Sean Parker
“Summer Camp for Cinephiles” is back this June 20-28 for the twelfth annual Chattanooga Film Festival (CFF), which promises to deliver “one of the most jam-packed [lineups] in the history of a festival famous for jam-packing.” After the last three screenings of their Double Secret Cinema Society for Patreon backers, CFF revealed their three waves of titles, guaranteed to make a big splash with genre film fans everywhere, as the programmers intend to “lob a Motion Picture Molotov” with the news of its copious and eclectic offerings.
For the fifth year in a row, Chattanooga Film Festival will recommit to its hybrid philosophy, allowing a wider audience access to its incredible lineup of features and events, including the festival’s famous nightly midnight movie secret-screening series, the Red Eye.
CFF also believes “in the power and importance of human creativity over soulless technologies often taught using the pirated works of creators of all types, and with this in mind made the decision to ban films made with the use of generative AI software.” This writer cannot applaud their efforts enough, both in their use of the hybrid model, which has allowed many film lovers without the means to attend such a glorious festival, and in their pledge to honor creatives and their work.
CFF25: Thursday
Like many film festivals, CFF25’s physical festival cannot be contained in a traditional weekend space. The festival will kick off on Thursday, June 19th, with a couple of special screenings beginning with Alex Ross Perry’s Pavements. Presented by Utopia Films, Pavements is a pseudo-scripted documentary about the indie rock band Pavement that combines the band’s discography and experiences into a feature. The film includes appearances by Zoe-Lister Jones, Tim Heidecker, Jason Schwartzman, and Joe Keery playing a young Stephen Malkmus.
The second special screening, Annapurna Sriram’s F*cktoys, won Boston Underground’s Audience Choice Award for Best Debut Feature. The movie is a dystopian fantasy set in the real world, reimagining the Fool’s Journey of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. The film follows AP, a young woman who believes she can have a curse lifted for a thousand dollars. AP journeys through the underbelly of Trashtown, making money the only way she knows how, meeting an absurd cast of characters as clients. F*cktoys is uniquely original and darkly comedic, exploring class, intimacy, and exploitation through a rich mosaic of artistic landscapes.
CFF25: Friday
Opening day of the festival begins early with the always entertaining Salute Your Shorts block. Featuring some genre-defying work from names to keep your eye on, the Salute Your Shorts block is stacked with fascinating diversions. I’m hyped for some of these, and Jennifer Bonior’s We Need to Talk About Balloons, a dark fable about underestimating someone being exploited, is probably at the top of that list. Several fall in right behind it, though, like The Bohannons – Night Construction, a stop-motion animated music video by Matt Eslinger and Chattanooga’s Skeleton Key Workshop. Grace Hanna’s heartstring-pulling Lola, about a granddaughter trying to preserve her dementia afflicted grandmother’s memories. And Shane Chung’s Check Please, where a fight between two restaurant patrons breaks out after neither backs down from paying for the meal. A shared experience most of us have encountered, taken to an irreverent extremity that sounds particularly hilarious.
Friday’s features kick off with Manson Family Vacation director J. Davis’ latest dark comedy, I Hate Myself and Want to Die, about a suicidal man who is continuously pulled further into his unaware friends and family’s chaotic adventures. The film seems adjacent to last year’s CFF selection, Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person, which used a similar construct to illustrate the reasons life is worth living. I’m interested in seeing how this potentially life-affirming film is presented in a less supernatural atmosphere.
CFF25 goes off with World Premieres on Friday. The Harbor Men, The Misadventures of Vince and Hick, and NOCLIP 2: Return to Lunchland take Chattanooga by storm. Casey T. Malone’s The Harbor Men will increase your paranoia as a dock worker begins questioning his reality when he comes into possession of a briefcase after witnessing a murder during a viral outbreak. Trevor Stevens’ The Misadventures of Vince and Hick goes gritty as a recently released thief has to do one last job for an ambitious con man if he wants to make his daughter’s tenth birthday party. Then reality gets trippy with NOCLIP 2: Return to Lunchland, the sequel to Gavin Charles and Alex Conn’s award-winning surreal liminal space mall-umentary.
Between those showings and the event I’m most pumped to finally see in person is Clay McLeod Chapman’s The Pumpkin Pie Show. I’ve caught this show over live stream multiple times while covering the festival and can confirm that Chapman is a storyteller unlike any other. His ability to draw you into his folktale narratives with character attributes, brilliant timing, and effortless whimsy makes The Pumpkin Pie Show an unmissable cornerstone of the Chattanooga Film Festival. If you’re like me, visiting the festival in person for the first time, you will absolutely want to triple circle this event and get tickets early. Clay will be promoting his new novel, Wake Up and Open Your Eyes, this year and will be on hand to sign copies after the event at indie booksellers A Little Bookish.
