The LAcon V Film Festival celebrates science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other speculative fiction films from around the world. It is a fantastic opportunity to discover diverse independent shorts and feature-length films, as well as “best of” selections from other speculative fiction film festivals.
Drop in for a single screening or immerse yourself in five days of cinematic exploration… bring your snacks and join us in the Anaheim Convention Center North for a spectacular time at the movies!
A complete list of films being presented this year can be found below the Festival Winners section below.
2026 Film Festival Winners
The LAcon Worldcon Film Festival is proud to announce the award-winning films of our 2026 festival.
“I’m very proud of the films we’ve selected for the LAcon Film Festival. They prove that speculative fiction is alive and well in the international independent film world.” film festival director Shawn Marier said. “One of the highlights for me is getting to show speculative fiction films from around the globe.”
This is the second annual Worldcon Film Festival after the 2025 World Science Fiction Convention in Seattle held a highly successful pilot project. Films are selected for the festival by a jury of filmmakers and fans, including Tina Anderson, Kathy Bond, Ching-In Chen, Abie Ekenezar, Kin Ferate, Chris Garcia, David Haas, Kevin Lawrence, Arendse Lund, Sarah Scrivano, Mark Sebring, and David Haas.
Best Feature (Over 45 minutes)
Film: Dead Media
Director: Joseph Scrimshaw | Country: United States
Screening: Friday, August 28 at 6:00 PM
Best Featurette (15–45 minutes)
Film: Pocket Change
Directors: Tanner Mobley & Heston Roewe | Country: United States
Screening: Saturday, August 29 at 11:00 AM
Best Short (Under 15 minutes)
Film: Battle of LA
Director: Patrick Pizzolorusso | Country: United States
Screening: Saturday, August 29 at 3:00 PM
Best Science Fiction
Film: One Minute Problem
Director: Nicolás Delgado de la Cámara | Country: United States
Screening: Sunday, August 30 at 5:00 PM
Best Fantasy
Film: The Screenwriter
Director: Mark Petrasso | Country: Italy
Screening: Thursday, August 27 at 1:00 PM
Best Horror
Film: Bug
Director: Filip Momirovski | Country: North Macedonia
Screening: Sunday, August 30 at 1:00 PM
Best Animated
Film: The Black Smoke of Prediction…
Director: Damir dado Šuša | Country: Croatia
Screening: Saturday, August 29 at 5:00 PM
Best Student Film
Film: My Name is Ringo
Director: Jon Peter Lewis | School: University of Southern California (USC) | Country: United States
Screening: Friday, August 28 at 1:00 PM
Complete List of Films Presented at LAcon V
We will be presenting the following films at this year’s Film Festival. Each listing shows the running times, the film’s country of original, and the writers and directors. The date and time each film will be shown will be included in the final LAcon V program.
