STUFF9 2021 Film Festival

DAY 1 April 8, 2021 Thursday Night Feature w/Shorts 6pm – 9pm

I Scream on the Beach!

Alex Churchyard, Michael Holiday.

88 min.

USA Premiere Halloween 1986: In the small English seaside town of Mellow Coast Emily (Hannah Paterson) is trying to discover the truth behind her father’s disappearance 10 years earlier, but as she searches for answers, and she gets closer to the truth, her friends start getting picked off one-by-one by an unknown killer.

Plays with: Wine and Roses (and Wine) Alex Bahena. 7 min.

World Premiere All Ada wants is a quiet evening, but Otto has other plans. Showing up with no invitation, the self-styled ladies’ man will not rest until he has won her affections.

The Ceremony Jeremy Stewart. 7 min.

Texas Premiere When Emmy arrives early for a birthday dinner, she is lured into taking part in a lavish ritual one last time.

Zealandia Bruno du Bois. 15 min.

In 2032, Zealandia has become the only virus free country left on earth but at a high cost to its population due to intrusive medical regulations. But, could the bag carried by a fearless woman be the downfall of this oppressive state?

The Wolf M.r. Fitzgerald. 23 min.

Texas Premiere A damaged vigilante returns to her old cult to rescue other prisoners and end the nightmares of her traumatic upbringing, but upon reuniting with a long lost childhood friend she must confront the aftermath of their cult leader’s abuse once and for all.

DAY 1 April 8, 2021 Thursday Midnight Feature w/Shorts 10pm – 1am

Death Drop Gorgeous Michael J Ahern, Christopher Dalpe, Brandon Perras-Sanchez. 104 min A dejected bartender and an aging drag queen try to survive the eccentric and hostile nightlife of a corrupt city as a masked maniac slaughters young gay men and drains them of their blood.

Plays with: Unholy ‘Mole David Bornstein. 6 min.

Texas Premiere A selfish man sells the soul of his unborn child to Satan in exchange for forcing his wife to make guacamole for him. Things go wrong.

CATATONIC Brian Zahm. 10 min.

Texas Premiere Cat Daddy feels completely betrayed when his cat, Charles Lickens, runs away.

Naturally, the only solution is suicide.

“It’s meow or never...”

Shiny Diamonds Seth Chatfield, Toni Nagy. 6 min.

Texas Premiere Valerie has a job to do, but Todd is playing games. And there is something lurking in the night that doesn’t like to lose.

DEATH WALKS ON NITRATE Kevin Fermini. 8 min.

Texas Premiere Rose, an icy photographer, encounters a mysterious old woman who plunges her headfirst into a psychedelic nightmare.

Pride Michael J. Epstein. 10 min Texas Premiere Inspired by a fundamentalist radio broadcast about how God demands you forgive your neighbor for raping your children, Pride avenges religion’s use of repression and shame to protect perpetrators of sexual violence.

DAY 2 2021 STUFF Friday MONSTER Lunch-Time Feature w/Shorts 12pm – 2pmThe Great Buddha Arrival| Hiro-

DAY 2 April 9, 2021 Friday Monster Lunch Feature w/Shorts 12pm – 2pm

The Great Buddha Arrival Hiroto Yokokawa. 60 min Texas Premiere A gigantic statue of Buddha awakens and goes on a trek across Japan while the world watches in awe. Featuring an all-star cast of beloved actors from kaiju cinema’s history. A modern day reboot of the long lost, and quite possibly first daikaiju film, classic Daibutsu Kaikoku (1934) is a must-see love letter to kaiju cinema.

Plays with: Even The Rats Mike Hay. 6 min Texas Premiere A skull-like artifact is discovered by an alien civilization in another time, in the outer reaches of space. Is it a weapon or is it something else?

CRAP-MAN Hikaru TSUKUDA. 3 min On a peaceful riverside, a woman walks with her baby. A street ripper gazes into them. Who will save the family? It’s...

CRAP-MAN! Meat Lovers Daniel Stebbins. 4 min Texas Premiere To satisfy her appetite, a young woman must juggle dealing with her salacious lover and a mysterious pizza order.

