2013 FESTIVAL | SCREAMFEST

Screamfest Announces First Look Deal with Chiller

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The screenplay deadline has been extended until JUNE 15TH due to this exciting news:

The 13th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival & Screenplay Competition announces a first look deal with Chiller, a division of NBCuniversal for the winner of this year’s contest.

“We are very excited to offer this great opportunity to this year’s winning screenplay.” founder/festival director Rachel Belofsky said. Chiller’s senior director or programming, Shane O’Brien, said, "Chiller has always valued the dramatic weight that well-crafted screenplays contribute to the horror genre. We're thrilled to offer the opportunity to work with and nurture talented up-and-coming screenwriters.”

Screamfest Horror Film Festival takes place Oct. 8th – 17th, 2013 in Los Angeles. The winning screenplay will be announced on October 17th on the closing night of the festival.

Submit Here for your chance to win.

About Screamfest:
Screamfest Horror Film Festival was founded in 2001 to give up-and-coming filmmakers and writers a venue to showcase their work. Screamfest provides a great opportunity for them to have their work discovered just as Oren Peli, director and producer of Paranormal Activity, was discovered through his Paranormal Activity entry.

About Chiller TV:
Chiller is the only cable channel devoted to delivering viewers round-the-clock scares. Chiller’s eclectic slate of adrenaline-fueled, soul-stirring entertainment includes a broad offering of original movies and specials, genre films, documentary and reality shows (Fear Factor) and some of the most thought-provoking and suspenseful series ever on television (Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Tales from the Darkside, Outer Limits). Chiller is currently available in over 42 million homes. To learn more, visit: www.chillertv.com. Chiller. Scary Good.

NEW -- SCREAMFEST LAUNCHPAD AWARD for SHORT FILMS

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New award category JUST ADDED:

This year's SHORT film category just received an additional exciting prize award!!

SCREAMFEST LAUNCHPAD AWARD - Sponsored by U.K.'s Matador Pictures

Awarded to the Director who, in Matador's opinion, shows the most promise for the next step up into feature films. The award consists
of:

- an exclusive first look deal with Matador Pictures for your next feature project pitch with the opportunity for your project to be commissioned for Matador's development slate

- the opportunity to work with our story and marketing teams to hone your development project into a viable feature film to be financed and produced by Matador

- the opportunity to be attached, as director, to an existing project on Matador's production slate

The short film submission deadline has been extended until August 15th.

Screamfest 2013 takes place Oct. 8-17, 2013 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood.

Screamfest Announces First Wave

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13th ANNUAL ……………

Screamfest Announces First Wave

Hollywood, CA., September 4, 2013 – Screamfest®, the preeminent horror festival in the country, and what the LA Weekly calls “the best place to get a jump on tomorrow’s cult hits” kicks off its 13th annual event in Los Angeles on October 8 through October 17 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 (5240 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601).

First Wave Screening Highlights at Screamfest 2013

Beneath (US) – Directed by Ben Ketai,. A crew of coal miners becomes trapped 600 feet below ground after a disastrous collapse. As the air grows more toxic and time runs out, they slowly descend into madness and begin to turn on one another. Inspired by true events. - World Premiere

The Hunted (US) – Directed by Josh Stewart. Chasing their dream of landing their own hunting show, Jake (Stewart) and Stevie (Blevins) head to the dense, secluded mountains of West Virginia. Equipped with only their bow and camera, they have just three days to kill a monster buck big enough to grab the attention of the Outdoor Channel...and they've found him. But the sun has set, and they realize they’re not alone. The pair decides it’s time to call it quits and leave the woods and their dreams behind. With the setting sun, their realization may have come too late as they are finding out escaping may not be so easy. Being a professional hunter, Jake has the skills and survival instincts necessary to make it out, but will that be enough? Has the sun set on their lives as well? Have the hunters become The Hunted? World Premiere

Schism (US) – Directed by Adam Gierasch starring Callum Blue. Dylan White has a normal, boring life. Then horrifying visions start to interrupt his waking moments, and he must face the fact that he literally doesn't know who he is. Following clues that take him to the dark underbelly, Dylan soon finds both his life and soul in danger. Featuring a masterful performance by Callum Blue, SCHISM is a trip to the dark side, noir-style: bad men, bad dames, bad sex and bad intentions. World Premiere

308 (Indonesia) – Directed by Jose Poernomo. Desperate for a job, Naya lucked out as her best friend offers her a job as a housekeeper at a 5 star hotel by the beach. But the hotel has one strange rule… Rule #1: Never ever open room number 308 under any circumstance. Based on the true legend of Nyi Roro Kidul, the spirit of the Queen of the South Sea that supposedly lives in room 308 in Samudra Hotel. US Premiere