| LAcon V Film Festival: Complete List of Films |
|---|
| 2389: Coming Home |
| Two humans, a scientist and a soldier from Martian colony, come to Earth destroyed by climate change and resource wars, to find out if it is livable once again. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Kateryna Sazonova. Running time: 12:00. |
| A Nightmare on 34th Street |
| A nerdy young man named Wilbur accidentally purchases a cursed Christmas gift for his shallow girlfriend Candy with horrifying consequences. Country of Origin: Canada. Writer/Director: Kevin McGuiness. Running time: 5:52. |
| AFTER LINK |
| At the peak of summer, Marta and David drive alone to the mountains, where a strange phenomenon calls into question whether a menacing algorithm conceals the whispers of spirits. Countries of Origin: Portugal, United Kingdom. Writer/Director: Catarina De Cèzanne. Running time: 18:00. |
| Afterlife |
| Haunted by grief in a near-future where sadness can be outsourced, April Neal considers a new outpatient procedure. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Charles Scott Bell. Running time: 23:51. |
| All the Money in the World |
| Scott Masters in the richest man in the world. And when the world is not enough, you shoot for the moon. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Dale Metz. Writer: TL Westgate. Running time: 9:30. |
| Are You There |
| A young woman experiences what she believes to be attacks by a poltergeist or demonic presence, only to discover something darker. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Jaclyn Fleming. Running time: 11:00. |
| Autonomous |
| After Drew stands Melanie up for a date, she and her friend Alyssa decide to get away for the weekend. Drew is not what he seems but, like everyone, he’s just looking for love. Country of Origin: Canada. Director: Jennifer Mosier. Writer: Elizabeth Butler. Running time: 10.47. |
| Battle Of LA |
| During one of Los Angeles’ most bizarre evenings in 1942, a ‘something’ was spotted over the skies. A ‘something’ that the anti-aircraft batteries opened fire on. A ‘something’ that two young scientists find and race against the clock to figure out what it is and how to keep it safe. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Patrick Pizzolorusso. Running time: 14:36. |
| Before The Sky Took Him |
| Jack is down on his luck and trying to mend his relationship with his estranged daughter. The night before her birthday party, he encounters a pair of creatures not from this world. Country of Origin: United States. Director: David Over. Writers: Allan Fitzgerald, Kyle Boroughs, David Over. Running time: 4:43. |
| Being of Problem (문제의 존재) |
| Sejin, a university student, is being scolded by her seniors in a library stairwell one night. Now Sejin is pulled into the nightmare of this strange night. Country of Origin: South Korea. Writer/Director: Youngwoo Kim. Running time: 29:58. |
| Bug (Баг) |
| An unemployed cellist turned software tester, tries out a smart speaker that generates music based on the listener’s feelings. Country of Origin: North Macedonia. Writer/Director: Filip Momirovski. Running time: 10:53. |
| Camp Evergreen |
| At Camp Evergreen, a campfire tale of Lorelei, the siren of the lake, slips from legend into nightmare. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Connor England. Running time: 10:00. |
| Dead Media |
| A troubled young woman wants to relax by streaming an old horror movie. Her lonely Gen X uncle demands they watch it on DVD. But the disc is haunted, plunging them into a movie night that won’t die. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Joseph Scrimshaw. Running time: 1:39:00. |
| Ding, Dong, Die! |
| Ally Clement is throwing an intimate Halloween party for her closest friends. But before the festivities can really begin, a stranger drops by with a Halloween treat of her own. Country of Origin: Canada. Writer/Director: Rui Martins. Running time: 1:46:22. |
| Existence Zero (Esistenza Zero) |
| A young cyborg works for a powerful corporation that designs and sells short-lived alternate worlds for people to experience. Country of Origin: Italy. Writer/Director: Matteo Scarfò. Running time: 1:13:20. |
| Eye For An Eye |
| A scavenger in a post-apocalyptic combine attempts to flea their tyrannical leader’s control, but will her sister (their leader) let her? Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Ashley Bowers. Running time: 20:00. |
| Favela Amarela (Yellow Slum) |