On Opening Night, attendees will be treated to Morihito Inoue’s Onsen shâku, also known as Hot Springs Shark Attack. Before you let anyone try to denigrate Inoue’s film to the level of Syfy Channel nonsense, you should try to understand just how batshit-bonkers Hot Springs Shark Attack intends to be. Picture Hausu with Jaws, and you may have a better idea of the kind of f*cked up rollercoaster you’re in for. The CFF25 programmers “are so sure it will knock attendees’ socks off that they are recommending fans just don’t wear socks at all.” The vibe of the opening night film will continue as Utopia, distributor of Hot Springs Shark Attack, partners with CFF for an indoor beach party to cap off the night. Complete with the “surf rock sounds of special guests Big Kahuna,” Cathead Distillery will also be on hand, serving up some beach-themed beverages to get everyone in the mood for a chaotic karaoke clambake.
The events don’t end there, though. CFF25 offers up two more films before ending its evening. Attendees can catch Angela Gulner’s The Beldham, a supernatural post-partum shocker that explores the fine line between care and control and how far a mother will go to protect her daughter. And finally, Matías Szulanski’s appropriately titled Good Night closes out the evening with its US Premiere about a missing suitcase that fuels the misadventures of a young Brazilian girl visiting her grandmother in Argentina.
CFF25: Saturday
On Saturday, CFF25 does it all again. The Dangerous Visions block of short films is a genre-fueled block of horror tales from some extraordinary up-and-coming filmmakers and some names you may know. CFF alum and Somnium star Chloë Levine steps behind the camera for her third short film, Blubber, about an uninvited funeral antagonist testing the limits of the deceased sister’s grief, in a rare film that asks how far you’d go to feel a connection. Blubber took home a Best Actress award for Abi Lieff at the 2024 Independent Short Awards. The Affair’s Megan Duffy tries to make sense of an important discovery in the extremely secretive Severed. Host and Scare Package II writer Jed Shepard produces Blair Bathory’s Hatman short REM. And Frogman directors Anthony Cousins and Rebecca Daugherty have an eye for home invasion survival in The Last Thing She Saw.
Before Saturday’s CFF25 features get underway, attendees can see LVCRFT’s return to CFF, presenting Best of Times: The Music of Killer Party as part of this year’s Sonic Cinema programming. CFF has a long tradition of incorporating films about music and musicians (like Thursday Night’s Pavements and Sunday’s Hung Up on a Dream), and Best of Times: The Music of Killer Party is a way to honor a highly underrated and forgotten about soundtrack. Join LVCRFT mastermind Deep KUTZ, CFF director Chris Dortch II, and a panel of very special guests to discuss the hook-laden ’80s tracks that are bound to get stuck in your head.
Albert Birney’s OBEX kicks off a day of rapid-fire features. The film revolves around a boy, his dog, and a computer game that appears to be bleeding into reality. When his dog goes missing, Conor must venture into the game to bring her home. Metal band The Silent Light provides a kick-ass live score to the 1926 F. W. Murnau silent film Faust. G.G. Hawkins’ I Really Love My Husband sees a newlywed couple on their honeymoon who can see themselves growing apart, until Teresa proposes an arrangement with their trans rental manager. CFF alum Izzy Lee unleashes a bold vision of the dystopian fight for female rights in the supernatural chamber piece House of Ashes. And Woody Bess opens the Portal to Hell on a debt collector who needs to appease a demon with three souls to save his neighbor from being dragged to hell.
CFF25 attendees will also have the chance for some Arts N Crafts on Saturday night at The Boneyard, and the opportunity to take in a comedy show with James Adomian. Adomian famously gave the keynote address at SXSW in 2024 as the ghost of Orson Welles, has been seen on Jimmy Kimmel poking fun at My Pillow founder Mike Lindell, and released his first stand of special last year, The Path of Most Resistance. CFF says of the special, “With its deep reverence for classic cinema and its perfectly crafted bits about everything from airline loyalty programs to the horrors of comedy crowd work is pure magic, and CFF is proud to bring Adomian in for an evening of stand-up.” The event will also include a screening of filmmaker Hughes Ransom’s Sick Day, which stars Adomian and lots of locusts.
