Blood in the Snow announces its 2016 Line-up

The Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival (“BITS”) is proud to announce its 2016 line-up, showing a record number of 33 films (9 features and 24 shorts) over 14 exciting programs. The Festival runs this year from November 24^th to the 27^h, 2016 at its new location at Cineplex Cinemas Yonge-Dundas in Toronto ON.

 

The Festival opens with the festival’s first ever documentary feature, 24X36: A MOVIE ABOUT MOVIE POSTERS which recently premiered at Fantastic Fest. The lineup includes three World Premiere features including Torin Langen’s silent horror anthology 3 DEAD TRICK OR TREATERS, the dark drama STREAMER by Jared Bratt and Vincent Pun, and Jason Armstrong’s long-awaited feature INSPIRATION, as well as Toronto premieres of Fantasia critical favourites THE UNSEEN and KIDNAP CAPITAL.

 

Also on Friday, November 25, BITS is hosting three educational panels covering essential topics for indie filmmakers in distribution, funding, and legal issues for movie making.

 

On Saturday, November 26, Thom Ernst, known for TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies, is hosting “Making Movies the Canadian Way”, a panel with legends of Canadian horror, which will be filmed for the Bell Fibe TV-1.

 

The Festival also has the return of the fan-favourite BITS SHORT FILM SHOWCASE at primetime on Saturday night, Canadian indie giant Black Fawn Films close the Festival with the Toronto Premiere of THE SUBLET.

 

Festival passes are $85 and Industry Passes for the educational panels are $40. Individual tickets will be on sale soon.

 

For more information and tickets follow us online at:

Website: http://www.bloodinthesnow.ca

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/BITSFILMFEST

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloodinthesnowcanadianfilmfestival

 

 

FULL LINEUP DETAILS

 

Thursday November 26

 

9:00pm

OPENING PARTY

Duke’s Refresher + Bar

382 Yonge Street, Unit 8 (near Yonge & Gerrard)

 

 

Friday November 25

 

12:00pm – 5:00pm

BITS SEMINARS

Three one-hour seminar panels on entertainment law, film funding and film distribution followed by a networking mixer. Guests to be announced soon!

 

 

7:00 pm – OPENING FILM

24x36: A MOVIE ABOUT MOVIE POSTERS (dir. Kevin Burke)

TORONTO PREMIERE

This new documentary looks to explore how the beautiful movie posters from decades past gave way to the generic designs of today, and how fans and inspired artists have resurrected the art form.

 

Opening with the short film GHOST CAN (dir. Jordan Barnes-Crouse)

TORONTO PREMIERE

Following a date gone awry, Josie returns home with an unwanted souvenir and an unexpected visitor.

 

 

9:30 pm

CAPTURE KILL RELEASE (dir. Nick McAnulty)

TORONTO PREMIERE

A couple plots to murder a random stranger just for the thrill of it, but things turn ugly when one of them decides not to go through with it.

 

Opening with the short film MY BROTHER CHARLIE (dir. Evan Hamza)

TORONTO PREMIERE

Bored and without a friend in the world, a young boy eagerly waits for his little brother to return home from a psychiatric facility for violent children.

 

 

Midnight - BITS GRINDHOUSE AT MIDNIGHT

HOLY HELL (dir. Ryan LaPlante)

TORONTO PREMIERE

HOLY HELL is the over-the-top, outrageous, sexually-deviant, blood-drenched story of Father Augustus Bane: a priest pushed too far who begins praying to a revolver and hunting down the gangsters who killed his parishioners. Having been described as "DEATH WISH meets THE TOXIC AVENGER, by way of HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN", HOLY HELL is a modern take on classic Action, Horror and Exploitation film tropes. The goal of this feature length movie is to break through every limit set by film, taste and reasonable societal behavior: all with anarchic glee.

 

Opening with the short film INFERNO (dir. Dionne Copland)

TORONTO PREMIERE

The new girl at club INFERNO, Bambi, struggles to fit in with the other dancers. Meanwhile, Jason, arriving to celebrate his 18th birthday, is nervous, but wants to fit in with his boisterous, much more experienced friends. Bambi and Jason cross paths, with Bambi finally able to take the plunge, but this lap dance may be more terrifying than Jason originally expected.

 

 

Saturday November 26

 

2:00pm

MAKING MOVIES THE CANADIAN WAY LIVE TV PANEL – 2:00 pm

Join host Thom Ernst for a special panel with some of the legends of Canadian genre cinema. This panel will be recorded for a two-part TV special for Bell tv-1. Guests to be announced soon!

 

 

4:30pm

3 DEAD TRICK OR TREATERS (dir. Torin Langen)

WORLD PREMIERE

Four years in the making, this film combines the highly acclaimed segments Fondue and Malleus Maleficarum along with 3 other new segments into the first silent horror film anthology.