| Born and raised in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Damião joins the drug trafficking trade in Morro do Rato Baleado to increase his income. During a night shift, he spots hooded strangers sneaking through the hill’s forest toward a church. Country of Origin: Brazil. Writers/Directors: Nicolas Lobato, Thiago Tuchu. Running time: 19:56. |
| From the Wizard’s Workbench |
| An overconfident wizard livestreams a spell for good fortune, ignoring the warnings of his razor-sharp familiar—until the experiment literally goes spectacularly wrong. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Gerry Kodo. Writer: Edward Greaves. Running time: 4:23. |
| Furnaces |
| Another lock down, but this one is… different. The world slides into an incomprehensible nightmare, and one woman must face it alone. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Nick Dragon. Writer: Lacey Rae, Nick Dragon. Running time: 10:00. |
| FutureGaze |
| In the near future, daters can use an innovative new device to test their suitability with prospective partners, with potentially devastating consequences…. Country of Origin: United Kingdom. Director: Freddie Hill. Writer: Steven Lancefield. Running time: 10:05. |
| Hide |
| Still reeling from an incredible loss, a father and daughter cling to a bedtime routine keeping them safe in a town where an unfathomable horror visits its inhabitants night after night. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Brenden Hubbard. Writer: Brian Barnes. Running time: 16:04. |
| How to Prepare for Time Travelers in the Workplace |
| A quirky set of safety guidelines for encountering time-traveling infiltrators in your workplace, presented by the Organization for Time Travel Oversight. Country of Origin: Canada. Writer/Director: Grigory Lukin. Running time: 8:33. |
| ΠΙΕΣ |
| A short animated film that offers insight into the inner world of one or more individuals struggling with various forms of stress. Country of Origin: Germany, Greece. Director: Ioannis Agapitakis-Kern. Running time: 9:00. |
| I Made The Invisible Man |
| When a jaded ghostwriter is hired to tell the story of a man who claims to be H.G. Wells’ real Invisible Man, she assumes it’s just another doomed commission. Country of Origin: United Kingdom. Writer/Director: Luke Walters. Running time: 24:53. |
| Invasion ’53 |
| A man-eating alien crashes a suburban cocktail party. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Danielle Weinberg. Running time: 10:00. |
| Kontaminate You (Variant) |
| In an alternative timeline in the near future an alien virus is unleashed as the world burns in chaos. Set to the music of Sci-Fi Republik. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: D.A. Sebasstian. Running time: 5:58. |
| Love Machine |
| Dr. Joshua Benton activates C.H.I.P., an new android boyfriend designed to be the ideal partner, programmed to obey, assist, and build a lasting relationship for years to come. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Nicholas Gearin. Running time: 9:15. |
| Lumen |
| Alone while waiting for her boyfriend, a young woman’s night turns into a nightmare as unexplained sounds echo through the house and shadows begin to move in the darkness. Country of Origin: Brazil. Director: Marcos DeBrito. Writers: Jefferson Brito, Adriana Gaeta, Allan Deni Carvalho, Dabora Moraes, Marcos DeBrito, Pris Magalhathes. Running time: 5:00. |
| Lunar Dark |
| A far away astronaut is drawn to mysterious music from the void. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Jimmy Martin. Running time: 1:45. |
| Mindhackers (Hackers Mentales) |
| Gael, an unscrupulous young man, hacks into the minds of millionaires using high-tech glasses to transfer their money into his own account. During what seems like a routine hack, his glasses appear to have been hacked by someone else… Country of Origin: Mexico. Writer/Director: Tessie Garduño Avila. Running time: 10:00. |
| My Name Is Ringo |
| A twelve-year-old robotics thief must choose between the only life she’s ever known and the first friend she’s ever made – even if that friend is an enemy. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Jon Peter Lewis. Running time: 15:00. |
| Narrative |
| An author misses a deadline with her literary agent and looks for inspiration around her while at a wine bar. When she begins to type, the character she begins to describe comes to life, but who’s telling the story? Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Greg Franklin. Running time: 17:55. |
| NIXIE |
