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NECROSECTOS (SPAIN)
SYNOPSIS: Cunning insects invade a house and disrupt the lives of its inhabitants.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Javier Lozano
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 23rd @ 2:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Director and screenwriter from Spain. He began telling stories through comics at a young age before moving into film. He has written and directed several short films and music videos.
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NEURO (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In the late 1970’s and after a traumatic event on their honeymoon, a struggling couple visit an experimental, and borderline unethical memory research facility.
RATINGS GUIDE: N/A
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 1st @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Wes, a Florida-raised filmmaker now based in Texas, began his career in still photography before joining Rooster Teeth Productions in 2017. He has collaborated with iconic brands like Star Wars, Marvel, Disney, and Warner Bros. Wes specializes in crafting personal stories through bold, hyper-stylized visuals. Wes is currently developing a
feature length version of the film.
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NEVER LET YOU GO (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A young woman’s traumatic past resurfaces when a mysterious box arrives on her doorstep, setting forth a horrifying reality.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Adult Content, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Alex Domenici
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 23rd @ 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Alex Domenici is an award-winning director with a passion for the horror genre. His latest project, NEVER LET YOU GO, explores the lasting scars of trauma through a deeply atmospheric lens. With this proof of concept, Domenici and his creative team are laying the groundwork for a feature-length adaptation.
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NEW FOLLOWERS (NEW ZEALAND)
SYNOPSIS: Four travel influencer embark on the Milford Track, New Zealand’s most famous hike. Found footage exposes cracks in their facade, and jealousy turns to terror when they discover they are part of someone else’s film.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Strong Language, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Guy Pidgen
GENRE: Horror, Found Footage
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 28th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Guy is a writer, director, and editor, whose second feature film Older is distributed by Indie Rights and has been streamed over a million times globally. His debut feature, I Survived a Zombie Holocaust (funded by the NZFC), premiered at Frightfest and Sitges, and won the Independent Spirit Award at Sydney’s Night of Horror. In 2024, his found-footage horror short New Followers was funded by the NZFC Catalyst initiative, having its World Premiere at Show Me Shorts, and winning Best International Short at Monster Fest.
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NIGHTFALL (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Haunted by guilt, a young man seeks forgiveness from a grieving mother – only to be sucked into a nightmarish night of chilling truths.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Zac Villanueva
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 28th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Zac Villanueva is a USC-trained director known for genre-bending psychological horror. A close collaborator of Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger, his latest film, Nightfall, stars Teri Hatcher and blends emotional intensity with visual precision. He’s currently developing independent and studio projects.
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NO TROUBLE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After a group of racist punks threaten a Chinese restaurant, a cook on parole grapples with whether to take matters into his own hands to defend the community.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Strong Language, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Chan
GENRE: The Beyond/Fantastic/Other
PREMIERE STATUS: REgional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jonathan Chan is a third-generation Chinese-American writer-director-producer based in Los Angeles, and a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His work primarily explores socio-political and familial themes through the lens of the action, horror, and thriller genres. He has worked in film development at 87North Productions and MGM’s Orion Pictures. Jonathan is currently developing his first feature and recently wrote and directed No Trouble, an action-drama short starring Rich Ting (Warrior) and Peggy Lu (Venom), with stunts by Emmy Award-winning stunt coordinator John Koyama (The Boys).
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OBEY! (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After the tragic death of her viral dog, Max, a pet influencer is confronted by a vengeful spirit demanding an apology for a life of exploitation.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Jordan Wippell
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 28th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jordan Wippell is an Australian filmmaker and writer drawn to the grey areas of life, crafting dark, genre-bending dramas with a sharp satirical edge.
