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SALMON PINK (CANADA)
SYNOPSIS: When Mickey, Kara, and Maeve learn that their friend Bronte may have lost her virginity without her consent, they begin to blur the lines between justice and revenge in attempt to claim their autonomy.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Jamy Steele
GENRE: Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jamy Steele is a visual artist, filmmaker and Art Director currently haunting Toronto. Her work explores liminal states, ethical boundaries and complicated interpersonal relationships that is often informed by her own trauma, including her near death experience during a heart procedure.
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SHADOW AT THE DOOR (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A troubled young woman searches for an intruder in her home unaware that what she’s really looking for may be something she refuses to see.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Roshni “Rush” Bhatia is a writer-director living in Los Angeles. Growing up in Mumbai, Rush was inspired by filmmakers and writers including James Cameron, Ridley Scott, Richard Matheson and Rod Serling. Rush has several films currently in the festival circuit, with selections at Leeds International Film Festival and Morbido Film Fest. Her one-minute short film, Dark Passage, shot on an iPhone, won the #SixtyScarySeconds competition at Raindance Film Festival and has been singled out for praise by Hollywood heavyweights including Die Hard screenwriter Steven E. De Souza. Rush has also been nominated for Best Writer by the Horror Writers Association of America for her short film, Plasmid and later this year, her short story will be featured in an Alien vs Predator anthology called Ultimate Prey.
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SHALLOW GRAVES (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Two hitmen bury a man in the desert, but when he starts walking around town, things get complicated.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Jake Stark
GENRE: Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 6th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jake Stark is a filmmaker from Southern California. He made a name for himself in music videos before he transitioned into narrative. Specializing in genre films, he loves anything with a twist; blame it on all the R.L. Stine books he read as a kid. Outside of film he enjoys writing music and consuming far too much tea
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SHE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: London 2091. Two service androids, a male and a female, have been abandoned in an apartment after the city evacuation. After several decades, the female android wants to know what is outside the door.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Eugenio Villamar
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 29th @ 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Eugenio Villamar is a Mexican Director, Screenwriter, and Producer. Former VP of Production of AG Studios in Latin America. He is Co- President and Head of Production of the film studio Moxie 88 in Los Angeles. He graduated from UCLA Theater Film and Television with an MFA in Screenwriting. He was distinguished as a 2010 Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker’s Fellow, as well as a 2011 Sloan Foundation Screenwriting Award Winner. Among the projects he has created and developed at Moxie 88 are “The Demon”, a superhero movie currently in pre-production and TV Shows like “The Illusionist Club” and “Continuum”, currently in development in major studios. As Producer, he has collaborated in projects such as Jonas Cuaron’s “Desierto”, Manolo Caro’s “I Don’t Know How to Slit my Veins or Leave Them Long” and Demian Bichir’s directorial debut feature film. Villamar is a member of the Producers Guild of America.
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SHE. PICKED. ME. (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Stevie finds herself chased by a mad man in a remote Pacific Northwest forest. When he finally catches her, the story shifts to show what led up to these final moments. It’s revealed some things are not always what they seem.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Jason Wilkinson
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: As an avid movie lover and Filmmaker, Jason has pursued and forged his own career path thus far. In college he was accepted into the BFA program at Oklahoma State University with an emphasis in both Theatrical Performance and Vocal Performance. Since graduating, he’s worked with several production companies in the Pacific Northwest; Killing Time Productions, Deep Sky Studios, endHaven Productions, DNA PDX, and Why? Films. He specializes in writing, directing, and assembly editing short films, television pilots, feature films, commercials and documentaries. He’s now an award winning Director for “Killing Time” and “She. Picked. Me.” Most recently Jason has become one of 9 Directors to complete the first feature film horror anthology to come out of the Clubhouse social app titled “Sinphony.” One trait he truly values is collaborating with driven, honest, and innovative creatives.
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SINK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A man finds himself falling apart after a horrific attack as told entirely from above the bathroom sink.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Curtis Matzke
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 6th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Curtis Matzke is an Emmy-nominated director, screenwriter, and producer who once had a beer with Werner Herzog. His work has been recognized at dozens of film festivals, including Cinequest, NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, and Chicago International. He recently had a pilot advance to the second round of the Sundance Episodic lab and has a documentary feature in post-production that is fiscally sponsored by Film Independent. Curtis holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Media Arts and Technology from Michigan State University with a concentration in Television, Cinema, and Radio, a minor in Film Studies, and a Specialization in Design.
