The FilmQuest Film Festival is an indication that genre movies are on the rise. This year was another nine days of great films, features and shorts. I was able to see 114 out 195 of the entries that made the cut. I’m not sure of the numbers, but from past experience this is about 1 in 10 entries made it to through to be shown. From the quality of what I saw, I’m sure many films not making the cut are worthy of watching.
This was FilmQuest’s fifth year and the entries cover a grand array of genre film making. There was plenty of horror, science fiction, fantasy, comedy, adventure, and even a modern day western. For people who enjoy genre films, FilmQuest fits the bill.
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| Oscar Winner Joel Harlow |
Along with film, there were great presentations throughout the week about film, and the industry. There were workshops on crowd funding, bringing together screenwriters and filmmakers, and a film analysis. Panels included the creators of The Outpost (currently on The CW), and discussions on first films and favorite horror movies. Special guest Mick Strawn provided his insights on production design. And there was a live demonstration by Joel Harlow.
I am looking forward to the reviews I will write for the features. I know some of these films either already have distribution or there are rumors of work for distribution, and they deserve it. Entries from around the world made it to the big screen at FilmQuest. Features included films from the United States, Canada, Spain, the United Kingdom, and China.
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| Before |
The selection of short films and music videos were amazing. Blocks of films covered common ground in many cases. But, even then, every one of them was an enjoyable, unique selection. It was easy to tell that a number of these films were done as proof of concept to get larger funding for producing a feature. There is clear indication the genre film industry is in good hands and we all have some great movies to look forward to.
Alternative media is not forgotten at Filmquest. Web series were well represented with great shows. Another direction where new and exciting stories are in-store for purveyors of genre film making.
I’m not going to list all the award winners here, they will be on the FilmQuest website. I will also include the awards won by the films in the reviews that are forthcoming. But here are the highlights.
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| After |
Short Films
Best Comedy: Lunch Ladies
Best Fantasy: Ovum
Best Horror: C L A W
Best Science Fiction: Laboratory Conditions
Best Screenplay: Heartless
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| The Coveted Cthulhu Awards |
Features
Best Film: The Blacksmith and the Devil
Best Screenplay: Alive.
The full list of award winners is at FilmQuest (website).
I know it sounds cliché to say that every film that showed at FilmQuest is a winner. It is a true statement. The films screened this year were great. I hated missing any of the films after seeing what the lineup included. As any of these come around to the theaters near me, I will be sure to get friends and family out to see the incredible work these filmmakers achieved.
The festival finished last night and I’ve got the next year’s dates on my calendar and am looking forward to the 2019 event.
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