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OK/NOTOK (UNITED KINGDOM)
SYNOPSIS: OK/NOTOK is a genre-bending love story set in the very near future with a darkly comic edge. Loretta, a working-class British Asian woman, attempts to navigate a turbulent world, a new stranger in her life and unskippable adverts.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language, Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Pardeep Sahota
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 23rd @ 2:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Pardeep Sahota is a three-time Clio award-winning writer/director. In 2022 he won the British Arrows – Emerging Talent – Gold Award. He is a member of BAFTA. Academy Award Winner Robert Elswit has described OK/NOTOK as “Fantastic…Impressive…Wonderfully inventive and emotionally compelling storytelling”.
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OLIVER (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: When a rising-star chef known for his signature use of garlic is bitten by a vampire, he must learn to reinvent himself in time for the most important review of his career.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sensuality, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Andrew Strickland
GENRE: Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: International Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 27th @ 10:30 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Andrew “Dicky” Strickland is a newbie in the screenwriting world who resides in St. John’s, NL. Andrew claims to have attended a number of post-secondary institutes, but his only confirmed educational achievement is failing out of the Film Studies course…somewhere. Along with his creative partner, Andrea Dunne, Andrew has two feature films in development with Oversherry Productions Inc. and Rinkrat Productions Inc, and he most recently co-wrote and produced the short-film ‘Second Place’ (2025) as well as being a writer and director on the NIFCO Picture Start short-film, ‘Oliver’ (2025). On July 7th, 2025, Andrew was in an on-set accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down and is now embarking on a new journey as a filmmaker living with paraplegia.
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ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE APOCALYPSE (PORTUGAL)
SYNOPSIS: In the aftermath of a nuclear war, totalitarian regimes disrupt world order. Ernesto is hiding a secret, and when a government inspector shows up at his doorstep a cat and mouse game unfolds that can only end in tragedy. A fable in times of war.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Tiago Pimentel
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond/Fantastic/Other
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Block #2 – Sci-Fi & Beyond Shorts
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Tiago Pimentel is a Portuguese filmmaker with several award-winning works in the fantasy genre, including a television series titled “”Projeto Delta.”” The Portuguese director uses horror and the fantastic as a means of political and social critique.
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ONE MINUTE AHEAD (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Trapped in a parking lot, a man and his brother argue until the argument takes a dark turn.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Intense / Scary Images
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond/Fantastic/Other
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 31st @ 12:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: AJ Prager is a filmmaker who writes, produces, and directs high-concept comedy, science fiction, and magical realism, blending sharp humor, queer identity, and nervy optimism. A United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts and Humanitas semifinalist, she has optioned a horror screenplay, produced her first feature with Suzanne DeLaurentiis Productions, and is currently producing an indie TV pilot starring Jason Alexander and David Paymer. Her shorts have screened at festivals like Cinequest, Nashville, and Austin, and even been shown at the Smithsonian.
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ONE SECOND (USA)
SYNOPSIS: An overwhelmed man struggles to keep up with all the noise in his world when his hearing begins to fall one second out of sync…
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Alex Hoxie
GENRE: Sci-Fi,The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Alex Hoxie is a filmmaker originally from the Detroit, Michigan area. After graduating from the Columbia College in Chicago with a BA in Film and Video, Alex worked as both a director of photography and editor on several indie and commercial projects. His clients have included Google, Samsung, Audi, and many more.
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OPEN WIDE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Phoebe, a pious young woman questioning her faith, matches with a charming couple on a flirty dating app and discovers that her curiosity has lured her into a threesome from hell.
RATINGS GUIDE: Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Sam Fox
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 30th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Born on a secluded animal farm off Malibu’s Mulholland Highway, Sam Fox blends stylized imagery, music, psychedelia, and horror through her company Foxy Films. Her latest jazz-horror short, Open Wide, is on the festival circuit (Fantasia, Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest). In 2024, The Blue Diamond (ft. Barbara Crampton) won multiple awards (Grimmfest, Beverly Hills, FilmQuest), secured distribution with Canal+ and Kanopy, and is now in feature development. Previously, she made the horror-comedy Fck’n Nuts with MovieMaker Magazine (Fantastic Fest, Beyond Fest, Brooklyn Horror), which won jury and audience awards across major festivals, and the psychedelic short Bad Acid, which earned her Best Director at Nightmares Film Festival. Beyond her own directing, Sam has produced award-winning indies including My Divorce Party (ft. Rumer Willis) and Britt Lower’s Circus Person (Tribeca).