 

Opening with the short films:

 

STILLBORN (dir. Tyson Carlson)

TORONTO PREMIERE
Follow the back roads. Look for the signposts that guide you to her. Find the old house in the shadow of a dying oak. The house of pleasure. The house of sin. Don’t forget to bring an offering.

 

NO TRESPASSING (dir. Charlie Lawton) 

WORLD PREMIERE

A girl walks into the woods, and feels like she is being followed by a unseen evil.

 

 

7:00pm - BITS SHORT FILM SHOWCASE

 

THE FIGHT (dir. Clint D'Souza)
A couple having a fight in parallel timelines, but what is really happening?

 

A QUIET MOMENT (dir. Steve Villeneuve)
A mother learns that, even on a quiet night, parenthood can be full of dark surprises.

IT WANTS TO BE BORN (dir. Fil Santos)
Following a traumatic incident, a young woman embarks on a journey of sex, violence, and self-discovery.

THE JOGGER (dir. Jay Randall)
An overweight man, obsessed with shedding some pounds and calorie counting, has his sanity destroyed by evil fitness freaks on the jogging trail with horrific results. This oddball comedy will make you question ever going for a jog again.

STORM OF THE CENTURY (dir. Renaud Gauthier)
From the Director of BITS14 Best Feature, Discopath, a young man’s tropical dreams are shattered by a violent change in the weather.

 

MRS. RAFFERTY'S RED RED ROSES (dir. Greg Kovacs)
The Post-Lifers team are back in their record 5^th entry in BITS. Mrs. Rafferty meets an intriguing door-to-door salesman who might help her to solve a little problem.

 

SUMMONED (dir. Victoria Angell)
In order to stop her abuse at home, Amanda decides to summon a demon for help. What she gets is not what she wanted, but it is exactly what she asked for.

BROTHER(S) (dir. Nick Pusic)
A young boy who has lost his brother, wishes him back to life.

 

SPREAD (dir. Samuel E. Mac)
A woman with a dark secret preys on prowling single men through dating apps. Body horror meets hook-up culture.

EVERYBODY KNOWS ME (dir. Reuben Ward)
Struggling with the realities of marriage, fatherhood and the spectre of his past, Don Biggs does all he can do maintain his reputation, and his sanity.

 

ENGINEERS (dir. Tyler Williams)
A short snapshot of a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world, where 3 engineers conduct an experiment... on a dead body. An ode to the silent era of horror, and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. 

WHAT DO YOU SEE (dirs. Charlie Hamilton and Zach Ramelan)
A damaged, young woman visits a hypnotist to get answers for a recent string of hauntings.

 

MADRE DE DIOS (MOTHER OF GOD) (dir. Gigi Saul Guerrero)
A woman wakes up bound to an altar, helpless as she is transformed into a flesh and blood statue of Santa Muerte by two elderly Brujos whose sole purpose is to conjure the anti-Christ into our plane of existence.

 

 

9:30pm

THE UNSEEN (dir. Geoff Redknap)

TORONTO PREMIERE

A man who abandoned his family now risks everything to find his missing daughter, including exposing the secret that he is becoming invisible.

 

Opening with the short film “INGRID AND THE BLACK HOLE” (dir. Leah Johnston)

TORONTO PREMIERE

Ingrid and her best friend Conrad experience a lifetime of memories together when they imagine what it would be like to travel through a black hole.

 

 

Midnight - BITS UNDERGROUND AT MIDNIGHT

STREAMER (dirs. Jared Bratt & Vincent Pun)

WORLD PREMIERE

A loner develops a mind-bending obsession with an online cam girl.

 

Opening with the short films:

 

GLIMPSE (dir. John Nicol)

TORONTO PREMIERE

A madcap horror short exploring the damaged mind of a cinephile and the madness he succumbs to.

 

CONSTANCE (dirs. Ian Pozzebon & Kevin Prystanski)

TORONTO PREMIERE

Following a break-up with a long-term boyfriend, Sam moves into a basement apartment with her friend. A series of terrifying dreams and sleepless nights leave Sam exhausted, disturbed and determined to figure out what exactly is in her bedroom wall.

 

 

Sunday, November 27

 

2:00pm

KIDNAP CAPITAL (dir. Felipe Rodriguez)

TORONTO PREMIERE

Illegal immigrants to the United States are kidnapped, tortured, and forced to call home for ransom money.

 

Opening with the short film TIK TIK (dir. Larica Perera)

TORONTO PREMIERE

Fearful villagers gather at the bedside of a woman nearing labour as they prepare for the presence of a sinister creature.

 

 

4:30pm

INSPIRATION (dir. Jason Armstrong)

WORLD PREMIERE

When a young author moves to an isolated town to return to her horror roots, bad things begin to happen. An accident leaves her questioning her grip on reality, but perhaps something more sinister at work?

 

Opening with the short film TAKING POSESSION (dir. Peter Campbell)

WORLD PREMIERE

Powers within an isolated century-old farmhouse force its new owner to battle his mind, his conscience, and the memories of the house itself.