Next, I have been waiting for this next film’s release ever since filmmaker Shane Brady (Breathing Happy) first announced he was making it. Inspired by actual events that resulted in Brady and his wife, Emily Zercher, being cheated out of $20,000, Hacked: A Double Entendre of Rage Fueled Karma is a cathartic fictionalized imagining of the bloody revenge the filmmakers fantasized enacting on their scammer. Don’t expect full on torture porn, Brady’s film is a dark comedy that feels extraordinarily positioned to make waves with audiences who have had similar experiences. Also, The Walking Dead’s Chandler Riggs is playing the scammer known as The Chameleon, and the always fantabulous Augie Duke (Moon Garden) takes up the mantle of Brady’s wife, Amy Rumble, in the film.
Finally, to close out Saturday, CFF brings the revered screenwriter of Flatliners and Chapelwaite, Peter Fildari, into focus for a screening of his new short film, Damn Handy, to play alongside one his most revered screenwriter credits, The Craft. A Q&A will follow the event.
CFF25: Sunday
The Chattanooga Film Festival does not let up for the final day of the in-person festival. Sunday begins earlier than on previous days with Utopia presenting Robert Schwartzman’s documentary Hung Up on A Dream. The film chronicles the sixty year career of The Zombies from their formation in the ’60s, through the success of their hits “She’s Not There” and “Time of the Season,” into their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, and into some of the members’ solo careers.
CFF25’s final shorts block, the W.T.F. (Watch These Films) block, offers attendees the most unhinged genre-defying films the festival can program. Here you’ll see Andrew Bowser’s (Onyx the Fortuitous and The Talisman of Souls) latest short Frankenbabes From Beyond the Grave!, Fck’n Nuts director Sam Fox’s Open Wide, Dylan A. Young’s The Creature of Blood Lake, Scott Ampleford and Alisa Stern’s VHX, Phil Cheney’s Is That a Mime?, and Zachary Eglinton’s You’re an Angel, just to name a few.
Four films carve out the afternoon’s movie offerings, beginning with Braden Sitter Sr.’s unsettlingly titled The Pee Pee Poo Poo Man, which mockingly documents the chaos of one man’s fictional fecal showering spree in Toronto. I half expect viewers to vomit during this wryly satirical absurdist comedy, but if I were the filmmakers or CFF programmers, I’d actually consider handing out ponchos to anyone entering the cinema, if only to see their expressions. I’m a bit sick that way, though.
The Circle Collective, distributors with a killer film slate of festival favorites like Divinity, With Love and a Major Organ, Therapy Dogs, and Minor Premise, presents their next creatively demented feature, King Baby, from Kit Redstone and Arran Shearing’s fantasy. This is said to be a “warped fairytale” where the sudden arrival of a mannequin queen upends a kingdom populated by only a king and his servant, throwing it into chaos. Then, MPI presents Alexandre O. Philippe’s excellent Texas Chan Saw Massacre doc, Chain Reactions, where Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Stephen King, and Karyn Kusama gush about the movie that defined horror in the ’70s. Then, Tina Romero’s horror-comedy Queens of the Dead sees a zombie outbreak in a Brooklyn nightclub where drag queens, nightclub kids, and frenemies must put aside their differences to fight the threat before them.
CFF invites everyone to Goodfellas Pizzeria for one last party, the Pizza Pity Party, before their closing night features whisking us into a five-day virtual frenzy. First up is the World Premiere of Erik Bloomquist’s (Founder’s Day, She Came From the Woods) latest endeavor, Self-Help, where a mysterious commune leader’s relationship with a young woman’s mother leads her to expose the maliciousness hiding just under the surface. Then finishing off the evening is the World Premiere of Jesse Swenson’s Alan at Night, where a pranking podcaster begins documenting his new roommate’s increasingly strange nighttime activity.
CFF25: Virtual Festival
Some films will also receive exclusive Virtual releases, making CFF25’s hybrid pass an excellent value. And, if you’re not attending, the virtual pass is a great blend of some films playing in person (Alan at Night, Hacked, House of Ashes) and some you can only see virtually like Bari Kang’s bodega zombie flick Itch!, Richard Peter Hunter’s Foul Evil Deeds, and Christopher Bickel’s excellent hippie-horror throwback Pater Noster and the Mission of Light. Check the full Virtual lineup on the CFF website to get the full rundown.
Badges are on sale now for both physical and virtual attendees. You can check out the complete list of films below.
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CFF25 FEATURE FILM ANNOUNCEMENTS
ABIGAIL BEFORE BEATRICE (d. Cassie Keet)
An isolated woman is confronted by her past when a fellow former cult member reaches out with news that their leader has been released from prison early. What happens when your search for love and acceptance leads you to a toxic relationship? How do you move on when you can’t let go?