Haunter (Canada) – Directed by Vincenzo Natali starring Abigail Breslin. The ghost of a teenager who died years ago reaches out to the land of the living in order to save someone from suffering her same fate. LA Premiere

Cannon Fodder (Israel) – Directed by Eitan Gafny. Doron, a security operative, who takes on one last mission: to capture, number 3 in the terrorist organization of Hezbollah, in Lebanon. With an elite force, Doron enters Lebanon to complete his last mission. Very soon he discovers that reality is not so simple, and that a new and unknown enemy is to be dealt with - and Hezbollah are the last thing on his mind. Doron has to deal with a ticking clock in the form of extensive I.D.F attack and a bloodthirsty enemy, Now that their enemy has changed its face, it's up to him and his unit to wage a new war, a different war, to find an antidote, get back across the border, before the middle east conflict is changed forever. LA Premiere

For tickets and additional information, please contact info@screamfestla.com or visit screamfestla.com

Contact: info@screamfestla.com 310-358-3273

Screamfest 2013 Short Films Announced

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

13th ANNUAL ……………

Screamfest Announces Competitive Short Films

Hollywood, CA., September 13, 2013 – Screamfest®, the preeminent horror festival in the country, and what the LA Weekly calls “the best place to get a jump on tomorrow’s cult hits” kicks off its 13th annual event in Los Angeles on October 8 through October 17 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 (5240 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601).

This year’s shorts will also be eligible for the additional Screamfest Launchpad Award which will be awarded to the director who shows the most promise for the next step up into feature films.

Short Film Competition at Screamfest 2013

Aftermath (US) – Directed by Jeremy Robbins - Jem is still a kid, cracking jokes and doing impressions and wishing he could watch TV. In a frozen, lawless, and kill-or-be-killed world, it is up to Cody, the older brother, to be the ultimate protector. He stays up each night, rifle in hand, making sure he and Jem survive to see the next morning. In the wake of a new, predatory ice age, two brothers wrestle with their responsibilities and with each other, all the while searching for a place to call home.

The Banishing (US) –Directed by Erlingur Thoroddsen - Sixteen year old Kara must decide if she believes her younger sister, Jessa, who claims a supernatural presence is forcing her to do evil deeds

The Barista (US) – Directed by Rebekah McKendry - Through extensive research a scientist has discovered that an apparent slacker coffee barista has a deep, dark secret.

Black Sugar (US) – Directed by Hank Friedmann - Suburban reality unravels when a group of teens experiment with a new drug that takes its users to a terrifying new world. Charlie (Aaron Refvem, Sons of Anarchy) dreams of escaping his boring life, and in the darkest reaches of the internet he’s found his answer: Black Sugar. Promising a trip they’ll never forget, Charlie and his rebellious friends swallow the candy-colored hallucinogen, much to the dismay of Charlie’s tag-along neighbor, Adam (Jake Kellar). When Black Sugar takes hold, the teens find themselves thrust into a living nightmare, infested with terrifying creatures that serve a horrific purpose. With Adam stuck in the real world, it becomes a race against time to save his friend from Black Sugar. An accomplished director of music videos, and editor for the hit show Comedy Bang! Bang!, Hank Friedmann’s personal take on the horror genre combines an indie coming-of-age story with a mind-bending supernatural vision. Featuring a talented cast of young teens and monstrous practical effects, Friedmann paints a unique picture of the suburban life before eviscerating it with an overdose of terror.

The Body (UK) –.Directed by Paul Davis -. THE BODY tells the gear and body bag get mistaken for a costume, and he is dragged to a Halloween party, with hilarious and horrifying consequences.

Butterflies (Australia) – Directed by Isabel Peppard - A young artist sits on the sidewalk, struggling to make a living. She makes drawings for the passersby. A businessman recognises her talents and offers her a paying job. The prospect seems inviting but the reality threatens to kill her imagination….

Capstone’s Oak – (US) -Directed by Will Phelps - A short film following Mike Capstone as he tries to resist the temptations of greed after stumbling across a dark family secret... an oak tree that grows money when the dead are buried at its roots.

Cough – (Australia) - Directed by Jason Kempnich - Civil liberties are yesterday! Food shortages during a global pandemic force recently widowed George to stray increasingly far from home to survive. A simple purchase of rations turns dangerous when George stumbles upon a Shopkeeper’s secret, placing all of them in mortal jeopardy.

