Saturday
SHORTS BLOCK 1
The Sitters
Director/Writer Hannah Franklin
United States
A pet sitter comes to watch a cat for the first time. He finds a list of cat-sitting duties in a puddle on the counter next to a spilt glass of water. The writing on the list has blurred and is illegible. As he begins to do the tasks strange things start to happen.
Eating Me Alive
Director Jessica Bachman, Writer Jessica Bachman, Can Gumusgerdan
United States
Cutter, ambitious video editor, is faced the rare opportunity of creative freedom when her demanding director unexpectedly leaves. As she loses herself in her work, movie begins to take a life of its own.
Where Can I Live?
Director/Writer Miranda Jacoby
United States
A small yellow bird (Prothonotary Warbler) runs afoul of human impacts on its environment.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
Mistletoe
Director Andrea Schmitz, Andrea Sparacio Writer Andrea Schmitz
United States
"Mistletoe" tells the holiday horror story of the Baron, his new Lady wife, and a game they play to a terrible end.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
Hope Chest
Director/Writer Dycee Wildman, Jennifer Boniors
United States
Class Assignment: An oral essay on your hopes and dreams for your future.
Eve’s Opening Statement: “I hope the FBI agent who finds my body is predisposed to sadness.”
IZZY
Director/Writer Yfke van Berckelaer
Netherlands
Izzy is constantly stuck in the same cycle: mocked, dismissed, ignored, forgotten. But a touch of red glitter? Now that's a game-changer!
SHORTS BLOCK 2
Lost Boys Pizza
Director Cassie Llanas, Writer Tatjana Vujovic
United States
Once upon a Halloween night, two theater kids had such a fright, for right before their unsuspecting eyes
is Dracula, not so in disguise.
And utilizing the power of dance they put Dracula under a trance
and just in the knick of time,
they send Dracula where the sun don't shine.
Valley of Souls
Directors Edileuza Penha de Souza, Santiago Dellape Writers Davi Mattos, Edileuza Penha de Souza, Santiago Dellape
Brazil
A black family tries to defend their land against invaders but gets caught between a mischievous witch and a tortured spirit eager for revenge.
the Thaw
Director Sarah Wisner, Sean Temple, Writer Sarah Wisner
United States
In 19th century Vermont, a young woman's parents drink sleeping tea in order to survive the harsh winter, but an early thaw leads to horrifying results.
The American Bean
Director DC Dzoja, Writers DC Dzoja, Michael Osztertag
Canada
“The American Bean” is an absurdist horror-comedy which follows Eva, a young career woman who loves her job and hates beans. In the aftermath of rejecting a marriage proposal, Eva finds herself increasingly tormented when a sentient can of beans sets out to ruin her life and force her to regress by means of eating the beans. Fighting to maintain her autonomy, Eva endures the bean’s tactics until she must make a choice: betray herself, or die.
SHORTS BLOCK 3
Nereid
Director/Writer Lori Zozzolotto
Canada
A mysterious woman escapes from an abusive relationship with earth shattering results.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
Not Him
Director/Writer Sarah Young
United States
When her husband turns strange and violent, a wife becomes convinced he is possessed. But will anyone believe her?
VESPA
Director/Writer Olívia Ramos
United States
Luiza visits her estranged mother's new home, inadvertently inheriting her role in a peculiar natural cycle.
).png)
Love In A Bottle
Director/Writer Janna McPartland
United States
A young woman sees an esteemed doctor to learn more about Baby Botox, but ends up falling into the underworld of the beauty marketing industry.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
Filmmaker Panels (30min)
FEATURE FILM
Silent Bite
PREMIERE
Director Taylor Martin, Writer Simon Phillips
Canada
A gang of bank robbers take shelter in a motel after a Christmas Eve bank heist, unbeknownst to them they are not the most dangerous thing seeking refuge on this cold Christmas night.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
SHORTS BLOCK 4
The Murder Party
Director/Writer Katie Weatherford
United States
Genevieve’s boyfriend has just broken up with her after they moved to a small town together. She is broken-hearted, alone, and doesn’t know how to handle it. She meets Lilly and is invited to The Murder Party: Offering Unconventional Solutions to Heartbreak. This is a support group for women who have found themselves abandoned. The leader of this group, Lilly, has a dark streak. After Genevieve joins, she is slowly convinced to sever her connections to those who hurt her. .
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
Home
Director/Writer Wilandy Castelin United States
In 'Home,' Eve, personified as a house, establishes a connection with a man. Through subtle visuals, their relationship evolves, but neglect takes its toll, leading to unforeseen consequences. The film offers a cautionary glimpse, underscoring the significance of knowing your identity and the repercussions of losing that understanding.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
Raw and Red
PREMIERE
Director/Writer Brooke Elliott
United States
A lonely photographer becomes dangerously obsessed with an enigmatic, beautiful classmate.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
My Silence My Grave
Director/Writer Donté Larry
United States
In a claustrophobic apartment building, an acquiescent apartment manager is tasked with cleaning out a unit following a series of gruesome rituals. A cursed encounter amid the gore finds the protagonist on the run from a cannibalistic killer, all while her grasp on reality disintegrates.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
BREAK (30 minutes)
SHORTS BLOCK 5
Distant Signals
Director/Writer Marielle Brinda
United States
A paranormal radio show host fears he has an underlying condition that can only be cured by something extraterrestrial.
