SCHEDULE & BLOCK INFORMATION TBD (LIKELY SPRING 2021)
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A PERFECT CIRCLE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A cynical millennial reluctantly seeks enlightenment at a trendy therapeutic retreat in Los Angeles. Following a hallucinogenic trip, she encounters her idealized self.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Brief Nudity
DIRECTOR: Marc Furmie
GENRE: Horror, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Marc Furmie is a South-African-born, Australian-raised filmmaker based in LA. Marc began his writing and directing career after graduating from UNSW’s College of Fine Arts. He has since directed commercials for major brands including McDonalds, Sony, Volkswagen and Amnesty International. His extensive music video work has earned him two ARIA nominations. Marc’s Screen Australia and Screen NSW-funded shorts Death’s Requiem and Dark Horse have played in over 50 international film festivals scooping an array of awards at Flickerfest, St. Kilda and the Byron Bay Film Festivals. His web-series Airlock picked up awards at Sicily and Melbourne Webfests. Marc co-wrote and directed Terminus, a sci-fi feature film released by Vertical Entertainment globally. He also co-wrote In Like Flynn, directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on the life of Errol Flynn released in 2019. Marc’s screenplay for Harlem 58 was a Top 3 finalist in the 2020 Final Draft Big Break. As the co-founder and executive producer of Rezistor Films in Los Angeles, Marc is overseeing a slate of films with international writers and directors.
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A PLAY (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Two friends go to see a play and realize just how terrifying supporting the Arts can be.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language
GENRE: Comedy, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Nino Mancuso is a director/writer/producer. His short film “I Know Jake Gyllenhaal is Going to Fuck My Girlfriend” has received widespread acclaim in a number of high profile festivals, including Hollyshorts, Flickerfest (AUS), and Austin Film Festival. His web series starring Jane Lynch on Amazon Prime, “Dropping the Soap”, won an Emmy in 2017 for Best Actress in a Short Format Comedy.
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A STORYBOOK ENDING (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When a black man accidentally kills a white cop in self-defense, the cover-up sets off a chain reaction of deceit, blackmail, and murder.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language
DIRECTOR: Lanre Olabisi
GENRE: Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Lanre Olabisi’s has written and directed two feature films — August the First and Somewhere in the Middle both of which are distributed by Film Movement. Combined, his films have screened at over 75 film festivals around the world including the SXSW Film Festival and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. His work has won the top prize in ten international film festivals and has also been nominated for an IFP Gotham Award as well as a Black Reel Award. Lanre’s latest short film, A Storybook Ending, was released in the summer of 2020. It is based on a feature film of the same name which is currently in development. Most recently, Lanre was selected as a fellow for the 2020 HBOAccess Directing Program.
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ACCOMPLICE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A man is forced to experience the memories of the person he accidentally killed.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Matthew Avery Berg
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Matthew Avery Berg is filmmaker from Los Angeles born on January 30, 2001. As a storyteller, Matthew likes to explore emotions or situations which he is currently dealing with in his personal life. It is because of this that he finds his passion not only fulfilling, but cathartic.
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AFTERLIFE (IRELAND)
SYNOPSIS: An unhappy family man gets a second chance when he wakes up as a vampire, only to struggle to follow through with his dreams of escape
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Daniel Butler
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Daniel is an award-winning bilingual filmmaker from the Donegal Gaeltacht who works both in Irish and in English and has won awards for several of his short films and music videos to date including winning the inaugural Lumi Award at this year’s Belfast Film Festival and last year being awarded ‘Best New Director’ in the Irish Music Video category of the Kinsale Shark Awards and being nominated ‘Best Director’ at the Richard Harris International Film Fesival.
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ALLERGIC OVERREACTION (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When Scott brings cookies to his friend’s annual weekend long Freddy vs Jason fest, he unwittingly gives Dave an allergic reaction. And what was supposed to be a fun time, turns into a night of uncanny horror!
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Mild Violence, Strong Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Zachary Eglinton
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: From Oxford, Connecticut. Raised on VHS copies of ALIENS, Young Frankenstein and Robocop. Zachary Eglinton is all about making movies about bad friends. Especially when they’re based on a TRUE STORY (sorta)!