ALAN AT NIGHT (d. Jesse Swenson)
World Premiere
When fledgling podcaster and prank-channel proprietor Jay Conley finds himself in sudden need of a roommate, he hastily welcomes a shy, Alabamian herpetologist named Alan into his Bushwick apartment. Despite his social clumsiness and a snore that could move needles on the Richter Scale, Alan initially proves himself to be an excellent houseguest. But soon his harmless quirks give way to increasingly alarming nocturnal behaviors and Jay reacts as any decent, young content-creator would – by capturing the proceedings on camera. As Alan’s erratic conduct and mysterious symptoms escalate to a violent crescendo, our camcorder-wielding protagonist and his idler best bud must choose between their consciences, their safety and the allure of views, likes and subscribes.
THE BELDHAM (d. Angela Gulner)
Struggling single mom Harper moves in with her mother to renovate a fading suburban farmhouse. The two are joined by her mother’s new boyfriend and a mysterious live-in home aide, both who claim to be dedicated to Harper’s postpartum care. But things are not what they seem. A sinister presence lurks within the house… one that has designs on Harper’s child. As Harper investigates, she uncovers dark truths about the nature of her reality, and questions the intentions of those entrusted with her care. A multi-generational love story disguised as a horror, The Beldham explores the fine line between care and control, and the desperate lengths mothers will go to to protect the daughters they love.
BOB MORGAN’S JUST GOING TO TELL SOME STORIES (d. Tom Marksbury, Grayson Tyler Johnson)
Bob Morgan’s Just Going to Tell Some Stories… about art and garbage, sex and drugs, aids grief, cultural subversion, and being an outsider turned community icon. The story of an assemblage artist and queer Kentucky.
CROSSWORD (d. Michael Vlamis)
Following the death of their daughter, Tessa pours herself into her best selling children’s book series, “Lily Learns,” while her husband, James, attempts to find solace in the daily crossword but quickly unravels as the puzzles seem to take on a mind of their own.
DARK MY LIGHT (d. Neal Dhand)
Detective Mitchell Morse’s investigation into a beachfront serial killer is complicated by a hothead new partner, a severed foot on the beach, his fracturing relationship with his wife, and his own slipping sanity.
EXORCISMO (d. Alberto Sedano)
Under the Franco dictatorship, Spain’s rigid censorship laws had repressed any form of sexuality outside of Catholic marriage. But after Franco’s death and the consolidation of democracy, ‘Clasificada S’ films – restricted to those over 18 years old, with the warning that their content may offend the sensibilities of the viewer – embodied a period in Spanish history when sex went from being a sin to becoming a cinematic expression of political freedom. In the new documentary EXORCISMO, director Alberto Sedano explores the history behind Clasificada S, the battles it fought, and the distinctive dramas, thrillers and horror shockers that subverted the values of the former dictatorship. Narrated by Iggy Pop, featuring revealing interviews with actors, directors, historians, and showcasing clips from films by Jess Franco, José Ramón Larraz, Ignacio Iquino and more, EXORCISMO tells the incredible true story of a film movement that rocked Spanish culture, changed the face of genre films, and left its transgressive mark on global cinema forever.
FOUL EVIL DEEDS (d. Richard Hunter)
A series of comedically dark vignettes that give way to a fragmented anthology of humanity’s everyday pettiness, as seen through the voyeuristic lens of a distanced point of view. Tapping into society’s addiction to the judgement of others, Foul Evil Deeds is stacked with black humour amid the everyday cruelty of the banal suburban life.
FAUST (1926; d. F. W. Murnau)
Special Screening with Original Live Metal Score by The Silent Light
God and Satan war over earth; to settle things, they wager on the soul of Faust, a learned and prayerful alchemist.
F*CKTOYS (d. Annapurna Sriram)
Special Screening
F*cktoys is a lush, 16mm fever dream that reimagines The Fool’s Journey of the Major Arcana Tarot through the story of AP: a peppy, sanguine young woman seeking salvation from a curse. AP is promised by not one, but multiple psychics that—for a cool $1000 and the sacrifice of a baby lamb— it can be lifted. So, she makes money the only way she knows how, scootering her way deeper into the night, into the uncouth underbelly of Trashtown. Dark, irreverent, and sexy, AP stumbles upon new characters and absurd situations, each more unhinged than the last, as she winds her way toward the inevitable. F*cktoys is a campy romp that explores the intersection of intimacy, exploitation, and class in a pre-millenium alternate universe of dilapidated urban decay and pastel cotton candy skies.