Dembanger – (US) - Directed by John Berardo - After receiving and accepting a friend request, Wes Andrews thinks he's going to have a quiet night at home alone with his parents gone. Right when his girlfriend leaves, he realizes she left her cell phone. Hours later, Wes begins to receive calls on both hers and his cell phones from an unfamiliar voice. He then receives Facebook messages and posts from this same person. Wes then learns that he may have put too much of his personal information up on his Facebook page. Either someone is playing a cruel joke or Wes is in for the most terrifying night of his life.

Desolate Road –(US) - Directed by Marwan Abderrazzaq - Desolate Road is a horror short about a couple on their way to start a new life and run into car trouble on a desolate road somewhere in Texas.

Drudge - (US) – Directed by Kheireddine El-Helou - What was supposed to be a romantic night in for a young couple, quickly turns into a terrifying encounter with Drudge… A new face of horror is born.

Evaded – (Sweden ) – Directed by Johannes Persson /Rasmus Wassberg.

Forever – (US ) – Directed by Niav Conty - A love story goes terribly awry when she wants out and he feels compelled to keep her.

Frost – (Canada) – Jeremy Ball - When a season of scarcity threatens her family, a young arctic hunter embarks on a perilous search for food. Crossing the sacred boundary of her people's ancestral hunting grounds, she discovers a strange world beyond her ability to comprehend and a dangerous predator that may be beyond her ability to survive.

The Girl – (Ireland) – Directed by John Hayes - After another devastating miscarriage, Sophie, an emotionally fragile English woman leaves London and moves to Ireland with her husband to start a new life. Their remedy is a 'project' house on the desolate west coast. But when Conor is called away Sophie finds herself alone and visited by a young girl whose language she doesn't understand. Yet the bond that develops between them sees Sophie's long dormant maternal instincts rising to the surface. Sophie may finally have her little girl. But is she a gift or a curse?

Good Night – (Slovakia) – Directed by Peter Czikrai - Outlying village. House rings with essence of stillness. A door bell breaks atmosphere of Christmas Eve. Enigmatic couple at the door seeks for accommodation. Renting out unoccupied room - for humble landlords a chance of freeing from indigence. More mysterious than couple themselves looks the bag that makes landlords everything but easy. Nothing remains, just to treat them as guests and say good night. However, the night turns into the longer one than would be expected.

Hide and Seek – (Japan) Directed by Kayoko Asakura - A girl visits a house to take a Koto lesson. (Koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument.) She sees a teacher and her son, they play 'HIDE and SEEK'. And Koto lesson starts, a teacher's behavior becomes odd.

The Horizon Project – (Canada) – Directed by Scott Belyea; - Survivors of a biological pandemic find refuge with Horizon Corporation, a company spearheading the global rebuild.

La Piedad – (Mexico) – Directed by Mariela Martínez S.- Eight year old Federico lives with his father in a meager apartment in Mexico City. His father devotes his days to sleep and work, keeping young Federico away from a carefully-guarded, locked door, behind which lies his mother..

Leave Us Alone – (Canada) – Directed by Nicholas Treeshin - Sam, a city dwelling single mother inherits a profitable piece of farm land from a grandfather she never knew. On the grandfather's deathbed, he tells Sam about a ship that crash landed on the farm before she was born, and that a deal was made to protect the ship's cargo. In return for protection; a notoriously ever producing farm regardless of drought or flood was the result. Not heeding her grandfather's advice, Sam's world is literally smashed when her grandfather's wild story begins to ring true. Covering up the disappearance of three missing geologists, Sam is prepared to do almost anything to protect her son as well as the farm's dark secret.

Luna – (US) Directed by – Antonio Perez - In a remote, desolate town, a cold-blooded serial killer invades a family's quiet home. The sole survivor of his latest crime is a young girl, who does everything she can to escape before the mysterious stranger finds her.

Mullet Gut – (Australia) – Directed by Steve Boyle - Two lifelong friends in the twilight years of their life, seek retribution against the schoolyard bully that tortured them as children. Things don’t go to plan as one of them begins to question whether they have the right man. At its heart, MULLET GUT is a mystery that will keep you guessing until its final moments.

The Old Woman In The Woods – (Canada) Directed by Caroline Coutts - A Gothic fairy tale combining live action and stop motion animation to tell the story of two little girls whose desire to be grown up results in horrific consequences. The screenplay, adapted from the classic fairy tale 'The New Mother,' by Lucy Lane Clifford, is set in England in 1882. In the film, Hanna and Mary meet an old woman with an ornate wooden box, inside which exists a magical fairytale land. The girls beg to see inside the box, but are told they are not grown-up enough. But they can prove they are grown-up by not doing what their mother tells them.