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AMARA (USA)
SYNOPSIS: The titular protagonist, spurred on by a cataclysmic celestial event, must embark on a pilgrimage through her barren and desolate world.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Ethan Chancer
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Ethan Chancer is a visual effects artist and director based in Los Angeles, California. Ethan grew up in Boise, Idaho and specialized in cinematography. He has since shifted his focus to visual effects with an emphasis on dismal and eccentric themes.
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AND SO HE OPENS HIS EYES (RUSSIA)
SYNOPSIS: A small swindler after an unsuccessful coincidence finds himself in the afterlife court as a defendant. The judge is a man, who he literally to death annoy during his lifetime.
RATINGS GUIDE: N/A
DIRECTOR: Sergey Vasiliev
GENRE: Comedy, Horror, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: N/A
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Sergey Vasiliev was born on 27.12.1994 in Moscow. In 2016 graduated from The Gerasimov Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK) as a producer. Since 2016 he has been working in the visual effects Studio AMG VFX.
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AND THEN GOD LAUGHED (MEXICO / TUNISIA / CZECH REPUBLIC)
SYNOPSIS: After losing both his job and his girlfriend on the worst morning of his life, a middle aged expat living in Prague turns to his carefree neighbor for support – only to find her faced with her own predicament: a bloody crime scene that points straight at her.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Langauge, Nudity
DIRECTOR: Sonya Z. Dagata & Carlos Robles-Gil
GENRE: Comedy, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: We are an international writing/directing team composed of a Swiss-Tunisian-American (Sonya) and a Mexican-American (Carlos). We met in 2013 at the Prague Film School, and have been working together ever since. We are currently based in New York City.
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ANEMONE (ITALY)
SYNOPSIS: In a future where humanity is forced to leave Earth, Jane is faced with a dilemma: leaving behind her only friend alive on Earth, or finding him and risking to loose her only chance to escape from the dying planet?
RATINGS GUIDE: Language
DIRECTOR: Alessandro Marcon
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Alessandro Marcon was born in Conegliano, Italy. A small town situated between Venice and the Dolomites. He graduated from ISSM San Marco in Mestre and immediately left for Los Angeles to follow his dream to become a director. He has directed some music videos and a commercial, but his focus remained the narrative visual art of this job.
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ANNIE, WE’RE HERE FOR YOU (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Annie and her best friend Terra speed down a dark desert road in the middle of the night, following the siren call in Annie’s dreams of the beings that abducted her from out here two years ago. But what was it that really took her all those nights ago – something from the stars, or something else?
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Strong Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: John Veron
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Born and raised in Lake Charles, La., John always wanted to tell stories. After high school, he moved to New Orleans to study philosophy, but the need to entertain people never left him. After several years playing in bands in Austin,. TX, John moved to Los Angeles and began working in earnest on television pilots, feature scripts, and web series. In the meantime, he learned the ropes of feature film production as a 2nd AD, PM, and line producer on a variety of features and commercials. His recent script “Crashpad” was a finalist in the Horror Category at the Austin Film Festival’s screenplay competition.
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ANTIQUE (NORWAY)
SYNOPSIS: Anjelica buys an antique bathtub from a dead person’s estate and soon learns that some old things have more soul than others.
RATINGS GUIDE: Brief Nudity, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Morten Haslerud
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Morten Haslerud (born 1988) is a self-taught freelance filmmaker, based in Oslo, Norway. He has written and directed several short films, in addition to his more-than-decade-long work as a film and television editor.
