Indie
Oak Cliff Film Festival Closes Out with ‘A Ghost Story’
The Dallas-based Oak Cliff Film Festival just announced the Feature Program for its sixth year. The festival runs from June 8th to June 11, 2017. Closing out the festival this year is David Lowery’s A Ghost Story.
The critically acclaimed supernatural drama from writer-director David Lowery stars Academy Award winning actor Casey Affleck (Manchester By The Sea) and Cannes award-winning actress Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Carol) and was one of the hottest tickets at Sundance where it had its world premiere this past January.
“With A GHOST STORY, acclaimed director David Lowery returns with a singular exploration of legacy, loss, and the essential human longing for meaning and connection. Recently deceased, a white-sheeted ghost (Academy Award-winner Casey Affleck) returns to his suburban home to console his bereft wife (Academy Award-nominee Rooney Mara), only to find that in his spectral state he has become unstuck in time, forced to watch passively as the life he knew and the woman he loves slowly slip away. Increasingly unmoored, the ghost embarks on a cosmic journey through memory and history, confronting life’s ineffable questions and the enormity of existence. An unforgettable meditation on love and grief, A GHOST STORY emerges ecstatic and surreal.”
In addition to Lowery’s tale of ghosts and loss the festival also boasts the first Texas screening of much-lauded cult-director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s latest film Endless Poetry whose star, Adan Jodorowsky will be in attendance for a Q&A about his father’s autobiographical film and the Texas premiere of Kevin Phillip’s Super Dark Times, a coming-of-age thriller that Bloody Disgusting’s own Brad Miska calls both “super violent” and “an awesome film”.
“Best friends Zach and Josh are like any other teenagers growing up in mid-’90s suburbia. They lead normal lives that revolve around high school, their crushes on the same girl, and loitering about town. When an afternoon in the park takes a grave turn, however, the boys try to pretend as though nothing has happened. The guilt soon starts to eat away at Zach as he is caught between nightmares and an increasing paranoia that Josh is no longer the same.”
Beyond the aforementioned films, the festival will also be host to a full slate of 23 other feature length films, a slew of documentaries and a few repertory screenings including Alejandro Jodorowsky’s horror classic Santa Sangre (1989) and the late Jonathan Demme’s blood-spattered drama Something Wild (1986).
The Oak Cliff Film Festival is an event that spans the city of Dallas, Texas but makes its home at the historic Texas Theatre, which horror fans may know as one of the shooting locations for Brian De Palma’s 1974 horror rock opera Phantom of the Paradise.
To keep up with the Oak Cliff Film Festival, visit them online at http://oakclifffilmfestival.com and follow them on twitter at @filmoakcliff.
-Nathan Steinmetz
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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