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CAFE CICATRIZ (CHILE / USA)
SYNOPSIS: Max craves human connection. But he can’t bare to expose his truth.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language, Nudity, Sensuality, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Jordan Bahat
GENRE: Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 28th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jordan Bahat is a first-generation American filmmaker. The son of German and Israeli parents, his feature-length debut took a personal angle with the award-winning documentary, JEALOUS OF THE BIRDS. The film is an intimate exploration of a community of Holocaust survivors who remained in Germany after WWII – and the lives they built while living amongst their persecutors. The film, which centers on his grandparents, engages themes of guilt, shame, courage, identity, the sins of the father, and our capacity to forgive and rebuild.
As a working commercial and music video director, Jordan has created works for brands such as Apple, Gatorade, and Samsung, amongst others – as well films for artists such as Sam Smith, Christine and the Queens, and Allison Ponthier. Jordan’s work has been awarded by the MTV VMAS, UK VMAS, 7 Vimeo staff picks, the Clios, D&ADS, Ciclope, Slamdance and NME Awards, and has been featured at the Superbowl and film festivals around the world. Jordan has an adaptable style across genres – and emphasizes the exploration of muddy human truths in his storytelling. Jordan lives in Los Angeles and is currently developing his first scripted feature film, Future Will Be Better.
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CALLUS (IRELAND)
SYNOPSIS: When his daughter is born with an affliction warned of in fable, a widowed father struggles to defy the violent superstitions of their rural community.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Language
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: North American Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Screening on EO App – Horror & Thriller Shorts Block #1
DIRECTOR’S BIO: An award-winning film director/writer and Honours graduate of the esteemed National Film School IADT Dún Laoghaire, Ciarán Hickey’s short film credits include ‘The Boy Murder’ (2015), DLR’s ‘The Lighthouse’ (2018), ‘Just Fine’ (2018), and ‘Terrible Things’ (2021). With a penchant for imaginative genre storytelling focused on otherworldly elements mingled with searing reality-based drama, his work has shown all over the world at various prestigious film festivals hosted in the likes of Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London, Chicago, Poland, and across his native Ireland.
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CANDOR (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A woman opens up to the man she just spent the evening with.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Adult Content, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Timothy Troy
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 3rd @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Timothy Troy has always been enamored with movies and storytelling. When he discovered the making-of features on films like Star Wars and Jurassic Park, it exploded into a passion that led him to a career in professional filmmaking. Using the skills and experience from working on large-scale union sets, he’s been steadily building a body of independent directing work for years which draws on the influence of filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and John Carpenter.
Timothy loves to experiment with genre and conventions, with his films ranging from monster movies to sci-fi relationship dramas to a comedy set in a Civil War camp. His work includes multiple short films licensed by Dust and other online platforms, the award-winning short horror film Ding Dong, and the Creepy Cuts series of micro-shorts. Tim lives in Chicago with his wife, two children, and the “crazy little monster” dog he named his production company after.
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CAPTIVE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: An elderly trapper revisits his dark past as a serial killer when he is taken hostage by two fugitives in the wilderness of Montana.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Preston Peterson & Jason Boesch
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 29th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Though not officially related, Preston and Jason have been friends since they were five, effectively making them brothers from another mother. Captive is their third film together, following the release of their award-winning feature, West Virginia. When they’re not writing or directing films together, Jason works as an Art Director on the hit show Rick and Morty, while Preston directs commercials and writes for a marketing company.
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CASUAL VIGNETTES OF GILDED VULGARITY (USA)
SYNOPSIS: CVGV is a satire about the ironic conclusion of the English Civil war which led to the founding of systemic racism in America. Inspired by Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” the film features vignettes of the defeated British Imperialists who immigrated to America and the cultural legacy of white privilege they brought with them. The film is analog. The sets are 1 One twelfth scale miniatures, the music is performed live, and live action composite is in camera. No CGI is used.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Paul Kaiser
GENRE: Fantasy, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 28th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Paul is an award-winning film maker, fine artist, and photographer. His fine art and photography are also award winning and have shown extensively both in the United States and Europe and are held in various important collections. He is a veteran of both the United States Army where he served as a light infantry scout, and in the United States Navy where he served with the Explosive Ordinance Disposal. He has been deployed to various regions throughout the world. He graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Anthropology which he uses to culturally inform his work.
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CATERPILLAR (UK)
SYNOPSIS: Luke’s world is rocked when a stranger shows up claiming to be his partner. Luke descents into madness as he struggles to get the bottom of who the imposter is while also experiencing his own terrifying metamorphosis.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Brief Nudity, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Matt Bentley-Viney
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Screening on EO App – Pure Terror Shorts Block #2
DIRECTOR’S BIO: This is Matt’s first time writing and directing, but it’s clear that this is a confident and ambitious directorial debut. Matt is currently a freelance podcast producer and is notably co-hosting the Haiyaa podcast with the creator of “Uncle Roger” Nigel Ng.
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CLEMENCY (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A soldier fights for his life after surviving a battle in the enemy occupied Elven woods.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences, Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: James T. George
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, November 1st @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Beginning his career as an actor in small local projects, James is now a traveling actor and multi-faceted filmmaker using social media as the driving force for creating collaborative fantasy stories.
