SCHEDULE & BLOCK INFORMATION TBD (LIKELY SPRING 2021)
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SANDBOX (NORWAY)
SYNOPSIS: Jenny turns 13 and her father has arranged a big birthday party. A uninvited and dangerous psychopath interrupts the celebration and sets off a brutal fight with high stakes.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Daniel Anda
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Daniel Anda (b. 2000) is an aspiring director and screenwriter. He has previously directed several short films and commercials and is currently working on his future film debut, «Dead men skiing», based on the Norwegian bestseller by Knut Nærum.
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SEASONAL DEPRESSION (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: Elisa doesn’t want to go out. Vincent doesn’t hear it that way.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Language
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Filmmaker of French origin living in Quebec since 2015, Yohann Thiou is passionate about genre cinema, he is the co-ideator and co-writer of the feature “Montreal Dead End”. He directed the shorts Super Monsieur, A Nightmare on Chocolate and Seasonal Depression.
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SEEK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After driving all night, two sisters come across a dilapidated roadside bathroom. Horrific events follow when a strange message is found and a mischievous resident wants to play a terrifying game.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Aaron Morgan
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Aaron Morgan premiered his first short, “Blind,” at SXSW, and then went on to premiere two more shorts at Fantastic Fest with “No Way Out” and “Plan B.” He co-wrote the feature script “The Home” with Eric Vespe, which was optioned and developed by producer Elizabeth Avellan. Morgan and Vespe have several projects in various stages of development.
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SENSOR (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Haunted by his experiences from the war, a Vietnam Veteran has had enough. Placing motion sensors around his property, he’s decided to face his demons once and for all. Unfortunately, he’s in for more than he bargained for.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Brian L. Tan
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: I’m an action director that does more than just blow sh*t up. I’ve worked on Hollywood blockbusters (Tron: Legacy, X-Men, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), launched my own startup, and visited more than 110 countries. My metric of a successful life is one filled with unique experiences. Thanks to said experiences (both good and bad), I’ve had the chance to see first hand the ideas and elements that inspire, console, entertain, and unite people the world over. And that is exactly what I aim to do; tell stories that reach across borders and ignite peoples’ passions and imaginations. It also happens that the most human stories are often the most explosive, which is exactly how I like to tell them.
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SHOW ME JACK (UK)
SYNOPSIS: Three months ago, Jack vanished without a trace. Now, with zero leads and fresh out of options, his heartbroken girlfriend, Alyce, takes matters into her own hands. With nothing but some candles and a book on the Occult, Alyce reaches out past our own dimension and into the vast unknown in search of Jack.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Sam Strong
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Hailing from the North of England, Sam Strong is a young LGBTQ+ director who cut his teeth on low-budget music promos before finally shifting his focus towards narrative fiction. His debut short, SHOW ME JACK, featuring dynamic visuals, intricate prosthetic work and startling SFX – all produced on a shoestring budget – is already impressing juries and critics on the international festival circuit.
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SHUT EYE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A recovering addict is haunted by episodes of sleep paralysis and visions of silhouetted demons. When the episodes intensify and town secrets come to light, she’s certain the haunting forces aren’t only in her mind.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Robert Gregson
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Robert Gregson is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker. His previous films have earned the Best New Director Award at the Brooklyn FF and Best Feature Film at Omaha FF. He loves filmmaking, traveling, and cats.
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SIGNIFICANT OTHER (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A couple struggles to see eye to eye when an invisible light appears in their new home.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Quinn George
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Quinn George is a music video director and promo editor for Hulu. He wishes ghosts were real.
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SKYWATCH (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When two outcast teens hack into a ubiquitous drone delivery system to pull a prank on their neighbor, they accidentally crash-land a dangerous prototype – and find themselves entangled in a life-and-death conspiracy.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Colin Levy
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Writer/director Colin Levy previously worked at Pixar Animation Studios on such films as INSIDE OUT and FINDING DORY. His animated shorts have accumulated over 10M views online, and his first documentary short was published by the New York Times in 2018.
