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47 (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A completely hand-made, animated stop-motion film created not just for, but by the Down syndrome community. The film is a heartwarming tale of resilience, acceptance, and inclusion.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Paulo Garcia
GENRE: The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: International Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Block #5 – Watch via EO FLIX
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Paulo is a Film Director and Creative Director at Zombie Studio, an animation production company based in São Paulo Brazil with offices in New York and Lisbon. After 14 years working as an art director for some of the biggest agencies and groups like Y&R, Leo Burnett and McCann, in 2012 he founded Zombie, where he won 400+ awards including 40 Cannes Lions.
His biggest hits at the festival where the animation “Dream” for WCFF that won a silver lion in film, and a golden lion in entertainment for music. He also won the Grand Prix in 2022 with his Lil’ sugar animation project. He was part of the Film Craft Jury of Cannes Lions in 2022 and Jury president at the D&AD 2021 in the animation craft category and has been judging many other international awards over the years.
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A VISUAL POEM (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Surreal environments take center stage in this visual odyssey.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 26th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Benjamin Walant is a Digital Matte Painter and Concept Artist in the VFX industry. Working at award winning studios, like The Mill and Framestore, he’s participated in high profile projects ranging from billboards in Time Square to airing during Superbowl primetime. Benjamin is also involved in numerous episodic work. Doing both initial designs as well as final artwork for shows featured and soon-to-be-featured on all major streaming services such as HBO, Apple TV, Netflix, and Prime Video.
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BUBBLEMAN SUPERSTAR MISSION EL COBRA (FRANCE)
SYNOPSIS: Mexico, U.S. border. The wall is complete. Bubbleman, a flippant secret agent from Zeroland, goes there. His very special mission: tear down the wall and repair the future. But things don’t quite go as planned…
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Brief Nudity, Adult Content, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTORS: Alban Gily & Thierry Bonneau
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Block #5 – Watch via EO FLIX
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Both with scientific backgrounds, Thierry is a graduate of an audiovisual school and Alban is trained in editing and graphics. Sharing a strong taste for genre cinema, visual effects and animation, they met in the spanKidz collective some ten years ago. After several collaborations, they decided to write, direct and post-produce short films together.
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COLD TERROR (USA / TURKEY)
SYNOPSIS: A cold night with a cold beer. What could go wrong?
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Ozkan Yasun
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 31st @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Ozkan Yasun, a Turkish animator. Nath Milburn, an indie filmmaker from Kentucky.
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CRYSTAL GALAXY ENFORCERS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Flying through space in a crystal ship, Modnar encounters an annoying nemesis.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Kirk Howle
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 28th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Kirk Howle has been creating independent animation ever since he was a little kid playing on his family’s home computer back in the 1980s. Off-kilter humor, exaggerated action, and vibrant color schemes are hallmarks of his work.
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DEADLINE (ISRAEL)
SYNOPSIS: A black comedy Stop-motion short that explores the power balance between bureaucracy, death and feline devotion of the elderly. At its center is a story of a brave friendship and solidarity between two senior ladies sickened by society’s disregard and disrespect.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence
DIRECTOR: Idan Gilboa
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: None
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Block #5 – Watch via EO FLIX
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Idan Gilboa has graduated with honors from the VC department in Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, He mastered in puppet stop-motion in an exchange student program in the SVA in New York.serves as an Art Director and Creative Manager at leading advertising agencies and gaming companies. ‘Deadline’ is Idan’s debut Short film.
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ETHEL (SWITZERLAND)
SYNOPSIS: Ethel discovers clothes of her late mother and embarks to unearth memories. The child attempts to understand her mother’s passion. A tale of letting go and growing up.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Beatrice Jäggi
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Block #5 – Watch via EO FLIX
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Born in 1966 and growing up in Winterthur (ZH). Apprenticeship in engineering drafting. 1996 intensive film workshop at New York University. Since 1998 organizer of various cultural projects in the field of film and video. Author and director of various short animation and experimental films. 2006-2009 MAS in Cultural Management at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts HSLU.
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ILLUMINATUS! (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A young reporter is recruited by a mad genius and his anarchist followers aboard a giant yellow submarine. Their plans to foil the nefarious plots of the Illuminati seem about as unbelievable as the hidden underwater city of Atlantis, where they happen to be going next.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Chris Kalis
GENRE: Comedy, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 30th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Chris Kalis is a filmmaker, educator, and musician from Chicago, IL. This production was made in collaboration with a talented group of students and faculty at DePaul University’s School of Cinematic Arts, as well as crew members Nolan J. Downs (storyboard director / 2D animator), Joel Benjamin (lead character animator), Louis Morton (2D animator), and Paul Sullivan (character illustrator).
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LES BÊTES (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Michael Granberry
GENRE: Fantasy, Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 30th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Michael Granberry is a 3-time Emmy award-winning director and stop-motion animator whose work can be seen in such films as the Oscar-winning “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”, Henry Selick’s “Wendell & Wild”, Charlie Kaufman’s Oscar-nominated “Anomalisa”, “Tales of Halloween”, “Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy” and numerous other feature films, documentaries, TV shows, web series and music videos.