 

 

7:00pm – CLOSING FILM

THE SUBLET (dir. John Ainslie)

TORONTO PREMIERE

Joanna, a new mom coping with her baby in an odd sublet apartment as her husband neglects her to focus on his career. Joanna begins to question her sanity as she suspects that the building is haunted. As the walls literally close in on her, she discovers a violent past to the apartment, but is it postpartum depression or does this building want Joanna to give the most ultimate sacrifice?

 

Opening with the short CAUCHEMAR CAPITONNÉ (dir. Jean-Claude Leblanc)

TORONTO PREMIERE

When J.-F. is inexplicably drawn to the chair in which a man committed suicide, style isn’t the only thing the leather antique brings to his home.

 

 

10:00pm

CLOSING PARTY

Duke’s Refresher + Bar

382 Yonge Street, Unit 8 (near Yonge & Gerrard)

 

http://www.bloodinthesnow.ca

MUSIC NEWS: Heavy Metal Album Cover Book "And Justice For Art" Re-Released as New Limited, Revised Edition

...And Justice For Art: Stories About Heavy Metal Album Covers

By Ramon Oscuro Martos

Published by Dark Canvas/Ramon Oscuro Martos

 

 

A limited, Revised Edition of the out-of-print book ...And Justice For Art: Stories About Heavy Metal Album Covers"has been released via indie publishers, Dark Canvas.

 

This one-of-a-kind collection of stories features more than 450 color graphics and recounts all the particulars behind the making of artworks as iconic as SLAYER's Reign In Blood, METALLICA's ...And Justice For All, MORBID ANGEL's Blessed Are The Sick, BLACK SABBATH's 13, DEATH's Symbolic, CARCASS' Heartwork, SLEEP's Dopesmoker, TESTAMENT's Dark Roots Of Earth, OPETH's Heritage and many others.  These are told through 105 exclusive interviews with heavy music's icons like Jeff Walker (CARCASS), Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA), Fenriz (DARKTHRONE), Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), Paul Masvidal (CYNIC), Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD), David Vincent (MORBID ANGEL), Travis Ryan (CATTLE DECAPITATION) among many others.

 

Additionally, the book's Revised Edition also features new revealing commentaries by Dani Filth (CRADLE OF FILTH), Dave Lombardo (SLAYER), Kelly Schaefer (ATHEIST), Neige (ALCEST) and by critically acclaimed illustrators such as Michael Whelan, Eliran Kantor, Dan Seagrave, Joe Petagno, Arik Roper and Travis Smith, just to name a few.

 

The first edition of this 264-color pages volume was first published in 2015, thanks to a successful crowd-funding campaign. The constant demand and the new available material motivated author Ramon Oscuro Martos, to create a new Revised Edition featuring additional interviews, commentaries and graphics.

 

"I didn't want to just re-print the same book again," says Martos-who writes for publications like MetalUnderground.com and Heavy Music Artwork magazine. "I had new material available. So, I decided to introduce some changes that definitely bring something new to the table while keeping intact the essence of previous edition. It's still the same book... but dramatically improved and updated."

 

 ...And Justice For Art has been reviewed by many specialized music publications including USA's Decibel Magazine ("A lush, edifying, fascinating, surprising tour de force history of metal album covers"), UK's Zero Tolerance Magazine ("Meticulously researched, beautifully designed and with a wealth of fascinating and insightful interviews") and Belgium's Rock Tribune Magazine ("It's very impressive, do not hesitate too long if you want to have this book").

 

The international metal community has also expressed support for the book.  For ex-MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent (who wrote the book's foreword) "this is a historical document about the importance of Metal album covers." OBITUARY's drummer Donald Tardy, comments that "the world needs books like this."CATTLE DECAPITATION's frontman Travis Ryan, says: "this is exactly what the music world needs to remind us all just how important album covers have been to all of us that grew up surrounding ourselves with physical media." AT THE GATES' guitarist Anders Björleradmits being "really surprised when I got this book; it's highly recommended!"

 

The Revised Edition of ...And Justice For Art: Stories About Heavy Metal Album Covers is exclusively available here or at: http://andjusticeforart.bigcartel.com/product/and-justice-for-art-stories-about-heavy-metal-album-covers

 

The book's preview video can be seen here or at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjHdQGDkunQ    

 

Watch Freqs TV's mini documentary here or at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNmCmI_PEfA

 

...And Justice For Art online:    Official Website    Facebook    Twitter   

Press Contact: andjusticeforart@gmail.com

NEWS: AUSTRALIA’S MONSTER FEST ANNOUNCES 2016 SHORT FILM SELECTION AND JURIES

www.monsterfest.com.au

Australia’s premier genre film festival is back Nov 24-27, 2016 and has just revealed this year’s mammoth selection of 49 short films, marking a significantly increased commitment to short films from previous years.