| An innocent girl explores the boundaries of reality to avenge her father’s murder. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Mary Rachel Gardner. Writer: Anthony Burkhalter. Running time: 7:22. |
| On Our Skin |
| In a world where knowledge is controlled, students become unwitting vessels of resistance. Country of Origin: Nigeria. Directors: Abiodun Udom, Emmanuel Adejo. Writers: Innocent Chizaram Ilo, Somto Ihezue. Running time: 17:00. |
| Paracosm |
| Synopsis forthcoming. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Carson Harter. Writers: Carson Harter, William Ferreira. Running time: 15:00. |
| Pishtaco |
| Synopsis forthcoming. Country of Origin: Peru. Writer/Director: Alvaro Hurtado. Running time: 4:56. |
| Pocket Change |
| When the power goes out at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere, a mysterious drifter and his seemingly worthless quarter hold the key to saving everyone from a deadly threat. Country of Origin: United States. Writers/Directors: Tanner Mobley, Heston Roewe. Running time: 15:13. |
| Selfless |
| After regaining control of his mental health, Damien is eager to reconnect with Liana, his girlfriend of three years, minus a two-month break. But just as he’s ready to make his triumphant return, something stops him. Something not quite human. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Will James Anderson. Running time: 16:40. |
| Surge of Power: Where There’s Smoke |
| The latest installment of the “Surge of Power” indie superhero movie franchise known for having lots of celebrities from the sci-fi and superhero genres! Welcome returning stars, the late Nichelle Nichols, Robert Picardo, Bruce Vilanch, Shannon Farnon, Michael Gray, Joseph Culp. Welcome new stars: Tim Russ, Sam J. Jones, John Davey, Kevin Caliber, Chase Corteseand introducing Stephanie Ahn. Country of Origin: United States. Directors: Vincent J. Roth, Jeff Rector, Mario DeAngelis. Writers: Vincent J. Roth, Blake Casselman, Enoch Scott. Running time: 1:08:52. |
| The Astronaut |
| In the 1980s, a lonely UFO enthusiast longing for human connection becomes convinced he has been contacted by extraterrestrial life. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Adam Wells. Running time: 11:19. |
| The Black Smoke of Prediction… |
| How the space forces of a small country headed to the newly discovered planet New Paradise as part of a space exploration program. Country of Origin: Croatia. Writer/Director: Damir dado Šuša. Running time: 9:08. |
| The Data Is Wrong |
| A interplanetary researcher visits a forgotten realm, but the local community appear to be a little too friendly. Country of Origin: United Kingdom. Director: Austin Charlesworth. Writer: Holly Elizabeth Barratt. Running time: 6:30. |
| The Essence |
| Times are hard, and the world is falling apart. The Supreme Sorcerer of the Order of the Red Ring, decides to take a desperate step to gain absolute power. Country of Origin: Russian Federation. Writer/Director: Max Kirichenko. Running time: 13:00. |
| The Herbal Witch (Die Kräuterhexe) |
| The Herbal Witch tells the tragic story of Lucila, a healer who gathers herbs for her remedies, and Manuela, her estranged sister who has become a nun. Country of Origin: Switzerland. Director: Christian Jankovski. Writers: Saskia Dubi, Fabrizio Daniele. Running time: 3:55. |
| The Hum |
| Noémie and her boyfriend come to empty the house of her mother, who has just moved into a residence following her dementia. She finds a tape that could answer many questions about her origins… if she believes what she sees. Country of Origin: Canada. Writers/Directors: Rémi Fréchette and Émilie Sigouin. Running time: 11:04. |
| The Living Tree |
| When a newlywed couple retreats to an off-grid treehouse in Costa Rica, their paradise turns to paranoia as the AI hosts begin testing the limits of their love and loyalty. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Anthony J. James. Writers: Anthony J. James, Brey Noelle. Running time: 1:45:13. |
| The One-Minute Problem |
| When a Spanish immigrant who’s trying to invent teleportation in his garage sucks too much power from the electrical grid, a Department of Water and Power inspector vows to shut him down, putting both his invention and his relationship with his pregnant wife at risk. Country of Origin: Not Specified. Writer/Director: Nicolás Delgado de la Cámara. Running time: 20:16. |
| The Parking Ticket Fairy |