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LUKI AND THE LIGHTS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: LUKi, a charming and upbeat robot known for living life to the fullest, is diagnosed with the life-altering disease ALS. He must choose how to face life going forward.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Toby Cochran
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 27th @ 1:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Toby is the creative force behind Big Grin Productions, with nearly 20 years of entertainment and an award winning Director of LUKi & the Lights. As a global leader, Toby skillfully leads teams in games, commercials, live-action, and animated series. Toby’s dedication extends to crafting original stories and putting a big ol’ Grin on everyone’s face.
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Watch via link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5spd89QHQY
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MIRA (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A struggling accordionist busker who gets more than she bargained for when her desire to get noticed attracts the attention of a mysterious and enticing competitor.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense & Scary Imagery
GENRE: The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 30th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Eva Louise Hall is an animator and screenwriter based in the United States. She recently received awards for her short film ‘Mira’ at the 2023 SCAD Savannah Film Festival, winning both “Best Horror” and “Best in Show” in the Shorts Spotlight category. She was honored by Sony and Creo Arts with an invitation to Sony Pictures Studios this Spring as a shortlisted filmmaker for the 2024 Sony Future Filmmaker Awards.
In addition to the creation of her independent films she teaches as an Assistant Professor of Animation at the Kansas City Art Institute. Mira is Eva Louise Hall’s most recent stop motion story within more than a decade-long career working with puppets and animation. Other notable projects include The Weathering (2019) and Nautical Apsara (2013).
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NEMESIS BATTLEFIELD VOLUME 16 (USA / CHINA / INDIA / UGANDA)
SYNOPSIS: The author’s first few books were great and very popular but after 16 volumes the characters from his own book started hating his story
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTORS: Neeraj Bhattacharjee, David Cisneros, Ran Fang, Richard Musinguzi, Saurabh Vashistha
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 30th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: We are a group of 5 filmmakers hailing from different parts of the globe. We met each other at Gobelins Paris where we completed our Masters Degree in 2023. Connected by our mutual love for sci-fi and genre films, we made Nemesis Battlefield as our own passion project while we were still students at our college.
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PERFECT CITY: THE BRAVEST KID (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Chased by knife hand, a paper boy finds out his nightmare is the same as his hope.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Shengwei Zhou
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Block #5 – Watch via EO FLIX
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Shengwei Zhou, born in 1991, is an award winning animator and director. His represented work are SHe, Art Is Dead, Let’s Fall In Love, Perfect City series.
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RENT-A-HERO (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A new hero begins her first day at her city’s hero agency, expecting non-stop excitement and praise. Her first missions don’t quite live up to her expectations, but despite her frustrations, she forges an unlikely friendship and learns what being a hero is all about.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences, Mild Violence
DIRECTORS: Carson Bender & Quinn Merrin
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: International Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Block #5 – Watch via EO FLIX
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Co. Director Carson Bender is a story artist in Los Angeles, California. He is a recent graduate from Loyola Marymount University: School of Film and Television’s Animation Program. Carson is a hyperactive guy, who through spending time drawing, watching TV and movies, skateboarding, snowboarding, playing video games, and reading comic books has developed a keen eye for framing action. Carson specializes in storyboarding high-energy, off-the-wall action sequences. During the working day, you will see him jumping around his cubicle, figuring out how to create character motion and choreography that will leave the greatest possible impact on the audience. Carson also works in character design and loves to develop larger-than-life characters that are cool while also being heartfelt.
Co. Director Quinn Merrin is a character artist from Seattle, Washington. She recently completed her BA in Animation at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television and plans to apply her knowledge in all facets of life. Quinn spent the majority of her childhood glued to CRTs and Toshiba laptops, gaining a strong fondness for all things zany through the multitude of media she consumed back in the day. Her strengths lie in character design and development, creating uniquely silly little guys that (hopefully) put a smile on everyone’s face. She tries to incorporate humor into all of her projects, and her one true goal is to get you to laugh while creating sentimental stories along the way.
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SHIMMER (MEXICO)
SYNOPSIS: Cast away on a desolate beach littered by long forgotten shipwrecks, Ricardo desperately seeks to draw the attention of shimmering lights blazing in the sky behind the thick cover of clouds. Every day moves him closer to finishing the construction of a monumental lighthouse that could hold the key to their rescue, but he’s grown blind to the deepening mistrust his neglect has fostered in his eldest daughter, whose own plans will force her father to choose between his dreams and his children.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Andrés Palma
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 24th @ 9:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Originally trained as a classical artist, Andrés has been working in the Mexican film, animation and visual effects industries for nearly two decades, from independent productions such as Ana & Bruno down to advertising work for large established agencies. He has worked as a VFX supervisor, producer, and director and in 2012 founded Poliedro, an animation and post-production studio.
He was a strategic partner with Technicolor for the first branch of MPC Latin America. In 2018 he took over the direction of Escena Animation Studio, participating as executive producer in several animated short films.