GOOD NIGHT (d. Matías Szulanski)
U.S. Premiere
A young Brazilian girl travels to Argentina to visit her aunt, but after a misunderstanding and the loss of her belongings, she must kill time until the next morning.
HACKED: A DOUBLE ENTENDRE OF RAGE FUELED KARMA (d. Shane Brady)
World Premiere
Based on true events: When their $20K home deposit is stolen by Florida’s most elusive Hacker – The Chameleon – the Rumble family snaps and goes full “John Wick”…Except with way worse planning, more stupidity, and a 5 foot tall battle axe. It’s a revenge mission so insane, it might actually work.
THE HARBOR MEN (d. Casey T. Malone)
World Premiere
During a waterfront viral outbreak, dock worker Steven Dorre witnesses a strange murder that puts him in possession of a case – the contents of which bring into question everything he thought he knew to be true.
HOT SPRING SHARK ATTACK (d. Morihito Inoue)
U.S. Premiere, Opening Night Selection
In a small hot spring town in Japan, a ferocious ancient shark reawakens and begins terrorizing the local hot spring facilities. As the threat escalates, the townspeople band together to protect their beloved town from the menacing predator, leading to a fierce and thrilling battle.
HOUSE OF ASHES (d. Izzy Lee)
Grieving widow Mia must survive psychological and supernatural horrors while under house arrest.
HUNG UP ON A DREAM: THE ZOMBIES DOCUMENTARY (d. Robert Schwartzman)
British Invasion icons The Zombies reflect on paving 60 years and counting of their musical path from teenage friends to legends in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I HATE MYSELF AND WANT TO DIE (d. J. Davis)
I Hate Myself and Want to Die is a dark comedy about a depressed young guy whose attempts to kill himself keep getting interrupted by his family and friends. Unaware of his intentions, they pull him into increasingly bizarre adventures over the course of a single night, while he looks back on his life and decides whether or not to go through with his deadly plan.
I REALLY LOVE MY HUSBAND (d. G.G. Hawkins)
When a woman grows disillusioned with her golden-boy husband during their tropical honeymoon, she recruits an enigmatic expat to spice things up—for better or worse.
IN THE MOUTH (d. Cory Santilli)
Merl has been living his life as a recluse, in complete isolation, unable to leave his house after discovering a giant version of himself protruding from his lawn, blocking any attempt at escape. He’s run out of money, but if he doesn’t pay his rent in the next five days then his landlord is going to evict him. With no other options left, he is forced to get a roommate to pay him the debt in advance. Larry, an older man traveling shockingly light with only the clothes on his back, heeds the call and comes to live with Merl. It’s an adjustment for sure, but maybe they can learn a thing or two from each other. Or maybe Larry’s just found the perfect place to hide…
ITCH! (d. Bari Kang)
Amid a mysterious deadly outbreak called the ITCH. A widower and his estranged young daughter take sanctuary in a department store, only to realize the real terror is inside with them.
KING BABY (d. Kit Redstone, Arran Shearing)
A warped modern fairytale plays out in a crumbling “kingdom” populated only by a king and a servant. The arrival of a mannequin queen throws their carefully constructed world into isolation, madness, and murderous megalomania.
THE MISADVENTURES OF VINCE & HICK (d. Trevor Stevens)
World Premiere
Recently released from prison, Hick Dunn wants nothing more than to make it to his daughter Katie’s 10th birthday party across the US desert. A chance encounter with a silver tongued con man named Vince Campbell opens an opportunity for Hick to get a ride. The catch? He has to revert back to a life of criminal misadventures.
THE MOST AUSTRALIAN BAND EVER! (d. Jonathan J. Sequeira)
The Secret Origin of the Hard-Ons. Three ethnic school kids from Western Sydney discover punk music and form a band. Together they fight racism and the music industry to become Australia’s biggest indie band larrikins. Before diversity was a buzzword, there was the Hard-Ons!
NOCLIP 2: RETURN TO LUNCHLAND (d. Gavin Charles)
World Premiere
In this sequel to the award-winning found-footage film NOCLIP, the two explorers return from the void in search of even more liminal spaces. In the process, they find backrooms that lead to multiple new surreal locations, plus some familiar ones…
OBEX (d. Albert Birney)
Conor Marsh lives a secluded life with his dog, Sandy, until one day he begins playing OBEX, a new, state-of-the-art computer game. When Sandy goes missing, the line between reality and game blurs and Conor must venture into the strange world of OBEX to bring her home.
