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Ape Shit (UK / USA)
SYNOPSIS: Two primates on a space adventure crash unknowingly on a planet ruled by dodo birds. Can apes and birds live in harmony?
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Dahlia Kressler
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 22nd @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Dahlia Kressler is a Cincinnati based stop motion filmmaker. When she’s not spending hours meticulously sculpting, painting, and animating she works as the Associate Director at the Cindependent Film Festival, in Cincinnati.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Återsådd (SWEDEN)
SYNOPSIS: The Traveller tries to create new life on a dead planet, inhabited only by the mysterious dust worms. But life only seems to be possible through sacrifice.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Emanu
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 26th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Emanu is an animator, prop maker and illustrator working in the film and games industries and with political satire. His design style was developed during his studies at Stockholm University of the Arts where he studied Narrative Animated Film (graduated 2019). His creative philosophy is strongly connected with what can be made by hand and with sustainability in mind. ÅTERSÅDD is his second short film as director.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Bliss (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: A worker trapped in the monotony of his office job discovers an emotional escape hidden behind his desktop windows
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Greg
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: US Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 26th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Greg is an award-winning filmmaker whose work focuses primarily on animation. Since graduating from the Alberta University of the Arts in 2012 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Greg has built a multifaceted career spanning illustration, animation, and design across both the commercial world and his personal practice. His work has been exhibited at festivals around the world, and he continues to create projects that keep his creative flame alive while hopefully putting a smile on people’s faces.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Blood Moon (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A gonzo journalist interviews the leader of a moon-themed cult on the night of a strange ritual. But as the moon rises, their sacrament develops into a supernatural shitshow.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Cole French
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 29th @ 8:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Cole French is a Missourian animator now living in Los Angeles. In his work, French depicts the unique anxieties of middle-American life: isolation, stressful interpersonal encounters, insecurity, and occasional God-fearing melodrama with an often surreal, always tongue-in-cheek tone.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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BottomFeeder (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In a world reclaimed by the sea, a traveling band of artists traverse Earth’s remaining archipelagos to preach the terrors of the deep. One morning, stagehand Warren comes to a startling realization about the caravan’s most precious instrument, The Brass Isopod.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Benji DeMay
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 30th @ 3:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Benji DeMay is an animator and illustrator with a varied interest in environmental storytelling, arthropods, and the ocean. Benji graduated from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2024, majoring in animation and creating hybridized 2D and 3D animated short films. His work straddles the line between frightening and humorous, with a heavy emphasis on body horror, texture, and empathy.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Death’s Peek (UK)
SYNOPSIS: Desperate for connection, David digs up his brother’s corpse. With their trusty red wagon, they ascend a treacherous mountain in pursuit of their childhood dream.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Willy Fair
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 22nd @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Willy Fair is a stop motion director residing between Los Angeles and London. He makes handmade films often revolving around his upbringing in the Rocky Mountains. Before Directing he worked as an animator and puppet maker for clients including, Disney, Nickelodeon, Netflix.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Deathguard: Career Counselor (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A horde of out-of-work ’80s and ’90s horror icons meet weekly in an online support group to trade job leads and cling to relevance.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Mike Spitzmiller
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: None
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 25th @ 9:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Mike Spitzmiller is a writer, director, and visual effects supervisor based in Los Angeles. After nearly two decades working in visual effects for film and television, he wrote and directed Deathguard, an original animated horror-comedy short. His professional credits include projects for Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, HBO Max, Hulu, and FOX. Deathguard marks his latest step toward creating original animated series that blend horror, comedy, and character-driven storytelling.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Dolly Baby: Rythym & Flesh (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: In a world where humans are treated like dolls—every part replaceable—Adisa, a struggling musician, faces pressure to buy a new voice before a career-defining gig. Desperate, he turns to the Body Shop, a chaotic underground clinic. The procedure could change everything for him… but is this what he really wants?
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence
DIRECTOR: Bouchera
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Screening
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Bouchera is an Algerian filmmaker and artist born in Montreal. By day, she works in the feature animation industry as a 3D character on projects such as TMNT Mutant Mayhem 2 and Dr. Dolittle: King of the wild. In her own time, she writes and develops projects independently for short-films, television and comics. Dolly Baby, her animated series in development, was been selected as one of the 8 semi-finalists for the ‘Pitch THIS!’ at TAC for OIAF 2025.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Dormilón (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In a quest to become the performer of his dreams, Dormilón, a starry-eyed and middle-aged janitor living in an abandoned theater, must confront his nightmares face-to-face..