The Book Club
Director Johnnie Brannon,
Writer Kerri Michael
United States
"A woman is invited to be a part of a book club....but it soon becomes clear that the women in this club are more than they appear to be."
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
The Power Within
Director Bo Youngblood
Writer Kelsie McDonlad
United States
Four women awake to find themselves in identical cells, strapped to identical medical chairs with nothing but a vile of glowing red liquid and a live feed of Dr Peréz as he gives his diagnosis.
Event Virus
Director Andrea Fantauzzi, Writer Deborah Dalton
United States
A brother desperately tries to hang onto the hologram copy of his late brother in a world where terrorists have uploaded a killer virus to people's neural implants.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
SHORTS BLOCK 6
Saturday Ritual
Directors/Writers Sydne Horton
United States
High School soccer players Cammie, Em, and Kara have a tradition of visiting a different psychic after every Saturday match per Em’s request. After their latest game win, the girls find themselves at Maureen's psychic shop. Here, Cammie soon discovers she is in over her head when this highly recommended psychic unveils an unknown secret in front of her two best friends.
Hair Wraith
Director/Writer Jenny Popovich
United States
A troubled young woman believes she is being haunted by a wreath made from the hair of her abusive dead mother.
The Girl With The Haunted Vagina
Director Samantha O'Rourke, Writer Rachel Tookey
United Kingdom
Sexually repressed Meghan desperately tries to reach climax but is thwarted at every turn by the ghost that haunts her vagina (no, really).
Wind Up
Director Matthias Zentner, Writer Tamaki Richter
Germany
An island somewhere near Portugal, isolated and on the verge of ruin.
A family plagued by the past.
A game that decides life and death.
And shadows that lurk everywhere.
Filmmaker Panels (30min)
SHORTS BLOCK 7
ASCENSION
Director C.J. Revan Writer Jadyn Ordhen
United Kingdom
A Daemon from Tartaros discovers a breach in the realms and uses their essence to appear to a witch that conjured them.
From Me To You
Director Ashley Wimbush Writer Joanna Messineo
United Kingdom
Adam’s girlfriend, Ella, is a zombie, but he doesn’t mind. But are there consequences for loving a monster?
Shame On You
Director/Writer Philippa Ghosh
United Kingdom
Anne is a young outcast desperately trying to hide her pain from the world. Tormented by a doppelgänger that only she can see, Anne becomes less and less able to contain her despair. As rivalry between the pair ensues, Anne attempts to get rid of the doppelgänger forever, leading to disastrous consequences.
My Boyfriend Stole My Kidney
Director/Writer Coven
United States
When a young woman wakes up from a one night stand missing a kidney, she struggles with who to trust as she finds her way to the hospital.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
SHORTS BLOCK 8
The Last Mermaid
Director/Writer Sophia Seraphim West
United States
Ophelia, a mermaid who left the ocean to pursue a singing career, is now confined to a bathtub while her marriage to creative partner Declan crumbles under the pressures of confinement, control, and artistic difference. Trapped and resentful, they drive each other to the very edge in this dark musical drama.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
A Shining Example
Director Clarke Wolfe, Writer Clarke Wolfe, Dylan Guerra
United States
After putting her lucrative writing career on hold to raise her daughter (Marnie McKendry) with little help from her husband (Andy Cohen), Aiden (Clarke Wolfe) finally has the opportunity of a lifetime to get back to work and showrun a new installment in the TV franchise that put her on the map. Up against a deadline, toxic family dynamics arise and Aiden's frustration builds culminating in a gruesome finale.
FILMMAKERS ATTENDING
Spearfinger
Directors Tessa Morell, Riley Scarbrough, Writer Riley Scarbrough
United States
“Spearfinger” is a thriller/horror about a young, insecure girl, Jackie, who is desperate to prove herself worthy to her family. But when her great-grandmother disappears on a camping trip, Jackie goes looking for her and encounters a mythological creature that threatens her life. Will she surrender or will she escape?
SHORTS BLOCK 9
The Fisherman's
Wife
Director/Writer Jared Watson
United States
It’s the near future after total environmental collapse. The oceans are dead; pollution clouds the sky. In the wreckage of former industry a fisherman struggles to sustain himself and his daughter. His net catches only plastic refuse and animal carcasses.
One bleak morning, after another failed fishing expedition, the fisherman makes a surprise discovery.
Scout
Directors/Writer Jill Letteney
United States
Things take a dark turn when Mia, a troubled junior scout, invades and terrorizes Jordan, a new homeowner.
STILL
Director/Writer Rakefet Abergel
United States
Aliya struggles with a difficult reality and finds herself in a nightmarish, endless loop of pain.
Nosocomephilia
Director/Writer Michèle Kaye
Canada
A middle-aged woman in a state of ennui starts compulsively visiting doctors.
KORPUS
Directors Alexa De Hoyos, Sinhué F. Benavides, Writer Sinhué F. Benavides
Mexico
A writer can't sleep because she doesn't know how to start her next novel, but in the middle of the night she realizes that is not alone at home...