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THE MERGER (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A dark comedy featuring two wealthy and competitive corporate CEOs who meet to discuss a merger between their companies. What starts out as a simple disagreement about branding becomes something more sinister — friendly barbs turn to cutting jabs, and sportsmanlike sparring devolves into a shocking display of savagery.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Adult Content, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Nick Anderson & Skyler Henry
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 5th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Nick Anderson and Skyler Henry are childhood friends who have been telling stories together since they met in 3rd grade. Over the years, they’ve teamed up to create graphic novels, plays, songs, music videos, skits, and short films. Their first short film was the Change, an ambitious sci-fi/horror short featuring an all-child cast. Written and directed by Nick, Skyler came on board in post to edit and design sound for the short film. After the Change saw a fair amount of success in the festival circuit, Nick and Skyler teamed back up for a sophomore effort, The Merger. Unlike The Change, The Merger is a joint venture from the ground up and was co-written, co-directed, and co-produced by Nick and Skyler. Shot during the pandemic, the Merger is finally ready to make its debut, and Nick and Skyler are thrilled to bring it to a screen near you.
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THE MICROSCOPE (UK)
SYNOPSIS: An eccentric microscopist finally gets his hands on some rare samples, but he could never have imagined what he’ll see through the lens…
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Intense Imagery
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Virtual Shorts Block #2
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Brothers Elliot & Reuben Vick have been making art together since a young age; since 2016 they’ve been doing so through their film production company Outer Dark Pictures. Their next project is a stop motion animation about a stranded astronaut titled ‘Forests Such as These’
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THE MISANTHROPE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After a deadly sickness descends, a heartbroken gravedigger imposes a grievous new law.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Andy Kastelic
GENRE: The Beyond, Western
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 3rd @ 4:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Andy Kastelic is a director, actor, and writer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. After attending the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in Los Angeles, he earned a BA in Film from the University of New Mexico and has continued writing and directing a number of award-winning short films through his production company, Balian Pictures. Driven by his fierce love for cinema, you’ll find him in the fields reaching for the next chapter of his storytelling.
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THE MOLOK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Struggling to cope with the death of his father, 10 year old Micah unwittingly falls into the grasp of The Molok, an ancient creature who feeds on human memories.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Sam Wilson
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 3rd @ 9:00 PM (w/Moon Garden)
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Sam is an award-winning film professional based in NYC. As a writer, director, cinematographer, and editor, Sam has refined his storytelling skills with a catalog of short and feature films using practical effects and experimental filmmaking techniques to explore the strange and dark elements of this world
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THE OVERKILL (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: A proposal… to die for.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Joanna Tsanis
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: International Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Joanna Tsanis is an award-winning genre filmmaker and producer. Her films have screened at festivals worldwide including SITGES, FANTASIA, FANTASTIC FEST, and FRIGHTFEST.
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THE PHOENIX (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After successfully acquiring superpowers, a young girl attempts to fix her parents’ marriage.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Regina Pigsley
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 29th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Regina Pigsley is an award-winning writer, director, and producer. Her most recent short film “The Phoenix” (2022) has been accepted into 23 festivals and counting, winning the Grand Jury Prize for Best Drama Short, Outstanding Director, and Outstanding Screenplay at Film Invasion Los Angeles. Regina spent the past two years working full time as a coordinating producer and associate producer at Fortress Entertainment, a production company that specializes in broadcast, livestream, and music.
In her time at Fortress, Regina was part of the core team that helped grow the company from doing completely virtual livestreams to landing in-person, massive productions that broadcast to major platforms such as Hulu, Veeps, and Twitch. Some broadcasts include Outside Lands, Life is Beautiful, EDC Mexico, Ye’s Sunday Service, and many more. Regina recently transitioned to a freelance role at Fortress, taking on the major festivals, while also pursuing her creative projects. She is currently working on music videos and developing her next narrative script. Regina hopes to continue to tell stories that empower, uplift, and challenge the norm. She loves working with others and encourages people to reach out to collaborate on projects.
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THE RETURN: WRATH OF THE RAVISHING (USA)
SYNOPSIS: The murderous outlaw Jagged Jane encounters a trio of witchy women obsessed with revenge.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Craig Oulette
GENRE: The Beyond, Western
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 1st @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Craig Ouellette is has made over 25 shorts which have played festivals around the world. His youtube channel has over 72 million views. He is in post production on a lesbian led romantic horror feature film called “Straight on till Morning”. He is grateful for all the creative humans who worked on the films he is fortunate enough to make.