Golem Ryan Cauchi. 5 min Texas Premiere Nazi-occupied Prague, 1939. A group of German soldiers search for a fugitive Rabbi in the basement of an abandoned synagogue - unaware of the horror awaiting them.

Look Twice Kyle Wilson. 8 min.

Texas Premiere A night surveillance security guard spots a trespasser on the property; then regrets grabbing their attention once he realizes the intruder is paranormal.

DAY 2 April 9, 2021 Friday Matinee Shorts 3pm – 5pm

Solution for sadness Marc Martínez Jordán, Tuixén Benet.

15 min. Texas Premiere A mysterious package offers a woman a reprieve from her melancholy, only its results are more permanent and pervasive then she realizes.

Requiem for a Crab Patrick Gehlen. 15 min.

Requiem for a Crab is a dark comedy about family, love, loss...and a crab.

A Girl from a Box Alxis Ratkevich, Chloe Taylor. 30 min.

Texas Premiere Charlie is a dispirited bachelor on a losing streak whose only friends are his overbearing Catholic mother, Wendy the webcam girl, and Bill his pet fish.

Witchin’ Christina Diamantara. 20 min.

Texas Premiere A young witch’s dream of making the best potion in her class takes her to the mysterious world of human males, in search of a powerful ingredient: Big Dick Energy.

DAY 2 April 9, 2021 Friday Night Feature w/Shorts 6pm – 9pm

5000 Space Aliens Scott Bateman. 85 min. World Premiere Meet 5000 space aliens in 5000 seconds in this bonkers animated film based on found footage from the Internet, made alone at home during lockdown!

Plays with: Katie’s Post-Apocalyptic Vlog Paddy Kondracki. 2 min. World Premiere In a post-apocalyptic world, obsessive vlogger Katie, attempts to use social media to reach out to other survivors. Katie posts videos, eager to get any response that will prove she’s not the only one still alive. Until finally she gets a comment.

DOLLFACE Daniel Egnal. 3 min.

A guy gets caught.

The Ripped Mr. Talently Spencer Crim. 8 min. Texas Premiere The chilling tale of two dudes who look just like Zack from Saved by the Bell.

The Children Atdhe Trepca. 11 min. Texas Premiere Newlyweds Andre and Cecilia seek to start a life together. But the Family that Andre left behind has their own plans for him.

Taylor and Vanessa Christina Santa Cruz. 17 min.

Texas Premiere Taylor and Vanessa examine what it means to be in danger. Through the course of one evening the two women must choose to either confront the object of their horror or resign themselves to their inevitable fate.

Richard Nixon: Getaway Driver Kevin Daniel Lonano. 6 min.

Texas Premiere Drunk on power and tripping on LSD, President Richard Nixon recounts his role as the getaway driver for JFK’s second shooter. Is he confessing to save his soul, or is it all just a bad trip?

DAY 2 April 9, 2021 Friday Midnight Feature w/Shorts 10pm – 1am

Death to Metal Tim Connery. 80 min.

Texas Premiere After a freak accident, a disturbed priest is transformed into a mutated killing machine on a mission to wipe out the godless fans of heavy metal music.

Plays with :Including Death Izetta Holland. 11 min.

A sick young man seeks relief from his cold only to get more than he bargained for.

Last House on CCTV Craig Andrew Robertson. 12 min.

World Premiere Kidnapped by a sadistic real estate agent, Kim must escape her captor’s basement – and warn her husband before he becomes the next victim.

Disco Graveyard Izzy Lee. 3 min.

Texas Premiere Don’t be dead. The dead are dumb. Be weird.

Mors Bonum Paulina Manseau. 12 min.

A man wakes up in a mansion with no recollection of how he got there. A mysterious figure helps him face his inner demons.

PİRABOK Ferman Narin. 20 min.

Texas Premiere Hatice lives in the field with her two children and lives hand to mouth. One day, the shepherd of the village, Recep, is killed by Pirabok. After this incident, families of children send them from the village. Hatice and her children, who are alone in the village, face the curse of Pirabok.

