2024 Official Selection
supported by
A.R.C.A
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Sci-Fi
Feature
WORLD PREMIERE
Canberra
Director:
Maggie Callinan
Michael Liehne
James Kelly
Nicholas Gaisbaue
Producer:
Michael Liehne
Taylor Thomson
Gianluca Cavalieri
Nicholas Gaisbauer
Matthew Baxter
After discovering a massacre in the executive boardroom, four colleagues must solve the mystery of the supernatural containment breach and deactivate the covert holding facility's lockdown to escape the destructive nuclear missle headed for them
Screening Date:
Opening Night Screening - Friday 25th October
Duration:
0:51:19
Alien vs Chainsaw Killer
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Sci-Fi
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Norway
Director:
Øyvind Willumsen
Producer:
Eivind Bergset
A serial killer gets a taste of his own medicine when he finds himself abducted by aliens.
Screening Date:
Closing Night Screening - Thursday 31st October
Duration:
0:08:38
Blood Spot
AIE Atrium Cinema
Psychological
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
VIC
Director:
Siobhan Paterson
Producer:
Nathan Derix-Brown
Natasha Koutoufides
Tensions arise as a jealous understudy, a spoon fed lead, a frantic stage manager and ruthless director prepare for the opening night of "Macbeth".
Screening Date:
Night of Horror Screening - Wednesday 30th October
Duration:
0:09:16
Burden
AIE Atrium Cinema
Psychological
Short
Canberra Premiere
South Australia
Director:
Jordan Ellis
Producer:
Robyn Clarke
A young man is tormented by a sadistic creature only he can see.
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:07:47
Cabin 217
AIE Atrium Cinema
Supernatural
Long Short
Canberra Premiere
VIC
Director:
Julia Sammut
Stacey-Lea Clark
Producer:
Julia Sammut
Stacey-Lea Clark
Best friends Cora and Margot are looking for a peaceful getaway at a cosy cabin in the woods; but not all goes to plan; especially once the girls find an old ouija board and test their luck.
Screening Date:
Night of Horror Screening - Wednesday 30th October
Duration:
0:20:51
Closed Circuit
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Monster
Short
Canberra Premiere
VIC
Director:
Karl Redgen
Producer:
Reuben Meltzer
During a routine graveyard shift, a security guard discovers a mysterious black dog that transforms into a towering 7-foot demon.
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:14:00
Demon Dog
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Comedy
Short
Canberra Premiere
NSW
Director:
Juliana Purnell
Producer:
Juliana Purnell
Laura Duncan needs to find an exorcist for her dog.
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:04:28
Devil's Spawn
AIE Atrium Cinema
Music Video
Short
Festival Premiere
Canberra
Director:
Matthew Baxter
Producer:
Gianluca Cavalieri
Four priests die in a car crash and must battle the Devil with the power of metal.
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:04:33
Doghouse
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Thriller
Short
Canberra Premiere
QLD
Director:
Charnstar Anderson
Producer:
Lachlan Maher
Alex Purcell
After being left to sleep on the couch alone, an apathetic husband is visited by an eerie stranger with a tempting offer.
Screening Date:
Closing Night Screening - Thursday 31st October
Duration:
0:08:18
Doomed in Sydney
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Comedy
Short
Canberra Premiere
NSW
Director:
Matthew C. Vella
Producer:
Matthew C. Vella
When a serial killer breaks into her house, a young girl calls the emergency hotline only to discover an unexpected problem with the city of Sydney.
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:02:00
Dracula's Super Scary Halloween
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Animation
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
USA/AUS
Director:
Kevin Maher
Joe Dator
Producer:
Kevin Maher
A new take on the Dracula story, combining horror and comedy. Rendered in pen and ink, in a crosshatched style reminiscent of Edward Gorey and Charles Addams. This Halloween tale delivers laughs and chills for monster kids of all ages.
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:05:24
Dream Girl
AIE Atrium Cinema
Suspense
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
UK
Director:
Dinah Marti
Corry Raymond
Producer:
Corry Raymond
Exhausted from the repercussions of the pandemic, frightened of the woman’s harrowing cries and overwhelmed by the emotional demand of his job, a young doctor driven to the edge of sanity.
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:09:26
Find You Here
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Folkloric
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
UK
Director:
Jo Smyth
Producer:
Tom Cushing
Find You Here is a gnarly piece of folkloric horror about what happens when a toxic couple find themselves at an abandoned scare event built on evil land. Will they survive the night?
Screening Date:
Opening Night Screening - Friday 25th October
Duration:
0:14:30
Have a Good Day
AIE Atrium Cinema
Comedy
Long Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Canada
Director:
Lisa Soper
Producer:
Shane Boucher
Megan Inwood
A horror writer with writer's block searches for inspiration in a different, sometimes absurd, yet creative way, only to face their biggest fear - self-doubt.