Monster Fest shorts programmers Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Catherine Seccombe and Hussein Khoder vetted hundreds of short films to bring you the most spellbinding, raucous and confronting shorts that coursed through the veins of the festival circuit this year, as well as several homegrown discoveries we can’t wait to unveil for you. Monster Fest offers three short film programs this year: Night Gallery (our horror program), We Walk Alone (our vanguard program) and – as always – the return of Dick Dale’s beloved Trasharama program!

"Short films are that most precious of cultural artefact,” says Heller-Nicholas, “bite sized pieces of art that reveal in mere minutes what a filmmaker is really made of. We have had the most extraordinary privilege this year of seeing some of the most creative, passionate, original and inventive films of the year from both established filmmakers and emerging new talents, the diversity of which proves once and for all that cinema is far from dead: it is thriving, alive, and ready to rip your exceptions apart limb from limb."

All films making their World, International or Australian premieres at the festival are part of the Official Competition, and are eligible for multiple awards, including Best Victorian Short, which is awarded $10,000 in post-production prizes from Gearhead, Roar Digital and Backlot Studios. All shorts – regardless of premiere status – are eligible for the ‘Monster’s Choice’ Audience Award.

We are also pleased to announce our juries for the 2016 festival:

FEATURE FILM JURY:

Evrim Ersoy – Head Programmer, Fantastic Fest
Simon Foster – Film Critic, ABC-FM, Fairfax Media, Screen-Space
Donna McRae – Director, JOHNNY GHOST, the forthcoming KATE KELLY

SHORT FILM JURY:

Barbara Creed – Author, The Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism, Psychoanalysis
Amanda Reyes – Film and TV historian, Made for TV Mayhem
Heidi Lee Douglas – Director, LITTLE LAMB, DEFENDANT 5

See the full 2016 shorts lineup and jury bios below.

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PLAYING WITH FEATURES:

A HELL OF A DAY

Evan Hughes | Australia (VIC) 2016 | 12:00 | World Premiere

A lone survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, while seeking first aid finds herself trapped in a basement below a zombie-infested Inn. It is not the terror of stalking corpses that is the greatest challenge, but the grueling day by day battle of solitude she must endure to stay alive.

THE ABSENCE OF EDDY TABLE
Rune Spaans | Norway 2016 | 12:00 | Australian Premiere

Based on the popular comics by Canadian artist Dave Cooper, love and violence ensue when Eddy is lost in a dark forest and meets a girl who is infected by a mysterious parasite. (Hussein Khoder)

APE SODOM
Maxwell McCabe-Lokos | Canada 2016 | 14:00 | Australian Premiere

Knocking audiences off their feet at the recent Toronto International Film Festival and Fantastic Fest, APE SODOM shoots down capitalism in a blaze of weirdness. Director Maxwell McCabe-Lokos has previously collaborated with Canadian genre luminary Bruce McDonald (PONTYPOOL, HELLIONS), and here enlists David Cronenberg for a brief (vocal) cameo. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

CIGARETTE
Paul Anthony Nelson | Australia (VIC) 2016 | 9:00 | World Premiere

When a woman invites a man into her home after a date, she treats him to an impromptu striptease -but is this a seduction...or an evaluation? And will he fail horribly?

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?
Serena Whitney and Justin McConnell | Canada 2016 | 14:00| Australian Premiere
Two sisters throw a Christmas house party, unaware that a deadly invader will be crashing the proceedings.

DUMMY
Riyana Kasmawan | Australia (VIC) 2015 | 12:28 | Victorian Premiere

Written and produced by Hannah Passmore and directed by Riyana Kasmawan, DUMMY is as devastating as it is urgent. A young boy escapes into a world of fantasy with his new best friend – an abandoned shop mannequin – with whom the dangerous lessons passed down from his older brother are revealed with ominous results. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

FIRST SNOWFALL
Sam Chou | Canada 2016 | 3:00 | Australian Premiere

In a fierce snowstorm, two familiar foes stalk one another through the forest towards their final showdown. Rich in nostalgia, this genre blending and captivating animation is a treat for fans of anime and 80s kids cartoons alike. (Catherine Seccombe)

I am JUPITER I am the BIGGEST PLANET
Matthew Victor Pastor| Australia (VIC) 2016 | 15:00 | World Premiere

Silence in the Red Light District of Manila. (Hussein Khoder)

MAX
Ryan Paturzo-Polson | Australia (VIC) 2015 | 16:00 | World Premiere

Monsters don't sleep under your bed, they sleep inside your head.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WITCHING HOUR
Tavarna Garvey | UK 2016 | 8:00 | International Premiere

A spellbinding journey into the mind of an insomniac, as she spends each night haunted by hallucinations from another world. First time filmmaker Tavarna Garvey wrote and directed this bewitching black and white dreamscape that channels Jean Rollin, Sergio Martino and a host of classic psychotic women films.