DAY 3 April 10, 2021 Saturday Morning Shorts 10am – 1pm

Bag Your Face Keith Eyrich. 20 min.

Buckle up those frayed, ill-fitting seat belts and see the movie Film Maudit 2.0 declared “The highly questionable neighborhood traveling amusement park ride you can’t get off of.

Under the lather Ollivier Briand. 14 min.

Texas Premiere Ivan, five years old, is forced to take his bath by his babysitter. Once in the water, he discovers with horror, hidden under the lather, a frightful creature that he will have to face.

Suspense Jacob Burghart, Ben Burghart. 7 min.

Texas Premiere Having survived a harrowing plane crash, an army pilot finds himself suspended from a canopy of trees high above the forest floor by his parachute.

After making contact with his co-pilot on the ground, they realize that something is stalking them in the dark.

Love Blood Pain Magnum Borini. 11 min.

A mysterious photographer wanders through the São Paulo nightlife, in search for another subject for her work.

An unusual encounter will lead to a mix of feelings and sensations.

The Fox Kate Murray. 15 min USA Premiere Su inherits her childhood home after her mothers’ death and takes her young daughter, Nari, and her partner Hamish, a police officer, to live there.

DAY 3 April 10, 2021 Saturday Morning Shorts CONTINUED

Dolls Francesca Pazniokas. 14 min.

Texas Premiere An up-and-coming YouTuber struggles to save her reputation after making a powerful enemy.

The Doe Jennifer Lumbroso. 18 min.

Helene is spending what seems to be a romantic week-end in French countryside until she has an argument with her lover and gets furious. She decides to flee away and finds herself into rural landscapes, clueless. Nature takes back its rights. The hunt is open. Helen becomes « the doe » while she encounters local characters.

WAFFLE Carlyn Hudson. 11 min.

Kerry is at a sleepover with the socially awkward, mysteriously orphaned heiress Katie. Friendship--in a society that grows ever isolating--is explored as Kerry learns the hard way that Katie always gets what she wants.

Stucco Janina Gavankar, Russo Schelling.

17 min.

This SXSW award winning short is reminiscent of slow burn horror of the 70s.J is trying and failing to move forward as the scars of old relationships keep her trapped inside her new home. While hanging a piece of art, she knocks a hole in her wall that reveals what might be a hidden room. Her mind races to think what could be on the other side as she continues to unravel.

DAY 3 April 10, 2021 Saturday Matinee Shorts 2pm – 5pm

The Pandemic Chronicles Ya’Ke. 15 min.

An anthology series about love and grief during quarantine.

Heated Echo Nguyen. 15 min.

A naive boy longs to lose his virginity to the girl of his dreams who is now a woman of the night.

The Moon and the Hummingbird Luis Fernando Puente. 14 min.

World Premiere Alex lives in a bunker surrounded by an uninhabitable world, but in order to reunite with Beto, the love of her life, she will have to come face to face with the dangers of the outside.

LUPE Marisela Campos. 12 min.

A Mexican-American Woman struggles to come to terms with her husband’s new job at an Immigration Detention Center.

Yaax Che Diego Ugalde. 19 min.

Set during the Mayan empire “Yaax Che” tells the story of two twin brothers sent on a quest to rescue the Princess of the Moon, they soon realize there is someone after them. The ruler of the underworld Xibalba.

Bloom Lucy Owens. 15 min.

Amateur photographer Nora hires young male-model Des to do a risqué photoshoot at a remote location in the Texas Hill Country. As strangers to each other, they are free to be whoever they want; but when they are caught trespassing on private property, reality comes crashing down.

DAY 3 April 10, 2021 Saturday Matinee Shorts CONTINUED

Estranged Samantha Siegel, Adam Siegel. 7 min.

World Premiere Unsettling events transpire over Christmas during a Jewish boyfriend’s introduction to his girlfriend’s judgmental German parents. ¡Come! (eat) Lizette Barrera. 12 min.

Set in Florida, a 12 year old Puerto Rican girl’s perspective changes when she brings a popular dessert dish, Arroz con Leche, to a thanksgiving event at her school and no one eats it.

