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.
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.”
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.
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