Screening Date:
Opening Night Screening - Friday 25th October
Duration:
0:27:38
I Was
AIE Atrium Cinema
Psychological
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Italy
Director:
Matteo Capatti
Lorenzo Mazzucchi
Producer:
Matteo Capatti
Lorenzo Mazzucchi
Carlo Loglisci
Anya Powell, a struggling horror writer battling writer's block, seeks refuge in her mountain home during a winter storm. Strange disturbances plague her as she writes,
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:04:13
Isleen Pines
AIE Atrium Cinema
Comedy
Feature
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
USA
Director:
Matthew Festle
Alexys Paonessa
Producer:
Alexys Paonessa
Matthew Festle
Matt Leal
A group of friends get together for the annual Halloween party, but their wild night is interrupted by mysterious visitors.
Screening Date:
Night of Horror Screening - Wednesday 30th October
Duration:
1:23:00
It Grew Both Day and Night
AIE Atrium Cinema
Monster
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
UK
Director:
David Churchyard
Producer:
David Churchyard
Richard Norris
Patt Foad
Prudence Beecroft
A stubborn allotment gardener, past his prime, yearns for the glory days. But his wrath for an irreverent rival consumes him
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:12:57
Leechman: Son of a Leech!
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Comedy
Short
Canberra Premiere
TAS
Director:
Uday Alexander
Mira Morningbird
Linda Maiden
Christian Whiteman
Andy McKenzie
Producer:
Uday Alexander
Mira Morningbird
Linda Maiden
Christian Whiteman
Andy McKenzie
A couple trapped in the Australian bush get swept up in the machinations of a leech-worshipping cult.
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:08:06
Les Betes
AIE Atrium Cinema
Animation
Short
Canberra Premiere
USA
Director:
Michael Granberry
Producer:
Michael Granberry
A mysterious rabbit with a set of magic keys summons a host of strange creatures to entertain a wicked king and his decadent court in this dark stop-motion animated fantasy inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich.
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:11:38
Lost
AIE Atrium Cinema
Animation
Short
Canberra Premiere
VIC
Director:
Emerald Waldie-Rusic
Producer:
Jason Do
What hides in the un-walked corridors of a hospital basement? In this hand-drawn 2D animated horror short, follow a mother and her child into the depths below a hospital as they discover their ever-present shadows… aren’t what they seem…
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:02:40
Lucky Devil
AIE Atrium Cinema
Supernatural
Long Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
QLD
Director:
Peter Koevari
Producer:
Peter Koevari
An archaeologist, Charlie, must escape a horrific demon attached to an artifact, before it kills everyone she loves.
Screening Date:
Night of Horror Screening - Wednesday 30th October
Duration:
0:36:54
Lured
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Comedy
Short
Canberra Premiere
QLD
Director:
Joshua Gannon
Producer:
Janneke Williamson
A romantic guy on a first date, encounters an unexpected meeting with his date's parents.
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:10:15
No onE
AIE Atrium Cinema
Thriller
Short
Canberra Premiere
NSW
Director:
David Barbato
Producer:
David Barbato
A boy is lured into the woods in search of a crying baby. He finds more than he bargains for...
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:04:17
Perfomance Review
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Comedy
Short
Screened in Canberra Previously
Canberra
Director:
Tim Stiles
Luke McWilliams
Producer:
Tim Stiles
Luke McWilliams
An awkward office worker finds that being a people pleaser can be dangerous when a performance review takes a sinister turn...
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:09:30
Ripe for Change
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Comedy
Short
Canberra Premiere
QLD
Director:
Alisha Joy Higgins
Producer:
Alisha Joy Higgins
Sheah-Leander Albert Bronson Kahika
Andrea Elizabeth Hearn
Jamie Lake Blee
A group of diverse individuals find themselves entangled in a series of bizarre body swaps after indulging in a mysterious fruit at a remote market stall.
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:11:49
Sapere Aude
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Animation
Short
Canberra Premiere
VIC
Director:
Chadai Chamoun
Producer:
Ellen Lim
A man of science, trapped between the arcane and incomprehensible grief, resorts to unthinkable measures to try to prolong his beloved’s life.
Screening Date:
Closing Night Screening - Thursday 31st October
Duration:
0:05:42
Speak to Me
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Psychological
Short
Screened in Canberra Previously
Canberra
Director:
Taylor Thomson
Producer:
Nathan Gounden
When two brothers, who covered up an awful act of violence, reunite months later, the younger brothermust cope with the haunting of the deep-filled guilt of their actions and discovers that his sibling has no remorse at all.
Screening Date:
Closing Night Screening - Thursday 31st October
Duration:
0:08:00
Split Personality
AIE Atrium Cinema
Sci-Fi
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
NSW
Director:
Hamish Watson
Producer:
Damon Peters
When an arrogant scientist's cloning experiment appears to be a success, he soon discovers a deadly side effect that leaves him racing against time to recodify the process before it's too late.
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:07:00
Sunset Syndication
AIE Atrium Cinema
Comedy
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
USA
Director:
Joseph DiTavi
Owen Thayer
Producer:
Joseph DiTavi
Owen Thayer
In 1996, the country’s largest cable provider went defunct without a trace. A single tape reveals what happened on the day everything went to static.
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:15:00
The Beast Inside
AIE Atrium Cinema
Monster
Short
Canberra Premiere
NSW
Director:
Angus Lowe
Producer:
Angus Lowe. Paul Rye
Lost and alone, George plunges into a dark fantasy world where he must trust the aid of a peculiar hunchback and an eccentric alchemist in order to escape the clutches of a terrifying 'BEAST' and confront his ex-girlfriend Vanessa...
Screening Date:
Night of Horror Screening - Wednesday 30th October
Duration:
00:08:23
The Getaway
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Indigenous
Short
Canberra Premiere
South Australia
Director:
Adam Scott Jenkins
Producer:
Tim Harkness
A young Aboriginal man who recently lost his mother, decides to return to Country to find out where he belongs, where he unwillingly disturbs a grave unleashing a spiritual protector that will stop at nothing for revenge.
Screening Date:
Closing Night Screening - Thursday 31st October
Duration:
0:11:00
The Gourd, The Brad, and The Ghostly
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Comedy
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
USA
Director:
Jillian Terwedo-Malsbury
Producer:
Annie McGrath
After causing a tragic accident on Halloween night, Brad is haunted by his guilty conscience as he takes the elevator down to the scene of the crime. Is he heading to the lobby... or straight to hell?
Screening Date:
Closing Night Screening - Thursday 31st October
Duration:
0:09:24
The Skin She's In
AIE Atrium Cinema
Monster
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
Canada
Director:
Cole McCracken
Producer:
Cole McCracken
A woman whose skin has begun to rot, goes for a night on the town, looking for someone to lure home for a deadly purpose.
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:08:35
The Tickle Monster
AIE B-Block Hall/Soul Cartel Cafe
Comedy
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
USA
Director:
Brett Helms
Producer:
Brett Helms
The film follows Max, a troubled kid who steals a book from a mystical shop. Upon reading it at home, he unwittingly unleashes The Tickle Monster, a creature bent on causing chaos, by tickling people...to death!
Screening Date:
Horror + Comedy Night - Tuesday 29th October
Duration:
0:17:17
The Torment
AIE Atrium Cinema
Thriller
Short
Canberra Premiere
South Australia
Director:
Dhruv Rao
Producer:
Dhruv Rao
An old-fashioned, haunted house story about a person trying to cast away a ghostly entity...or is it??
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
0:05:19
Theatre of the Dead
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Zombie
Feature
TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Canberra
Director:
Patrick J. Gallagher
Producer:
Dan Sanguineti
Patrick J Gallagher
John Cougar
Locked away in their theatre, the cast and crew of "Angels In Hell" spend seemingly endless hours in rehearsal, unaware of the rapid and shocking changes taking place in the world outside. Now, trapped in the theatre by a horde of the living dead, with limited resources, they must decide between staying put, or taking matters into their own hands.
Screening Date:
Theatre of the Dead Late 10yr Screening - Sunday 27th October
Duration:
1:24:30
Till Undeath
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Psychological
Short
Screened in Canberra Previously
Canberra
Director:
Zachery Paul Bridgman
Producer:
Zachery Paul Bridgman
James Edgar Lim
In a world that has been ravaged by a Zombie outbreak, Tanya visits George Romero's Home for Z-People to see her husband who's just dying to see her. Together they push the meaning of those sacred words: Until Death.
Screening Date:
Closing Night Screening - Thursday 31st October
Duration:
0:07:24
Whispers in the Night
AIE Atrium Cinema
Monster
Short
AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
VIC
Director:
Emily Shankland
Producer:
Liam Neal
A warrior faces a monster in the night. A short virtual production film produced by the trainer and students.
Screening Date:
Official Selection Screening - Saturday 26th October
Duration:
00:01:42
Zombies V the Men's Shed
Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Zombie
Short
Canberra Premiere
QLD
Director:
Travis Bain
Producer:
Travis Bain
A quiet morning at the Cairns Men's Shed is rudely interrupted by a horde of zombies, spawned by a chemical factory accident, and this prompts the members of the Men's Shed to take up arms and fight for their community, their organization, and Australia!
Screening Date:
Theatre of the Dead Late 10yr Screening - Sunday 27th October
Duration:
0:09:06