| A hopelessly earnest fairy battles the brutal reality of being assigned the humiliating job of ‘Parking Ticket Fairy.’ Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Lily Andrews. Running time: 11:50. |
| The Passenger |
| A stressed-out assistant manager, already haunted by the ghost of familial ties is confronted by the unknown while driving his father on a final ride. Country of Origin: United States. Directors: Jen Zivkovic, Carrie Anne Drazewski-Keller, Jonathan Ong. Writers: Becca Minor, Jen Zivkovic, Carrie Anne Drazewski-Keller. Running time: 5:15. |
| The Planet That Doesn’t Exist |
| Professor Starl’Etoile has discovered a planet, which earned her, a statue, three medals, and the position as head of astronomy world wide. Now she is on the eve of the discovery of another planet. Country of Origin: Israel. Director: Nadav Embon. Writer: Navy Bird Revital Bronshtein. Running time: 8:00. |
| The Plasticist |
| Two eco-priests attempt to free a woman possessed by the microplastic demon that saturates her body. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Nick Dragon. Running time: 4:59. |
| The Roots Within |
| After graduating, Grace is torn between her father’s ruthless ambition and her aunt’s idealistic activism, realizing that both could shape her future and the fate of their town. Country of Origin: United Kingdom. Director: Ana Iscru. Writers: Ana Iscru, Ankolika Kumar. Running time: 14:59. |
| The Screenwriter (Lo Sceneggiatore) |
| A screenwriter is grappling with a new story: a noir with echoes of John Huston. A priceless object, a killer, a dead man, and a femme fatale all play their part in a metacinematic homage. Country of Origin: Italy. Writer/Director: Mark Petrasso. Running time: 8:10. |
| The Vagabond |
| A science fiction epic about the story of a bounty hunter seeking to leave his line of work when he is set up by an old foe on his last job. Country of Origin: United States. Director: David Debry. Writer: David Debry, Morgan Taylor. Running time: 13:00. |
| Time Helmet |
| Inventor Donald Voltmann, down on his luck and estranged from his young daughter, builds a Time Helmet to turn his life around. Country of Origin: Canada. Writer/Director: Mike Jackson. Running time: 1:53:53. |
| Tomorrow |
| Jonathan, a young man who stops time the day before the world is meant to end, believing he can save humanity by holding everything in place. Trapped in a motionless suburb, Jonathan survives in isolation as the endless daylight erodes his sanity. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Derek Taylor. Running time: 20:20. |
| Voidance |
| In order to be accepted into the prestigious ATIC Guard, Alana Toro is set a final challenge: prevent a terrorist attack. In a simulation of space bar The Forge, every innocent death resets the programme, and Alana starts again. Every death teaches her something new about the case. Country of Origin: United Kingdom. Director: Marianna Dean. Writer: Simon X Frederick. Running time: 1:26:23. |
| Wake Up, Dolores! |
| A self-aware A.I. synthetic named Dolores begins to question her reality when vivid nightmares reveal real-time murders that blur the line between dreams and reality, unraveling a dark truth hidden within the walls of their home. Country of Origin: United States. Director: Dan James Rathke. Writers: Dan James Rathke, Todd Wallace, Jack Schneiderman, Zoe Marshall. Running time: 38:00. |
| War of the Worlds: Goliath |
| 14 years after the first failed Martian invasion of 1900, Earth has rebuilt and rearmed with retro-engineered tech and mecha. Teddy Roosevelt leads an international army, ARES, dedicatated to fighting the Martians if/when they return. We follow the young troopers manning the Goliath battle tripod as they train then confront the second invasion. Country of Origin: Malaysia. Director: Joe Bruce Pearson. Writers: David Abramowitz, Joe Bruce Pearson. Running time: 1:23:00. |
| We Look Like You |
| Three inter-dimensional human-hybrids come to Earth looking for a lost artifact. Country of Origin: United States. Writer/Director: Devin Alexander Sebasstian. Running time: 6:52. |
| WHO-Ligans | The Lost Fandom |
| Two best mates. One legendary TV show. And a fandom that might just destroy them. Country of Origin: United Kingdom. Director: Luke Walters. Writers: Luke Walters, Jaime Carroll. Running time: 1:06:02. |
| Work from Home |
| On a desolate beach deities of Death and Love unexpectedly cross paths as a mortal mother fights to save her drowning child. Country of Origin: Netherlands. Writer/Director: Medina Sharapova. Running time: 15:00. |
