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SAINT-SACRIFICE (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: He had promised her love and faithfulness until death do them part, but Antoine, the widower, will be willing to lose his soul to be reunited with his wife on the other side.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Brief Nudity
DIRECTOR: Jean-Claude Leblanc
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 29th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Second time director from Montreal, multiple award winning with Cauchemar Capitonné his first short. Jean-Claude Leblanc as a lot up and coming.
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SALVAGE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A Sci-Fi Dramatic mockumentary that explores homelessness, corporate innovation, personal rights, our reflections in technology and how one “unit” navigates it all.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 27th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Ryan Constantino is a filmmaker and digital artist based in Los Angeles. With a rich portfolio spanning more than a dozen short films, a musical TV pilot, and over 60 episodes of an online news program, he’s a master of both storytelling and technical finesse. Ryan’s unwavering passion for film fuels his constant pursuit of pushing creative boundaries in the world of digital cinema and marketing.
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SCAM (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When a phone scammer makes one last late night call, the woman on the other end gives her much more than she bargained for.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Julie Sharbutt
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 29th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Julie is a Genre and Comedy filmmaker and humor writer from New York now based in LA. Her 2023 short film SCAM has screened at RiverRun, Fantaspoa, Bucheon Fantastic, LA Shorts, Cannes Film Festival American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase and more, and won Best Short Fiction Film at the Nevada Women’s Film Festival. Her script BOTTLECAP was optioned in early 2023 and HALLOWEEN PARADE in 2022. In 2021 she co-wrote the short film CUPIDS which premiered at Tribeca and was nominated for a 2022 NAACP Image Award.
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SEEING OTHER PEOPLE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A woman struggles to break up with her manipulative boyfriend, who happens to be an all-seeing hivemind.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Amanda Prager
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 2nd @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Amanda Prager writes and directs high concept comedy science fiction that hopes to make others feel less alone in their meat containers. She just produced her first feature with Suzanne DeLaurentiis Productions. She was a semifinalist for Humanitas and made the Coverfly RED LIST last year for best comedy pilot. She writes funny, real characters in unreal situations and dark stories with a nervy cheeriness rooted in queer identity. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and was a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, where she got to show the Obamas her films. She loves Korean BBQ, pole vaulting, and has synesthesia, which makes music super colorful.
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SEMPRE AVANTI (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Two U.S. soldiers plunge into a suspected enemy combatant tunnel system during the Vietnam War only to awaken unparalleled horrors.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Matthew Barber & Nathaniel Barber
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 3rd @ 11:oo PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Twin brothers Matthew and Nathaniel Barber are writers and directors best known for their short horror films Go Back (2019), No One Is Coming (2020), and Get Out of There (2022).
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SEPTICHEXEN (NORWAY)
SYNOPSIS: In the sewers of Bergen, a microbiologist tries to uncover a contamination of the drinking water.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Anders Elsrud Hultgreen
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 27th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Anders Elsrud Hultgreen (1986) is a filmmaker and visual artist based in Bergen, Norway. His previous short film the award winning Hospital Dumpster Divers was screened at 43 film festivals worldwide and won over 15 awards. In 2014 he directed the science fiction feature film Morgenrøde. Beside filmmaking he do also create books. He has studied Film and Art at Bergen Academy of Art & Design, Werner Herzog’s Rogue Film School, Emily Carr University of Art & Design and Nordland Vocational College of Art & Film.
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SHALLOTS AND GARLIC (CANADA / INDONESIA)
SYNOPSIS: When polar opposite sisters Nur and Karina reunite for their grandparents’ wedding anniversary dinner, Karina starts itching and blames Nur for putting garlic in her food.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto
GENRE: The Beyond, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, October 26th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto is an Indonesian writer/director who splits her time between Toronto and Jakarta. Her work explores genre films as a medium to explore sociopolitical, cultural, and environmental issues. Andrea’s films have been screened at TIFF, Sundance, VIFF, Aspen Shortfest, and other film festivals. Her next short, “Sawo Matang” is one of the 2021 NFFTY Pitch Competition winners and is set to premiere at the 48th TIFF.
