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BIG TOUCH (USA)
SYNOPSIS: An Afro-Surrealist story about a giant woman and a tiny man who through the power of touch, experience an unexpected transformation.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences / Family Friendly
DIRECTOR: Christopher Tenzis
GENRE: Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 4:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Christopher Tenzis attended the London Film School and the American Film Institute, after which he was a finalist for the American Cinema Editors internship. He was the editor of the animated series, The PJ’s, starring Eddie Murphy. His first short film, A Man and His Pants, which premiered at SXSW in Austin, Texas and played at Sundance, won the Audience Award at the NW Film & Video Festival. In 2020, two films he edited, Cactus Blossom and Elle, won a Director’s Guild of America award and the Grand Prize Marlyn Mason Award at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, respectively. His short film, Big Touch, has been selected by over seventy film festivals in 25 countries, four of which have been BAFTA qualifying festivals and ten Oscar qualifying festivals, winning ten awards. He is currently employed by Sony Pictures Animation.
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BORDO (ISRAEL)
SYNOPSIS: Worried by his wife’s behavior, a married man tries to find out if she knows something about his secret life.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Nudity, Sensuality, Intense Images
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 2nd @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Born in Ramat Gan, Israel. As a child he began experimenting with filmmaking using his parents’ home camera. In high-school Dor majored in film studies. He started his academic film studies in Minshar School of Arts in Tel-Aviv in 2015, where he has made several short films. Dor graduated from Minshar in 2020.
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ECHTHAAR (AUSTRIA)
SYNOPSIS: The smell of shampoo and cigarettes hangs in the air. The hair buns tear at the scalp and the newest hits play on a small radio. It’s the golden 50ies and Victor has his hair salon in perfect order – or so it seems. Because from her first day at the new job, Paula just can’t take her eyes off the strange jukebox in the corner. She senses that the machine is somehow connected to a dark secret. As Paula starts to take a deeper look at it, she doesn’t understand that her own life is on the line.
RATINGS GUIDE: Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Dominic Kubisch
GENRE: Horror, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via the Horror Shorts #2 Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: N/A
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HOMESICK (POLAND)
SYNOPSIS: A lonely memory thief sees his childhood home in the memory of a drug dealer. Separated from his mother and his home since the beginning of the war, the memory thief kidnaps the drug dealer in order to return to the village where they both grew up.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Allan Ignaczak
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shorts Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Allan Ignaczak was born and raised in Florida, United States. He attended Valencia College in Orlando, Florida where he studied screenwriting and then completed an Introduction to Film Making Program at Afilm International Work Shop in Barcelona, Spain. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Film Direction at the Lodz Film School in Poland.
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IN MY IMAGE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: An ambitious engineer volunteers to be the first-ever human participant in her uncle’s quantum teleportation experiment.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences / Family Friendly, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Paige Miltenberger
GENRE: Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shorts Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Paige is a filmmaker from Santa Clarita, CA who recently completed a B.F.A in Film Production with an emphasis in directing at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. She has worked on HBO’s Westworld and FX’s American Horror Story and has written and directed two of her own sci-fi shorts.
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IT’S ME, SARAH (HONDURUS / USA)
SYNOPSIS: Sarah unlocks memories about her life and herself from even before an accident she has no recollection of, but soon she will have to face what’s to come on her own, and reclaim who she was, and who she is now.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Sensuality, Adult Content, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Fabiola Andrade
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 7:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Fabiola Andrade is a Honduran writer/director inspired by her multicultural heritage & interdisciplinary background. The themes in her projects include identity exploration, coming of self, life’s surreal manifestations, and are shared through mind-bending and heart punching storytelling. She holds an MFA in Film & Theatre, where she received the University of New Orleans-Italy Global Ambassador Award and shot her thesis film “It’s Me Sarah,” now on the festival run. She is a Telluride Film Festival Cinephile, NALIP’s Women In Media, NALIP’s Content Creator and NOFF’s Emerging Voices Film Director mentee. Fabiola has collaborated with Independent and Studio Productions from Paramount, Universal and Netflix. Her commercial and music video work includes Coca-Cola, Gap, Mitsubishi, The Soul Rebels, and NF.
