SCHEDULE & BLOCK INFORMATION TBD (LIKELY SPRING 2021)
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ECHO (SPAIN)
SYNOPSIS: In 1977, the Voyager probe leaves for the galaxy with a message in Spanish recorded in the RNE (Spanish National Radio Studio). Almost 50 years later and sick with Alzheimer’s, Carmen is facing being transferred from her home in her town to a residence in the city.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences / Family Friendly
DIRECTOR: Aitor de Miguel
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Echo is the eighth short film directed and produced by Aitor de Miguel. Following his professional formation at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the Amadora School of Cinema and Theater in Portugal, in 2008 de Miguel founded his own production company, Cámera Lúcida Producciones. He immediately shot Acaso Yo (Maybe Me), a short documentary on the adoption industry in Ethiopia, and Defensora (Defender), about a human rights advocate in Colombia. Both have been shown at numerous festivals, including those at Biarritz, Barcelona and Tenerife. In 2013 he made his first incursions into fiction, with Encuentro (Encounter), and Los Milagros Sí Existen (Miracles Do Happen) in 2015, Velatorio (Wake) (2016), Primitivo (The Primitive Road) (2017) and La Falacia del Nirvana (The Fallacy of Nirvana) (2018). . Eco, produced by a team of more than 80 people, represents for the director the apex of his more than ten years of experience directing and producing short films.
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EXACTLY AS THEY ARE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Amidst a late night of deliveries, a struggling bike messenger is tasked with a bizarre delivery: a lunchbox of uncanny origins. After tonight, her life will never be the same.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Strong Language, Intense Imagery
GENRE: Fantasy, Fantastic, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Philip is a producer and director based in Texas. Working in documentary and narrative film, he explores the human condition with an eye for combining bold imagery and fantastical elements.
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EXKURSION (GERMANY)
SYNOPSIS: Only two survivors stand after a global natural disaster has decimated the planet. In their search for resources, these two strangers encounter a horrific threat, one that erupts from six feet under.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Moritz Brandes
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Moritz is a professional filmmaker and director based in Bielefeld, Germany. He is known for an epic film style that holds an audience captive with powerful, action-oriented visuals in commercials, trailers, music videos, and short films.
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EXTERMINATOR (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A down on his luck husband strikes up a friendship with his mysterious female exterminator. But after a string of violent incidents befall his neighborhood enemies, he starts to suspect his exterminator is taking care of much more than his rat problem.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Duncan Birmingham
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Duncan Birmingham is a writer and filmmaker in Los Angeles. He wrote and developed, alongside Marc Maron, the series MARON on which he served as writer and executive producer. He also worked as writer and co-executive producer on the Patrick Stewart series BLUNT TALK on Starz. Most recently he was a consulting producer on ROB RIGGLE’S SKI MASTER ACADEMY. He’s the author of the humor book, PETS WHO WANT TO KILL THEMSELVES, and his screenplay SWINGLES is in development at Paramount. Short films he’s written and directed have premiered at Sundance, AFI, GenArt, HorrorHound and the New York Film Festival.
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FIRST LESSON (USA)
SYNOPSIS: New to the city, Elmer gets dragged into a deadly altercation when two men are plunged into another dimension to resolve their differences. Only forgiveness will return both men alive.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Adult Content, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Mathieu Di Muro
GENRE: Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Originally from Montreal, the Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror VI lured me into the world of 3D animation
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FLICK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A reclusive college student is driven mad after picking a booger he can’t flick away.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language
DIRECTOR: Ariel Zengotita
GENRE: Horror, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Ariel Zengotita is a Latin American filmmaker based in Los Angeles, CA. Co-founder of Squid Valley, a creative super-team with over a decade of experience in Narrative, Commercial, and Digital Media. Ariel has written and directed a number of commercials for brands like Gillette, Pepsi, General Mills, SteelSeries, and more. He’s also directed several award-winning short films that have screened at festivals across the country.
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FLIP (NEW ZEALAND)
SYNOPSIS: A sci-fi, action/adventure film about a mother and a daughter kept prisoner in a post-apocalyptic compound, who must destroy their oppressor if they are to survive.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence
DIRECTOR: Jessica Grace Smith
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Fantasy,
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jessica Grace Smith is an experienced actress turned writer/director. She won the Youth Jury Award at Palm Springs International ShortFest for her debut short, Everybody Else Is Taken. Jessica has a passion for working on female driven projects, and Flip, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi is her second short film. She has most recently directed the digital series Bondi Slayer, and is currently acting on the series Westside.
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FRAGILE.COM (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A teenage girl with acting dreams, an empty wallet, and a broken heart is approached by a charming man who promises her fame, fortune, and affection—if she agrees to livestream herself crying for his niche website, Fragile.com.