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PANDORA, INC. (USA)
SYNOPSIS: While his wife and kids are out of town, a stressed-out illustrator risks losing everything when DAWN—an alluring A.I. creation—mysteriously arrives at his home and begins to seduce him.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language, Strong Sensuality, Adult Content, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Joe Leuben
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 26th @ 4:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Joe Lueben is a high school English teacher, father, and sometimes filmmaker based in Brooklyn.
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PASUNG “THE WOODEN STOCKS” (INDONESIA)
SYNOPSIS: In a village, residents are unsettled by the mysterious “Tok Tok” sound from an abandoned house, which soon turns into the myth of the “Tok Tok Ghost,” unaware that it hides the dark secret of Laksmi, a mentally unstable girl imprisoned by her brother Karta after she killed their parents. Decades later, Laksmi’s screams shatter the fragile peace they had kept, unleashing a series of terrifying events that reveal the grim truth behind the myth.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Rama Ruswadi
GENRE: Horror, Comedy, Action
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 24th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Rama Ruswadi is an Indonesian actor, fight choreographer, stunt performer, and martial artist who has been involved in films such as The Raid, Mile 22, Stuber, The Night Comes for Us, Wu Assassins, Triple Threat, Snake Eyes, and Fistful of Vengeance. He is widely known for his role as “”JENDRAL”” in the series Pertaruhan. His upcoming films include LONE, where he plays the main antagonist, and WARPATH. Rama is also a member of Uwais Team.
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PEARLS (UNITED KINGDOM)
SYNOPSIS: Tony and Linda, a couple struggling to conceive, get more than what they ask for when Tony stumbles upon an unconventional solution.
RATINGS GUIDE: Adult Content, Sensuality, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Alastair Train
GENRE: Horror, Sci-FI, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 30th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Alastair Train is a London based award-winning writer/director. His darkly comic and stylish films have been shown at various festivals around the world, including Cannes, Haapsalu Horror & Fantasy Festival, London Short Film Festival, and London Independent Film Festival.
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PINION (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In a bleak corporate-run world, a caged man faces relentless questioning, his reality unraveling.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Will Wertz
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond/Fantastic/Other
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Block #2 – Sci-Fi & Beyond Shorts
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Will Wertz is an Emmy award winning independent filmmaker exploring stories around often-overlooked people with curiosity and an open heart. His fiction and documentary works have garnered acclaim at international film festivals from Missoula to Cannes.
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PLASTIC SURGERY (UNITED KINGDOM)
SYNOPSIS: A doctor on her last day before maternity leave is thrown into chaos when a hidden threat emerges.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense / Scary Images
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GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 26th @ 4:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Since graduating from the MetFilm School, Guy’s unique style has been shaped by working alongside directors such as Wes Anderson, Greta Gerwig, Michael Sarnoski, Shawn Levy and more as an Assistant Director. Learning from these creative titans in the industry has given Guy a window into all forms of filmmaking. He founded Nice Guy Pictures in 2024, and aims to raise awareness about social and human issues. Stories about family, belonging and truth.
