BLOCK CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING FILMS:
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A PURGATORY STORY (USA)
UTAH/REGIONAL PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: Winner of the Audience Award for ‘Best After Hours Short Film’ at the 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival, A PURGATORY STORY follows a demon stuck with Ouija board duty as he falls for a girl on the other side. Co-starring Joana Metrass from Disney ABC’s “Once Upon A Time”.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
DIRECTOR: Tom Albanese
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Fantasy Short, Best Screenplay – Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: An award-winning filmmaker originally from Buffalo, NY and Northern Virginia, Tom currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Upon graduating from New York City’s Neighborhood Playhouse, he sold a feature-length screenplay to Lotus Entertainment (“Z for Zachariah”, “Maggie”) and his short films have played at festivals including Flickers’ Rhode Island, Cleveland, HollyShorts, LA Shorts Fest, Brussels Fantastic, Brooklyn, Imagine, FilmQuest and won awards including an Audience Award at the 43rd Cleveland International Film Festival & “Best Comedy Short” at the 21st Annual Int. Family Film Festival. He has had scripts place in the PAGE Screenwriting Awards, Austin Film Festival, and Script Pipeline competitions. But he is most proud of his world-famous Sean Connery impression.
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ATOMIC ED (FRANCE)
UTAH/REGIONAL PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: Ed, an introverted and passionate DIY man, is the favorite victim of Mark, the neighborhood motorcycle gang leader. His only friend, Gus, tries in vain to push him to rebel and conquer the heart of the beautiful Julia. When the body of one of the members of Mark’s band is found horribly mutilated, the gang lash out on Ed, who has no choice but to become the person he has always dreamed of being.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Foreign Short, Best Ensemble Cast – Short, Best Score – Short, Best Makeup – Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Born in 1979, Nicolas Hugon is an autodidact who is trained to his passion by making movies with the family camcorder in the garden of his parents. A few years later, he began to make his passion his job by making videos for websites, musicians and other artists which led him to expand his address book. He continues to make films in parallel. In 2012, he decided to found his own production company with two partners: La Casquette Productions will produce two of his films: Game of The Dead and Seul à Seul, as well as a number of clips, teasers and commercials.
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NO GOING BACK (BRAZIL)
UTAH/REGIONAL PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: “No Going Back” is a cinematic rescue mission for a black rooster from a Satanic cult in Brazil.
RATINGS GUIDE: Adult Content
DIRECTOR: Matias Vellutini
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: Best Music Video
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Matias Vellutini is an American-Brazilian director and composer who after 30 years living in the United States, moved to Brazil in 2012 – hired by renown commercial director Jarbas Agnelli to direct commercials at his company AD Studio. He has also written and directed shorts such as Chaplin SP, Alki & Me, the official music videos for the american rock band “The Yawpers” and for the electronic artist “Altermauz”. Matias studied cinema and received his master’s degree in experimental electronic music at the University of California, Irvine in 2011.
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RAINY SEASON (USA)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: Based on the story by Stephen King, Rainy Season follows a young couple who arrive in the small town of Willow, ME. They are warned to leave, but ignore the warnings and learn the horrific price the town must pay for prosperity. The Rainy Season has come back to Willow and when it rains…they pour.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence
DIRECTOR: Vanessa Ionta Wright
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: The Minerva Award
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Vanessa Ionta Wright is an award winning filmmaker & screenwriter based in Atlanta. She has written & directed several short films including a fully authorized Stephen King short film. Vanessa graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Video Production & Film. She is a lifelong fan of cinema, especially the horror genre. Her philosophy of filmmaking is that, “with enough passion and drive, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.” She enjoys punctuality, scary movies, a quick wit, sandwiches, the music of Michael Jackson, Halloween & Bacon Jam. She does not enjoy bugs, clowns, perpetual lateness, mean people, oppression, laziness, running more than 3 miles or curved walls.
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RE-HOME (USA)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: In the near future, the U.S.-Mexico border wall has been completed and the high cost of living has skyrocketed. As a result, loved ones are re-homed like pets.
