SHORT BITES I // HORROR
Saint-Sacrifice
Canada I 2023 I 14 min I Director: Jean-Claude Leblanc
He had promised her love and faithfulness until death do them part, but Antoine, the widower, will be willing to lose his soul to be reunited with his wife on the other side.
The Book of Naughty Kids
Brazil I 2023 I 14 min I Director: Miguel Soares Moreira, Lucas de Almeida Ackerman
Amanda, a curious 10-year-old, wonders about the existence of Santa Claus. After some trouble at school caused by her classmates Marcel and Lana, she wishes they would disappear from her life. On Christmas Eve, she discovers that Santa might not be so good after all. Who is the naughty or the nice kid?
Red Gloves
United States I 2023 I 11 min I Director: Santiago Saba Salem
A dancer at the top of her class, is accosted during a lonely night of rehearsing by a shadowy figure wearing red gloves.
the DIREcTOR
Santiago Saba Salem was born in Lima, Peru. He moved to New York City to pursue a career in film and graduated from the School of Visual Arts film program, receiving the Rhodes Family Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film. After graduating he worked for the horror production company Glass Eye Pix. He graduated from the MFA Directing program at Brooklyn College’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema.
Septichexen
Norway I 2023 I 13 min I Director: Anders Elsrud Hultgreen
In the sewers beneath the city of Bergen, a microbiologist tries to uncover the source of a contamination of the drinking water.
the DIREcTOR
Anders Elsrud Hultgreen (1986) is a filmmaker and visual artist based in Bergen, Norway. His previous short film the award winning Hospital Dumpster Divers was screened at 43 film festivals worldwide and won over 15 awards. In 2014 he directed the science fiction feature film Morgenrøde. Beside filmmaking he do also create books.
He has studied Film and Art at Bergen Academy of Art & Design, Werner Herzog's Rogue Film School, Emily Carr University of Art & Design and Nordland Vocational College of Art & Film.
Red Velvet
United States I 2023 I 13 min I Director: Blake Simon
Upon learning the end of the world is taking place, a lonely man locks himself in a motel room when a female escort arrives at his door…
the DIREcTOR
Blake Simon is a writer and director known for creating emotionally engaging genre thrillers. Blake has also worked in a variety of roles on numerous multi-million dollar studio films, including Logan (2017), Academy Award Best Picture nominee Ford v Ferrari (2019), and most recently as a Producer on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). In 2016 his student film Goldilocks was honored at the DGA as part of the Film Outside the Frame Awards before amassing over half a million views online. In 2022 his screenplay for the time travel feature Return to Sender placed on the Coverfly Red List in the top 2% of the platform. In 2023 his horror short Red Velvet hit the festival circuit to rave reviews and award nominations, earning comparisons to Black Mirror and The Twilight Zone.
PARALLEL
Spain I 2023 I 9 min I Director: Sam Orti Marti
He wakes up dazed, disoriented, strapped to a stretcher. He tries to free himself and ask for help, his anxiety increases when he discovers his captors, two strange creatures who subject him to all kinds of experiments and torture. Panic makes him lose consciousness and reason... sometimes things are not what they seem.
the DIREcTOR
Sam, born in Valencia, has dedicated the last 20 years of his life to specialized stop-motion animation films. Where he has invested the most time and effort is in his own work, winning numerous awards with short films such as «Encarna», «The Werepig» or «Vicenta» and in his latest feature film «Pos eso». Today Sam continues developing personal projects and collaborating with other companies and studios around the world and expanding his knowledge to new disciplines.
out from the sea
Brazil I 2023 I 15 min I Director: Gabriel Manduca
A man walks at night towards the beach wishing to forget his recent and fateful wedding party, as if he could do so with just one wish. What he doesn't know is that something is going to hear his wailing.
Claudio
Brazil I 2023 I 10 min I Director: Calebe Lopes
the director
Brazilian filmmaker with a special interest in fantastic cinema, Calebe has directed short films such as "A Triste Figura" (2018) and "Pelano!" (co-directed with Chris Mariani, 2019), screened and awarded at dozens of film festivals in several countries, including Festival de Brasília do Cinema Brasileiro, Curta Cinema and Fantaspoa. He is currently developing the screenplay for "Menarca", his first feature film, co-written with Marina Lordelo.