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STORM (USA)
SYNOPSIS: The endless war has inflicted deep trauma, as soldiers silently observe the hallucinations before them, imagining times long gone.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Jiayi Tang
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 27th @ 1:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jiayi Tang – Animation graduate student at USC.
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TAILS FROM THE WILD: THE OUTBACK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In this nature mockumentary, we follow an innocuous koala that becomes the most infamous animal in the Australian Outback.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Sensuality, Adult Content, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Mark Villagracia
GENRE: The Beyond, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 25th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Mark Villagracia is an CG Animation Director based in the Los Angeles area. He has spent nearly two decades at studios such as DreamWorks and Nickelodeon. Mark has a passion for comedy and animation.
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THE BACKSPACE TRILOGY (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Hunting for blackholes is a dangerous business. Only those willing to brave the deepest parts of BackSpace can survive. Adventurers, Explorers, Outlaws, and anyone trying to find their fortune, will kill, betray, and face danger to find one.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language
DIRECTORS: Nick + Lexie Trivundza
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Block #5 – Watch via EO FLIX
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Nick + Lexie Trivundza are award winning directors whose work spans feature films, television, and commercials.
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THE BROWN DOG (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Night after night, a watchman clocks into a lonely security booth in the empty parking lot of an upscale apartment complex. Voiced by the late Michael K. Williams, the character — identified only as “NOBODY” — spends his shifts composing endless security logs to stay awake. “What will these bizarrely acute observations amount to?,” NOBODY asks. As the darkness slowly closes in on him, he abandons his post and goes in search of a mysterious brown dog.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Nadia Hallgren & Jamie-James Medina
GENRE: The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 24th @ 3:15 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: N/A
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THE CHASE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A police detective thinks he has his guy, but quick thinking prevails, as a chase ensues throughout the city.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
GENRE: The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 24th @ 3:15 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: DAVID WILL NO is an actor, stuntman and Action Designer. His previous films “Forged” (shot in Australia) and “Battle of Wills” (shot in South Korea) have won numerous awards. Now, based in Los Angeles, he regularly works in Hollywood performing and designing action for some of the biggest productions in TV and cinema.
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THE HUM (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: In the valleys of Taos, New Mexico, David receives a strange call from his wife, Margaret, who is exploring an archaeological site in search of inspiration. Concerned by her cryptic message and the unexplained buzzing on the phone, David rushes to find her.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Intense & Scary Imagery
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 31st @ 8:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: From the age of 15, I knew I wanted to work in cinema. A lifelong cinephile with a deep passion for film, I was particularly intrigued by 3D animation. This led me to pursue a high school diploma in 3D animation, which I have recently completed. For the culmination of my studies, I took on the challenge of creating my very first horror film, entirely in 3D animation.
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THE NOONDAY DEMON (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: A man visits his childhood sweetheart, who harbours a dangerous secret.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 28th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Conall Pendergast’s animated films include “Self-Actualization of the Werewolf Woman” and “The Cyclops Diet.”
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THE SKIN (SPAIN)
SYNOPSIS: Robert is a handsome gentleman who is about to experience the worst day of his idyllic life.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Mild Language, Nudity, Adult Content, Intense & Scary Imagery
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 27th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: José Casas Arévalo (Linares, 1984), más conocido como Galleta del Lejano Oeste, es actor, productor y director. Se formó en teatro y empezó a realizar cortometrajes desde la adolescencia.En el año 2012, con apenas 4.000 euros, afrontó la producción de su primer largometraje Zombie World, The Movie, basado en el cortometraje homónimo también producido y protagonizado por él, y que llegó a ser telonero de la película Astro Zombies 4 en EEUU. Desde 2015 sus trabajos cómo productor y director han sido premiados en ciudades como Barcelona o Nueva York, suma una quincena de premios y decenas de nominaciones hasta la fecha y actualmente se dedica a la producción de proyectos de ficción o videoclips, entre ellos algunos para bandas de la provincia cómo Uniforms, Dirty Dogs, Anagram Rock o Atomic Lemons.
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THE WEDDING VEIL OF THE PROUD PRINCESS (UK)
SYNOPSIS: The most beautiful princess in the world demands the impossible: to marry a king who conquers all kings.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive Block #5 – Watch via EO FLIX
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Anna-Ester Volozh graduated from Arts University Bournemouth, UK, with a Master’s degree in Art in 2013. Since then they have been working as a director focusing on artistic independent animation with emphasis on marginalised perspectives.
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TINKERHELL (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A young girl learns the consequences, after she incites the wrath of a very small and very deadly entity.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Adult Content, Intense & Scary Imagery
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 30th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Noah Sterling is a Persian-American mixed-media director who works in animation, live-action and VFX. Noah’s work is heavily influenced by comic-book and anime styles, and his work can be identified by arresting visuals, and a rapid-paced comedic wit.
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VHX (USA / UK)
SYNOPSIS: A collection of home movies languish on a shelf, longing to be watched again. Little do they know, there’s a fate far worse than being forgotten.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Oct. 30th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Alisa is an artist and animator from New York City. Scott is a composer and actor from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. They’ve collaborated on projects for over a decade. VHX is the second film they wrote and directed together.
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