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ITCH (MALTA)
SYNOPSIS: A psychological horror about a novice nun who develops a severe skin condition which continues to worsen along with her mental state as she struggles with her feelings for another nun.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Adult Content, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Susannah Farrugia
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via the Horror Shorts #2 Block
DIRECTOR’SBIO: A newcomer to the industry, she is a Maltese filmmaker who is currently based in London. She has recently completed her Master’s degree in Film Directing at Met Film School. previously to this she studied psychology. Growing up in Malta, filmmaking did not seem like a possible venture to her and those around her. While Malta is used as a location sompot for blockbusters, there are very few films made locally by Maltese filmmakers and so, the thought of becoming a filmmaker herself seemed impossible despite her devout obsession with cinema. That is, until now. ‘Itch’ is her directorial debut. She was also its writer, executive producer, editor, and production designer. Follow her on Instagram @cinema.ink. She also curates oddly specific archives of screen captures from media, such as @nunsinsinema, @makeupincinema and @cakesincinema.
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KNIGHTMAN (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A medieval knight searches for the Holy Grail in New York City.
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences / Family Friendly, Mild Violence
DIRECTOR: Jun Sekiya
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30th @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Jun Sekiya grew up in Yokohama, Japan, on “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the films of Hayao Miyazaki. He moved to New York City to study filmmaking at NYU and graduated in May of 2018. He’s interned at companies like HBO, GKIDS, and most recently, started work as a creative assistant for Soman Chainani, the New York Times best-selling author of “The School for Good & Evil” fantasy series, with book one soon to be a major motion picture. In his spare time, Jun can be found in Washington Square Park dribbling a soccer-ball. He will freestyle rap for you on request, given a hot beat is provided.
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NIGHT CALL (BELGIUM / NETHERLANDS)
SYNOPSIS: A phone sex operator is tormented by the vengeful spirit of her former lover who confronts her with the past. To free herself from the claustrophobic nightmare, she must overcome her deepest fears.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Mild Language, Adult Content, Strong Sensuality, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Tim Sagl
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 2nd @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: I’ve always been a big fan of horror-stories since my childhood. While studying occupational therapy in Heerlen (the Nederlands), I tried to film my own little (sometimes amateur) horror short-films. After I finished the study, I decided to go on with my passion and went again to school, a filmschool in Belgium. For the first time I learned the techniques to make a film. This helped me to realize my first short film “The Hangman” in 2017, which was a hommage to horror B-movies. The film was selected to several festivals but I felt that I had to learn more and wanted to make another short. This film (Night Call) is my graduation film and I hope the experiences of this project will help me to make hopefully new creepy (short)films in the future.
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PARRICIDE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: Just a routine sleepover at Jeffrey’s house. Or is it?
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Strong Language, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Will Schneider
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 7:30 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Will Schneider is an award-winning writer/director born, raised, and based in Chicago, IL. Will’s films have screened in cities all over the world, from London to Toronto. His film ‘‘In the Dark’’ was selected for inclusion in the popular “World of Death” series on the horror website “Bloody Disgusting.” His short script ‘‘Ageusia’’ won the prestigious 2017 BlueCat Short Screenplay Competition, beating out 1,100 scripts from around the globe. .
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PENUMBRA (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When Dori’s sister Fae returns from a recovery center, Dori begins to suspect someone is stalking her. But what’s coming for them is not of this world.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Strong Language, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Daniel Byers
GENRE: Horror, Sci-Fi
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Thursday, Nov. 4th @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Daniel is a villainous knave who grew up in the jungles of Africa and the mountains of Nepal. With a penchant for adventure and environmental action, he’s spent much of his career capturing expeditions around the world as a documentary filmmaker. When not in the field, Daniel Directs horror, fantasy, and sci-fi with his company, Dark Tower Films. His first horror feature is in post-production.
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STRAW MAN (USA)
SYNOPSIS: At risk of losing the only family he’s ever known during the dustbowl of the 1930’s, a scarecrow must leave his post and journey into town in search of work. But facing the world proves challenging when your face is a burlap sack…
RATINGS GUIDE: All Audiences / Family Friendly
DIRECTOR: Alexander Casimir
GENRE: Fantasy
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Oct. 29th @ 6:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Born and raised in gentrified Brooklyn, New York. Son of a single mother who was too paranoid to leave him alone with a babysitter. A kid who would overshare in class and have very little to share at home. Someone who, in middle school, saw Meg Ryan movies as a guide to talking to women. Someone who spent a majority of their childhood as a fat kid and now won’t stop talking about being a fat kid. Alex Casimir is A LOT OF THINGS. But he hopes people will always remember him as a storyteller above all else.
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THE FOX (AUSTRALIA)
SYNOPSIS: Su inherits her childhood home after her mother’s death and takes her young daughter, Nari, and her partner Hamish, a police officer, to live there – only to discover that they are not alone…
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Language, Strong Sensuality, Adult Content, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Kate Murray
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via the Horror Shorts #1 Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Kate is a Melbourne-based filmmaker, PhD student, and casual film academic. Her practice-led research is concerned with the representation of women across differing national horror cinemas, with the female ghost being a space for revelation. The Fox is her second short film.