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SMILEY DEATH FACE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When two outcast teens hack into a ubiquitous drone delivery system to pull a prank on their neighbor, they accidentally crash-land a dangerous prototype – and find themselves entangled in a life-and-death conspiracy.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Andrew Patrick Torrez
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Andrew Patrick Torrez began studying all aspects of film production at a very young age, starting with making short films and putting on plays during kindergarten. Over the years he honed the powerful visual style which he brings to all his projects, as well as his formidable storytelling ability.
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SNOWFLAKES (UK)
SYNOPSIS: Esther and Miriam are being forcibly deported from the UK to Jamaica, when there’s an outbreak of a deadly virus that makes you feel calm and only kills white people.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Faye Jackson
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Scottish writer/director Faye Jackson specialises in horror and fantasy, drawing much of her inspiration from folklore and fairy tales. Faye’s breakthrough body horror short LUMP screened on the closing night of the 44th New York Film Festival, twinned with PAN’S LABYRINTH. Faye shot her debut feature STRIGOI about the “real” Romanian vampires in rural Romania with an entirely Romanian cast and crew. STRIGOI won over 15 festival awards and was distributed internationally on VOD and DVD. Faye’s feature projects in development include period fantasy THE FISHERWOMAN AND THE SEA, sci-fi satire SNOWFLAKES and fairy tale horror LITTLE BIRD. Recent shorts THE OLD WOMAN WHO HID HER FEAR UNDER THE SEA, CHANGELING and SNOWFLAKES have played numerous festivals including: Fantasia, Sitges and Fantastic Fest.
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STALAG III-C (BELARUS)
SYNOPSIS: In the final days of World War II, US paratrooper Joe Boyd leads a daring escape from a Nazi POW camp, only to face a more horrifying evil beyond the prison walls. Inspired by true events. STALAG III-C was filmed entirely on location in Minsk, Belarus.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Jason Rogan
GENRE: Horror, Action, Thriller
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jason grew up in NYC in the 1980s. There he landed is first job “in the business” as an usher at the Waverly Theater in Greenwich Village where he was able to watch movies day and night for free – Blue Velvet, Raising Arizona, The Hunger – it was a film lovers candy store.
In 2000 Jason attended the Cannes Film Festival for the first time and his mind was blown. There he teamed up with future partners Doug Marschke, Michael Write and Michael Rix to form Funny How Films and produce Mad Cow: The Movie, a film about a Frankenstein monster with a cow head who kills people with a chainsaw. With Funny How Films, Jason next produced Amsterdam Heavy, an action film featuring Michael Madsen and shot in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
STALAG III-C was filmed over 6 cold nights in the forrest in Minsk, Belarus, with an amazing crew including DOP Vladan Pavic, and in partnership with Red Studia. Post production was done in Cape Town, South Africa with the loving support of these talented artists – Sound Surgeon Studios, Pressure Cooker Studios, Priest Post Production, and Kin Media. STALAG III-C is Jason’s directorial debut.
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$TRIP (USA)
SYNOPSIS: It’s Penny’s first night stripping at an exclusive, underground club. Will she go as far as it takes to be remembered?
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Language, Strong Sensuality, Adult Content, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Craig Ouellette
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Craig Ouellette (www.craigofilm.com) has written/directed/edited over 30 short films which have over 70 million views on Youtube, have played numerous festival and won numerous awards. He is from Colorado, Texas, Iowa and LA. He loves horror and sci-fi movies, travel and karaoke.
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SUPERHERO (LUXEMBOURG / USA / GERMANY)
SYNOPSIS: A young man with Down syndrome, stakes on a superhero identity to muster the courage to profess his love to a childhood friend.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, All Audiences / Family Friendly
DIRECTOR: Émile V. Schlesser
GENRE: Fantasy, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Émile studied art and film at the historic Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in Germany, graduating as master student in 2018. His body of work stretches from narrative film to immersive installations, sculptures, video and painting. He is based in Düsseldorf and Luxembourg.