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APPYNESS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A troubled young woman tests out a new app that lets her control when and how she feels emotions.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Ryan Turner
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Ryan Turner has been obsessed with film ever since he got a Lego Studios set as a young kid. Working in stop motion, he created all sorts of movies — even using little Lego Spielbergs. Now living in LA, Ryan’s moved on to working with humans. His clients range from Richard Branson and the Marriott Hotels to comedy YouTube Channels. His videos have garnered millions of views and he’s had numerous viral hits under his belt; the latest of which, “A Date in 2025”, had a very successful film festival run and internet release. Ryan continues to approach each film with creativity and passion and never forgets the tedious lessons he learned with his Legos — like how Harry Potter and R2D2 have great on-screen chemistry. You can see all of his work on his website: www.ryanturnerproductions.com
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BACKWARD CREEP (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A group of cosplayers driving to an anime convention are attacked by a supernatural entity unleashed from a cursed Manga.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Christopher G. Moore
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Christopher G. Moore is an award-winning filmmaker from North Carolina whose love of Star Wars, Evil Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street inspired him to make movies. He’s currently working on a feature film version of his supernatural horror short Backward Creep with his producing partner Amanda Stone.
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BANJANXED (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Victor and Connor, two unlikely allies, have a big problem on their hands – a body in their trunk, and the dire need to keep that body hidden from the organized crime family that they work for.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Matt Devino
GENRE: The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Matt Devino is an LA based genre writer and director, and co-founder of the Assorted Kinds filmmaking collective.
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BARRIER (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When a magical barrier is breached, two incompetent guards must decide the fate of the world.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Morten Forland
GENRE: Fantasy, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Morten Forland is an award-winning director, writer and editor who loves telling stories packed with action, jokes and everything nerdy. His style and sense of humor are the driving force behind both his narrative and commercial work.
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BEAUTY JUICE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A woman follows her invitation to Beauty Juice, a secret invite only beauty shop, only to find that’s somethings not right, and the price for beauty might be steeper than she thinks.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Natasha Halevi
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Natasha Halevi is an award-winning director and actress recognized for her female focused work. Her 2019 all-female short “Beauty Juice” won the Atlanta Horror Film Festival Audience Choice Award and screened internationally, and in 2020, her sci-fi micro-series “After Ray” premiered at the Philip K. Dick Film Festival. Her webseries “Lunch Break Feminist Club” won Best Series and Best Ensemble Cast from HVFF in 2015. As an actress, Halevi has been a featured guest at San Diego ComicCon, Dragoncon and Stan Lee’s Comic-Con for her role in Troma’s “B.C. Butcher” and appeared on panels for the film and women in horror. She is a FilmQuest alumni and shares the Director’s Award for Cinematic Achievement with Fatale Collective.
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BELOW (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A one-shot, first-person thriller with a twist. Join us under the bed for a dangerous game of hide and seek.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Chance Muehleck
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Chance Muehleck is a writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He recently created story content for a gaming app based on his original pitch, and his sci-fi feature Madrigal is currently in development. Last year he produced the acclaimed audio drama Dreamland, which is now being eyed for television.
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BOS (BELGIUM)
SYNOPSIS: The forest is suspiciously quiet. The wind rustles softly through the leaves, the sun reflects on the moist soil, no animals can be seen. The only thing that disturbs this peace is the panting of two jogging teenagers. When they reach an open space, the tension suddenly arises.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Sensuality, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Steffen Geypens
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Besides working as a Post Producer for award-winning production company Caviar, Steffen decided to return to his original passion a few years ago. His previous shorts ‘Hold Back’ and ‘Silent Campine’ got selected for more than 100 festivals worldwide and received numerous awards. His third short in four years, BOS, is an experimental coming-of-age mystery that will take your breath away. Steffen is currently developing two feature films that will further explore the mysterious horror vibe of his recent shorts. One of them is VAL, based upon the critically acclaimed novel by Flemish writer Roderik Six and selected by the European Genre Forum 2020.
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BUFFALO & TROUT (USA)
SYNOPSIS: The forest is suspiciously quiet. The wind rustles softly through the leaves, the sun reflects on the moist soil, no animals can be seen. The only thing that disturbs this peace is the panting of two jogging teenagers. When they reach an open space, the tension suddenly arises.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Adult Content, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Presley Paras
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Presley Paras is an MTVu nominated, and VEVO featured music video Director with several of his stylized visuals grossing over a million+ hits on YouTube. His slasher short film QUAD was sold to HULU as part of a horror anthology called Fun Size Horror. Presley Paras lives in Los Angeles where he still roots for the New England Patriots for fear of being disowned.
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