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Olivia
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 28th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Olivia is an award-winning LA-based stop-motion filmmaker, specializing in horror and fantasy. She previously co-directed ‘The Weight of It’ (2021), which won Ciné Motion and Starz / TheWrap Film Contest in 2021. She then directed ‘The Test’ (2022), which screened at BFI London, Florida Film Festival, and Tampere International Short Film Festival. Over the last year, her film Dormilon has screened at multiple Oscar-qualifying festivals Florida Film Festival, SIFF, LALIFF, Palm Springs ShortFest, AFI Fest, and Sitges.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Down the Chimney (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In this gory puppet holiday special, Santa’s perfect Christmas night is ruined when he gets stuck in a chimney… and must do the unspeakable to get free.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Adult Content, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Kate Siegel
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 29th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Kate Siegel is a director, producer, and actor best known for her work in acclaimed horror films and series, including The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House, and Hush. She recently directed V/H/S/Beyond, which received a 2024 Critics’ Choice Award nomination, as well as Lilly, an animated short written by Stephen King that premiered at Tribeca ’25. Siegel is also a passionate advocate for strong female representation in horror and the genre’s ability to explore fear, resilience, and the human experience.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Edward (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Edward is a sideshow performer dealing with a parasitic twin
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Elliot Lobell
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 26th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Elliot Lobell is an award-winning independent stop-motion filmmkaer, illustrator and monster maker. Based in Jersey City, NJ, he has spent the last 15 years working in stop-motion and digital animation. He most recently completed his 7-minute stop-motion short, “Edward” which has been in production for 7 years.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Eight Uncomfortable Robots (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A robot company’s new product catalog causes problems for both their customers and the products themselves.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: James Reinebold
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 25th @ 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: James Reinebold is an animator based in Vista, California. He currently works as a programmer in the video game industry. Eight Uncomfortable Robots is his first film.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Ghosts in the Fog (MEXICO / USA)
SYNOPSIS: A group of hikers gets lost in a mysterious fog and stumble into the cursed grounds where the Ghost of Crystal Lake awaits. Will they escape the wrath of Jason Voorhees, or become the latest in a long list of lost victims?
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence
DIRECTOR: Vincente & Juan
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 27th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Vincente and Juan share a common love for both Friday the 13th and animation. Determined to see more horror in the animated world, the duo partnered their companies in oder to take Jason into a whole new dimension.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Grylu Sker: An Icelandic Ghost Story (ICELAND / USA)
SYNOPSIS: Shipwrecked off the coast of Iceland, an explorer must fight for survival on a desolate island inhabited by the bloodthirsty witch Grýla. This handcrafted film uses live action bunraku puppetry, stop-motion animation, and rotoscope animation to tell an epic tale set in the world of Icelandic folklore.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Kevin McTurk
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 31st @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: A professional creature effects artist, cinematographer, model maker, and puppeteer, Kevin McTurk has been working in the effects industry for over 34 years.His credits include Jurassic Park, Hellboy, Peter Jackson’s King Kong, and Cabinet Of Curiosities.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Hell (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A place where dreams are real, wishes come true, and everything is always awful for everyone.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Parker Croft
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: None
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 24th @ 8:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Parker Croft’s most recent short film, “As Easy As Closing Your Eyes” (2024), has earned 144 awards across more than 200 film festivals, including 16 for Best Director. His debut short, “Suncatcher” (2019), was similarly acclaimed, screening at 62 festivals and earning 13 awards. Croft first made his mark as a screenwriter with the feature Falling Overnight (2011), which won the Special Jury Prize at Cinequest and later streamed on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Look Out (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A once-peaceful community is thrown into panic when a cartoon criminal escapes from a neighborhood watch sign. Word travels fast and the entire local message board knows the truth: he will do a crime.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Brian Carroll
GENRE: Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 22nd @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Brian Carroll is a filmmaker, animator, and a scoundrel, his work should be run out of town—a committee should be formed to boycott him. You may, if you can form such a committee, put me down for a contribution of one thousand dollars. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two cats.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Meteroic (IRELAND)
SYNOPSIS: When an artist is hit by a meteor, the result is a “painting” that captivates the world. But the people want more.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Paul Ó Muiris
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 23rd @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Paul Ó Muiris is an award-winning Irish director, known for his animated short film “The Ledge End of Phil (from accounting)” producted by Cartoon Saloon. “Meteoric” is his first short-film produced by his own animated studio, Studio Marguya, and is qualified for the 99th Oscars.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Miseros Morsu(MEXICO)
SYNOPSIS: Armando is forgotten by his parents and locked in his classroom, as night falls, amid shadows and religious figures that seem to lurk, a mysterious girl appears. What seemed like solitude turns into an encounter with horror.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: TBD
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: US Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 28th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Mexican artist and vampire who loves spooky worlds and friendly monsters. I studied Concept Art and 3D Animation at ESCENA. Since I was a child, stories about ghosts, zombies, or vampires have been my refuge. My dream: Create stories for those who aren’t afraid to be different.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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My Name Is Ringo (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When a ten-year-old girl raised to strip robots for parts crashes into one who shows her genuine kindness, she must choose between the only life she’s ever known and the first friend she’s ever made.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Jon Peter Lewis