THE PAST INSIDE THE PRESENT
James Siewert | USA 2016 | 14:00 | Australian Premiere

A couple attempt to renew their dying relationship by plugging directly into recordings of their past memories. (Hussein Khoder)

RUSHES
Hudson Sowada | Australia (VIC) 2016 | 11:00 | World Premiere

A group of filmmakers need to escape the Lido after being trapped there by an insidious usher.

THE TUNNEL

André Øvredal | Norway 2016 | 12:00 | Australian Premiere

In an overpopulated future, a family travels home from the beach in heavy traffic; between them and the gigantic city in which they live, is a tunnel with a horrifying purpose.

WATCH ME
Briony Kidd | Australia 2016 | 8:00 | World Premiere

A glamorous, attention-seeking actress will do anything to make sure you never look away. (Hussein Khoder)

WHAT HAPPENED TO HER
Kristy Guevara-Flanagan | USA 2016 | 15:00 | Australian Premiere

In this “postmortem pageant”, women’s bodies are mangled, dissected, decaying and drowned through a catalogue of film and TV images as actress Danyi Deats - who played the corpse of a character based on real-life murder victim Marcy Conrad in Tim Hunter’ RIVER’S EDGE - talks about the somewhat traumatizing experience of playing dead. (Kier-La Janisse)

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NIGHT GALLERY 

Monster Fest’s program of horror shorts, from the slightly sinister to the dastardly and demented!

THE HOME
L. Gustavo Cooper | USA/Ireland 2016 | 7:00 | Australian Premiere

In a snowbound church home run by an obsessive priest, a group of young pregnant women try to sleep on a bitter winter’s night. But something is roaming the stone halls, keeping them awake and drawing steadily closer. A truly creepy horror chiller to make your blood run cold. (Catherine Seccombe)

THE SUNKEN CONVENT (15:20)
Michael Panduro | Denmark 2016 | 15:20 | Australian Premiere 

Based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen, THE SUNKEN CONVENT is a grotesque and surreal story of bad habits. (Hussein Khoder) Warning: Sexual Violence

THE PUPPETMAN
Jacqueline Castel | USA  2015 | 9:00 | Australian Premiere

A group of friends seeking one last drink in an isolated bar get more than they bargained for in this ode to 70s horror. Featuring a stunning retro color palate and music by the legendary JOHN CARPENTER, this is a visual and aural treat for those who like their slashers with a little synth. (Catherine Seccombe)

INFERNO
Dionne Copland | Canada 2016 | 13:00 | Australian Premiere

Inspired as a girl by films like PRACTICAL MAGIC and THE CRAFT, director Dionne Copland’s INFERNO is a sexy neon-soaked wonderland of perversion, playfulness and girl power. Set in a strip club in the 1990s, nervous dancer Bambi meets Jason and his partying friends in an encounter that will change their lives forever. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

TANGLEWOOD
Jordan Prosser | Australia 2016 | 13:40 | World Premiere

As the monstrous creatures in the forest draw closer, a couple who have survived in years of isolation drift apart. (Hussein Khoder)

SECRETIONS

Goran Spoljaric | Australia 2016 | 11:31 | World Premiere

When a visitor arrives to the basement where a mutant woman is being held captive, the latter sees an opportunity for escape. Created with assistance from the Monster Fest 2015 Best Victorian Short Award.

EVELESS

Antonio Padovan |USA 2016 | 6 mins. | Australian Premiere

A gritty, grotty dystopian nightmare world pits two men – played by Vin Kridakorn and Greg Engbrecht – in a battle against nature as they struggle to find to keep civilisation going on their own. Filmed in New York City, this confident, minimalist short packs an unforgettable punch. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

THE MAN WHO CAUGHT A MERMAID 
Kaitlin Tinker | Australia (VIC) 2016 | 15:55 | Australian Premiere

A senior fisherman is obsessed with capturing a mermaid and has been doing extensive training to be ready for a possible life in the sea. This puts considerable strain on his marriage, needless to say. One day, everything changes. Fantastical and hard-hitting, this enthralling breakout short was the winner of a Platinum Remi at Worldfest Houston. (Mitch Davis)

THE INCREDIBLE TALE OF THE INCREDIBLE WOMAN-SPIDER
Pablo Guirado | France 2015 | 17:00 | Australian Premiere

A young man, noose around his neck, prepares to hang himself. Bad luck? Fate? The rope breaks. As he wanders through the deserted streets, at night, he comes across a poster outside a bar that invites him to discover a strange show... 

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WE WALK ALONE
Adapting its name from a line in Shirley Jackson’s seminal book The Haunting of Hill House, We Walk Alone is Monster Fest’s program of vanguard, hybrid-genre short films.