RATINGS GUIDE: N/A
DIRECTOR: Alison-Eve Hammersley
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Alison was one of five directors chosen by Lena Waithe for AT&T’s 2019 Hello Lab Mentorship Program. There she directed her short film, FRAGILE.COM, which will premiere at Screamfest Horror Film Festival in 2020 and will subsequently live on Gunpowder & Sky’s horror platform, Alter. She received her BA in film production from Emerson College and MFA in directing from AFI. Her thesis film, YOU’LL ONLY HAVE EACH OTHER, received a number of awards and nominations during its festival run and is currently being distributed by ShortsTV. She has been featured in publications including Vanity Fair, Deadline, and Free the Bid for her continuous development of projects that utilize genre as a means to explore character.
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FRANK & MARY (UK)
SYNOPSIS: An elderly DIY enthusiast reanimates his recently deceased wife in the garden shed.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Paul Williams
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Paul Williams is a writer and director who has been making films for 20 years, with seven short films and a no-budget feature film completed so far. His second short, ‘Mightier’, won the 2001 Cinemagic Young Filmmaker of the Year Award. More recently Paul’s short ‘The Furred Man’ won 13 international film awards, was officially selected in 45 film festivals around the world and aired on Channel 4 in the UK. His new short ‘Frank & Mary’ brings together David Troughton and Roberta Taylor in a twisted reworking of Mary Shelly’s ‘Frankenstein’ and is on its festival run in 2020.
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GHOSTED (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A lonely man uses his special gift to pursue his dark infatuation with a coworker.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Blayne Weaver
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: A native of Bossier City, Louisiana, Weaver has studied in New York City, Oxford University and graduated from UCLA with a degree in English Literature. In 2002 he co-wrote and acted in the critically acclaimed feature film MANIC, which stars Don Cheadle and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Weaver then wrote, directed and starred in Secret Identity’s first feature film OUTSIDE SALES, which won awards on the film festival circuit and was released nationwide. Weaver wrote and directed SIP’s next feature WEATHER GIRL starring Tricia O’Kelley, Mark Harmon, Jon Cryer and Jane Lynch. WEATHER GIRL won multiple awards on the festival circuit before its theatrical run, worldwide television and DVD release. He then wrote, directed and starred in 6 MONTH RULE leading an ensemble cast including Martin Starr, Patrick J. Adams, John Michael Higgins, Dave Foley and Jaime Pressly. He wrote, directed and starred in the Southern Noir thriller “Cut To The Chase” and then flipped genres by directing the Christmas romantic comedy “Santa Girl”.
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GO BACK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In the fall of 1978, a distraught commuter travels down a haunted country road only to discover that its inhabitants have other plans.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Matthew Barber & Nathaniel Barber
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Twin brothers Matthew and Nathaniel Barber wrote and directed the short horror film GO BACK. The brothers studied film at Colorado Film School in Denver, Colorado where they received their Associates Degrees in Screenwriting and Directing. They continued their studies at the University of North Texas where Matthew graduated Magna Cum Laude and Nathaniel graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Radio, Television and Film in 2016.
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GOODNIGHT DEATH (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Charles is a reluctant Grim Reaper responsible for guiding souls to the afterlife. As he reaps the victims of a serial killer with a long track record, he stumbles upon the youngest yet, a girl named Jennifer who is determined to stop the slaughter and avenge her family.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Elsa Levytsky
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Elsa originally hails from Lviv, Ukraine. She was born across the street from a cemetery, which might explain her love for dark, thriller films. Her interest in monsters and people’s relationship with death, inspired her latest short, Goodnight Death. Elsa is currently based in NYC where she’s been Producing/Directing a wide range of productions from narrative to commercial. Outside of horror films, she has worked for some of the largest independent content distributors, that provided feature films and series to digital platforms including iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon.
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GREEN COBRA (USA)
SYNOPSIS: The genre-bending story of a hit-man…excuse me, “Life Ending Technician.” Who details, to a documentary film crew, her rise in a mostly male dominated field, on the backdrop of a typical day on the job; which consists of Russian mob clients, disturbing methods of torture, and maybe one too many bad ex-boyfriends.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Strong Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Sigurd Culhane
GENRE: Horror, Comedy, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: When small children lose a parent, they escape into their imaginations. As they grow up, they find their way back out. Sigurd Culhane never left. Directing has allowed him to embrace the stories constantly swirling through his mind, bringing them to life. Driven by the shock of abruptly losing his father and subsequently being raised by a strong, single, viking [read: Danish] mother. Sigurd is drawn to projects with strong female leads in worlds that dance around the surreal, horrific, supernatural, and/or fantastical. Though generally on the darker side, he enjoys bringing a balance with the injection of humor; just as he does in life, countering sometimes harsh realities and bouts of depression with making those around him laugh. After receiving his MA in Film from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School, he began making short films with the goal of leaving his audience with a visceral emotional – and sometimes even physical – reaction.
