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#NOFILTER (USA)
SYNOPSIS: #Nofilter addresses the ever-growing issue surrounding Body Dysmorphic Disorder through the eyes of Beth, an insecure twenty-something, who becomes obsessed with an insidious filter, leaving her to question true beauty. The film stars Kelly Lamor Wilson and Misha Osherovich from “Freaky.”
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: NATHAN CROOKER is an accomplished filmmaker who developed an interest in narrative and visual storytelling with an authentic and raw cinematic style. Crooker found his voice in narrative filmmaking through horror with his viral short, “Playback.” Both “Playback” and “Midnight Delivery” have had wild success at many top film festivals worldwide. Crooker is also an accomplished producer, having recently created and produced the horror anthology “Isolation.” The film was shot in March 2020 at the height of lockdown and helms some of the genre’s most innovative directors, such as Larry Fessenden, Dennie Gordon, and Bobby Roe. “Isolation” had its 2021 world premiere at Fright Fest UK. He also produced the horror feature “Until Someone Gets Hurt,” starring Michael Welch from “Twilight.” #Nofilter is a proof of concept for the feature of the same name that Crooker is currently shopping, along with another feature film entitled, “There’s Nothing Wrong With Us.”
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29 (UK)
SYNOPSIS: A reunion of three friends turns hostile and violent when one of them witnesses a murder.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Strong Language, Intense
DIRECTOR: Adam Robinson
GENRE: Horror, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Nov. 1st @ 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Adam is an award-winning director and producer studying at the National Film and Television School. His work has taken him to Sardinia, Denmark, Germany, Guatemala, Italy and Poland. He has worked alongside organisations such as BAFTA, BBC and the British Council. His work has screened on SKY and can be found on Amazon Prime
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A GOOD COUPLE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Julia’s boyfriend returns after a blowout fight, transformed and eerily perfect.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Robert Gregson
GENRE: Horror, Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Robert Gregson is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker. His short Shut Eye earned the Best Horror Short Award at Montreal Independent Film Festival and his short The Refrigerator earned the Best New Director Award at Brooklyn Film Festival. His feature film Trivia Night won the Best Feature Film Award at the Omaha Film Festival and is now available on Amazon Prime.
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A MACHINE FOR BOREDOM (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Isolation drives a man to rethink his position within a capitalistic society.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Marc Cartwright
GENRE: Fantastic, Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 1:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: MARC CARTWRIGHT is an American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Marc grew up in New York on Long Island’s East End. Partially raised by his grandparents, who were avid fans of Hollywood classics, he developed a passion for the entertainment industry. A graduate of NYU, Marc runs a successful photography business, where he photographs established, as well as up-and-coming talents in Film and Television. With his experience behind the camera as a photographer, Marc founded motion picture production company Glass Cabin Films, to direct and produce short and feature length content.
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ABRACITOS (SPAIN)
SYNOPSIS: A terrible phone call in the middle of the night shakes Laura’s world. Meanwhile, little Ainara plays in her room. The appearance of an anknow being? It will test the mental and emotional stability of the two sisters.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense
DIRECTOR: Tony Morales
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via Horror Shorts #1 Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Tony Morales was born in Málaga. Studied Film and Video Production in Madrid (I.E.S. La Arboleda). Lover of genre cinema since very young age. In 2014 he shot his first short film, “Ku”, with which he obtained 11 international selections. His second short film, “Hada”, achieves more than 260 selections and 60 international awards, including: Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Telluride Horror Show, Fantasporto, NYC Horror Film Festival, Nightmares Film Festival, Les Enfants terribles, Comicpalooza Film Festival and FilmQuest. At the end of 2016, he shot “Do we play?”, a 3-minute short film to participate in an edition of the Notodo Film Fest.
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AD LIB (FRANCE)
SYNOPSIS: ‘Ad Lib’ is a romantic drama in the world of karaoke. A multi-faceted short movie, a story of appearances.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Mild Violence, Brief Nudity
DIRECTOR: Joseph Catté
GENRE: Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premier
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 2nd @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Joseph Catté is a french writer-director. Concurrently with a career in visual effects, he creates many off-the-wall short movies, with thorough visuals and eclectic influences.