BARK
Amanda Kramer | USA  2016 | 11:00 | Australian Premiere

Teen politics is fertile territory for darkness to blossom. In this perverse psychodrama, Gina Piersanti and Lucia Santina Ribisi are stuck in a power play that echoes The Duke of Burgundy and Dogtooth, while still its own beast. Both simple and complex, Bark is a foreboding delight. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

THE ITCHING
Dianne Bellino | USA 2016 | 15:02 | Australian Premiere

A timid wolf tries to connect with a hard partying group of outgoing bunnies and finds her body overwhelmed with an unbearable itch that threatens to consume her. An unsettling and personal work, told via startling use of clay animation. (Mitch Davis)

IMITATIONS

Fabian Velasco & Milos Mitrovic | Canada 2016 | 10:00 | Australian Premiere

Introverted Arnold is pop star Austin Kelsey’s biggest fan and would do anything to be just like him, even if it means undergoing cut-rate cosmetic surgery in preparation for a local karaoke night. Hilarious, absurd and tragic, this blackly comic gem holds up a funhouse mirror to our obsession with youth and celebrity. (Catherine Seccombe)

THE FIRSTBORNS
Emilia Pedrazzoli |Argentina 2016 | 8:50 | Australian Premiere

Continuing to mark Argentina as one of the most vibrant contemporary genre-producing hotspots in the world, The Firstborns is a fairytale woodland adventure that cracks open to reveal an ominous neon wonderland inside. Stand By Me meets Beyond the Black Rainbow, this scifi/horror hybrid is wholly unique. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

INSOMNOLENCE
Kiefer Findlow | Australia (VIC) 2015 | 14:00 | World Premiere

A haunting and surreal journey into loss, grief and insomnia. Moving, hypnotic and awash with psychedelic color and imagery; this uniquely Australian trip worms its way into your brain and blooms there like an unfurling psychotropic flower. (Catherine Seccombe)

MOUNTAIN OF KNIVES
Nelson Yeo | Singapore 2015 | 10:00 | Australian Premiere

Guilt, punishment and memory collide as teenage Xiaowu is interrogated about the murder of a fellow student. Evoking Chinese traditions concerning the afterlife penalties for those who commit such crimes, this frames Xiaowu’s past, present and future in this beautiful, terrifying horror short. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

GRYLA
Tomas Heidar Johannesson | Iceland 2016 | 6:00 | Australian Premiere

In Icelandic folklore, Grýla is the mother of Christmas, but you can forget about fluffy cardigans, eggnog and gingerbread; a standover man and his hostage encounter something far less domesticated in this darkly comic morality tale. (Catherine Seccombe)

BLODIMERY
Francisco Denis | Venezuela 2016 | 10:28 | Australian Premiere

A goat follows a toothy chef back to his restaurant and experiences his hospitality. (Hussein Khoder)

DAWN OF THE DEAF
Rob Savage | UK  2016 | 11:52 | Australian Premiere

If you think you’ve seen – or heard – every angle on the zombie subgenre, think again. When a mysterious sound fills the globe turning those who hear it into the flesh-eating undead, a group of deaf people suddenly find themselves in charge of human survival. Smart and profound, with just the right amount of silly. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

SUFFER NOT A WITCH
Gabriel Ingersoll | USA 2016 | 5:00 | Australian Premiere

A woman fleeing superstition and persecution runs through the woods pursued by an angry mob intent on her destruction. Contrasting earthly brutality with the neon sublime; this hand drawn animation is a mesmerising flight into the dark forest of the soul. (Catherine Seccombe)

DISCO INFERNO 

Alice Waddington | Spain 2015 | 11:22 | Australian Premiere

Garnering accolades at festivals around the globe, this exquisite film marks Alice Waddington as an emerging talent like no other. Shot in exquisite black and white, Disco Inferno is a baroque, feminist love letter to Georges Franju’s JUDEX and NUITS ROUGE with a demonic twist. (Alexandra Heller-Nicholas)

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TRASHARAMA
Adelaide’s #1 purveyor of trash, filth and utter sickness, the one and only Dick Dale is back with his notorious selection of onscreen abominations.

O CHRISTMAS TREE
Greg Kovacs | Canada 2016 | 13:52 | Australian Premiere

Carolers out to spread Christmas cheer get more than they bargained for at Mabel's house.  

SHARKASAURUS
Spencer Estabrooks | Canada 2015 | 8:00 | Melbourne Premiere

TREMORS meets JAWS. Acreationist vs Pathoeotologist. Faith, facts and fins.

DEATH METAL
Chris McInroy | USA 2016 | 4:46 | Victorian Premiere

A metalhead gets passed down a Satanic guitar that riffs to shreds.

BAD BAD BUNNY
Jamison Stalworth | USA 2016 | 4:07 | Australian Premiere

When a good egg goes rotten, no one will live to tell this cottony tale.

ACTION MAN BATTLEFIELD CASUALTIES
Price James | UK 2015 | 2:55 | Melbourne Premiere

A Veterans for Peace UK film challenging the British Army’s policy of recruiting 16 year olds into the most dangerous Army jobs. 

MAUL MY CHILDREN
Paul McAlarney | USA 2016 | 4:27 | Australian Premiere

A soap opera where a horny teenager eager for a blowjob from his step sister watches his family friends and his girlfriend fall apart right before his eyes...literally.

