BLOCK CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING FILMS:
_____________________
ABRACADAVERS (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: Chris’ Mom died in a freak hair salon chair accident. Ever since then he’s been attached to the chair responsible for her death. Gabriel, his closest friend, believes this is more than an obsession and along with their group of friends kidnaps him on a trip. On the road-trip everyone discovers, as Chris had previously begun to expect, that the salon chair gives those close to it superpowers. Chris, on the other hand, comes to understand he’s in fact struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and learns, along with his friends, that dealing with super-human abilities is sometimes easier to grapple with than what’s going on in your mind. The group trips, stumbles, but ultimately works and grows together to understand their new-found abilities and more importantly, themselves.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language, All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Morgan Ermter
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Web Series
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Chris’ Mom died. Then he got kidnapped. And now he’s developing super powers. Things are pretty strange.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM:
TRAILER:
_____________________
EARTHY ENCOUNTERS (UK)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: 15-year-old Kyle believes he can save his dying older brother with a plant he’s found at the back of a garden center. Problem is, there’s a shadowy government agency out to destroy it first.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (3): Best Sci-Fi Short, Best Cinematography – Short, Best Score – Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Sam Johnson is an award-winning British film director. Having read film at Kings College London, he spent two years learning the ropes on films including X-Men: First Class and Skyfall – shadowing directors and location managing gory British horrors. In 2013 he went freelance as a director. His first short film Jasmine’s Revolution premiered at the 57th BFI London Film Festival. Soon after, Billy the Kid was funded by BFI and Creative England, in partnership with the charity ‘BeatBullying’. It premiered at the Oscar Qualifying Palm Springs Shortfest 2015, where it was an Audience ‘Best Of Fest’ winner. It went on to win 10 international awards, including Audience Awards at BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica, Adelaide and Boston film festivals. His latest film Earthy Encounters was funded by the BFI’s ‘Emerging talent’ scheme, and is the first short film ever to be shot on the Arri Alexa 65. It premiered at the Oscar Qualifying Cork Film Festival in 2017, won Best Short Film at Dublin International Film Festival, and was an official selection at Tribeca 2018. He shoots commercially for brands including Vogue and Adidas, frequently collaborating with his photographer brother Tom Johnson, whom he shares a studio with in Shoreditch, London. He is represented by Jack Thomas and Patrick Child at Independent.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM:
TRAILER:
_____________________
HEXED (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Hexed is a Brooklyn-based comedy about Sammy and Pearl, two degenerate witches navigating the daily struggles of adulthood with the aid of their sub-par magical abilities and talking pet penis.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Fred Soligan
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Web Series
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Fred Soligan has directed work for UCB Comedy, BricTV, The New Yorker and IFC Comedy Cribs. In 2018, projects he directed won awards at festivals including NYTVF and UrbanWorld. In 2019 he was selected as an Official Participant in Tribeca Film Festival’s “N.O.W. Creator’s Market”, along with his writing partner, Jade Daugherty.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM:
TRAILER:
_____________________
LIFE XP (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: An awkward bookworm fired from a mundane bookstore job is resurrected as an international VR gaming hero.
RATINGS GUIDE: N/A
DIRECTOR: Trevor Addie
AWARDS WINS / NOMINATIONS (1): Best Web Series
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Trevor has been in Film and Television for almost 18 years, his experience as a Stunt Performer/Coordinator gives him a unique insight into the filmmaking process. Trevor is a visual Director who understands what is important, within the frame, to best tell the story. His plethora of experience makes for fast solutions, creative ideas and stunning films. Trevor has many projects awaiting release; some of the projects currently out: his award-winning short film Croft where he was Creator and Director, winning him an award for Best Director at the 2013 Action on Film Festival and his Second Unit Directing on; Dead Rising, Cabin Fever 3, Afflicted, Mech-X4. His other credits include Game Of Thrones, War for the Planet of the Apes, Predator, etc.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM:
TRAILER: N/A
_____________________
MY DEATH CO. (USA)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: My Death Co. is a web series that follows a recently deceased man, Sam (Jon Huck), as he’s forced to work as a grim reaper in the afterlife. Sam has to learn to connect with and bring closure to those on the brink of death and, in doing so, finds meaning in his own (after) life.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Shawn McDaniel
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Web Series
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Shawn McDaniel started making films with action figures at an early age and hasn’t stopped since. After attending New York Film Academy in LA, he completed his first feature film at 18. In the time since, he has freelanced with numerous cable networks and media companies including Sci-Fi, Buzzfeed and MGM. Now, working on My Death Co., Shawn is excited to share his vision with a wider audience and hopes to influence others to follow their passion as he has.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM:
TRAILER:
_____________________
MY HELPFUL GHOST ANCESTOR ROOMMATE (USA)
WORLD PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: An absurdist, half Victorian, half modern tale of love and friendship between English ghost-gentleman Feathermore Burbage and his hapless, 21st century descendant Austin.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Sentuality
DIRECTOR: Noah James
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Web Series
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Noah James is an actor and director, known for In Development (2013), My Helpful Ghost Ancestor Roommate (2019) and Palm Sprangz (2015).
IMAGES FROM THE FILM:
TRAILER: N/A
_____________________
ONE HIT DIE (CANADA)
USA PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: “Lord of the Rings” shot like the “Office.” The third season of the Award winning series One Hit Die finds our party of adventurers in search for a magical fountain of experience in a shifting dungeon filled with traps and monsters.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences, Adult Content
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Web Series
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Since his birth, Spencer Estabrooks has been creating strange genres comedies and genres including Sharkasaurus, One Hit Die, and a collection of weird westerns. He also like craft beer.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM:
TRAILER:
_____________________
WISH WEASEL (USA)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: In this campy 90s sci-fi fantasy, a magical weasel crash lands in Queens and befriends a girl who’s down on her luck. They must work together to defeat his evil brother to save Queens (and the Earth).
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Dan McNamara
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Web Series
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Dan McNamara is originally from East Northport, NY and lives in Astoria, Queens. Dan is an artist and comedian who works primarily with video and special effects. McNamara’s works include the animated web series The Bear, The Cloud, and God, which appeared on Comedy Central, G4 TV, and Channel Frederator. Four of his projects have been screened at the New York Television Festival, including Redeeming Rainbow, featuring performances by Kristen Schaal and Ellie Kemper. “When I was a kid I wanted to make my own TV show. I would make videos and animations on my computer at home with my friends,” says McNamara. “In 2017 I underwent a liver transplant for a rare, untreatable bile duct disease. Wish Weasel will be the first project I have completed since recovering from a serious illness that impacted my life for a decade. Now that I’m doing much better, I decided this year I would make the show I wanted to make as a kid because life is short.” McNamara is a professional visual FX artist. He currently works on animations and motion graphics for multiple online series for Complex Networks, including the Webby Award-Winning interview show, Hot Ones. He spends his free time enjoying the delicious foods available in Queens.
IMAGES FROM THE FILM:
TRAILER:
