Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival Announces Award Nominees

Oct. 14, 2010 - PRLog -- October 15, 2010

 
Buffalo, New York – The 1st Annual Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival has announced its awards nominees.  The festival will be held at the Screening Room, 3131 Sheridan Drive, in the Northown Plaza, Thursday, October 21st – Sunday, October 24th.  The awards winners will be announced at a special dinner, also held at the Screening Room, Sunday at 7:00 pm.  Actress Debbie Rochon is the Guest of Honor.

“Our program is divided between locally produced genre films, national films, and international films,” says filmmaker and author Gregory Lamberson, who founded the festival with fellow filmmaker Emil Novak, owner of Queen City Bookstore on Main Street.  “We want to spotlight the work of local filmmakers, and invite out of town films and filmmakers, and really enhance our filmmaking community.”

Best Horror Feature nominees include TRUE NATURE, the Australian EL MONSTRO DEL MAR!, M, Canada's WEREWOLF FEVER, MOLD!       and Buffalo’s HOUSE OF HORRORS: THE MOVIE.   Best Horror Shorts include EYES BEYOND and THE FAMILIAR from Canada, CABINE OF THE DEAD from France, and BY HER HAND, SHE DRAWS YOU DOWN from the U.S.   Best WNY Horror Shorts include THE BLACK CAT, DAVIS, IT’S IN BACK, and WHAT ARE THEY.

“We have separate categories for regional films because we really want to help promote our local filmmakers,” says Novak.  “A lot of us work on each others' films, so the community spirit is there, but some of our independent filmmakers don’t take their films to the next level as far as presentation and promotion.  We want to help change that.”

Additional awards categories include “More than Horror” features and shorts, which include crime dramas, a western, and even a superhero film; Best Actor and Actress; Best Director; Best Screenplay; Best Cinematography; Best Editing; Best Special Make-Up Effects; and Best Visual Effects.  There is also an original screenplay competition.

Buffalo Screams kicks off at 5:00 pm on Thursday and concludes at 6:00 pm Sunday, with an intermission before the awards dinner.  The opening film on Thursday is the documentary UNDER THE SCARES and the closing film is the world premiere of John Renna's IT'S IN BACK.  On Zombie Friday, patrons are invited to attend in zombie make-up to compete for prizes.

Novak's ADRIFT will screen that evening, as well as the features RESIDENT HORROR, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: REANIMATED, and Julian Grant's shocker THE DEFILED.  Monster Saturday features such "showcase films" as Lamberson's SLIME CITY MASSACRE and the documentary HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS: THE GODFATHER OF GORE.  Sunday Sacrifices include the superhero adventure AVENGING FORCE: THE SCARAB and the slasher shocker M.  In total, 33 films will be shown over the four days.

Tickets are available for $5.00 per block, with each block consisting of at least one short and one feature.  All day passes cost only $13.00, and a Four Day Festival Pass costs just $39.00 (one day free).  Advance tickets are available at the Screening Room or Queen City Bookstore.  A complete schedule is posted on www.buffaloscreams.com.

The full list of nominees are attached, though Lamberson and Novak promise some additional surprises.

Press passes are available.

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The BUFFALO SCREAMS Horror Film Festival will be an ongoing annual event designed to attract horror fans and filmmakers from around the world and shine a light on filmmaking in Western New York. We have long range plans for making this festival one of the most important event in the Buffalo area. This first event is but a first step towards what we believe will become Buffalo’s premiere film festival. One of our goals is to enhance the community, and we can’t do that alone.