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SWIPE (NETHERLANDS)
SYNOPSIS: A girl finds out that she has a match on a dating app with a stranger, despite swiping him to the left moments ago. She starts to fear that the man is dangerously close to her.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Niels Bourgonje
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Niels Bourgonje (1980) is an award-winning short film and commercial director based in Amsterdam. Niels graduated with the short thriller BURN, which was selected for several international film festivals winning numerous awards. Since then, his short films have consistently been selected for Academy Award qualifying festivals like Palm Springs ShortFest, Seattle International Film Festival, HollyShorts International Film Festival, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, Odense International Film Festival, Izmir International Short Film Festival, Brussels Short Film Festival and Leuven Kortfilm. His most recent films, TURN IT AROUND and SWIPE, garnered over one hundred film festival selections. Niels signed with WME after the premiere of his new short SWIPE. His latest films are WOODLAND CEMETERY and BARRIER. He is currently developing his feature debut.
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TEA TIME (USA)
SYNOPSIS: While having a tea party, a little girl loses her temper and things get bloody. It’s Calvin and Hobbes meets Scarface! With a special appearance from WWE Champion Rob Van Dam.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Tara Price
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Tara is thrilled to be back at FilmQuest with her new short film “Tea Time!” She previously wrote and directed the critically acclaimed horror/sci-fi short film “Earworm”, a 2016 Official Selection of FilmQuest, and winner of 10 awards around the globe. Starring Ernest L. Thomas (from “What’s Happening!!” and “Everybody Hates Chris”) the film is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime. Prior to that Tara penned and produced the award-winning sci-fi short “The Routine,” a 2014 Official Selection of FilmQuest. Additionally, she wrote the throw-back comedy “Another Grace & Johnny Adventure: Zombie Island!” and directed the 80s-themed music video for the song “The Worst Thing” by The Skanx. Tara lives in southern Maine with her husband and their two cats.
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TEETHING (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: A lonely janitor most make a choice when a vampire attack leaves him the sole caretaker of an orphaned, and possibly monstrous, infant.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Glen Matthews
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Glen Matthews is a Toronto-based filmmaker (writer, director & editor) specializing in short-form digital content. Originally from Nova Scotia, he spent a decade working as an actor before deciding to pursue filmmaking as his sole focus.
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THE ALTRUIST (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Two characters are forced to navigate a stark and brutal calculus in hunger, sex and death when routine facility maintenance veers wildly towards conflict and the instinct for self-preservation.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Matt Smith
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Matt Smith graduated from Brown University with a degree in theater and was immediately put not to work. His films have screened at festivals around the world including Telluride, Sitges, Stockholm, New Zealand, Leeds, Oberhausen, San Francisco, Seattle and Slamdance. He lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
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THE BAKER (USA)
SYNOPSIS: She’s a killer Baker: an assassin who kills with culinary treats. He’s an adorable goof who catches her eye. It’s a recipe for love… or disaster.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Austin Everett
GENRE: Fantastic, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Austin’s first introduction to the world of film was at the age of five in Tokyo, Japan, where he was cast in a reoccuring role for a NHK drama series. In his teens, he began making his own short films and it became obvious that his place was behind the camera, not in front of it.
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THE BALLAD OF JOHN ST. GEORGE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A man searches the barren, rugged plains of America for clues to the location of a woman captured by what has been described as a legendary beast.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Rob O’Neill
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Rob O’Neill is a director, VFX supervisor, and animator, born in Brooklyn and based in Los Angeles. Rob is the director of the award winning animated short film Follow Your Heart and the popular music videos/short films series with music producer Starcadian. He recently wrote and directed the live action horror/western short film, The Ballad of John St. George.