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CLOSING TIME (USA)
SYNOPSIS: An estranged friend surprises his old college buddies with an unusual reunion.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language, Violence, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Russell Goldman
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 3rd @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Russell (writer/director) is a filmmaker from Virginia obsessed with sliding doors and toxic relationships (in movies!). His latest short film RETURN TO SENDER was an official selection of 30 film festivals, including Fantastic Fest, Flickers’ RIFF and the opening night of HollyShorts. He is directing a feature adaptation to be produced by Jamie Lee Curtis and Molly Hallam (THE MUSTANG). He is the writer of the upcoming Blumhouse feature MOTHER NATURE, based on his graphic novel published by Titan Comics in August. CLOSING TIME is his seventh short film.
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COME HOME (USA)
SYNOPSIS: As he grapples with the dark forces within him, a man faces a harrowing battle to maintain his sanity and construct a Christmas present for his beloved daughter. With each step of the assembly becoming a gruesome struggle, he must find the strength to defeat his inner demon.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Mild Language, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Mike Pecci
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 4th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: For more than two decades, Mike Pecci has been a visionary director, known for his mastery of the horror genre. His films take audiences on exhilarating journeys deep into the recesses of the subconscious mind. With notable works like the globally viral “12 Kilometers” and the chilling horror music video “Meshuggah Bleed,” Pecci has consistently pushed the boundaries of visual storytelling, leaving an indelible mark on the world of horror cinema.
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CONTENT: THE LO-FI MAN (USA)
SYNOPSIS: “CONTENT: The Lo-Fi Man” starts as a documentary about a beloved cult film, then turns into a YouTube video until it escapes into a dystopian sci-fi adventure, upon which it transforms into a body horror film resulting in a kaiju battle finale.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Strong Language
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 27th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Brian Lonano is the director of the infamous short “Gwilliam.” He’s made several shorts, music videos and commissioned works that embrace a trashy outsider sentiment and utilize DIY practical and visual effects. Brian’s been very fortunate to have his work screen at Film Festivals like SXSW, Fantastic Fest, Fantasia and Slamdance, where he was awarded a Special Jury Mention for “Gwilliam.” Blake Myers is a production designer, producer and occasionally a director of off-beat weird short films.
He has been making films featuring blue singing gorillas, murderous children, and back alley goblins for 20 years. Operating with the motto, “It doesn’t have to look real. It just has to look awesome!” Blake and his amazing crew have created unique films that play at festivals all over the world. When not making his own films, he was the festival director for the Buried Alive Film Festival and also worked in the art department for productions like, The Walking Dead, Creepshow TV series, and Curse of Bridge Hollow.
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CORNERBOY (GERMANY)
SYNOPSIS: A bad guy gets possessed by a fly (aka the devil/the death). which confronts him with his own personality.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Kai Kurve
GENRE: Horror, Fantastic, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 26th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Kai Kurve is an established German award winning director. Working in the fields of advertising to finance his real passion: independence film making. He owns a degree in fine arts and worked throughout his life in several creative professions. Such a motion graphic designer, photographer, art director, musician. He is also the producer of his films.
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COVER YOUR EARS (SWEDEN)
SYNOPSIS: Every night, two sisters strive to maintain their daily routine in the hopes of finding comfort in the familiar and warding off the unknown.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Oskar Johansson
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 30th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Oskar Johansson, a Swedish filmmaker, frequently blends animation with live-action elements in his films. His previous film, “Katu,” combined elements of horror and science fiction.
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D I G (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A controversial gaming influencer live streams a deadly virtual reality game.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence , Language, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Lee Boxleitner & Sam Boxleitner
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 4th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Lee Boxleitner has been making films for the past decade, with a passion for the horror genre. He and his brother, Sam (also his collaborator) have been fortunate to have had three of their short films get accepted to this awesome festival in prior years, and will always grateful for the role it’s played in their lives.
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DARK CELL (FRANCE)
SYNOPSIS: Two inmates in an orbital prison are forced into a life-or-death decision when panicked guards enter their cell, revealing a creature infestation and an escape pod that can only carry two. The clock is ticking to choose who will live.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Jean-Michel
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Oct. 26th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jean-Michel transitioned from a creative role in advertising to a 15-year career at Ubisoft, working across multiple cities. In 2013, he left to establish AJM STUDIO, producing special effects for French cinema, TV and award-winning short films. “Dark Cell” is his latest short, as he plans to shift to feature films or series.
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DEAD CONNECTION (USA)
SYNOPSIS: An up-and-coming coroner gets an urgent late night call to perform an autopsy.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Delaney Bishop
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 29th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Delaney Bishop is an award winning Director and Photographer. In 2023, he’s been attending festivals with two new horror/thriller short films. His previous films short and feature films have played over 25 festivals, museums, and events worldwide. Commercial and music video clients include Snoop Dogg, Tom Ford, Guess, and Flaunt.