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SHELTER HALF (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A naturalist investigates the disappearance of a mother black bear while camping in a remote valley that may hold darker answers than he bargained for.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Matthew Barber & Nathaniel Barber
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 3rd @ 8:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Twin brothers Matthew and Nathaniel Barber are writers and directors best known for their short horror films Sempre Avanti (2023), Go Back (2019), No One Is Coming (2020), and Specter of Weeping Hill (2021).
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SHOES OFF (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After a night out, two drunk best friends share just how much they care for each other. When Rick (Rick Darge) asks his buddy (Clayton Farris) to take his shoes off if he passes out, the night takes a weird turn as his friend obliges and embarks on a bizarre caring spree that seems to have no end.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language, Brief Nudity
DIRECTOR: Joel Jay Blacker
GENRE: Comedy, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 2nd @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Joel Jay Blacker is a British writer, director, and editor living in Los Angeles. Starting out as a production assistant in his teens in lieu of film school, he’s now an award winning filmmaker best known for his dark comedy series ‘Who You Are’ (SXSW 2019, Vimeo Staff Pick).
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SINCOPAT (SPAIN)
SYNOPSIS: Ona, a creative executive of a large company, is about to launch the latest technological revolution into the market: a device that allows listening to music directly inside the brain.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense & Scary Imagery
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 31st @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Pol Diggler. Barcelona. Director, editor and film teacher. In 2014 he created FERGAHT Productions, an independent label that joins professionals from all sectors, from scriptwriting and filming to post-production and distribution. Since then and under his direction, FERGAHT’s projects have achieved more than 300 awards in all kinds of departments, being screened at 700 festivals around the world including OSCAR, GOYA, BAFTA or MÉLIÈS qualifiers. Winner of the Paul Naschy Award at the Sitges Film Festival and the TAC Terror Arreu de Catalunya Award.
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SKEWERED (UK)
SYNOPSIS: Opposing sexual appetites and dietary ethics bring a stagnant relationship to a theatrical and surprising crescendo as a heartfelt revelation confronts the elephant in the room.
RATINGS GUIDE: Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Nick Ray Rutter
GENRE: The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Screening on EO App – Comedy Shorts Block #3
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Nick Rutter’s award-winning films have been at Cannes Film Festival and on Netflix , Channel 4 and the BBC. He studied for his MA at Goldsmiths College and also studied at London’s Panic Film School and the Brighton Film School. His break into directing came with a series of documentaries on the bands Madness, The Clash and The Sex Pistols.
Commercial clients include premium brands such as Tanqueray, Axe, Aviva, Google, Tesco and Heineken for which he won gold at the Epica awards and a bronze at the Cannes Lions. His short ‘The World Turns’ won a Fuji Short Film award, and was nominated for a Shine award at Bradford International as well as selected for numerous screenings including Danny Boyle’s shuffle Festival. Oscar-winning producer Gareth Unwin said it demonstrated “a distinct ability to craft a narrative, with a wonderful aesthetic”.
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SLASHR (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A classic horror tale with a modern twist.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Content, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Amir Moini
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 29th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: From Boston, Massachusetts, Amir Moini is an award-nominated horror writer and director, residing in Los Angeles. Amir spent the first part of his career working at Netflix for seven years, where he led the global function of Employer Branding. This included social media curation and serving as a creative director of docu-vignette storytelling. In 2022, Amir left to pursue filmmaking, writing and directing his first narrative film SLASHR, which is set to have its Los Angeles premiere at Screamfest Film Festival. Amir is also the co-creator and co-writer of the upcoming series SPRINGFIELD.
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SPIDERLILY (USA / UK)
SYNOPSIS: In a kingdom that time has forgotten, ruled by ritual and folly, an ancient king dozes on a decaying throne, while deep beneath the waves that surround the crumbling castle, a reckoning awaits.