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SINS OF A WEREWOLF (IRELAND)
SYNOPSIS: When a seasoned parish priest is bitten by a mysterious animal, he begins transforming into a werewolf every full moon.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Language, Nudity, Strong Sensuality, Adult Content, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: David Prendeville
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screening all dates Virtually via Comedy Shorts Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: David Prendeville is an Irish film-maker based in Dublin, originally from County Kerry. He holds an M. Phil in Film Theory and History from Trinity College Dublin. ‘Sins of a Werewolf’ marks his debut as writer-director.
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SITTING DUCK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Camille Henderson spends her days plotting her oafish husband’s demise.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence
DIRECTOR: Aaron Barrocas
GENRE: Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 6th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Since graduating from Emerson College, Aaron has worked as a comedy television writer, producer, and editor. The last short he wrote and directed, “Half-Cocked”, won 12 festival awards, including 5 Best-of-Fest. He is currently an editor on the Paramount Plus series “Tooning Out the News”, and is very proud to have his work represented for a second time at FilmQuest!
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SLEEP TIGHT (UK)
SYNOPSIS: When a wheelchair-bound teen is put to bed by his overly attached father, he complains about personal space. However, when the lights go out, he’ll soon discover that it’s not the bed bugs that bite!
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language, Sensuality, Adult Content, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Lewis Taylor
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Not to be mistaken with the famous Pop / Jazz Musician also named Lewis Taylor, Lewis Taylor is an award-winning London born writer/director and trained animator. Lewis has worked extensively in all aspects of the film and television industry for the last five years. Whether it’s helping develop scripts for Hammer Films or creating costumes for Transformers, his energy and enthusiasm for film is as extensive as his collection of laser-discs.
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SMILE (CANADA/USA)
SYNOPSIS: When a young woman struggles to smile, her depression becomes something truly monstrous.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Joanna Tsanis
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 7:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Joanna Tsanis is an award-winning genre filmmaker whose films have screened at FANTASIA, FANTASTIC FEST, and SCREAMFEST.
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SMILES (SPAIN)
SYNOPSIS: Borja is about to meet his girlfriend´s parents. This is meant to be a tricky moment and even awkward. However, he hasn´t even imagined what he´s going to suffer next. The best way to overcome the situation: to give smile and wait.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence
DIRECTOR: Javier Chavanel
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screening all dates Virtually via Comedy Shorts Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Be Happy (2012), Talk 2 Stalk (2013), Sonrisas (2020).
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SNAKE DICK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Jill’s got the snake. Julia’s got the flute. Alone, they have nothing. But together, they have a secret weapon to fight the darkness…
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Language
DIRECTOR: David Mahmoudieh
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: David Mahmoudieh is an award-winning writer/director, born and raised in the UK but of Iranian origin. He started out as a director of commercials for brands including Google, Lego and Kia before recently making the move into narrative. His short-to-feature film “Snake Dick” is currently playing at numerous festivals worldwide.
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SNAKE EYES : AN ASMR NIGHTMARE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: An angel finds herself in an empty black abyss, forced to gamble her life with the purest form of evil.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Costantino Ciminiello & Mitchell V. Slan
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Monday, Nov. 1st @ 12:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Costantino Ciminiello graduated from Disney’s ‘CalArts’ in 2015 and has been experimenting with the horror genre almost exclusively in that time. Through his proficient technical background and creative approach to filmmaking, Costantino’s work is meant to be an exploration of the unknown.
Mitchell V. Slan with Halloween in his heart and a BFA from Texas State University, Mitchell has won many awards in directing and screenwriting for the Horror genre. However, it’s his performance background that brings a fresh approach to the actors in his films. His previous award-winning short film, “Balloon” earned him his first feature film, “Black Eyed Kids.”
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SNOW GLOBE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A fed up housewife at the edge of reality is planning to murder her husband on Christmas Eve, but when three questionable packages arrive under her tree she must confront her intentions through a magical exploration of time and perspective.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Christopher Ryan Laughter
GENRE: Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 11:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Christopher Ryan Laughter is a filmmaker from Houston, Texas who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. He learned to tell stories through documentary filmmaking and music videos, and it wasn’t until his mid 30’s that he realized nobody was keeping him from making the kinds of movies he wanted to see but himself.