Operator – (US) – Directed by Sam Barnett -Bob is an operator working for InfoCorp. When something goes wrong while the corporation installs a new efficiency system, the machine gives birth to a creature. As Bob struggles to work while fending off the creature, he realizes he may be choosing between his life and his job. -

Skypemare – (US) – Directed by John Fitzpatrick -Halloween night. An announcement of an escaped convict plays on the news as Alison chats with her best friend, Jenna over Skype.

Sleepworking – (UK) – Directed by Gavin Williams -In the near future a young woman becomes a sleepworker: her body is programmed to do menial labour while she is asleep. However, she starts to suffer disturbing side effects and embarks upon a dangerous journey to uncover what sleepworkers are really being made to do while unconscious...

The Storm – (US) – Directed by Andre LeBlanc -“They'll keep looking for a way in. They have to eat.” Locked in the security chamber of a remote arctic outpost, Daniel and Jane are the last survivors of a military experiment gone wrong. Beyond the door are the Hunters- genetically enhanced, sensory-deprived humans that know nothing but hunger.

Sulfuric – (US) – Directed by Jeff Brown - Jennifer returns from a trip to find her roommate in their apartment, unconscious. After reviving her, it becomes apparent that something is occurring inside their home. Something awful.

The Summoners – (US) – Directed by Christian Ackerman - Two high school girls invite a new friend to join their secret game of summoning spirits for the thrill of being possessed.

Thirteen – (US) – directed by Dan Jagels - A thirteen year old girl survives a horrific tragedy and must learn to deal with the changes as she becomes a teenager.

Transito – (Spain) – Directed by - Macarena Astorga - Paul is going to an important meeting. Distracted and talking on the phone realizes that it has lost its way. The car's engine stops. From now on, nothing will be the same for him.

Woodland Heights – (US) - Directed by Samuel Gonzalez, Jr. – “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it,” Hitchcock. In tradition with drive-in horror movies of the 1950's, Woodland Heights tells the story of a young couples prom night taking a bizarre turn for the worse. Based on the classic urban legend "The Hook."

The Wretched: Prologue – (US) - Directed by Richard Greenwood, Jr. - 395 A.D. Roman Centurion Markus Valerius leads a rag-tag outpost of soldiers in the isolated Germanic Black Forest that has come under attack by a horde of bloodthirsty barbarians inflicted with a horrendous virus that reanimates the dead into ravenous bloodthirsty beings known as the WRETCHED. One last tour for Rome, one last dangerous post to retire...but fate has other plans. Escape is no longer an option... it's Kill or be Killed.

For tickets and additional information, please contact info@screamfestla.com or visit screamfestla.com

Phone: 310-358-3273

Screamfest Announces Next Wave of Films

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

13th ANNUAL ……………
Screamfest Announces Next Wave of Films

Hollywood, CA., September 24, 2013 – Screamfest®, premiering films from around the world.
Screamfest takes place October 8 through October 17 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 (5240 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601).

Next Wave Screening Highlights at Screamfest 2013

Chimeres (Switzerland) – Directed by Olivier Beguin - While taking a holiday in Romania with his girlfriend Livia, Alexandre is hit by a car. He is hospitalized and has to undergo a blood transfusion. On his return he seems to suffer from a strange disease ...
US Premiere

The Dead 2, India (UK) –Directed by Howard J Ford & Jon Ford - The eagerly anticipated follow-up to the Ford Brothers’ African set ‘The Dead’, ‘The Dead, India’ move us to the hustle and bustle of India as the outbreak of the walking dead take hold. An American engineer teams up with a surviving orphan street kid to trek 300 miles across stunning but deadly rural Indian landscapes to the now infested slums of Mumbai to try and save his pregnant girlfriend. The first ever international zombie movie shot in Incredible India, 'The Dead 2, puts the Ford Brother's unique vision on a far bigger canvas, with breath taking scope, thrilling action and emotional resonance...
– US Premiere

Delivery (US) – Directed by Brian Netto - In this unnerving chiller, Kyle and Rachel Massy are a young couple who have agreed to document their first pregnancy for a reality show. During the production, a series of unexplained phenomena start plaguing the couple, eventually derailing the production of the show. Rachel, growing increasingly paranoid, starts to believe that there might be something seriously wrong with their unborn bundle of joy.