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THE RISE (ITALY)
SYNOPSIS: Mel is the only survivor of a psychedelic death cult from the 70’s. Thanks to his friend Alice he’s finally ready to follow his old cult members and reunite with THE GODS.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Lorenza Fassina
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 31st @ 3:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Lorenzo Fassina was born in Milan, Italy, in 1989. In 2009 he founded DirtyTape, an independent studio producing horror trash movies inspired by 80’s genre films and Italian classics. He works as an editor and video maker and he’s the cofounder of Cine Underground Film Festival.
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THE ROCK OF AGES (ICELAND)
SYNOPSIS: Fleeing his enemies, a soldier encounters a talking rock which promises to grant his deepest desire.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Brief Nudity
DIRECTOR: Eron Sheean
GENRE: Fantasy, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 2nd @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Sheean is a writer/director from Melbourne, Australia. His short films have screened and won prizes at numerous international film festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Telluride, and Rotterdam to name a few. Sheean made his feature debut with ERRORS OF THE HUMAN BODY in 2013, set within the mysterious world of genetic engineering. Errors premiered at the Fantasia Film Festival to critical acclaim and was released theatrically in the US through IFC films. His recent film, THE ROCK OF AGES is a black comic fable shot in Iceland starring Tómas Lemarquis and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson and premiered at Sitges 2021. Sheean is currently completing his most personal film to date, The Shore, which was shot over an entire year of the pandemic and stars his young son.
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THE SIGNAL (ZIMBABWE)
SYNOPSIS: A deadly sound transmitted from space known as The Signal corrupts the minds of all who hear it, turning them into soulless Demons under its control.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Daniel Slottje
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 4th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Slottje was ill as an adolescent, which originally inspired him to use storytelling as a personal outlet, and write and direct the short film, ‘The Rotting of Casey Culpepper,’ which was selected for the 49th Telluride Film Festival. Film director Gregory Nava introduced the film to a sold out audience, declaring it, the first horror film in history, to be admitted to the Telluride Film Festival’s Student Section. The film also played at Panic Fest 2022, where it was awarded Best Short Film, Best Director, and Best Actress. The feature version of ‘The Rotting of Casey Culpepper’ was one of only five scripted projects selected for the 2022 Sundance Producers Lab. Slottje’s work as a writer and director has screened at leading film festivals around the world, including Aspen ShortsFest, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest, Salem Horror Film Festival, Screamfest Film Festival, and Telluride Film Festival. Slottje earned his M.F.A. in Screenwriting and Directing from Columbia University in the City of New York.
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THE SOUND (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Two years after a woman experiences sudden hearing loss, strange things begin to happen.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Opening Night – Friday, Oct. 28th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jason-Christopher Mayer’s film debut started with the low budget horror, Nobody Gets Out Alive. It was made for $36,000. He was 23 when it went on to sell to over 19 territories worldwide. RLJ Entertainment/Image distributed it in the United States and EOne Films in Canada. Throughout the years Jason-Christopher took time to build his craft. He directed/shot music videos for indie artist and experimenting with short films. He toured with Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins, and Scott Weiland. He also produced a few albums for hip-hop artist Cage. He won an Emmy for editing the web series The Bay. Most recently Jason-Christopher has been editing for YouTube channel (KallMeKris, Philip DeFranco, among others) while working on screenplays and short films. His short film serotonin. was accepted into the 2021 Burbank International Film Festival and 2021 Studio City Film Festival. It has found distribution through Vidiverse (released in 2022). The first short he made in 2021 (Mia) did the festival run and found a distributor through High Octane Pictures (released in 2021).
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THE TRUNK (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: A teen and her father find an old trunk chained and buried in the woods. They bring it home and soon discover that what’s inside was locked up for a reason.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense & Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Travis Laidlaw
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 1st @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Travis is a filmmaker from Toronto, Canada whose previous film The Silent Lay Steady screened as part of Filmquest 2021. Travis’s previous two horror shorts can be found on ALTER.
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THE UNUSUALIST (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Matt Gourley is The Unusualist, your guide into the strange. He collects and curates first-hand stories of real people who encountered the Uncanny, and presents the astounding tales they’ve lived to tell.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Mike Simses
GENRE: Horror, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 30th @ 10:00 PM (w/Murder, Anyone?)
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Mike Simses wrote for the Peabody-Award-winning Onion News Network, and won a Writer’s Guild Award for his web series Sylvia Plath: Girl Detective. He was selected to participate in the 2022 Tribeca Festival Creators Market.
