Indie
Watch a ‘Shark’ Attack in the ‘Snow’!
Snow Shark: Ancient Snow Beast, the feature film debut of 25-year-old writer/director Sam Qualiana, has wrapped production in Lockport, New York, outside Buffalo.
Qualiana originally made a Snow Shark short seven years ago, when he and his brothers attached a shark fin to their dog. After winning the Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival’s “Filmmaker to Watch” award for his short crime drama No Road Out, he decided to remake the Snow Shark short using the skills he had developed in the intervening years. Reaction to the project was so positive he turned it into a feature instead and started shooting on weekends, before the script was completed, to beat the spring thaw.
“After a scientist (Michael O’Hear) discovers the titular creature is feasting on the local residents of a small Western New York town, the mayor (Robert Bozek) hires cryptozoologists and a shark hunter (Andrew Elias, Kathy Murphy, Andy Taylor) to help the sheriff (C.J. Qualiana, the director’s father) track down the beast. At the same time a former snow shark attack survivor (director Qualiana) makes plans of his own to stop the creature. Jackey Hall (Chainsaw Cheerleaders) plays a woman who demands answers when her husband disappears.”
The production eschewed CGI in favor of practical creature effects. John Renna, who also plays a victim, built a full-size shark head to eat himself and the other actors, and Arick Szymecki and Andrew Lavin of Anomaly FX created a miniature shark and landscapes.
The filmmakers hope to complete the film by early fall, in time for the film festival season, when the search for distribution will begin.
Check out a pretty hilarious and awesome teaser below, with a second 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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