Cameron Macgowan

Last updated

Cameron Macgowan
Nationality Canadian
Occupation(s) Film director, screenwriter, film producer
Years active2009–present
Website www.awkwardsilencio.com

Cameron Macgowan, is a Canadian writer, director, and producer. His first feature film as a Writer/Director Red Letter Day (2019 film) premiered at the Cinequest Film Festival in 2019. The film was a hit on the international genre film festival circuit with screenings at London FrightFest Film Festival, Screamfest Horror Film Festival, Fantaspoa, Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and more. The film received positive critical attention, including Screen Anarchy saying "It plays like a modern mash-up of David Cronenberg's Shivers (film) and Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale (film)." [1] and renowned English journalist Kim Newman saying "A terrific premise, ferociously well worked out, and an excellent performance from Dawn Van de Schoot as an unwilling tiger mommy.". [2]

Contents

Macgowan was also a Producer on The Valley Below, which premiered at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. The film garnered two Canadian Screen Award nominations in the categories of Best Supporting Actor for Kris Demeanor and Best Original Song for Dan Mangan's "Wants". [3]

Career

Directing and producing

Macgowan is a founding member of Awkward Silencio and is a former member of North Country Cinema. His work has screened at major international festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival, London FrightFest Film Festival and SXSW. [4] His eccentric work as a writer and director has explored subjects ranging from Murderous Suburbanites to Erotic Trolls.

In 2013, his short film Liebe (Love) was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick [5] and as a result garnered over 130,000 views. That same year he was recognized as one of Calgary's Top 40 under 40 by Avenue Magazine. [6] In 2019, Macgowan's debut feature film Red Letter Day was distributed by Epic Pictures Group under their DREAD label [7] on Blu-ray and VOD in November 2019. after a hugely successful film festival run.

Filmography as Writer/Director

Filmography as Producer

Related Research Articles

FrightFest, also known as Arrow Video FrightFest is an annual film festival held in London and Glasgow. The festival holds three major events each year: a festival running five days over the UK late August Bank Holiday weekend, a Halloween event held in London in late October, and a festival in Glasgow held around February as part of the Glasgow Film Festival.

<i>Road Kill</i> (2010 film) 2010 Australian film

Road Kill, known as Road Train in Australia, is a 2010 Australian horror film directed by Dean Francis and written by Clive Hopkins. It stars Xavier Samuel, Bobby Morley, Georgina Haig and Sophie Lowe.

Jessika Van is an American actress, singer-songwriter, pianist and dancer. Van is most known for playing "Becca," the ringleader of the Asians or the Asian mafia in Season 2 and Season 3 of MTV's Awkward. She also played Kim, a Hong Kong Police Officer and sister of Detective Lee in the Rush Hour television series. She has also starred as the antagonist "Li Xue" in the 2019 12-episode Chinese series,Yolk Man (蛋黄人).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Country Cinema</span>

North Country Cinema is a Canadian media arts collective based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

<i>Stalled</i> 2013 film

Stalled is a 2013 British zombie comedy film directed by Christian James. It stars Dan Palmer, who also wrote the screenplay, as a man confined to a bathroom stall after zombies attack. Produced by Richard Kerrigan and Daniel Pickering, the film's cast also includes Mark Holden and Antonia Bernath. It has been screened at several film festivals and was scheduled to be released on home video in 2014.

<i>Found Footage 3D</i> 2016 American 3D found footage horror film

Found Footage 3D is a 2016 American found footage horror film. It is the debut feature film of writer/director Steven DeGennaro, and was produced by Texas Chainsaw Massacre co-creator Kim Henkel. It is the first found footage horror movie shot natively in 3D. Filming began on May 26, 2014 in Gonzales, Texas, starring Carter Roy, Alena von Stroheim, Chris O'Brien, Tom Saporito, Scott Allen Perry, Jessica Perrin, and Scott Weinberg, and wrapped mid-June 2014.

<i>Dementamania</i> 2013 British film

Dementamania, also stylized as DementaMania, is a 2013 British horror film that was directed by Kit Ryan. The film had its world premiere on 23 August 2013 at the London FrightFest Film Festival and stars Sam Robertson as a software analyst that finds himself possibly going mad after receiving an insect bite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Thomas</span> Canadian filmmaker

Kyle Thomas is a Canadian screenwriter, director, producer, and actor. His first feature film, The Valley Below, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. It garnered two Canadian Screen Award nominations in the categories of Best Supporting Actor for Kris Demeanor and Best Original Song for Dan Mangan's "Wants". The film received largely positive reviews from the Canadian media, including The Globe and Mail and the National Post, who called the film a "superb first feature".