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THE PAINTED (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A man undertakes a dangerous ritual in an attempt to save his ailing wife.
RATINGS GUIDE: Brief Nudity, Adult Content, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Sasha Sibley
GENRE: Horror, Fantasy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Tuesday, Nov. 2nd @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Sasha Sibley is a 23 year-old filmmaker based in Los Angeles, whose work has screened in numerous film competitions and festivals including Sitges, BIFFF, Beverly Hills, Hard:Line, Dances With Films and NFFTY. Sibley graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2020 with a BFA in Film Production & Screenwriting, and was distinguished with a Gold Lion Award for Best Undergraduate Thesis Film. His debut feature, The Box received distribution in 2021 through Midnight Releasing, with streaming on numerous VOD platforms including Amazon Prime, iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, & DirecTV.
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THE PURPLE IRIS (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In the dystopian future, a refugee with a purple iris attempts to cross the border to start a new life, but is kidnapped by a doctor obsessed with collecting the rarest eyes.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Violence, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: TBD
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Saturday, Oct. 30th @ 2:00 PM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Arif Khan is a British writer & director, based in LA and San Francisco. His short films and VR projects have screened at genre festivals all over the world including the Sitges International Film Festival, Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, Imagine Film Festival, and Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg. He is also an alumni of the New Blood Writers Workshop at FrightFest, the UK’s leading genre film festival. Prior to receiving his MFA in Film Production at USC – School of Cinematic Arts, he earned his Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge.
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THE RULE OF THREE (USA)
SYNOPSIS: A woman haunted by her OCD and intrusive thoughts must overcome herself to survive the night in the event of a terrifying home invasion by three masked slashers.
RATINGS GUIDE: Violence, Adult Content, Intense Images
DIRECTOR: Elwood Quincy Walker
GENRE: Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: Utah Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 3rd @ 5:00 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Elwood Quincy Walker is a horror film director & writer living in Los Angeles. As a child his love for halloween & Blockbuster Video led to his passion for horror filmmaking. Since then he has gone on to work as a professional commercial director at age 13, making spots for Disney & TEDx, intern at Blumhouse Productions, & make several short films that have screened & received accolades around the world. After a successful run on the festival circuit, his short film “Kissed” recently premiered online on ALTER. His latest short film “The Rule Of Three” is currently making its way on the festival circuit & he is developing it into a feature length script.
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THE SMALL HOURS (UK)
SYNOPSIS: A late-night radio host must act quickly when he receives a disturbing call.
RATINGS GUIDE: Strong Language
DIRECTOR: Rory Edwards
GENRE: Fantastic
PREMIERE STATUS: Regional Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Virtual Exclusive – Screens all dates Virtually via the Fantastic Shorts Block
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Young British filmmaker, alumnus of the BFI Film Academy and currently lead video producer for talkRADIO TV.
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WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? (USA)
SYNOPSIS: When the main character of a sitcom realizes he’s literally in a sitcom, he has to find a way out, and save his family.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Mild Language
DIRECTOR: Alex Bale
GENRE: Sci-Fi, Comedy, The Beyond
PREMIERE STATUS: World Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Wednesday, Nov. 3rd @ 11:00 AM
DIRECTOR’S BIO: Passionate, dedicated, ambitious, really good at everything, and humble: these are all synonyms for Alex Bale. Due to actions outside of his control, Alex Bale was once the first result for “This is why I hate white people” on google images, and still to this day remains high on the list. He considers himself to be a D-List YouTube celebrity, despite what his parents say. Alex Bale may not be the best filmmaker in the world, but he’s at least the best filmmaker in America.
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YOU MISSED A SPOT (USA)
SYNOPSIS: In a world where every single person is a clown, a mime must stop a masked killer to save the girl of his dreams.
RATINGS GUIDE: Mild Violence, Language
DIRECTOR: Liam Walsh
GENRE: Comedy, Horror
PREMIERE STATUS: USA Premiere
SCREENING DATE: Friday, Nov. 5th @ 4:30 PM
DIRECTOR’SBIO: Liam Walsh was born in Upstate New York. He went on to study Film & Television Production at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and has gained professional experience through internships at Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, E! Entertainment, and Skunk Productions. He graduated from the University of Southern California in May, 2020 and began working for Jordan Belfort, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” as his Head of Production.
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