 2015-2017 HIFF venue Museum of Photographic Arts | |
| Location | San Diego and Santa Ana, California |
|---|---|
| Established | 2009 |
| Founded by | Miguel Rodriguez |
| Most recent | 2021 |
| Festival date | Annually in September |
| Language | English |
| Website | hifilmfest |
The Horrible Imaginings Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival originally based in San Diego until 2018, when it moved to Santa Ana. It was established in 2009 by Miguel Rodriguez.
Director Miguel Rodriguez is the curator for the festival founded in 2009. [1] [2] In 2015, the festival was held at Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego. [3] In a 2015 interview with MovieMaker , Rodriguez spoke about making "the films the most important part of the festival". [4] In 2018, the festival relocated to the Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, California. [5] MovieMaker listed the festival on their 30 Bloody Best Genre Fests in the World in 2019. [6] The festival received over seven hundred submissions for its tenth anniversary. [7] It was held annually for three consecutive days in September before running seven days virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. [8] In 2021, the festival returned with a "hybrid model" allowing for in-person and virtual options to audiences. [9]
Brentwood Strangler was nominated Best Actress for Jordan Ladd in 2016. [10] The Phantom Hour by Brian Butler screened the same year. [11]
Red Christmas by Craig Anderson, [12] Blood and Black Lace by Mario Bava , and Happy Hunting by Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson [13] screened in 2017. That same year, Hush won Best San Diego Film [14] and Midnighters won Best Actress for Alex Essoe, Best Feature for Julius Ramsay [15] and Best Screenplay for Alston Ramsay. [16]
Snowflake won Best Film and Best Director for Adolfo J. Kolmerer in 2018. [17]
Reborn, Antrum, and Porno won awards in 2019. [18]
In 2020, Luz: The Flower of Evil won multiple awards. [19]
We're All Going to the World's Fair by Jane Schoenbrun screened in 2021. [20]
Notable attendees include Barbara Magnolfi [21] and Dee Wallace. [22]
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. It focuses on niche, B-rated and low budget movies in various genres, from horror to sci-fi. Regularly held in July/August, by 2016 its annual audience had already surpassed 100,000 viewers and outgrown even the Montreal World Film Festival.
The Boston Underground Film Festival (BUFF) is an annual event held in the Boston area that specializes in alternative film and video. BUFF is the largest underground film festival in New England, spotlighting short films and feature-length films that would not otherwise find an audience. It was the only film festival in the world to give an award for "Most Effectively Offensive" films, an accolade it awarded from its inception until 2017; on the festival's twentieth anniversary, the award was retired and replaced with "Best First Feature Film," marking a shifting focus towards celebrating new voices in filmmaking.
Palm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel, it started in 1989 and is held annually in January. It is run by the Palm Springs International Film Society, which also runs the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films (ShortFest), a festival of short films and film market in June.
Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. The company expanded into other media including advertising, podcast networking, film, television, streaming media, and management.
Adam Wingard is an American filmmaker. He has served as a film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, cinematographer, actor, and composer on numerous American films.
Na Hong-jin is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter.
Douglas Tait is an American actor, and independent filmmaker. Tait has played characters in several films, including Freddy vs. Jason, Star Trek, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Land of the Lost, Annabelle Comes Home, and Hellboy.
The San Diego International Film Festival is an independent film festival in San Diego, California, produced by the non-profit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in the autumn at venues in the Gaslamp Quarter, La Jolla and Balboa Park.
Be My Cat: A Film for Anne is a 2015 Romanian found footage psychological horror feature film directed, produced, written by, and starring Adrian Țofei, about an aspiring filmmaker who goes to extremes to convince actress Anne Hathaway to star in his film. It is the first entry in Adrian Țofei's planned indie trilogy which includes We Put the World to Sleep and Pure. It is also Adrian Țofei's first film and Romania's first found footage horror movie.
The Phantom Hour is a 2016 comedy horror short film written and directed by Brian Patrick Butler. The film stars Luke Anthony Pensabene, Raye Richards and Connor Sullivan and premiered September 8, 2016 at Horrible Imaginings Film Festival.
Gigi Saul Guerrero is a Mexican filmmaker and actress. She gained recognition for creating and directing the 2017 horror web series, La Quinceañera. In 2019, she directed episodes of The Purge and the anthology horror series, Into the Dark.
Terrifier is a 2016 American slasher film written and directed by Damien Leone. The film stars Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, David Howard Thornton, and Catherine Corcoran. The plot centers on partygoer Tara Heyes (Kanell) and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi), who become targets of the enigmatic serial killer only known as Art the Clown (Thornton) on Halloween night.
Luz also known as Luz: The Flower of Evil or Luz, la flor del mal is a 2019 fantasy-western horror film written and directed by Juan Diego Escobar Alzate, featuring Yuri Vargas in the lead role. In October 2019, it was a contender in the Official Fantastic Competition at the SITGES Fantastic Film Festival in Spain. The film gained international recognition as it was part of numerous international film festivals, including the Glasgow Film Festival, Indiecork, Nocturna Madrid, Almería Western Film Festival, Horrible Imaginings, Fantaspoa, Insólito and Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre, among others. It garnered accolades for Best Iberoamerican Film, Best Photography, Best Editing, and Best Acting at various festivals. 'Luz: The Flower of Evil' also clinched the prestigious Silver Skull Award at the Morbido Film Fest in Mexico, marking its Latin American Premiere.
Antrum is a 2018 Canadian horror film written and directed by David Amito and Michael Laicini. The film is divided into two parts: an opening and closing frame narrative in the form of a mockumentary and a feature film. The documentary purports to tell the story of Antrum, a movie released in the late 70s that supposedly has deleterious effects on those who watch it; the bulk of the movie is allegedly the only known print of the film, which has itself been altered by an unknown third party.
Ray Gallardo is an American film director and cinematographer known for his direction of Cafe Con Leche, Callejero, Above the Tin, Entrenched: Prologue and his cinematography in Friend of the World,The Fifth of November and Touch.
Jonathan Hammond is an American film director, film editor, screenwriter and film producer known for Expect A Miracle: Finding Light in the Darkness of a Pandemic, Isabel, Kathy and We All Die Alone.
Hush is a 2016 horror drama short film written and directed by Michael Lewis Foster. The film stars Rachel Barker, Luke Bedsole, Eric Casalini and Ghadir Mounib. It screened at San Diego International Film Festival and Catalina Film Festival and won awards at Oceanside International Film Festival and Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. The film was distributed by Seed&Spark and Bloody Disgusting.
Daisy Belle is a 2018 science fiction short film written and directed by William Wall. The film stars Lily Elsie, qualified for an Oscar at Bermuda International Film Festival, won five Pacific Southwest Emmy Awards at National Academy of Televisions Arts and Sciences, was distributed by Dust and shot in San Diego.
The Case of Evil is a 2014 horror drama short film written and directed by Jana and Neal Hallford. The film stars Merrick McCartha and Rebecca Sausedo. It premiered at Horrible Imaginings Film Festival on October 12, 2014.