OLD WOUNDS (d. Steven Hugh Nelson)
An aspiring filmmaker documents a road trip with his girlfriend to meet her family. As he learns more about her past, they discover he’s not the only one filming them.
THE ONLY ONES (d. Jordan Miller)
Six friends set out to a secluded house for a relaxing weekend away, when they unwittingly start a snowballing effect of chaos, death and paranoia. As the body count climbs, the survivors don’t know who to trust, or who is next.
OPERATION WAKALIGA: FATE AND BLOOD (d. Ori Yakobovich, Maya Rudich, Nabwana IGG)
U.S. Premiere
A first of its kind action-comedy cooperation between Wakaliwood in Uganda and Israel. The Ugandan tiger mafia kidnaps the son of the prime minister of Israel. This shadow organization known for black magic and mastery of kung fu, are planning to sacrifice the son prime minister in order to perform a unique spell that requires royal Jewish blood. In order to rescue him, the State of Israel sends a pair of special commando fighters to Uganda, whose partnership was broken up by a bitter conflict in the past. If the commandos won’t be able to overcome their troublesome past the fate of the Jewish and the Ugandan people might be doomed forever.
PATER NOSTER AND THE MISSION OF LIGHT (d. Christopher Bickel)
Max, a young record store clerk stumbles upon a rare vinyl LP and is drawn into the world of a 1970s hippie commune. An invitation to the remnants of the cult and its unholy spawn leads to grave circumstances for Max and her friends.
PAVEMENTS (d. Alex Ross Perry)
An examination of the iconic 90s indie band, Pavements appears to be just another music documentary, until it doesn’t. A prismatic, narrative, scripted, documentary, musical, metatextual hybrid, the film intimately shows the band preparing for their sold-out 2022 reunion tour while simultaneously tracking the preparations for a musical based on their songs, a museum devoted to their history and a big-budget Hollywood biopic inspired by their saga as the most important band of a generation.
THE PEE PEE POO POO MAN (d. Braden Sitter Sr.)
A paranoid young man launches a bizarre crime spree against the citizens of Toronto in this psycho-spiritual thriller comedy starring Rishi Rodriguez, Spencer Rice (Kenny vs. Spenny) and Paul Bellini (Kids in the Hall).
POOLS (d. Sam Hayes)
Kennedy has one day to get her shit together or get kicked out of school for good. Instead of buckling down, she rallies a ragtag crew for a midnight pool-hopping adventure through the lavish estates of her college town. But under the surface, Kennedy is searching for answers to the questions tearing her up inside in the wake of her father’s death. As the secrets spill, this wild escape becomes a cathartic journey of self-discovery.
PORTAL TO HELL (d. Woody Bess)
Dunn is a debt collector. His life of routine is interrupted when a portal to hell appears in his local laundromat. A demon follows and explains in no uncertain terms he’s there to drag Dunn’s neighbor, Mr. Bobshank, to hell. Bobshank owes a debt. Helping people pay their debts is what Dunn does best. A deal is offered – three souls to save Bobshank. Dunn says no. But one of his debtors follows him to the laundromat and well… once you do one, what’s another two? Dunn makes good on his end of the bargain. But the portal stays. The demon explains. Who gets into heaven isn’t up to God or the Devil. It’s up to you. Bobshank hasn’t forgiven himself. Dunn can convince Bobshank to do just that. Or find a fourth soul. The question Dunn has to answer is if you throw away everyone that’s made mistakes, who’s left?
QUEENS OF THE DEAD (d. Tina Romero)
Closing Night Selection
When a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a warehouse party, an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.
SELF-HELP (d. Erik Bloomquist)
World Premiere
A young woman attempts to rescue her mother from a secret online community after she becomes entangled with its enigmatic leader.
SOLVENT (d. Johannes Grenzfurthner)
While searching for Nazi documents in an Austrian farmhouse, a team of experts uncovers a hidden secret buried in its bowels. American expatriate Gunner S. Holbrook becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, and as his sanity wanes, he must confront an insatiable evil. Can he find redemption before it drains the life out of him?
THE SPIRIT OF HALLOWEENTOWN (d. Brett Whitcomb, Bradford Thomason)
In 1998, the Disney Channel Original Movie “Halloweentown” was filmed in St. Helens, Oregon. Since then, the town has become a de facto Halloween destination with over 50,000 visitors each October. “The Spirit of Halloweentown” is an observational portrait of St. Helens 25 years later focusing on its residents as they transform the town and navigate their inescapable identity. Just as ghouls and ghosts inhabit the Halloweentown of the movie, many St. Helens residents believe their town to be truly haunted. As visitors pour into the city and specters of all kinds fill the autumn air, life for the locals in Halloweentown becomes much more than the celebration of a movie. It’s a quest for belonging and a reckoning with demons both personal and spiritual.
