Indie
News Bites Cannes Edition: Five Trailers, Five Films: ‘Sector 7,’ ‘Vamps in Venice,’ ‘Reaper,’ ‘Boggy Creek’ & ‘Spirit Hunters’
The kickoff of this week’s Cannes market has caused an overflow of news that’s nearly impossible to keep up with. Keeping with some early stories, we’ve now collected five new trailers for this latest Cannes edition of “News Bites.”
First, it’s the week of tentacles as we just now landed the teaser debut of Kim Ji-hoon’s Korean Aliens-inspired Sector 7, a 3-D creature feature “about a mutated creature runs amok in an oil prospecting ship.”
Second is the sales trailer for Bleiberg Entertainment’s (Dance of the Dead, Episode 50) Vampires in Venice, directed by Deborah Goodwin and starring Edward Remington Hoffman, Aleksei Archer, Jennifer Skyler and Bill Cobbs. “On his first night in his new place in Venice Beach, Keith is attacked by some kind of vampire bat and begins to feel a change coming on. Whatever’s inside him is taking over fast and he is unable to remember if the visions of blood in his head are a nightmare or reality.”
Next up is a look at the slasher Jack the Reaper, which stars Tony Todd, Douglas Tait and Sally Kirkland. “When a group of teens set out on a field trip to a railroad museum, they encounter `Railroad Jack’, who makes sure their bus crashes and they are forced to explore Railroad Jack’s carnival, where the reaper “picks” them off one by one.”
Boggy Creek, Brian T. Jaynes’ quasi-remake stars Texas Battle, Melissa Carnell, Stephanie Honore, Damon Lipari, Shavon Kirksey and Sarah Jenazian. “For over 30 years, the residents of Boggy Creek have kept a terrifying secret.” Bigfoot stalks this indie.
Lastly comes a look at J.P. Pierce’s Spirit Hunters (formerly End of the Road), “A cinematographer and soundman, Morgan and Cricket, head to a remote Idaho ranch to film the pilot episode of “Spirit Seekers,” a new reality TV show about ghost hunters. When the host dies during filming, the production shuts down. Unbeknownst to the cast and crew, the show’s director planned the host’s death to boost ratings. Dr. Randolf Fairfax (Doug Jones) fears the bloodshed has awoken supernatural spirits that are now hellbent on their own revenge! The crew must try to survive, dodging bullets, ghosts, and scheming television producers (played by Star Trek’s Robert Picardo and Michael Dorn) as they race to find out what is really going on at the end of the road.”
Check out all four trailers inside!
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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