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SPORE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Leah is a 30-something single woman searching for love online in a world under siege. When the sanctuary of her home becomes a cage in which she’s hunted, the line between hopeful fantasy and stark reality gets blurred.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: Adrian Picardi
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 10:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Adrian Picardi is an award winning director, producer, and cinematographer. After graduating from the Los Angeles Film School, Picardi got his first big break creating, directing, and writing The Resistance Series for the SyFy network at the age of 20.
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STAR SAGA (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Their adventure was without limits. Their budget … so much.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Nathan Blackwell
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screening all dates Virtually via Comedy Shorts Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Nathan was born at a very young age, and like many filmmakers counterparts, got his start as a manic eleven year-old making terrible movies. Under the production company Squishy Studios, he’s since made many more movies and web series, including the sci-fi comedy “Voyage Trekkers.” His main non-film hobby is cooking, and really only pasta to be perfectly honest.
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STILL TOGETHER (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Kate and Leif ‘s love is stronger then Odin’s curse in this season’s funniest, steamiest, bloodiest romantic comedy!
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Sensuality, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Christopher Piazza
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 6th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Christopher Piazza is a Brooklyn based director and director of photography. His previous short films, the cerebral sci-fi “Olfactory” and the musical drama “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home,” played at film festivals around the world. “Come Home” was a semi-finalist for Oscar qualification at the Bermuda Film Festival. Piazza also directs live music and comedy. His latest comedy project, “Disingenuous,” a stand up comedy / sci-fi film starring Nick Vatterott, was sold to Comedy Dynamics. On the music side, he is currently directing season 2 of “Live From My Den,” presented by Hard Rock and Variety featuring artists such as Foster the People, Cautious Clay, Yola, Anderson East and more.
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STRAYED (FRANCE)
SYNOPSIS: There are some things you can’t run away from
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Sarah Bonrepaux
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 29th @ 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Sarah is a bilingual French actress based in Los Angeles. ‘Strayed’ is her first short film as a writer & director, and has been selected in several prestigious Film Festivals. She received the Outstanding Achievement Award for Best First Time Female Director at the IndieX Film Festival. She just finished filming the female lead role in the horror feature film ‘Schimbarea’, and will also be seen in the movie ‘Exceptional Beings’ that wrapped in early 2021.
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STUCK (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A gymnastics coach must deal with a man who has taken an interest in the young girls she coaches. The man makes a bold move and the coach responds with an even bolder one.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Language, Adult Content, Intense Imagery
DIRECTOR: David Mikalson
GENRE: Horror, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: David Mikalson is a writer and director located in Los Angeles, CA. He is a fan of Japanese Pro Wrestling, Star Trek, Survivor, Hot Sauce, and Poker. Currently developing feature film and television projects.
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SURVIVERS (SPAIN)
SYNOPSIS: Natural selection says that only those who adapt will survive. What if humans have become stupid?
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language, Violence, Sensuality, Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Carlos Gómez-Trigo
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Nov. 6th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Carlos Gómez-Trigo (Madrid, 1981) studies Filmmaking in Barcelona. He shot there a school short film, “Clase de baile”, winning the Young Artist Award from Castilla-La Mancha in 2009. In 2008 he goes to India to work in two documentaries and then moves to Madrid, where he works as producer and director of commercials. His previous short film, Maelstrøm (2017), has more than 165 official selections in international festivals, winning several awards for best short film, director, performance or sound.
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SWEET NOTHINGS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A young man of the near future wistfully searches for love on a dating app, only to find that it has been corrupted by a seductive new marketing system.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Christian Klein
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Christian Klein is an emerging director based in Los Angeles. He began his career as a freelance editor and VFX artist, while developing personal directorial projects on the side. Sweet Nothings is now his first short-form narrative since the student film days at the Florida State University, from which he holds a B.F.A. in Animation & Digital Arts. Christian is currently employed as full-time senior motion graphics artist for Ingenuity Studios, where he has contribued to projects such as The Social Dilemma, Freaky, and Dolly Parton’s A Holly Dolly Christmas.
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SWIPED (CANADA/GERMANY)
SYNOPSIS: When Melody decides to swipe a few hot guys on her augmented reality dating app, she meets her match in a man who may be more—or less—than meets the eye…
RATINGS GUIDE: Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Edward Douglas
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 29th @ 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: After 12 years telling stories in video games like the Mass Effect and Need for Speed series, Edward Douglas is refocusing on film, exploring science-fiction worlds of future technology and neurodiversity. He is based in Vancouver, Canada.
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