THEY WERE WITCHES (d. Alejandro G. Alegre)
Mia, an expert speaker in witchcraft, takes a trip to see a therapist. On the way she meets a group of young people who will begin to die one by one to bring an evil spirit back from death.
UNDER THE BURNING SUN (d. Yun Xie)
In a barren, desolate land where abortion is outlawed, Mowanza struggles with her unwanted pregnancy. When she hears of a distant land with a lenient abortion policy, Mowanza, armed with only a half-empty water bottle and a battered car, embarks on a journey across the desert toward the lush land of Iropus.
UNIVERSE 25 (d. Richard Melkonian)
Mott the angel is sent on a holy mission in London and Bucharest. In his search for a mysterious saint, he encounters a world that sends him off course and forces him to face his true identity.
CFF25 SHORT FILM ANNOUNCEMENTS (FULL LINEUP)
401 (d. Neal Tyler)
’77 (d. Christopher Perna)
A DIVINE COMEDY: WHAT THE HELL (d. Valerie Lee Barnhart)
A FOREST (d. Isabel Nola)
A HAUNTING AT ALMA DRIVE (d. Dalton Allen)
AGORAPHOBIA (d. Ashley Wong)
ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS (d. Becky Sayers)
THE ANGEL (d. Barrett Burgin, Jessica Burgin)
ANIMAS FORKS (d. Samuel Blakesberg)
THE ANOMALIST (d. Matt Farren)
ANY LAST WORDS (d. Isaac Rathé)
ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME? (d. Zen Pace)
ARSON (d. Erin Broussard)
BAKING AND ENTERING (d. Lance Harbour, Cole Keisling, Andrew Lacy, Zach Legaux, Brooklynne Scivally)
BANANAHEAD (d. Christopher Greenslate)
BATHROOM SPIDER (d. Christine Weatherup)
BEAST OF THE NORTHWOODS (d. Harrison Reeder)
BEEF CREEK – Animated Pilot (d. Kurt Vinci, Seby X Martinez)
THE BEGUILING (d. Ishkwaazhe Shane McSauby)
BLOODY MARIAN (d. Sommar Ashleigh Boulware)
BLUBBER (d. Chloë Levine)
THE BOHANNONS – NIGHT CONSTRUCTION – Official Music Video (d. Matt Eslinger)
BRICK BOY (d. Scott Vasey)
BUMP (d. Kyle Kasabian)
C.U.N.T. (SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY) (d. Gabriela Perez Figuereo)
CANCER SZN (d. Zachary Green)
CAT & FISH (d. Nilram Ranjbar)
CEASE TO EXIST (d. Taylor Nodrick)
CHECK PLEASE (d. Shane Chung)
CHERRY-COLORED FUNK (d. Chelsie Pennello)
CHICKENBOY (d. Matthew Rush)
CLOSED CIRCUIT (d. Karl Redgen)
THE CONFECTION (d. Christopher Jason Bell)
THE CREATURE OF BLOOD LAKE (d. Dylan A. Young)
DAMN HANDY (d. Peter Filardi)
DAMNED (d. Lukas Anderson)
DAUGHTERS OF EVIL (d. Adam Taylor, Natasha Malone)
DEAD PET SHARK (d. Misha Gankin)
DEADLY DUELS VII (d. Justine Beed)
DESTROYER (d. Judd Myers)
DID MY HEART LOVE TILL NOW (d. Veronica Tullo)
DID YOU REMEMBER THE CAT? (d. Daniel Foster)
DISFIGURA (d. Jake Bradbury, Toni Blando)
DON’T BUY THE LIVERWURST (d. Nathaniel Hendricks)
DON’T SCREW THIS UP (d. Nathan Evans)
DON’T LOOK (d. John Wyatt)
DREAM AMERICAN (d. Greg Marcks)
ELDRITCH KARAOKE (d. Joe Loftus)
ELEGANCIA (d. Maria Shevtsova)
EMPTY JARS (d. Guillermo Ribbeck)
ENDZGIVING (d. Tina Carbone)
ESCAPE (d. Lorenzo Manetti)
FACES (d. Blake Simon)