BLOWN AWAY
Frank Daft | Australia 2016 | 5:27 | World Premiere

A psychosexual drug-induced deathtrip.

PARK OZ
Clint Cure | Australia 2016 | 12:00 | World Premiere

When a robotic fun park goes haywire, a class of teenagers must outwit an android Ned Kelly to survive.  

WHEN SUSURRUS STIRS
Anthony Cousins | USA 2016 | 9:46 | Australian Premiere

A man finds purpose in his meaningless life when he becomes host to an ancient creature named Susurrus. 

THE CONTRACT
Chrzu Lindstrom | Finland 2016 | 6:35 | Australian Premiere

A day in the life of a cocaine-peddling cross dresser. 

THE STYLIST
Jill Gevargizian | USA 2016 | 14:58 | Australian Premiere

Claire is a lonely hairstylist with an unnerving desire to escape her disappointing reality. When her final client of the evening arrives with the request to look perfect, Claire has plans of her own. 

DRAGON FORCE
Stu Simpson | Australia 2016 | 10:00 | World Premiere

A washed up Kung Fu master takes on super natural forces in Vietnam.

GWILLIAM
Brian Lonano | USA 2016 | 5.45 | Victorian Premiere

A recently released criminal is looking for a good time. He can forget his sins but he can never forget...  Gwilliam.

THE VICTIM
Vanessa Gudgeon | Australia 2016 | 1:00 | World Premiere

A young woman in peril soon discovers that in the midst of unspeakable horrors, nothing flashes before your eyes. 

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JURY BIOS

FEATURE FILM JURY:
Evrim Ersoy
Evrim Ersoy is a director, screenwriter and festival programmer. He is currently the head programmer for Fantastic Fest in Austin, TX. He is one half of the Duke Mitchell Film Club in London and has programmed films for Beyond Fest in LA, Motel X in Lisbon and the Boston Underground Film Festival.

Simon Foster
A 30-year veteran of the Australasian film sector, Simon experienced the VHS boom years in the sales and marketing teams at Village Roadshow, Columbia Tri-Star Films and 20th Century Fox before becoming Asia Pacific Sales Manager for ‘The Showbusiness Bible’, Variety. After 4 years as film reviewer at SBS Movies and contributor to Empire, Inside Film and Screen Hub, he launched SCREEN-SPACE in 2012. He currently reviews for Fairfax Media and ABC-FM Statewide (NSW). He has served on juries and panels at The Sydney Underground Film Festival, Sydney's A Night of Horror/Fantastic Planet Film Festival, the MIFF sidebar Telescope, The South Australian Screen Awards and The Byron Bay Film Festival.
Donna McRae
Donna McRae's first micro-budget feature film Johnny Ghost (2012) was selected into numerous film festivals, winning 7 awards including Best Female Director, Best Feature and two Special Jury Prizes. Currently she is involved in a female horror anthology film, in post production on a feature documentary about a chimpanzee called Cobby: The Dark Side of Cute and in development for her next feature film Kate Kelly, a ghost western about Ned Kelly’s sister. She holds a PhD and is a Lecturer in Film & Television at Deakin University, Melbourne.

SHORT FILM JURY:
Barbara Creed
Barbara Creed is Redmond Barry Distinguished Professor at the University of Melbourne. She is the author of five books in feminist film theory, horror, gender and media including The Monstrous-Feminine (1993) and Phallic Panic (2005) which explore gender and the horror film. She is a founding member of ‘Savage Sisters’, has written numerous articles on horror and probably seen far too many horror films for comfort. Her recent research is in animal studies, ethics in the anthropocene and the inhuman. Her new book, Stray: Human/Animal ethics in the Anthropocene will be published in April next year. She is the director of the Human Rights and Animal Ethics Research Network at Melbourne University.

Amanda Reyes
Amanda is a published author and podcaster. She has written for Film Threat, Spectacular Optical, Retro Slashers, Pretty Scary, The Hysteria Lives, Entertainment Today and Sirens of Cinema. As well as contributing to the books Butcher Knives and Body Counts and The Movie that Changed My Life. Although she enjoys writing and talking about the horror genre, Amanda's heart really belongs to the small screen. Her blog, Made for TV Mayhem and its companion podcast celebrate the history of classic television, focusing on the made-for-TV movie, which led to her editing the forthcoming Headpress book Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium 1964-1999.

Heidi Lee Douglas
Writer/Director Heidi Lee Douglas came to genre film production with a wealth of hands on practical production expertise and rich life experience gained through a career in documentary filmmaking. Her gothic thriller LITTLE LAMB screened at festivals worldwide, picking up awards and a broadcast deal; and has been selected for a “Women in Horror” anthology feature. Heidi is developing a feature set in the same world which was recently shortlisted for the elite Sundance Screenwriters Lab.