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AFTER DARK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A young woman arrives for a weekend of hiking at a remote cabin in the California desert, where she’s greeted by an ominous note warning visitors not to go outside after dark.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense
DIRECTOR: Jakob Owens
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 3rd @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Jakob Owens is a visual director based in Los Angeles California who’s projects range from Music Videos, Films, Commercials, Travel, Branded Content and more. He is also the creator and owner of TheBuffNerds youtube channel which has accumulated over 260+ million views and 790K + subscribers as well as a personal Instagram following of over 140K+ followers on Instagram (@JakobOwens). His work has been displayed on all of the major music television networks such as MTV, VH1, BET, REVOLT and more. He has collaborated and worked with artists such as Tyga, Chris Brown, Wale, Jesse McCartney, Chamillionaire, Nick Carter, The Braxton Sisters, iLoveMemphis, Dawin, Futuristic, KYLE, K. Roosevelt, Dizzy Wright, and much more. With his experience in the film industry Jakob has gone on to build 2 very successful filmmaking product companies “Tropic Colour” and “PrismLensFX” both obtaining high amounts of followers and business from filmmakers & photographers from all over the world! Jakob’s built a very strong social media fan base and following as well….over 1 Million+. He currently sells manuals, tutorials, and various filmmaking related products he has created for followers spanning across the world who hope to one day create videos like Jakob himself.
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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: North America Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via Sci-Fi Shorts Block
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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ANNIVERSARY (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Rubin and Lilly are just married, expecting a baby, and driving into the sunset. It was supposed to be the best day of their lives…
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Mild Langauge, Intense
DIRECTOR: Craig Ouellette
GENRE: Horror, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, November 4th @ 8:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Craig is the writer/director of the independent feature “All The Days Undone”, the documentary feature “The Closer She Gets” (www.theclosershegets.com) and more than 25 short films, most in the horror, thriller and action genres. They have over 70,000,000 views online, have played numerous festivals and won multiple awards. His most recent film “$TRIP” played Filmquest in 2020 (May 2021) and he is thrilled to be back this year! He is also an avid traveler who has been to 44 countries and 50 states. www.craigofilm.com
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AXE TO THE FACE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Anna and Dylan meet on a dating app, and the two begin a budding relationship. As their chemistry progresses, we begin to see there is more to this seemingly chance encounter than we were originally led to believe. One thing’s for sure — someone is getting an axe to the face.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Strong Sensuality, Adult Content, Intense
DIRECTOR: Andrew Moorehead
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via Horror Shorts #1 Block
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BACK TO THE WOODS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A woman attempts one last camping trip with her ailing husband.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense
DIRECTOR: A.K. Espada
GENRE: Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: An Atlanta-based Writer, Director, and Production Designer whose obsession with horror is only surpassed by her love for indie filmmaking. Recent films include LAUNDRY NIGHT, which was awarded a special jury prize at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, and IN SILENCE, for which she was nominated for Best Director of a Short Film at SoHo International Film Festival. She is currently participating in the Destroy All Boundaries Directing Partnership, and working on her next short film “I COULD JUST DIE, AND THAT WOULD BE ALL RIGHT,” which was awarded the Future of Film is Female Grant and was a finalist for the Film Impact Georgia Grant.
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BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After committing an atrocious act of violence, a conflicted man comes to terms with his dark side.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense
DIRECTOR: Meg Swertlow
GENRE: USA
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 1:30 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: MEG SWERTLOW is an award-winning, fellowship-getting, mentorship-grabbing screenwriter and director. In just the last 1.5 years, she’s written and directed five short films, optioned a romcom and been hired to write a feature film. Meg is determined to use her energetic personality and unique voice to tell female-forward stories about strong but flawed women. Meg was named one of ISA’s Top 25 Screenwriters to Watch in 2021. She is also currently in Women in Film’s 2020-2021 Mentorship Program. Her horror feature, “No Overnight Parking,” which is currently being shopped, has won a bevy of accolades, including ISA’s Fast Track Fellowship genre winner, Grand Prize winner of Emerging Screenwriters’ Shoot Your Short, Runner Up at the Nightmares Film Festival, FilmQuest Finalist, Semi-Finalist in Women in Film’s Production Program and Finalist for the Filmmatic Horror Awards. An early draft of the script was also selected and workshopped at the 2018 Hedgebrook Screenwriters Lab. The Austin Film Festival called No Overnight Parking, “a picture-perfect slasher.”
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BODY OF THE MINED (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A quiet, young woman moves into a new building and meets a reclusive engineer at the brink of completing a bizarre, extraordinary machine.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Adult Content, Intense
DIRECTOR: Eric Jungmann
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 31st @ 5:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Eric Jungmann grew up studying acting and filmmaking in Texas, beginning his career with a few small roles in local films like “Varsity Blues” and Robert Rodriguez’s, “The Faculty”. His ambitions soon led him to Los Angeles, where he’s continued evolving as an artist, working steadily in TV and Film, creating memorable characters in what’ve now become cult favorites like, “Not Another Teen Movie” and “Winning London”. He’s collaborated as an actor on a large number of shows, including “Criminal Minds”, “True Blood” and “Veronica Mars”, as well as multiple feature films premiering at festivals like Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW and Sitges. With now almost twenty years of experience in the filmmaking business, Eric’s most recently shifted his focus, funneling everything he’s learned into his most ambitious undertaking to date; writing and directing his first film.