FEED (d. Kara McLeland)
THE FLACALTA EFFECT (d. Rochée Jeffrey)
FOREVER YOURS (d. Elliott Louis McKee)
FRANKENBABES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE! (d. Andrew Bowser)
FRENCH LESSONS (d. Anna Maguire, Kyle Greenberg)
THE GIRLIES (d. Natalie Couture)
HER HOUSE (d. Will Lee)
HI I JUST MOVED HERE (d. Alessandro Pulisci)
HIVE (d. Felipe Vargas)
HOWL IF YOU LOVE ME (d. John R. Dilworth)
HUMAN RESOURCE (d. Henry Chaisson)
THE HUMMING GROWS (d. Aughbar)
I DREAMT OF BEING AN ACTRESS (d. Isabel Nola)
IS THAT A MIME? (d. Michael Spencer)
IT DRAWS CLOSER (d. Joshua David Matthews)
THE KEY CLUB (d. Lee Boxleitner, Sam Boxleitner)
THE KOLA TAPE (d. South Turk)
KRAKENS MAW (d. Miro Santeri Seppanen)
THE LAST THING SHE SAW (d. Anthony Cousins, Rebecca Daugherty)
THE LILY & THE SCORPION (d. Charlie Netto)
LOLA (d. Grace Hanna)
LOUD (d. Adam Azimov)
MANNY WOLFE (d. Trevor Neuhoff)
MASKS (d. Andre LeBlanc)
MEEET (d. Laama Almandani)
MIRROR MAN (d. Jakob Owens)
MODEL CITIZEN (d. Rachael Dahl)
MR. STATIC (d. Mike Williamson)
OK/NOTOK (d. Pardeep Sahota)
OPEN WIDE (d. Sam Fox)
PARKING LOT SEAGULLS (d. Michael Curtis Johnson)
PHROG (d. Brandon Vallee Ross)
THE PLEDGE (d. Jackson Stofka)
POCKETMAN (d. Ericka Clevenger)
POP MONSTERS (d. Megan Brooks)
THE PRINCESS OF COYOTE PALMS (d. Danielle McRae Spisso, Stephen Vanderpool)
PUMPKIN GUTS (d. Bryan M. Ferguson)
RADIATION (d. Peter Collins Campbell)
RANDY AS HIMSELF (d. Margaret Miller)
RED IRON ROAD: IN THE HEAT (d. Sam Chou)
REM (d. Blair Bathory)
ROUGE (d. Nicholas Jackson)
SECOND DATE WITH WET SARA (d. Creston Whittington, Evan Enderle)
THE SELKIE (d. Sara Friedman)
SEMPRE AVANTI (d. Matthew Barber, Nathaniel Barber)
SEVERED (d. Megan Duffy)
SEWING MACHINE (d. Tyler William Hagen)
SICK DAY (d. Hughes Ransom)
SIN EATER (d. Corey Simpson)
SKEETER (d. Chris McInroy)
SLOW (d. Rebecca Berrih)
SLUSH (d. Ashley George)
SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH KIT (d. Lida Everhart)
STRINGS (d. Ava Pearson, Eleanor Smith, Nina Zandvliet)
STRIYA (d. Paige Campbell)
SUPPER (d. Joshua Ryan Dietz)
SWEET DREAMING (d. Andrew Laudone)
TEAGAN AND HIS BROS (d. Ronald Short)
TERROIR (d. Casey Rogerson)
TETHER (d. Meredith Berg)
THE THINGS WE KEEP (d. Joanna Fernandez)
THE TRAVELER (d. Matthew Scheffler)
THE TRAVELER & THE TROLL (d. Adam Murray)
THERE IS NO ANTIMEMETICS DIVISION (d. Adria Marie Lang)
TIL DEATH DO US PART (d. Bronwyn Blanks-Bludell, Alexander Protich)
TIN SOLDIERS (d. Aris Federman)
TO WRITE THE ENDING (d. Shaler Keenum)
TWO BREATHS (d. Kateryna Kurganska)
THE VANITY (d. Megan Rosati)
VHX (d. Alisa Stern, Scott Ampleford)
VOTE FOR WYRM (d. Benjamin Percy)
WAKE (d. Sean Carter)
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BALLOONS (d. Jennifer Bonior)
WHAT’S LEFT (d. Ryan Gentle, Austin Quarles)
WRONG GUY (d. Brett Maline)
YOU WAKE TO FIND YOURSELF ALONE IN THE WOODS (d. Brad McHargue)
YOU’RE AN ANGEL (d. Zachary Eglinton)
YOUR HUSBAND WAS A GOOD MAN (d. Jamie Alvey)