Salting the Fly Craig Mooneyham, Jacob Reynolds.

9 min. Texas Premiere With a precarious fate approaching, Danny, an autistic teenager, and his older brother David perform a familiar childhood ritual to lighten the gravity of their plight. As time runs out, however, the brothers must leave their childhood behind to confront family demons, challenge futile beliefs, and transcend communication barriers to find solace amidst their crumbling world.

Hollowed Cedric Thomas Smith. 24 min.

A terminal illness brings a couple back together and rekindles a love that had lost its way.

DAY 3 April 10, 2021 Saturday Night Feature w/Shorts 6pm – 9pm

Sister Tempest Joe Badon. 122 min.

Anne Hutchinson’s troubled relationship with her missing sister is under alien tribunal. Meanwhile, her new roommate’s mysterious illness causes her to go on a cannibalistic killing spree.

Plays with: Bananas Girl Shayna Connelly. 7 min.

Texas Premiere Seven-year-old Bananas Girl asserts her independence, perfects the art of the non-sequitur and navigates the boundaries between herself and her mom.

Darling Pet Monkey Jim McDonough. 9 min.

Texas Premiere In 1969, two young brothers ordered a monkey from an ad in the back of a monster magazine. After the postal carrier delivered the box — things got weird.

DAY 3 April 10, 2021 Sat Midnight Shorts 10pm – 1am

I’m Gonna Make It Jared Stults. 14 min.

A struggling young actor begins to find success after signing to a mysterious talent agency.

Inner-critic Tara Tusher. 5 min.Texas Premiere A heart broken woman battles her inner critic as she works on a potion to bring back her dead lover.

Paralysis Caitlin Cooke. 19 min.

A young woman represses her grief after hearing the news of her friend’s death. However, a manifestation of her guilt and regret begin to haunt her each night.

Luminous Than Niles. 11 min.

A restless security guard, Lou, is forced to decide between his job at the research facility and the fate of humanity when he is confronted by the mysterious Dr. Sharp and the truth of what he is guarding.

Vampire foxes....from SPACE! Kyle Murphy. 22 min.

Vampire foxes from space come to Earth in an effort to replenish a dwindling blood supply on their home planet.

Cold Blooded Kidd Tommy. 27 min.Texas Premiere Cold Blooded follows the titillating tale of a scorned amateur herpetologist who enacts a twisted revenge on her deadbeat guitarist ex. Despite worst intentions, the plan backfires and instead leads to the rise of Rex Komodo, a reptilian rock god with big hair and an even bigger appetite for blood.

Real Bad Idiot Alanah McKellar. 40 min.

Dirk Harrellssonn, a freckled teenage virgin sporting a mullet, is determined to lose his virginity to his high school crush, Tiny Beth. When the spunky and relentless Chad Groper interrupts his feeble attempt at seduction, Dirk seeks revenge in the most perverted way possible.

DAY 4 April 11, 2021 Sunday Lunchtime Doc Feature w/Shorts 12pm – 3pm

A Break for Impact Christine Kane. 58 min.

Texas Premiere In the Spring of 2020, a legal studies professor and a group of students from Florida journey to the US-Mexico border during an “alternative spring break” experience and embed themselves within organizations fighting the growing humanitarian crisis. They discover a series of harrowing facts about the treatment and fate of Central American asylum seekers .Plays with: Gay as in Happy: A Queer Anti-Tragedy Jordana Valerie Allen-Shim. 3 min.

An award-winning experimental autoethnographic documentary about queer joy, resistance, and resilience in the face of abuse, trauma, and transphobia. ebb & flow Georgia Krause. 5 min.

Amidst a heated immigration debate, a South Texas community fights to protect the hundreds of species of butterflies that live in duality between the US/Mexico border.

NEW World Water [Murders in Flint] Oscar Sanders. 13 min.

Texas Premiere Two outspoken poets are murdered in the midst of the Flint Water Crisis. An investigation ensues in this social justice spoken word film Fracking Beyond Science Sabrina Habib. 3 min Texas Premiere Scientist and Texas residents weigh in on living near hydraulic fracturing.

