HorrorFest International Film Festival announces filmmaker awards at wrap of 20th Anniversary edition of fest

The Film and Media Alliance of Southern Utah (FMASU) announced the filmmaker awards and winners of its screenplay competition following the popular genre film festival’s 20th Anniversary edition.

The awards were led by Adam Leader and Richard Oakes’ UK entry, Feed Me, which won Best Feature Film, while the film’s stars, Christopher Mulvin and Neal Ward, shared the Best Actor Award.

Joseph and Vanessa Winter’s Deadstream is the Audience Choice, and Matthew Fackrell’s Who Goes There took the award for the Scariest Film.

Feed Me, HorrorFest International Film Festival
FEED ME
Deadstream, HorrorFest International Film Festival
DEADSTREAM

This year’s edition screened 67 films (6 features and 61 shorts) representing 16 countries with 26 feature-length scrips and 22 scripts for short films competing in the film festival’s script competition against the backdrop of the classic Electric Theater and some of the most breathtaking scenic locales in the U.S. including Zion National Park, Pine Valley, and Snow Canyon.

HorrorFest International Film Festival Co-Founders and Senior Programmers, Adam Mast, John Pugh, and Jeff Sanders, said, “The celebration of our 20th year was highlighted by the things that have made this film festival a truly special event for the lovers of horror, sci-fi, and genre films for the past two decades. The special events like our live Creepshow reading and special presentation of horror films that inspired him with stalwart genre writer/filmmaker/artist Frank Dietz, our secret screening underlined the festival in our title, but it still begins and ends with the films in our lineup. These award-winning films and filmmakers highlighted a great year for HorrorFest International.”

Pox, HorrorFest International Film Festival
POX
The Pey, HorrorFest International Film Festival
THE PEY
Beacon
BEACON

Other winners among the film awards, included Simon Young’s Pox (Best Animated Film), Will Lee’s Ringworms (Best Horror/Comedy Film), Ramone Menon’s The Pey (Best Creature Feature Film), Andrew Stadler’s Beacon (Best Horror Sci-Fi Film), and J. Manzo’s Lupe (Best Made-In-Utah Film). Winning Short Films included Thomas Matthew Brush’s The Unlocking won Best U.S. Short Film, Frank van den Bogaart’s Darker was named Best International Short Film, and Choni Francis’ Black Zombie Movie won the Audience Choice Short.

Incubus, HorrorFest International Film Festival
Malou Coindreau in Incubus
Adriana Bakker in Darker, HorrorFest International Film Festival
Adriana Bakker in Darker

Additional individual awards included Incubus’ Malou Coindreau winning Best Actress, Darker’s Adriana Bakker taking the Rising Star Award, and Philip Trow winning Best Screenplay for his film, Upstairs. The award for Best Cinematography went to Regina Fernandez, Diego Vargas Nasser for their work on Unheimlich, and Best Makeup Effects went to Christian Bachini’s Escalation. First place in the screenplay competitions went to Tracy L. Morse and Sophia Porter’s “Pick-a-Part” (Feature Length Screenplay), and Jason G. Rice’s “Stray” (Short Film Screenplay).

From the Opening Night presentation of Adrian Langley’s Bunker with producer James Huntsman and writer Michael Huntsman in attendance, Rob York’s Utah-produced horror outing, Curse of Crom: The Legend of Halloween, with York on hand, to the Closing Night screening of Joseph and Vanessa Winter’s horror-comedy Deadstream, including the husband and wife filmmaking team, this year’s edition of HorrorFest International Film Festival had a theme of several filmmakers attending to discuss the making-of, filmmaking styles, and influences that are unique to genre films. It was a great capper to the first two decades, as well as an enthusiastic bridge to the future of a film festival that is having a resurgence as a destination fest for horror and sci-fi filmmakers.

To find more information about the HorrorFest International Film Festival, please go to: https://www.fmasu.com/horrorfest.


2022 Horror Fest International Filmmaker Award Winners

FILM AWARDS

Best Feature Film

Feed Me

Directors: Adam Leader, Richard Oakes

Scariest Film

Who Goes There

Director: Matthew Fackrell

Best Animated Film

Pox

Director: Simon Young

Best Horror/Comedy Film

Ringworms

Directed by Will Lee

Best Creature Feature Film

The Pey

Director: Ramone Menon

Best Horror Sci-Fi Film

Beacon

Director: Andrew Stadler

Best Made-In-Utah Film

Lupe

Director: J. Manzo

Best U.S. Short Film

The Unlocking

Director: Thomas Matthew Brush

Best International Short Film

Darker

Director: Frank van den Bogaart


AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Audience Choice Feature

Deadstream

Directors: Joseph Winter, Vanessa Winter

Audience Choice Short

Black Zombie Movie

Director: Choni Francis


INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Best Actress

Malou Coindreau for Incubus

Best Actor

TIE – Christopher Mulvin and Neal Ward for Feed Me

Rising Star Award

Adriana Bakker for Darker

Best Screenplay
Upstairs

Writer: Philip Trow

Best Cinematography

Unheimlich

Cinematographers: Regina Fernandez, Diego Vargas Nasser

Best Makeup Effects

Escalation

Director: Christian Bachini


SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

Feature Length Screenplays
First Place

“Pick-a-Part”

Written by Tracy L. Morse and Sophia Porter

Second Place

“Spermboy”

Written by Mark Dollard

Third Place

“Soon”

Written by Anthony Catalano

Short Screenplays
First Place

“Stray”

Written by Jason G. Rice

Second Place

“Lab Partners”

Written by Tommy Britt

Third Place

“The Harvest”

Written by EJ Dahm

HorrorFest International Film Festival announces filmmaker awards at wrap of 20th Anniversary edition of fest