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 23rd @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jon Peter Lewis is a musical artist and filmmaker who first gained national attention as a finalist on American Idol, later returning to television on The Voice as part of the duo, Midas Whale. He released two solo albums and three EPs before his passion for storytelling drew him toward film. He recently completed an MFA in Film and Television Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, where My Name Is Ringo was created as his thesis project.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Run From It (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: Two unsuspecting friends tempt fate exploring a derelict mansion harboring a dark secret within its depths.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Kory Kongsommart
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Screening
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Kory Kongsommart was raised by a family of artists in Thailand before moving to Canada to study animation. Passionate for horror and animation, she directed “Run From It” as her thesis film. Kory always finds a middle ground, making her adept at working with a team and earning people’s trust as director. – Jun Jeung’s passion lies in making concepts come to life. He is a mixed queer Korean Canadian artist who is a massive nerd at heart. Being a long-time Dungeon Master, he’s familiar in wrangling a group of eager misfit creatives into a blossoming party that uses their skills to make a vision polished.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Season’s Greetings (USA)
SYNOPSIS: On Halloween night, a young trick-or-treater is stalked through the darkened streets by a menacing stranger, turning an ordinary night of tricks and treats into a sinister game of cat and mouse.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Michael Dougherty
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 24th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Michael Dougherty is a write and director whose work spans franchises including X-Men, Superman, Godzilla, and King Kong. He co-wrote X2: X-Men United and Superman Returns before directing the cult holiday favorites Trick ’r Treat and Krampus. He later co-wrote and directed Godzilla: King of the Monsters and co-wrote the story for Godzilla vs. Kong.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Tarnished Seed (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A brief affair between a monad harvester and an outpost captain is disrupted by the Gold Nexus, a cosmic force intent on rewriting their fate.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Michael Lavine
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 27th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Michael Lavine is an award-winning filmmaker and acclaimed photographer known for capturing iconic portraits of musicians such as Kurt Cobain, Notorious B.I.G., and Cher. Michael’s latest short film, The Wanderer, a gothic noir fantasy starring Alice Kremelberg, screened at the prestigious 72nd Sydney Film Festival in June 2025. Michael’s acclaimed series of metaphysical sci-fi stop-motion animated shorts, The Dark Odyssey, has screened at more than 100 festivals worldwide. Currently, Michael is in production on his debut feature film, Miles Away, a fantasy drama starring Joe Messina and Lucy Walters.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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The Cloud Herder (IRELAND)
SYNOPSIS: An aging herder protects her flock of clouds from an oncoming storm.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Aidan McAteer
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Screening
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Aidan McAteer has worked in Dublin, London, Vancouver and Singapore as an animator, story artist, writer and director for the past 20 years. He wrote and directed on the three time Emmy-nominated comedy series “Oddbods” and was nominated for a BAFTA for directing the recent CBBC reboot of “Danger Mouse”. Aidan has also made several award-winning short films including “The Gentleman’s Guide to Villainy”, “Streets of Fury” and “Deadly”. He enjoys moonlight, Marmite and the musical works of William Shatner.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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The Whistle (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Cologne, Germany.1938. Empathy, hope, courage and compassion can be found where least expected. Based on a true story.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Greg Franklin
GENRE: The Beyond / Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 26th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Greg Franklin is an American animation director and cartoonist. He is a co-founder of Six Point Harness Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Greg has directed and supervised projects of every genre and medium, from primetime TV to award winning shorts, to mass audience commercials and acclaimed feature length productions
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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Untasted (NEW ZEALAND)
SYNOPSIS: A galaxy-hopping alien foodie brings his family to prehistoric Earth on a quest to taste something no one has tasted before. But when his daughter forms a strange connection with a human cave child, it puts an unexpected dent in Zad’s plans for dinner.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Julian Stokoe
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: US Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 26th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Julian Stokoe is a New Zealand writer, director and producer working across animation, television and interactive media. He created the animated comedy The Vloggingtons (2021), released through TVNZ+, ABC and Tubi, and has worked in animation since the BBC3 series Monkey Dust. His first short film, I Was the DJ, screened at festivals including Show Me Shorts and LA Film Festival. Julian develops original animated projects from concept through to completion and is currently developing an adult animated series with the assistance of NZ On Air.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
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White Box (CHINA / USA)
SYNOPSIS: A young medical researcher’s routine experiment on a white box takes an unsettling turn when something inside stares back at her, forcing her to confront the violence behind her work and her relationship to her test subjects.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Hazel Wang
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 28th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Hazel Wang is a 28-year-old animator from Guangzhou, China. Her work grows out of personal memory and slowly opens into reflections on life and responsibility. Cam Duska is a 23-year-old writer, animator, and director from a small town in Rhode Island. They tell stories that aim to expose marginalized experiences and complex emotions. Hazel and Cam are both currently juniors at Otis College of Art and Design and White Box is both of their directorial debuts. They look forward to collaborating in the future.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM: Coming Soon
TRAILER: Coming Soon