RATINGS GUIDE: Brief Nudity, Strong Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Amber Gray
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: North America Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 1st @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Amber Gray started her career as a photographer shooting celebrities like Beyonce, Selena Gomez, Grimes, Penelope Cruz, John Turturro, Courtney Love, Roisin Murphy, Victoria Monet, and ad campaigns for Sony, Maybelline, Mont Blanc, W Hotels amongst others. Her hyper focus on visual storytelling and creating voluptuous atmospheres made it a natural transition to directing where her singular aesthetic, sense of humor, and poetic heart merge to create uniquely haunting films.
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SPIRAL TO THE CENTER (MAKE SHORTER?) (USA / UK)
SYNOPSIS: A documentary filmmaker follows Rick down the rabbit hole as he investigates a mysterious vinyl record.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Alisa Stern & Scott Ampleford
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Screening on EO App – Sci-fi & Fantasy Shorts Block #3
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Alisa is an artist, animator and filmmaker from New York City. Scott is a composer, musician, and actor from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Alisa and Scott previously collaborated on several award-winning animated films including Sum of its Parts (2019) and Posted No Hunting (2021.) Spiral to the Center is their first live action film.
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SPOOR (UK / MEXICO)
SYNOPSIS: A freakish, throbbing growth torments Ash. She is stuck caring for her vitriolic, dementia-ridden mother. With every indignity, Ash’s lump grows, until it erupts, spewing a mysterious substance. Will Ash figure out what it is and how to stop it?
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Tatten Roeg
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: North America Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 26th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Tatten Roeg co-wrote the story of Barbarians, which competed at Fantastic Fest and Sitges in 2021. He was an Associate Producer on Brahman Naman, which competed at Sundance in 2016 and was bought by Netflix. He was one of the Producers of the award-winning documentary Undercover in the Alt-Right. Sunita Soliar is a writer with an MA in Prose Fiction from UEA. Her writing has appeared in publications such as Five Dials and The Times Literary Supplement and events such as Liars’ League. This is their first Directorial collaboration and a debut for them both.
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STORM (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A couple wakes on a stormy night to find themselves trapped in the mechanisms of a horror movie.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Lena Tsodykovskaya
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, October 29th @ 8:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Lena Tsodykovskaya is an LA-based commercial and film director keen on visually-stylized genre stories that pack an emotional punch. With an MFA in directing from Columbia University, Lena broke out in advertising, working with top global advertising brands and agencies such as BBDO, Disney, McDonalds, Nissan, Coca-Cola and VISA, among others. Lena’s short films, MOTHER’S DAY, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM and LUISA AND ANNA’S FIRST FIGHT have played at prestigious festivals, including but not limited to Kustendorf and HollyShorts, and featured on Short of the Week, Directors Notes and Film Shortage.
She has directed a 10×10 series called STEREOSCOPE for Facebook Watch and Eli Roth’s horror company “Crypt TV”. After having a successful run at Holly Shorts and LA shorts this summer, her most current short STORM is playing at Beyond Fest, Sitges Film Festival and FilmQuest among a few other prestige festivals that are yet to be announced this fall. Lena is currently preparing for her first feature BITSY, while developing the feature version of STORM.
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STRANGE BEDFELLOWS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After receiving a mysterious phone call, a woman finds things to be very strange… in the dead of night!
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Brad Jacques
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 31st @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Brad Jacques was born and raised in Topsfield, Massachusetts. Upon seeing “STAR WARS” at the tender age of eight, Brad realized he wanted to pursue filmmaking. After attending New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Brad began working as a Production Assistant in the Boston area on studio films such as “MERMAIDS”, “HOUSESITTER” and “SCHOOL TIES”. On “DISTANT JUSTICE”, Brad was a personal assistant to the late David Carradine.