The Demon’s Rook (US) –Directed by James Sizemore A young boy named Roscoe is taken to a world where demons dwell. Raised into manhood by an elder demon, he is taught to master the dark arts. During his training, he accidentally unleashes an ancient race of evil demons. They discover our world and release a nightmarish foray of monsters upon it. Paying homage to its colorful roots and packed full of practical effects, The Demon's Rook is sure to please. – Produced by James Sizemore, Tim Reis, Ashleigh Jo Sizemore & Colin Geddes
- LA Premiere

Frost (Iceland) – Directed by Reynir Lyngdal and from the team of Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre - A young couple, physiologist Agla and filmmaker Gunnar wake up at a glacier drilling camp only to find the camp mysteriously abandoned and their co-workers gone. When searching for the lost team they realize they’re up against an unknown deadly force.
- US Premiere

The Gauntlet (US)–Directed by Matt Eskandari starring Bai Ling- In a sunken castle underneath the earth, five strangers wake. They have no food. No memory. No water. And no way out. They don't know it yet, but in Hell only their sins can save them. They must organize and band together for the sinister adventure that awaits...
- US Premiere

Goldberg & Eisenberg (Israel) –Directed by Oren Carmi - Goldberg is a mediocre computer programmer. Eisenberg is an emotionally disturbed thug. Unfortunately the two cross paths. "Goldberg & Eisenberg" is the first Israeli urban psychological thriller, and the first dark genre film ever to be approved for production by the Israel film fund. Inspired by Coen bros, Polanski, Park Chan-Wuk. Currently in preliminary talks to be remade as a mini series for a major American cable channel.
- LA Premiere

Para Elisa (Spain) – Directed by Juanra Fernandez - A student enters a terrifying world of obsession and misery when she answers a job advertisement requesting a nanny. Held prisoner in a house full of antique toys, she must overcome her deranged captors or become a living doll.
-US Premiere

Savaged (US) – Directed by Michael S. Ojeda - While travelling across country, Zoe, a lovely deaf mute woman, stumbles on a horrific crime – a gang of rednecks slaughtering two Native American boys. Zoe’s brave attempt to save one of the boys seals her fate. She is captured, raped and left for dead. When an Indian shaman finds her clinging to life in a shallow grave he attempts to save her – but something goes horribly wrong. The spirit of an ancient Apache warrior takes host of Zoe’s dead body. So now she walks amongst the living, hell-bent on getting revenge. One by one she slaughters the men who brutalized her, while the clock ticks away on her quickly decomposing body.
-US Premiere

The Seasoning House – (UK) Directed by Paul Hyett - The Seasoning House - where young girls are prostituted to the military. Angel (Rosie Day), an orphaned deaf mute, is enslaved to care for them. She moves between the walls and crawlspaces, planning her escape. Planning her ingenious and brutal revenge.
-LA Premiere

Viscera – (US) Directed by Pete DiFolco & Craig DiFolco - In the aftermath of a flesh-eating plague that has wiped out most of humanity, a surviving man and woman face unimaginable horrors when he suddenly becomes infected. Confined to the basement of an abandoned farmhouse, she tends to him as his body rapidly deteriorates over the next four days. But they soon find themselves up against more than just the disease. A crazed infected woman begins to stalk the farmhouse. A suspicious stranger arrives promising the key to survival. And the only possible cure is an injected drug that slowly drives you insane.
– World Premiere

For tickets and additional information, please contact info@screamfestla.com or visit screamfestla.com

Contact: info@screamfestla.com
310-358-3273

Screamfest 2013 (Photos)

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The feature film Beneath opened the 13th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival held October 8th, 2013 to a sold out crowd. Our Screamfest photographer Angelica Ulloa captured the excitement of Opening Night. Click on the link below to see all the festival photos.

Have you ever attended Screamfest before? The ten days of excitement starts opening night with the celebrity filled black carpet event. Screenings of the Best Independent Horror Films fill the ten day festival. The Awards Ceremony where we celebrate the films and their makers brings the festival to an end. Please enjoy viewing our collection of photos from the 2013 festival.

SEE MORE PHOTOS HERE.

Winning Gift Bag Design

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Congratulations to talented artist Stephane Le Brethon of Villeurbanne, France for creating the Talenthouse winning design of the 2013 Screamfest Horror Film Festival recyclable keepsake bag distributed at the Opening Night Party. We would also like to congratulate Becky Doyon of Maine for winning the Talenthouse People's Choice for her design.

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Thank you to all the artist that took the time to create designs for our collaboration with Talenthouse.