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All-access Passes and Day Passes to Monster Fest 2016 are on sale now here: https://www.lidocinemas.com.au/Promotion/Monster-Fest-2016-At-Lido

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About Monster Fest:

Founded in 2011, Monster Fest is a mix of Premieres, international festival favourites, challenging new discoveries and curated repertory sidebars alongside industry-focused events such as panels and masterclasses with renowned international guests, and a special emphasis on supporting emerging Australian genre film talent through the festival and beyond. Monster Fest is mounted with the support of Screen Australia and Film Victoria.

NEWS: The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Closes Successful Inaugural Year with World Premiere of CHILD EATER, Award Winners Announced!

Sunday, October 16th, the first annual Brooklyn Horror Film Festival came to an end after a jam-packed weekend of screenings and events with an award ceremony and World Premiere screening of festival closer CHILD EATER at Syndicated Theater. Attending filmmaker Jackson Stewart took home the Audience Award for his debut feature BEYOND THE GATES, which screened to a packed room on October 15th. 

The first-year festival, which opened October 14th with DEAREST SISTER at the Wythe Hotel Cinema, is proud to report 18 out of 22 events were complete sell-outs with overall attendance and enthusiasm for the fest defying expectations. “The reception that we’ve received from the NYC horror community has absolutely blown me away,“ says festival director Justin Timms. Additional venues that hosted BHFF were Videology, Spectacle, Throne and The Muriel Schulman Theater At Triskelion Arts.

Cinematic highlights of BHFF’s program were two world premieres, the Icelandic/USA joint production CHILD EATER by Erlingur Thoroddsen and locally made PSYCHOTIC! by directors Maxwell Frey and Derek Gibbons, as well as the US premieres of Lorcan Finnegan’s WITHOUT NAME, Cody Calahan’s LET HER OUT, Nathan Ambrosioni’s THERAPY, Fabien Delage’s FURY OF THE DEMON and the North American premiere of Shaun Robert Smith’s BROKEN. The festival was also thrilled to host best-selling author and renown public speaker Grady Hendrix and his spoken word event SUMMERLAND LOST: A GHOST STORY.

A total of 11 countries were represented in the diverse line-up of 26 shorts and 14 features. “ Horror is in a really exciting place right now, with genre lines being blurred and indie filmmakers from all around the world taking big creative risks, and our lineup tried to capture as wide a range of that as possible,“ says head programmer Matt Barone of the films picked. “ Based on the audience’s feedback throughout the weekend, I know that we’ve succeeded."

 

 

 

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival is excited to announce the winners for our first edition, chosen by our esteemed jurors and through audience votes.

FEATURES AWARDS:

Our features jury was composed of Laura Kern (Film Comment editor, Film Society of Lincoln Center programmer), Matt Donato (We Got This Covered film critic) and Sam Zimmerman (Shudder curator).

Best Feature - Without Name - Lorcan Finnegan

Best Director - Without Name - Lorcan Finnegan

Best Actor - Noé Hernández - We Are The Flesh

Best Actress - Angela Trimbur - Trash Fire

Best Cinematography - Piers McGrail, Without Name

Best Editing - Tony Cranstoun - Without Name

Best Effects - Master Cleanse - dir. Bobby Miller

Audience Choice Award - Beyond The Gates - Jackson Stewart

SHORTS AWARDS:

Our shorts jury was composed of Eric Walkuski (Arrow In The Head/JoBlo Critic), Erlingur Óttar Thoroddsen (Dir. Closing Night Film CHILD EATER) and Jenn Wexler (Glass Eye Pix producer).

Best Short - Pigskin - Jake Hammond

Best Director - Disco Inferno - Alice Waddington

Best Actor - Richard Glover- The Monster

Best Actress - Trieste Kelly Dunn - The Push

Best Cinematography - Zoë White - The Push

Best Editing - Aleksandra Hansen - Pigskin

Best Effects - Gwilliam - dir. Brian Lonano

Best Score - John Carpenter - The Puppet Man

Audience Choice Award - Tilly - Robert Kotecki

Special Jury Award – The Sound Of Blue Green and Red - Joshua Erkman

 

 

 

The festival would like to thank our main fest sponsors: Coney Island Brewery, Horror Pack, El Buho Mezcal, Syndicated, QuickFrame, Brooklyn Fireproof Stages, and Throne Watches. Additional sponsorship thanks goes to Uber, Bruce Cost Ginger Ale, Brooklyn Bean Roastery, Essentia and Skinny Pop. Additional thanks goes out to supporting sponsors Screencraft, Boroughs of the Dead, Hattan Media, The Kings Of Karaoke, and Salty Road. 

Special thanks to our media partners We Got This Covered, and Bloody Disgusting as well as our friends of the festival BK Horror Club and Brooklyn Music Festival. 

BHFF extends a huge thanks to all the audience, filmmakers, and volunteers that came out to support us in this exciting first edition. We look forward to returning again next year and bringing the festival back to Brooklyn, even bigger and better than before. 

http://brooklynhorrorfest.com/