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BOOK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When her best friend turns to her for help, a reluctant Gemma shares her darkest and most powerful secret. This was a mistake.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Intense
DIRECTOR: Eric Swiz
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday ,Oct. 30th @ 8:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Over the past fifteen years Eric Swiz has gained intensive first-hand experience in the worlds of narrative and documentary film as a creative director of JAY Z’s Life+Times (now Tidal); writing, directing, producing, filming, and editing over 100 short-form digital works: films, music videos, digital brand campaigns and nationally broadcast television commercials. Awards include a Student Emmy from the National Academy of the Arts and Sciences (2007) and an Honorary Award from the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (2015). He recently celebrated an Audience Choice Award from the Crimson Screen Horror Film Festival for his horror short “Book”, playing this year as his FilmQuest debut. His feature-length directorial debut about the New York subway, “Scenes From The Underground”, is in post-production. Eric is co-owner and founder of Scheme Engine, and a graduate of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
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BRACKISH (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A menacing spirit lurks in the mangroves waiting for an unsuspecting victim. She is the Brackish Undertaker, cursed by the crown she wears.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense
DIRECTOR: Christa Boarini
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 1:30 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Christa Boarini is a Guatemalan director and producer, currently living in Florida. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with BFA in Film & Television production, Christa worked in commercial and branded content before moving to Los Angeles to work on feature films. There she worked her way up the production ladder to Producer, with credits such as THE OLD WAYS (Sitges ‘20) which hit #1 horror film on Netflix worldwide, and ALL THAT WE DESTROY for the Hulu/Blumhouse INTO THE DARK. Previous directing credits include the award winning short MARADENTRO, the TEEN MOVIE music video for artist Kaleb Rudy, and her upcoming horror short release, BRACKISH. She is currently in development on her first feature film, CONFECTION which was selected as part of the 2021 Frontières International Co-Production Market.
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BREAK ANY SPELL (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: When April sets off to battle in the the world of live-action-role-playing, her mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s reaches a breaking point.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Family
DIRECTOR: Anton Jøsef
GENRE: Fantasy, Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: The son of Austrian and Hungarian immigrants, Anton was born in Toronto and played NCAA D1 soccer before giving up his athletic career to pursue filmmaking. After years of shooting wedding videos, Anton had his first breakthrough directing a music video for Canadian indie rock band The Dears, which was featured on Wired Magazine and MTV. Anton’s passion for short format storytelling helped him transition into directing TV commercials across the world. His clients include Starbucks, JEEP, the Asian Games, Century 21 and Samsung. Anton’s recent short-doc ‘Aftermask’ was featured as the ‘Best of September 2020’ by Shots Creative and is currently playing at select festivals. ‘Break Any Spell’ is his first narrative short, co-written and produced with his sister.
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BUFFALO & TROUT (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Two female drug addicts heist a white supremacist safe house but are faced with a decision: Take the cash or save a young girl’s life.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Adult Content, Intense
DIRECTOR: Presley Paras
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct.30th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Presley Paras is an MTVu nominated and VEVO featured music video director. Outside of music videos and branding, Presley Paras has worked in tv. This includes The League, Angie Tribeca, Life in Pieces, Project Greenlight, Top Chef and Chelsea Handler. His short film, Buffalo and Trout, has found acclaim from festivals and reviewers alike such as LongLivetheVoid.com, Horrorbuzz.com and NightmarishConjurings.com. Downright Creepy touts it as their top ten genre short films. His previous slasher short film, QUAD, sold to HULU and distributed by Gravitas Ventures as part of the Fun Size Horror. Presley Paras has lived in Alaska, Oregon, Rhode Island and California. Eventually his family settled in Massachusetts where he developed a penchant for hardier ales. Presley Paras is currently holed up in Los Angeles.
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BURN ON ARRIVAL (UK)
SYNOPSIS: Christmas, 1995. As Scotland reels from a devastating loss of industry, a man is trapped in an escalating nightmare. Forced to follow a series of bizarre and deadly instructions contained in red envelopes, he is soon stranded in the snowy wastes of the Scottish Highlands – his fate bound to a stranger he finds caught in the same brutal game.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Owen Gower
GENRE: Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via Fantastic Shorts Block
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Owen made his directing debut in 2014 with the feature documentary ‘Still the Enemy Within’ about the 1984/85 Miners Strike. Critically acclaimed, with the Guardian calling it ‘as gripping as a thriller’ – the film went on to win a prestigious Sheffield International Documentary Award and Focal Award, be Grierson nominated, screened at BAFTA, and inducted by the BFI as a film of historic importance. Since then, Owen has directed a number of prime-time television series, working with numerous broadcasters including BBC ONE, CHANNEL 4 and NETFLIX.
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