Eventually, Brad became one of the “go to” Assistant Editors in New England, working on many films including “THE NEXT KARATE KID”, “BLOWN AWAY” and Mel Gibson’s directorial debut “THE MAN WITHOUT A FACE”. On “TRUE LIES”, Brad enjoyed watching two of his childhood heroes (James Cameron & Arnold Schwarzenegger) collaborate. In 1999, Brad moved to Los Angeles and became an Editor, working on dozens of independent films & television shows. Over the years, Brad has directed several feature-length & short films.
He currently lives in North Hollywood with his wife, Producer Limary Vargas.
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STRING (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In this throwback slasher comedy, a young socialite trapped in her apartment must dig deep using all her cunning and instincts to thwart a masked killer. All the while, two bumbling detectives stake out the area waiting for signs of trouble…
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence
DIRECTOR: Ryan Parsons
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 28th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: A California native, Ryan Parsons has made films since age 15. His passion as a director lies in using niche genres as a vehicle to tell personal stories.
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SUCKER (NETHERLANDS)
SYNOPSIS: When the highly intelligent robot vacuum cleaner “SUCKER” meets his new owner EVE for the first time, he instantly falls in love with her. Loving, stalking, treacherous and vengeful. The small robot vacuumcleaner Sucker is all of the above.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Brief Nudity, Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Steve Oen
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 31st @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Steve dreamt of making films ever since he was 7 years old. As a child all he did was drawing stories and storyboards. He was always filming with a video camera and taught himself to edit with 2 VCRs. Steve is a self-taught director of many television programs, music videos and commercials. Five years ago, he decided to pursue his big dream of directing films. He made several prize-winning short films, such as No Way Out and JOY. In recent years Steve has also directed several Dutch drama television series such as: Dance Camp, Brugklas (The First Years) and Hartenveld. With his first official short film SUCKER, Steve knows how to perfectly combine his different preferences for film, technology and genre films.
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SUGAR RAG (USA / AUSTRALIA)
SYNOPSIS: When Alfred’s parents bring home his new baby brother, he unravels and decides he must kill the baby before he loses his parents love and affection.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Sensuality, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Jai Love
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 2nd @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jai Love is an emerging filmmaker from Sydney, Australia.
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SURGICAL PRECISION (NEW ZEALAND)
SYNOPSIS: A doctor, physically disabled by prolonged use of his telekinetic gift, finds his Hippocratic Oath challenged when his home is invaded by those seeking to exploit his ability. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but when push comes to shove his intruders will discover that he can target their internal body parts with…surgical precision.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Strong Language, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Adam Harvey
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Screening on EO App – Horror & Thriller Shorts Block #1
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Adam is a filmmaker and lapsed doctor, based in New Zealand. He writes and directs horror and sci-fi films, with a fascination for the scary side of health care. He is passionate about visual storytelling and the power of genre stories and believes that most dramas would benefit from adding a robot, an alien or a werewolf. His films have played at local and international film festivals, including Fantastic Fest in Austin, and Monster Fest in Melbourne. He lives in Ohaupo, writing between his indentured servitude to two small children and one giant dog.
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SYLVIE MADE IT (FRANCE / BELGIUM)
SYNOPSIS: In hell, the dead work in call centers under the illusion of earning a place in heaven by satisfying the living. This is not worth the money for some, except when their loved ones suddenly disappear for heaven…
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Adrien Orville
GENRE: The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Screening on EO App – Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shorts Block #3
DIRECTOR’S BIO: French born engineer, Adrien Orville has a long history in marketing and project management in the tech industry. Throughout his career, he has observed the excesses of a society motivated by consumption, the need to belong and the loss of points of reference. In parallel to his activity, Adrien goes back to school and obtains a degree in cinema at the Sorbonne University in Paris in 2019.
During his studies, he directed the short film FREE DELIVERY AND RETURN where he addresses the issue of parenthood in a technological world where there is no longer any commitment. In 2022, it is under the perspective of the fantastic genre that he depicts in SYLVIE MADE IT a capitalist world where the dead are enslaved to satisfy the consumption of the living. Since then, he has been focusing on writing his first feature film while keeping a foot in the tech world.
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