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POCKET CHANGE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When the power goes out at a roadside diner in the middle of nowhere, a mysterious drifter and his seemingly worthless quarter hold the key to saving everyone from a deadly threat.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 26th @ 1:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Tanner Mobley is a multi-hyphenate producer, writer, and director based in Los Angeles, CA. As Vice President of Development at Millennium Media, his experience spans across all aspects of the business, including acquisitions, development, packaging, sales, and production. A strong proponent of the collaborative process, he prides himself on his relationships with fellow filmmakers and prioritizes character and story above all else. He especially enjoys using genre to explore complex social themes, making them accessible and engaging for wider commercial audiences. Heston Roewe is a screenwriter, director, and editor based in West Hollywood. Over the last fifteen years, he’s written feature scripts for Millennium Media and the Moving Picture Institute. On the editing front, he’s collaborated with industry titans such as Netflix, Sony, and Happy Madison. As a multi-award winner, Heston’s shelf is cluttered with Promax and Clios as well as a Golden Trailer nomination for editing. He also holds an FFA Iowa Fa
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POLY BAGGAGE (SCOTLAND)
SYNOPSIS: Polly’s been dumped and she’s done something drastic – she’s cut out her own heart. Literally. Now it’s up to friend Yasmin to convince Polly to feel love again.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 23rd @ 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Emma is a Scottish screenwriter/director represented by Independent Talent. She has worked in television drama development for a number of years before turning to writing and directing full time.
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RED RIBBONS IN THE HOUSE OF STAINED GLASS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A small-time journalist, desperate for her big break, tracks down evidence that could expose the sex crimes of a deviant Archbishop but can she trust her source, or is she risking her own life for front-page news?
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Language, Sensuality
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jeff Speed is an independent genre filmmaker specializing in bold visual storytelling. Less talk, more action, imagery and atmosphere. “Rinse your mind of mainstream slime.”
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REM (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A teenager desperate to prove the existence of the infamous shadow demon Hatman forces herself into sleep paralysis and enters a nightmarish dream world she may never wake up from.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense / Scary Images, Language
DIRECTOR: Blair Bathory
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: With over a decade of experience as a documentary and narrative filmmaker, Blair has become a well-known member of the horror community. She also hosts the Something Scary podcast with 3 million listeners worldwide and creates spooky digital content for half a million fans across social media platforms. Recently, she became the “Face of Fangoria” and hopes to screen her newest short film at film festivals in 2025.
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RESTRAINING ORDER (ISRAEL)
SYNOPSIS: Dori issued a restraining order against her violent husband but she didn’t imagine he would find a way to invade her peaceful home.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Sharon Maymon & Tal Granit
GENRE: Thriller
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 24th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: The Israeli filmmakers Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon wrote and directed ‘Mortgage’ (2006), winner of the Best Drama Award at the Jerusalem Film Festival. They partnered again on two shorts, ‘To kill a bumblebee’ (Locarno 2009) and ‘Summer vacation’ (Sundance 2012, was shortlisted for the Oscar). In 2010, the duo won the Best Pitch Award at the Berlinale for the script of ‘My sweet euthanasia’, on which ‘The farewell party’ is based. That controversial and acclaimed film has since then been selected as part of the 2014 editions of Venice International Film Festival’s Venice Days and won the people choice award and the brian award. The Farewell party screened also at the Toronto International Film Festival and was distributed in over 25 countries around the world. Their second feature ‘HaNeshef’ premiered in Tribeca 2019. Sharon Maymon also wrote the short film ‘Skin’ which won an Oscar for best live action short 2019.
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ROUGH CUT (USA)
SYNOPSIS: On Halloween night, a video editor cuts a horror movie shot by Mr. Cackle… LIVE!
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense / Scary Images
DIRECTOR: Mitchell Vincent Slan
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 30th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Mitchell Vincent Slan, a filmmaker from Austin, TX, has built a career blending his lifelong love of Halloween with a passion for horror storytelling. His award-winning short Balloon was distributed by ALTER and won over 40 festival awards. He later co-directed Snake Eyes, selected as a staff favorite by ALTER, and directed a music video for GRAMMY-winning group LVCRFT in partnership with Spirit Halloween. Mitchell is now developing his debut feature, Rough Cut, starring David Howard Thornton (Terrifier) and Kimberly J. Brown (Halloweentown), which has earned recognition from the Austin Film Festival, Slamdance, and Coverfly’s top 1%.
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