explore the unknown
Filmmaking workshops for creatives ready to tell their own otherworldly tales
Meet-and-greets with filmmakers, screenwriters, and fellow fans of the weird and wonderful

Tickets

All Access Passes: $150

Access to 19 films with a bonus 20th film.
Q & As with filmmakers
World Building Workshop with Script Anatomy.
Jumpscares and Nightmares Workshop with Script Anatomy
Two Special Effects Makeup Workshops with Kat Sketch
Secret Afterparties
Two Overnight Paranormal Workshops
Unlimited access to Vendor Market

Single Day All Access Pass: $75

Access to one day of films
One day of filmmaker Q & As
One Script Anatomy Workshop (Dependent on selected day.)
One Special Effects Makeup Workshop with Kat Sketch
One Afterparty
One Paranormal Workshop
Single day access to Vendor Market

Film Only Pass: $40

Access to 19 films

Whether you're a believer, a skeptic, or just love a good mystery, you'll find inspiration, insight, and community among the shadows at The Great Beyond Festival!

No streaming. No shortcuts. Just the magic of cinema—and maybe a few things that go bump in the night. The Great Beyond is calling. Are you ready to explore it?

Submission Guidelines

All submissions must be films that follow the theme of the paranormal, extraterrestrial, and/or cryptid!

Minimum of 13 films will be selected.

Short films are 30 minutes or less.
Feature films are an hour or more.

To ensure your film submission is eligible for consideration, please prepare the following materials that are required in the submission form that follows this page:

Film Screener

A private viewing link (Vimeo or unlisted YouTube)
Password (if needed)
Subtitles required if film is not in English

Film Info

Film title
Director’s name
Runtime
Year completed
Genre / Category

Short Synopsis

Just 1–2 sentences to help us get the vibe of your film

Promo Image

A poster or high quality still from the film (no watermarks)

Submission Fee

Pay $30 submission fee

A Few Notes:

Screening copies will be requested only if selected
Your materials may be used to promote the festival
You’ll hear from us via email if your film is accepted

NOTE: Incomplete submissions may not be reviewed.

Submissions Open NOW!

submit your film here

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026

3pm - 7pm: Registration/Info Table Open

5pm - 8pm: Vendor Fair Open

7pm - 9pm: Feature Film 1 (All Access Badge Holders Only)

9pm - Midnight: Welcome Event (All Access Badge Holders Only)

Friday, Feb. 6, 2026

8:30am - 10:30am: Workshop Block One

World Building - With Alex Raiman of Script Anatomy
Special Effects Makeup Foundations - With Kat Sketch

10:30am - 12:30pm: Break for Lunch/Shopping

12:30pm - 2:30pm: Workshop Block Two

World Building - With Alex Raiman of Script Anatomy
Special Effects Makeup Foundations - With Kat Sketch

11am - 4pm: Vendor Fair Open

3pm - 5:30pm: Short Film Block 1

5:30pm - 6pm: Post Film Q&A

6pm - 7:30pm: Dinner Break

7:30pm - 9:30pm: Feature Film 2

9:30pm - 10pm: Post Film Q&A

10pm - Midnight: Afterparty Event (All Access Badge Holders Only)

11pm - 2am: Paranormal Workshop Group One (Off-Site)

Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026

8:30am - 10:30am: Workshop Block Three

Horror: Jump-scares and Nightmares - With Ross Lazar of Script Anatomy
Special Effects Makeup Workshop 2 - With Kat Sketch

10:30am - 12:30pm: Break for Lunch/Shopping

12:30pm - 2:30pm: Workshop Block Four

Horror: Jump-scares and Nightmares - With Ross Lazar of Script Anatomy
Special Effects Makeup Workshop 2 - With Kat Sketch

11am - 4pm: Vendor Fair Open

3pm - 5:30pm: Short Film Block 2

5:30pm - 6pm: Post Film Q&A

6pm - 7:30pm: Dinner Break

7:30pm - 9:30pm: Feature Film 3

9:30pm - 10pm: Post Film Q&A

10pm - Midnight: Afterparty Event (All Access Badge Holders Only)

11pm - 2am: Paranormal Workshop Group Two (Off-Site)

Here’s Where To Go

Kat Sketch is your artistically bold internet best friend. As a trailblazing beauty and FX makeup artist, Kat is a distinct creative voice in the beauty industry known for her wildly imaginative makeup tutorials. Her standout makeup skills blur the line between glam and gore. Among the first professional artists online to reimagine iconic movie and TV characters with her own twisted spin, she's carved out a unique space in the digital beauty world. Sketch goes way beyond basic makeup tutorials with her videos, which incorporate special-effects artistry to create looks that range from quirky to downright twisted. How-to videos like her demon nun from The Conjuring 2and Ariel from The Little Mermaid are prime examples of how Kat is a creative visionary.

Alex Raiman is a co-producer on NCIS: Tony & Ziva (Paramount+). He previously wrote for The Magicians (Netflix/Syfy), sold an original dramedy (Group) to Warner Bros TV, and created an anthology series with TIME Studios based on their Person of the Year brand. A Penn State film graduate from New Jersey, Alex moved to Los Angeles with his partner Jay Gard to work with filmmaker Joe Carnahan, helping produce Stretch (Netflix) and TV projects including Those Who Kill (A&E),The Blacklist (NBC), and State of Affairs (NBC). His breakthrough came with The Magicians, where he and Jay wrote for three years. Alex has worked with Warner-Discovery, Likely Story, and Sugar23. Alex volunteers as a Crisis Intervention Counselor, he has two dogs, and advocates for animal rights.

Ross Lazar is a Los Angeles native and screenwriter whose career reflects persistence and creativity. After studying English Literature at UC Berkeley, he briefly worked at a tech company before vowing never to return to a 9-5 job. Instead, he dedicated nights to writing scripts, penning sixteen screenplays over two years before breaking into the industry. His big moment came with a sci-fi pilot that reached Doug Liman, whose company HYPNOTIC developed it, leading to Lazar signing with a top agency. His script "Welcome to the Neighborhood" landed on The Black List and sold to Amazon Studios in a bidding war, with Brad Fuller producing and Justin Dyck directing. Since then, he has developed projects with Sam Raimi, Kevin Williamson, and Skybound Entertainment, and written for Fifth Season and Sony Screen Gems.