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(Chattanooga Film Festival) Chattanooga Film Festival 2026: Favorites of the Fest: Shorts Edition

By. Katelyn Nelson

 

The short film blocks at Chattanooga Film Festival are always packed with goodies, but this year felt especially awash with riches. They spanned countries, subject matter, and genre, with everything from documentaries about arcade all-stars to stop motion interrogations of the Bluebeard mythology, to animated gut punches that remind us all to hold our beloved pets that much closer. Below are just some of my favorites:

Xolo: Directed by Matthew Serrano, this achingly sweet short film won best short of the festival, and for good reason. Following Skippy, a dog in search of food and his missing owner in the middle of the night, this heartfelt look at the impact the relationships we have with our pets affects both parties, through the lens of an Aztec myth about the relationship between dogs and humankind. Skippy finds his owner just as the Aztec god of death walks through the door, so he sets out to show what a good and loving life he’s had with his owner Maria. It brought the house down into a puddle of tears for days, so keep an eye out for it whenever you might have the opportunity.

Forever Home: Directed by Ashley Wong, this bite-sized makes a nice companion piece for Xolo if you’re still feeling like you want to shower your animal companion with love. Clocking in at just three minutes, it’s a quick punch to the heart that will make you want to hold your—and every other—dog that much closer. We follow a beloved three-legged mastiff who watches the world through a window, and is soon joined by several of his friends also taking up post to watch the street. Forever Home is a true testament that you don’t need a lot of time in a story to leave an impact, and you don’t need to operate within the horror genre to knock out a bunch of horror fans.

The Chattanooga Film Festival's short film blocks were only part of what made this year's lineup so memorable. After exploring these standout shorts, be sure to check out Katelyn Nelson's roundup of her favorite feature films from the festival, including BUNNY RABBIT, LENORE, KING OF BLACK GOO, and SUNSHINE GIRLS.

Little Deaths: Directed by Derek Bensonhaver, this anthology short is made up of a series of 15-second shorts, all depicting a bunch of creative ways to die. Sort of like if the ABC’S OF DEATH or 1,000 Ways to Die condensed themselves into shorter, punchier bits. The by far most shocking entry is saved for last, but the whole thing left me with a strange urge to dig into what it might take to make my own filmic equivalent of flash fiction, and isn’t that kind of inspiration part of what we make and watch things for?

Knifeman: Written and directed by MP Hayes, this short follows Horatio Hunt (John Swansiger), a nondescript IRS agent by day who spends his nights exacting vigilante justice against the evils in his town. A bit like an ultraviolent ULTRAMAN, it balances being great fun with adding a disturbing twist of grounding violence.

Redneck: Written and directed by Alexandria Basso, this cinematically beautiful short is a twist on the oddly age old idea that “gingers have no souls”. The story follows a young woman in an isolated Appalachian cult who must consume the souls of their victims in order to survive. She is forced to face a battle with herself between being accepted into the group or maintaining her last shred of humanity. Yet another in the long list of shorts on offer this year with poignant messages about connection, survival, and community.

Goldie: Directed by Elise Francis Garner, this 1930’s circus-centered short is a feast for the eyes. It follows Goldie (Macy Faith Boren), a clown at a traveling circus who’s position as top bill has been usurped by another. A worthy entry into shorter-length “good for her” horror, this is a creepy, bloody look at female ambition you won’t soon forget. I’ll keep clamoring for a feature-length version as long as I need to.

The Gilded Mirror: Written and directed by Jack Dudley Gewant, this visually lush black and white short follows Charles Randolph (David Francis Perry), a performer haunted by his wife’s death. Atmospheric, beautiful, and unsettling, this is another short I would love to see developed into a Lynchian feature length.

The Chattanooga Film Festival always leaves us with more discoveries than we can fit into a single article. Stay tuned to Professor Horror for more reviews, interviews, and coverage celebrating the filmmakers and films that made Chattanooga 2026 one of the year's most exciting genre festivals.