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THE BARBER (UKRAINE)
SYNOPSIS: The brutal biker comes to the barbershop when it was already closed, but the barber still agreed to make the last cut…
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language
DIRECTOR: Sergiy Pudich
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Sergiy Pudich is a Ukrainian film and commercials director who always tries new technics and ways to tell stories in an extraordinary way. His career starts in 2010 when he won a student video contest, after which he received several awards in different festivals and competitions. In 2016 and 2017 Sergiy became “Director of the year” during the “Creative youth of Odessa” award. For his filmmaking career, Sergiy received more than 100 awards for his movie, commercials, social advertising and music videos.
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THE DOOR (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After the unexpected death of her twin sister, a young woman makes an escape to her family’s cabin to get away from her own feelings of trauma and guilt. However, things go awry when a mysterious tiny door appears in the bedroom.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Kyle C. Mumford
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Kyle C. Mumford is a writer/director based in NYC. He tended the School Of Visual Arts where his third year film, a documentary titled “Mumford’s Law” was accepted into the Heartland Film Festival in 2009 and was nominated for the Crystal Heart Jury Award. His then thesis film, “His Naked Mind” was an award winning feature at the School of Visual Arts Dusty Film Fest taking home, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Directing. Since graduation, Kyle has worked in film and TV as an editor and in the locations department. He later became a director’s assistant then later directed music videos appearing on Nick Jr, MTVu, and Fuse TV. Soon after he became involved in the NYC theater scene. He has traveled the festival circuit with numerous screenplays and shorts that he has written and directed. Recently he has started Evening Ceremony, a production company with writing partner Rachael Emrich.
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THE FACE OF THE DEEP (USA)
SYNOPSIS: An old-west silver miner loses his way – and his mind – deep underground.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Nate Stebbing
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Nate Stebbing is a first time director living in Los Angeles who blends elevated horror with grounded realism. He was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and migrated to Los Angles in 2015. He got his start in LA as an assistant at a literary management company where he was exposed to hundreds of screenplays both good and bad, which helped him develop his own voice. His short The Face of the Deep is a proof of concept for a feature screenplay about a group of old-west silver miners trapped underground with a deadly Navajo skinwalker. His immediate career goal is to sell the feature, and continue to write/direct in the genre space.
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THE FANTASTIC FOLLY OF FUTURE JESS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Future Jess travels back in time to prevent the blunder she blames for her lifetime of misfortune. Given the circumstances of her arrival, her past self finds it difficult to take her seriously.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Christopher Ryan Laughter
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: A tinkering daydreamer from the swampy suburbs of Houston, Christopher’s films dance between genres yet maintain a tone that is undeniably his own. While his stories are rooted in the dynamics of the human condition, they often find comic relief in unexpected ways.
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THE HOUR AFTER WESTERLY (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Driving home one evening, Davis Harwell nods off at the wheel and wakes up a full hour later with no memory of what happened to him.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences / Family Friendly
DIRECTOR: Nate Bell
GENRE: Fantastic, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Nate Bell teaches film at Biola University and writes film criticism for L.A. Weekly. Andy Morehouse is a marketing director for a software company in Southern California. He studied filmmaking and creative writing at Biola University and has been an avid writer and musician for over 20 years.
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THE HOWLING WIND (USA)
SYNOPSIS: During a plagued dust and wind storm, a countryman takes in a weary traveler seeking refuge, but discovers the truth in the circumstances of his arrival.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Lorian Gish & Justin Knoepfel
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Lorian Gish and Justin Knoepfel are a New York based producing/directing team with a passion for horror storytelling. They believe that the best horror films are those that make the audience reevaluate their own behaviors through exposing the most vile parts of humanity. Gish and Knoepfel welcome audiences into worlds that, at first glance, appear normal only to twist into the strange and unknown through subtle yet specific characters and thoughtfully crafted visuals.
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