DAY 4 April 11, 2021 Sunday Lunchtime Doc Feature w/Shorts CONTINUED

Chesty & Opal Jack Truman. 11 min.

World Premiere 2 burlesque legends talk about the golden years of burlesque. Burlesque legends Chesty Morgan and Wild Star share memories from their dancing days in the 60’s and ‘70’s. A hilarious, eye-opening, shocking underground short film, CHESTY & OPAL opens the audience’s eyes to a lost era.

One Sweatshop Story Natalia Moreno-Campos. 9 min.

The story of how the Shirtwaist fire tragedy affected the fabric of every worker.

70 Years of Blackness: The Untangling of Race & Adoption Christopher Windfield. 30 min.

Verda Byrd has been living her entire life as a black woman. Only until the age of 70 Verda made a shocking discovery. She was adopted and her biological parents were actually white. 70 Years of Blackness takes a look into Verda’s story while examining the effects race played within the adoption industry.

DAY 4 April 11, 2021 Sunday Matinee Shorts 4pm – 6pm

I am not Alice but here is Wonderland Mahdieh sadat Ahmadi soleimani. 6 min.

Alice has friends such as the tree and the birds which has drawn them on a wall. She finds her mother and father and friends on small planets in space, she finds herself on the “little prince” planet with the only Rose flower on it.

Oxygen Rocky Grispen, Violette Belzer. 11 min.

On a faraway planet, home to Bobtors, an astronaut-doctor suffers from a lack of oxygen. To survive she has to pay the highest price as a human and as a doctor.

The Bigger the Hoop Francesca. 1 min.

An experimental film about the experiences of women: the place we use to hold in society and the derogatory terms used to try and place women back in that “traditional” societal role.

Camera Sick Jeremy Moss. 14 min.

Texas Premiere Grain size criteria. Pixels in space. The earth spins while bodies and cameras wind and rotate on its surface. Sand particles infest recording devices scratching unravelling celluloid. The camera and its operator transform from seers to ecstatic performers.

House Pieces Christine Lucy Latimer. 3 min.

Texas Premiere Hundreds of high dynamic range digital photos of my Mother’s home (taken for a real estate listing) were left on an SD card that was strangely stored and subject to environmental degradation.

Assembling these damaged, light and dark component images, I build a VHS cascade of house pieces (never quite reconstituting what was).

DAY 4 April 11, 2021 Sunday Matinee Shorts CONTINUED

Lairs Emma Penaz Eisner. 2 min.

Texas Premiere Lairs, layers, liars: In this poetry film, hatred insidiously supplants a couple’s love.

Exit Strategy #5 Kym McDaniel. 8 min .Texas Premiere To desire; to bleed; to burn from the inside out and commit to someone new.

The fifth in a series regarding my ability to cope with my emotional and physical traumas.

No Regrets from My Time as a Werewolf Kaitlin Martin. 3 min.

Texas Premiere A dream inside a castle.

Anacronte Raúl Koler, Emiliano Sette. 15 min.

Anacronte and the Sorcerers of Evil, without any emotion and fulfilling their destiny, they put to test humanity’s happiness in a struggle that, in short, has each of us as winners and losers.

Wrath John-Daniel Arauz. 14 min.

Texas Premiere With society on the brink of collapse, state prisoners are sentenced to dangerous labour tasks within the walls of an abandoned city, haunted by phantoms of the past.

DAY 4 April 11, 2021 Sunday Night Feature w/Shorts 7pm – 10pm

Companion John Darbonne. 93 min.

World Premiere Across a post-apocalyptic landscape haunted by spirits known as Companions, a guilt-stricken woman must choose to abandon her husband or die with him.

Plays with: The Customer is Always Wrong Daniel Egnal. 20 min.

World Premiere A quick dive into a seemingly controversial store in South Texas.

BY MOTHLIGHT Jamie Garcia. 15 min.

World Premiere ALESSA wakes up lost, disoriented and encounters a dark entity, THE KING. We follow her slow descent to madness.