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THE WALLPAPER MAN (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After the loss of her mother, Emma moves into a new home with her abusive father. There, living within the walls is a creature called the Wallpaper man, who offers Emma the ultimate deal: he will take away her pain, in exchange for human life.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Amit Gupta
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Closing Night – Saturday, Nov. 5th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: L.A.-based director Amit Gupta’s international upbringing has influenced his life and work immensely. Known for his strong visuals, beautiful imagery, and cinematic authenticity, Amit’s work for clients including Nike, Adidas, Google, AirBnb, Mercedes, and many others, and is infused with a global culture and aesthetic. The well-traveled director has lived and worked in the U.S., as well as Europe, Asia, India, and the Middle East, where he has shot commercials, music videos, and films.
Amit’ commercial work has earned him multiple awards from the American Advertising Federation, and has been screened at Cannes, GoaFest, and Spikes. His narrative projects have screened at Festivals in Chicago, Boston International, London Independent, Houston and Beverly Hills. He studied Film and Television at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, where he earned an MFA. He also holds a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
In addition to his passion for telling stories, Amit likes spending his free time skiing, riding motorcycles, and enjoying quality time with his wife and daughters in L.A.
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THE WET NURSE (FRANCE)
SYNOPSIS: In 1900, Marie sells pancakes made with mother’s milk on the market of a small Breton village. The recipe is all the rage and all the villagers become addicted. One day Marie ran out of milk. But the peasants still ask for more. They are going to make her go through an ordeal to continue to consume this precious resource that they consider inexhaustible.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Arnold de Parscau
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 31st @ 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Arnold de Parscau is a 34 year old French director, noticed in 2011 for his video clip of the song Good Day Today, composed by David Lynch. He directed his first feature film Ablations at the age of 24, released in theaters in 2014. After several short films, music videos and commercials, his second feature film, Une Barque sur l’Océan, was released in cinemas on August 26, 2020. Arnold has been working for the Canal + channel as a director since 2012 and is currently preparing his third feature film.
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THIS IS OUR HOME (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When their rodent infestation intensifies, a bleeding-heart vegan and her pragmatic roommate find themselves at odds concerning pest elimination methods both cruel and effective.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: A.K. Espada
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Closing Night – Saturday, Nov. 5th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: A.K. Espada is a writer, director, production designer, and visual artist whose work has screened at the American Cinematheque and MoMA. Recent films include THIS IS OUR HOME, which won an Audience Award at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival and was selected to screen at Etheria Film Showcase, through which it is now screening on SHUDDER; LAUNDRY NIGHT, currently streaming on Crypt TV; and IN SILENCE, for which she was nominated for Best Director of a Short Film at SoHo International Film Festival. Her new dark fairy tale thriller short I COULD JUST DIE, AND THAT WOULD BE ALL RIGHT was selected for a THE FUTURE OF FILM IS FEMALE production grant. A.K.’s feature script for THIS IS OUR HOME is an inaugural recipient of the Sundance Horror Fellowship, presented by K Period Media.
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THROUGH THE STARS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Under the cover of darkness, a teenage girl attempts to escape her tormented reality, determined to find her missing father with the help of her best friend and a mysterious device.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language
DIRECTOR: Ariel Danziger
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Closing Night – Saturday, Nov. 5th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Ariel Danziger is a multifaceted, award-winning director who speaks Spanglish like no other. Before moving to New York, Danziger split his childhood between Buenos Aires and Hawaii. He recently completed 3 short films & hybrid short documentary “JAMILA” “SOMEWHERE “RITMO DEL AGUA” now circulating on NOWNESS. He’s been honored twice at the MTV VMAs and was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at the Latin Grammys. His work sits at the intersection of cutting-edge and deeply human.
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TIM TRAVERS & THE TIME TRAVELER’S PARADOX (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A man who should not – can not – exist, somehow does. That is the Paradox, and Paradoxes are impossible.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Stimson Snead
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 4th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Award-winning director, illustrator, and ten-year veteran of the indie scene. With multiple stage musicals, short stories and comic strips also to his name.
Some describe him as an open-minded team leader who lends his signature style to projects with grace and good humor while still respecting the ethos that informs the source material. Although others have described him as a ticking time bomb of insanity and social anxiety, ready to go screaming off the deep end at any-
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TISTLEBU (NORWAY)
SYNOPSIS: As a young urban couple volunteers at a remote farm to get closer to nature, they are given the task of caring for a strange mushroom-like growth looming in the barn. Both form a peculiar bond with this primordial power, threatening their relationship’s integrity and lives.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Brief Nudity, Sensuality, Intense Imagery
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 4th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Simon is a British/Norwegian filmmaker who focuses on personal stories through magical realism and sci-fi. Self-taught from a young age, Simon searches for an individual cinematic expression while creating tactile environments and emotional characters that invite the audience into his world.
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