<i>The Unkindness of Ravens</i> 2016 film

The Unkindness of Ravens is a 2016 British horror film directed by Lawrie Brewster and starring Jamie Scott Gordon as a veteran that comes face to face with demonic ravens. The film had its world premiere on 27 August 2016 at the London FrightFest Film Festival. Prior to its release the horror website Bloody Disgusting marked The Unkindness of Ravens as one of their "10 Must-See Independent Horror Films of 2016".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monster Fest</span> Film festival

Monster Fest is an annual genre film festival in Melbourne, Australia. Called "Australia's foremost celebration of international cult and horror cinema". As of 2017 it is the only genre film festival in Australia to be supported by the federal screen agency, Screen Australia.

Alexandra Nicole Hulme, also known as Lexy Hulme, is an American actress, dancer, choreographer and artist. She is known for her work with Lawrie Brewster and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

<i>The Golem</i> (2018 film) 2018 Israeli film

The Golem is a 2018 Israeli period supernatural horror film directed by Doron and Yoav Paz, and written by Ariel Cohen. It stars Hani Furstenberg, Ishai Golan, Brynie Furstenberg, and Konstantin Anikienko. The Golem is based on the Jewish legend of the same name, and the film's creators felt that the legend, which they referred to as "the Jewish Frankenstein", had never been properly developed into a film since the 1951 version The Emperor and the Golem. Originally it was intended to retain the original appearance of the title character for the film, "In the beginning, when we just started on the idea for the movie, we tried to tell the story as it is. That is with the real giant creature made of mud and clay,". The idea was soon abandoned, however, after realizing that it would not fit with the story they wanted to convey, deciding instead to reimagine the classic tale for a more contemporary audience while staying true to its original themes. Principal photography for The Golem commenced in the summer of 2017 near Kyiv, Ukraine, for a month and a half, with the majority of the film was shot in an isolated outdoor set, "in the middle of nowhere".

<i>Red Letter Day</i> (film) 2019 Canadian film

Red Letter Day is a Canadian satirical horror feature film, released in 2019. The film follows what happens in an isolated suburban community when the entire neighborhood receives red letters instructing them to kill one of their neighbors before their neighbor kills them. The film was released in North America by Epic Pictures Group under their DREAD label on Blu-ray and VOD in November 2019.

<i>Terrified</i> (film) 2018 Argentinian horror film

Terrified is a 2017 Argentine horror film written and directed by Demián Rugna, concerning a series of supernatural events in a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires.

<i>The Terror of Hallows Eve</i> 2017 American film

The Terror of Hallow's Eve is a 2017 American horror film directed by Todd Tucker and starring Caleb Thomas.

<i>Dont Click</i> (2020 film) 2020 Canadian horror film

Don't Click is a 2020 Canadian horror film that was directed by G-Hey Kim. It screened online at the 2020 FrightFest and stars Valter Skarsgård as a young man who is forced into a nightmarish reality after viewing a snuff film.

Dark Place is a 2019 Australian horror anthology film. The shorts in the film were written and directed by Indigenous filmmakers Kodie Bedford, Perun Bonser, Rob Braslin, Liam Phillips, and Bjorn Stewart. All five shorts centre on Aboriginal peoples and the long-reaching impact of colonialism in Australia.

AV: The Hunt, also known as AV and also stylized as Av The Hunt, is a 2020 thriller film that was directed by Emre Akay.

Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes is a 2021 German mystery horror film directed by Kevin Kopacka and starring Anna Platen, Jeff Wilbusch, Luisa Taraz and Frederik von Lüttichau. It pays homage to European Gothic Horror and psychedelic films of the 1960s and 1970s. It premiered at FrightFest 2021 in London.

Crabs! is a 2021 American comedy horror film directed by Pierce Berolzheimer, starring Dylan Riley Snyder, Bryce Durfee, Allie Jennings, Jessica Morris, Chase Padgett and Robert Craighead. It is the directorial debut of Berolzheimer.

References

  1. Halfyard, Kurt (April 28, 2019). "Red Letter Day, reviewed: Fear And Loathing In The Canadian Suburbs". Screen Anarchy . Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  2. Newman, Kim (August 12, 2019). "Red Letter Day, reviewed: FrightFest Reviews of Red Letter Day". The Kim Newman Website. Retrieved October 24, 2019.
  3. "Canadian Screen Awards Unveil Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter , 13 January 2015.
  4. SXSW 2012 schedule (20 February 2012). "Not Far From The Abattoir". SXSW . Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  5. "Liebe (Love)". Vimeo , October 1, 2013.
  6. "Top 40 Under 40, Cameron Macgowan".Avenue Magazine, November 1, 2013.
  7. "Suburbia Becomes a Slaughterhouse in Red Letter Day". Dread Central , May 10, 2019.