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HAMMURABI (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A woman on a mission in the desert with her beat-up Toyota Celica. Communication is hard, so she must use all the tools at her disposal to deliver an important message to a man she believes is her estranged father… the guy she has hog-tied in the trunk of the car.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Patrick Kennelly
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Patrick Kennelly is a Los Angeles based director, editor, producer whose body of work spans film and video, theater, live events and the visual arts. He met “Hammurabi” collaborator Bethany Orr working on his debut feature EXCESS FLESH, which toured the worldwide festival circuit in 2015. Essentially a horror film about food, it was called “the most twisted movie at SXSW—and of the year” by The Daily Beast. In addition to developing his own projects, Patrick serves as Artistic Director at renowned experimental arts center Highways Performance Space & Gallery, in its 30th year.
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HELLEVATE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A man must deal with an elevator company’s incompetent customer service while stuck between floors.
RATINGS GUIDE: Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Dusty Brown
GENRE: Horror, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Dusty Brown is a filmmaker, actor and musician. Most recently he co-wrote a pilot for SHOWTIME with Glenn Kessler and currently has a project in development with Tony Hale attached to star. His short film “The Nobodies” (Vimeo Staff Pick, Funny or Die Staff Pick, Short of the Week Staff Pick) featured Jim Gaffigan, Tony Hale, Jack McBrayer, Ellie Kemper and Sutton Foster and is being developed into a feature. As a songwriter, Dusty’s first album was developed into a play called “The Ballad of Rusty and Roy” which premiered at the New York City Fringe Festival and won the top honor for musical composition.
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HERE THERE BE TYGERS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A feminine twist adaptation of the Stephen King short story by the same name, Here There Be Tygers follows Charlie as she faces a terrifying predator after being bullied by her cruel teacher and manipulative classmate.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Polly Schattel
GENRE: Horror, Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Polly Schattel, director of “Here There Be Tygers,” has written, produced and directed three internationally-distributed feature films and worked with Oscar and Emmy-winning talent. Polly is also an accomplished writer and her first novel “The Occultists” is available on Amazon.com. Passionately transgender, Polly is currently creating media for the NCTE, the largest trans advocacy group in the world and is producing content for companies such as BBC, Volvo, Air Tran, CMS and more.
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HIDE AND SEEK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A cutesy app turns into a nightmare for two sisters when they’re unable to end the game or control the rapidly escalating stakes.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Thomas Nicol & Andrew Gleason
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Thomas Nicol and Andrew Gleason are a filmmaking team out of Champaign Illinois.
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HONOUR THY MOTHER (CHINA / USA)
SYNOPSIS: Liz is living life adrift, out of the back of her car. In a moment of despair and loneliness, she decides to return home after many years to her God-fearing mother. Once there, she discovers time has changed more than she ever could have imagined.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Yinghui Fu
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Yinghui Fu is a filmmaker based in Shanghai, China. She has recently graduated from Prague Film School, majoring in Directing. Yinghui’s goal is to make films that will move audience in different cultures.
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HUNGRY JOE (UK)
SYNOPSIS: A single mother struggles to bond with her apathetic child; born with an insatiable and increasingly inhumane appetite.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Nudity
DIRECTOR: Sam Dawe & Paul Holbrook
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: TBD
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Shunk Films is the collective moniker for writer-director duo Sam Dawe and Paul Holbrook. We’re filmmakers based in the South West of England. We’ve been spec-writing together for almost a decade and self-producing short films under the banner of Shunk Films for 6 years. We’re cousins who grew up in the same working-class household in Bristol. Both of us spent our childhoods obsessed with movies; huddled around a dusty top-loader and a box of VHS tapes.
In 2011, our passion for film intensified as we started writing spec screenplays in our spare time. It started as a hobby, but it developed into something more intense as time went by. After a few years of trying, without success, to sell our scripts, we decided to try and produce our own work. We spent a few years making pokey little short films – most of them crude comedy sketches devised to help us learn the ins-and-outs of directing and editing. Before long, we found that we were just as excited about making films as we were about writing them. As we developed, our projects grew in ambition and we started to hone in on the kind of films we wanted to make. Our brand is commercial, genre stories with a social realist aesthetic. It grew out of an urge to break away from the kind of pseudo high-brow, navel-gazing content championed by British funding streams.
We make films set in the kind of impoverished council estates we grew up in, but we didn’t want to dwell on the typical subject matter associated with that aesthetic. We want to tell mainstream stories that are injected with the kind of nuance and authenticity associated with classic British social-realism. As well as our joint work, Paul has collaborated with the BFI on his coming-of-age comedy short, Shiney and recently won the prestigious Enter The Pitch funding grant with his moody drama, Hollow . While Sam produces natural history documentaries for networks like Discovery and National Geographic.
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