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DEAD ENDERS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Disaffected, young gas-station clerk Maya doesn’t care about much besides messing with her manager and getting her beer discount at the end of the midnight shift. But after a sinister race of mind-controlling parasites are set loose by irresponsible oil drillers, Maya realizes that there might be more to life than spending all your waking hours stacking shelves for a corporate overlord.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Fidel Ruiz-Healy & Tyler Walker
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 28th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Fidel Ruiz-Healy and Tyler Walker are award-winning Writer-Directors from San Antonio, Texas and Bucks County, Pennsylvania respectively. After meeting at NYU, they’ve collaborated on narrative films, music videos, and commercials. In 2018 they were selected to be co-Fellows at the NYU Development Lab for Feature Script Writing with their 1960s jungle spy film, Orinoco Flow.
Together their work has screened across the world at such film festivals as Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance, Hamptons International, Fantasia, Palm Springs Shortfest, and Mill Valley, along with being featured in publications such as NPR, Vice, Pitchfork, MTV, Moviemaker Magazine, NYLON, LA Weekly, along with numerous Vimeo Staff Picks. Their debut feature – The Homefront – produced when they were 19, was an entrant in the US in Progress Poland finishing festival where it received the top post-production award. Their work has generated over 30 million views across various platforms. They currently operate out of Los Angeles, CA where they write bios in the third person such as this one.
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DELIVERANCE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Jen’s a pizza deliverer and an artist at heart. On her delivery route, one of her pizzas talks to her out of the blue. He’s a party food without a purpose. And it’s up to Jen to put some pep back in his ‘peronis.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Trevor Worley
GENRE: Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Oct. 31st @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Trevor Worley’s an AFI graduate and College Emmy Winner. He wrote and Co-EP’d a series of sketches on LATE NIGHT SNACK w/ Rachel Dratch, produced a female-led sketch comedy series called SORRY NOT SORRY, the 30 FOR 30 doc EP’d by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, AC GREEN: IRON VIRGIN, and has produced documentary cable series and branded shows for over six years.
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DIXIELAND (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After his regiment is destroyed, a Black Union physician flees into the Virginian woods, stumbling on a Confederate soldier hiding in a cave; they share a fire, and try to find a moment of understanding before the sun comes up.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: William Hellmuth
GENRE: The Beyond, Western/War
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Oct. 3oth @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: William Hellmuth, a Los Angeles-based director with a background in cinematography, has shot for brands like NBC, NERF, HONDA, and more. Coupling a strong visual eye with a desire to infuse meaning into every moment of whatever he’s filming, William has a deep love for genre filmmaking, from epic period dramas, to high concept sci-fi. But, most of all, William loves telling stories that have something to say, and hopes to elevate unheard and diverse voices in all his future projects.
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DOG BREATH (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Michael spirals into madness after learning his breath smells like a dog’s.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, All Audiences
DIRECTOR: James Westbrook
GENRE: Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 2nd @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: James Westbrook is a writer, director, and cinematographer based out of Los Angeles, California. He loves making and watching weird-ass movies, and his greatest inspirations are his two insane cats.
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DONT LET KYLE SIT DOWN (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Friends wind down around a campfire. When one couple attempts to leave, their desperate friend suggests throwing one more log on the fire summoning a charred shirtless stranger (Kyle) looking for warmth.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language
DIRECTOR: Joel Jay Blacker
GENRE: Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 2nd @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Joel Jay Blacker is a British writer, director, and editor living in Los Angeles. Starting out as a production assistant in his teens in lieu of film school, he’s now an award winning filmmaker best known for his dark comedy series ‘Who You Are’ (SXSW 2019, Vimeo Staff Pick).
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DYSMORPHIA (USA)
SYNOPSIS: After Isabella, a destitute beauty-addict, fakes cancer to pay for her next cosmetic surgery, she is haunted by a shadow figure demanding it’s penance of flesh. This film takes a terrifying look at a woman’s relationship to her body and the horrors women self-inflict for acceptance.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery, Intense & Scary Imagery
DIRECTOR: Amy Geist
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Sunday, Oct. 29th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Hailing from Ohio, Amy Geist is a Producer, Director, Writer, and Founder of Beloved Root. She started in Los Angeles as a freelance commercial Producer and Production Manager. Her feature film work includes Blade Runner 2049 (Alcon Entertainment *Academy Award Winning), Little (Universal), Trees of Peace (Netflix), Bar Fight (IFC Films), and #FBF (Mar Vista Entertainment). In 2023, she produced Fuse, a series of five short films, for Powderkeg Media: launched by Paul Feig and Laura Fischer. The films went on to premiere at Sundance and Tribeca. In 2020 Amy won the grand prize for the Shockfest Quarantine Competition with the short horror film Enjoy Your Stay.
In 2023 her film Dysmorphia premiered at Hollywood ShortsFest where it won the Grand Jury Award. Dysmorphia was then screened at the Toronto Feedback Female Film Festival where it won Best Cinematography. Dysmorphia also won Best Horror Film at the LA Independent Women Film Awards. When she isn’t making movies, you can spot her in the mountains with her partner and their dog. She’s also been known to collage. Wear overalls. And play Yoshi’s Island on her (very) dusty Super Nintendo. She holds a B.F.A from Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio.
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