Screen Anarchy

The final wave of film for this year’s Unnnamed Footage Festival were announced heading into the weekend.    This wave includes a couple of folk horror tales from Thai and Ireland, a standout film from SXSW Sydney, and a long unseen faux-doc from celebrated writer and directer, Gary Sherman, which has been scheduled to close out this year’s festival.    A selection of short films were announced as well. You will find those below this wave’s announcement. All the feature films can be found in the gallery below.    UNNAMED FOOTAGE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FULL LINEUP OF FILMS INCLUDING WORLD PREMIERES OF THAI FOLK HORROR SAMING, IRISH FOLK HORROR DISTORT 2: DEAD AMONG THE TREES, MIDWEST NOIR ZEBRA HOOVES, AND BAY AREA SHOT THIS HOUSE IS…

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In 2024 Damian McCarthy lit up the horror world with his quietly terrifying Oddity, a film I reviewed for its SXSW world premiere, and while it was topping year end horror lists left and right, I was a bit less enthusiastic. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed the film, and have seen it a couple of times since, but I felt like there was just something missing that couldn’t quite put my finger on. Here we are two years down the road and McCarthy is back, and it’s time for his close-up. This time around he’s back at SXSW with the world premiere of Hokum, backed by the indie powerhouses and Oscar-machines at NEON, and starring one of Hollywood’s most dependable actors, Severance’s Adam…

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A traveling psychic medium who specializes in clearing unwanted spirits arrives at a remote Japanese hotel to take on her most unexpected and dangerous challenge yet in Dave Boyle’s ravishingly dark ghost story, Never After Dark. Airi (Moeka Hoshi) makes a modest living traveling the Japanese countryside helping distraught homeowners shoo away ghosts that typically present more of a nuisance than a threat. When she arrives at the hotel owned by Teiko (Tae Kimura) and her son Gunji (actor/producer Kento Kaku, House of Ninjas), she discovers that the entity that has been plaguing the property is unlike any she’s ever experienced. Sending Teiko and Gunji off-site so she can focus on her work, Airi finds herself in a battle for survival against an adversary who…

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Mor Cohen and Polaris Banks scripted and star; Polaris Banks directed.

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Singer and songwriter Steven Fromholz’s roots go deep and his influence goes wide.

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Actress/director Ayden Mayeri’s surprising documentary celebrates life, friendship and the ties that bind. Which is still only half the story. Because there’s also the music!

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The gig economy is killing Gen Z, and Grind has something to say about it. This anthology film from directors Brea Grant (12 Hour Shift), Chelsea Stardust (Satanic Panic), and Ed Dougherty explores the unique and exquisite pains of making ends meet in a brave new world where a full-time job can feel like a pipe dream. Composed of four main interconnected segments co-written by Grant and Dougherty, Grind takes on the many ways that The Man takes advantage of the little people who are just barely scraping by. Episodes imagining the various real and imagines horrors of social media influencer culture, the perils of food delivery drivers, the degradation of the human soul experienced by content moderators, and those who dare to attempt to…

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Plus: ‘Bodycam’ and ‘The Ugly.’

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We posted the trailer and poster for Curry Barker’s darkly whimsical horror comedy, Obsession, earlier this week. However, the key art, from design house grandson, bears a bit more discussion in today’s column. Sometimes, simply an iconic still from the movie does indeed make the perfect poster. As the lead stares uncertainly at the ‘magical object’ that is about to turn his life upside-down in a ‘monkey’s paw’ kind of way, his would-be girlfriend ominously stands in the background as a shadow bathed in light — a superb visual storytelling image in a film filled with them.  Meanwhile, the title card comes literally between them, with a hint of chromic aberration. Much like the work of Akiko Stehrenberger, the credit block eschews its formal marketing placement…

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We are, admittedly, a couple of days behind on this announcement of the first wave of titles for this year’s tenth edition of the Overlook Film Festival. Shame on us.    But there is no shame to be had if you’re a programmer at the festival. They have announced a first wave packed with festival hits like their opening film, Obsession, and centerpiece, Leviticus. And what we imagine will be a hit on the circuit, Damian McCarthy’s Hokum, will close out this year’s festival.    Larry Fesseden’s new film, Trauma, or Monsters All, will have its world premiere at the festival. In addition to that treat, three more of Fessenden’s films will be screened during the event. Other films that have been in the news lately…

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