RATINGS GUIDE: Sensuality, Violence
DIRECTOR: Izzy Lee
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (3): Best Horror Short, Best Actress – Short, The Minerva Award,
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Named as one of ten female directors Blumhouse should hire by the A.V. Club, Izzy Lee is a writer and twice-Rondo Award-nominated filmmaker. She has written for Birth.Movies.Death., Rue Morgue, Fangoria, and Diabolique, and is an editor for ScreenAnarchy. When she’s not writing, she’s making scary little films, often from an outsider perspective with a socio-political bent. Her shorts have screened with such films as Tigers Are Not Afraid, Await Further Instructions, American Psycho, Prevenge, Baskin, Antibirth, The Villainess, Replace, Tales of Halloween, They Look Like People, The Love Witch, The Lords of Salem, Midnighters, Assasinaut, Culture Shock, and The Sacrament.
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THE CICADA TREE (USA)
UTAH PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: Music video for the Byzantine song “The Cicada Tree”
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense
DIRECTOR: Holly Mollohan
AWARDS NOMINATIONS: N/A
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Holly Mollohan is an international award winning director, screenwriter, and editor. Her work has been honored and recognized at numerous prestigious international film festivals. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Media Studies, Digital Film Concentration and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Screenwriting concentration. She recently directed a feature film entitled “My Autopsy” with her production company, Screaming Butterfly Entertainment. The award winning screenplay was also written by Mollohan, and is currently in post production. When not pursuing her own film interests, Holly works as Film Editor at Charles Ryan Associates, a full service communications firm, and extensively edits many projects for a multitude of other filmmakers. She strives to stay active in the film community by assisting others, judging festivals, and continuing to write, edit, and direct her personal projects.
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TINGLE MONSTERS (USA)
UTAH/REGIONAL PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: A young ASMR blogger finds out just how dangerous the Internet can be for women.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence
DIRECTOR: Alexandra Serio
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (2): Best Sound – Short, The Minerva Award,
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Alexandra Serio is a Webby nominated director, writer and producer based in New York City. She is co-founder and chief content officer of Nameless Network, a media and production company that creates smart video programming for the smart-phone generation. Guerrilla filmmaking and female-driven narratives are her passion.
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YOU’LL ONLY HAVE EACH OTHER (USA)
UTAH/REGIONAL PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: After the death of her mother, a disconnected daughter, Maggie, struggles to reconnect with her twin brother, Gabe, even though he is the only family she has left. As she pushes through the day of the funeral reception, her guilt for having left Gabe alone to tend to their mother in her final months begins to tangibly manifest itself in strange and horrifying ways. Maggie must now face her demons and accept responsibility for what she has done, or forever be haunted by her past mistakes.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (1): Best Student Short
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Alison received her BA in film production from Emerson College and MFA in directing from AFI. She was hired as the first female staff producer/director at media company, All Def Digital, and has been featured in digital publications including The Reel Women and Free the Bid, which highlight female filmmakers. Her short film, YOU’LL ONLY HAVE EACH OTHER won the Women in Horror Film Festival Night Mare award and was nominated for Best Director Short and Best Thriller Short at the 2018 Nightmares Film Festival. She is continuing to develop various projects that utilize horror as a means to explore character.
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YOUNG BLOOD (USA)
UTAH/REGIONAL PREMIERE
SYNOPSIS: A facility offering blood transfusions to the aging elite from young healthy donors recruits a young man in financial turmoil. He quickly learns that beneath the sterile facade of the facility lies a dark and sadistic underbelly.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Sensuality
DIRECTOR: Maiara Walsh
AWARDS NOMINATIONS (2): Best Ensemble Cast – Short. The Minerva Award
DIRECTOR’S / FILMMAKER’S BIO: Maiara Walsh is an actress/filmmaker, making her writing and directing debut with the short film Young Blood. Maiara is known for her acting roles on Michael Bay’s The Last Ship, ABC Family’s Switched at Birth, ABC’s Desperate Housewives, and Disney Channel’s Cory in the House. Maiara is originally from Seattle, Washington, spending the early years of her youth in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where her mother originates, before moving back to the states. She resides in Los Angeles, where she continues to act, write, direct, and make music. She is dedicated to story telling through every medium.
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