Shorts session: Blasphemy

• Itch, directed by Susannah Farrugia. Malta, 2021. 8:27

  A psychological horror short about a novice nun who develops a severe skin condition, which continues to worsen along with her mental state as she struggles with her feelings for another nun.

  Susannah Farrugia is a Maltese filmmaker currently based in London. After a lifelong struggle to enter the world of cinema and filmmaking, she finally achieved her goal by studying Film Directing at the Met Film School (2019–2021). She previously studied psychology and worked as a teaching assistant for SEN children.

• Penance, directed by Kayden Phoenix. USA, 2020. 2:51

  Latino millennials usurp their conversion therapy class and take justice into their own hands.

  Kayden Phoenix is a Chicana writer, director, and producer from Boyle Heights, California. She received a full academic scholarship to Loyola Marymount University, where she earned a BA in Business Administration with a minor in Marketing. Upon entering the industry, the first thing she noticed was the dominant standard of character generalisations. In response, she became a strong advocate for diversity before and behind the camera, giving a voice to untold stories.

• Children of Satan, directed by Thea Hvistendahl. Norway, 2020. 23:26

  Two eleven-year-old girls, Louise and Maria, make friends at a Christian summer camp. When a new girl named Erna arrives, Louise and Maria are asked to take extra care of her, but they soon realise she is a bit different.

  Thea Hvistendahl (1989) is a Norwegian film director. Her debut feature-length film, The Monkey and the Mouth / Adjø Montebello, a concert-fiction-music video hybrid, premiered in 2017 to great critical acclaim. She is currently in pre-production for her first narrative feature, Handling the Undead.

• Entropia, directed by Marinah Janello. USA, 2018. 14:54

  How far would you go to turn back time? Loneliness and vanity drive one woman to take unconventional measures to find ultimate happiness.

  Marinah Janello’s shorts have been screened at Slamdance Film Festival, Fantasia International Film Festival and Maryland Film Festival, among other events. She won Best New England Film at the 2018 Boston Underground Film Festival and the Audience Award at the 2018 First Hermetic International Film Festival in Venice, Italy.

• Madder Isle, directed by Laura Spark. UK, 2017. 7:39

  On a forsaken rock in a poisoned sea, a holy sect seeks to usher in a new era, but Morgan discovers that their intentions are not entirely pure, and that there's more to the island than rocks and mud.

  Laura Spark is a Scottish visual artist who applies animation to theatre, installation, live performance and film. She has an MA in Animation from the Royal College of Art, and her shorts have been shown at international festivals such as Frightfest and London Short Film Festival (UK), Final Girls Film Festival Berlin (Germany), Stoptrik (Slovenia) and Women in Horror (USA). Drawing on themes from folklore, myth, feminism, horror and psychedelia, Laura’s work seeks to interpret our relationship with the natural world, climate change and the Anthropocene.

• Devil Is on His Way, directed by Ophélie Nève. Belgium, 2017. 06:05

  Tired of catcalling, three friends take revenge on the patriarchy in a bloody unexpected way.

  Ophélie Nève was born and raised in a small town in southern Belgium and completed her master's in Film Directing at INSAS (Brussels). Her work focuses on feminism and adolescence by exploring fantastic folk figures. Influenced by punk music and classical horror movies, her films tell powerful women's stories that challenge the patriarchy.

• Blood Runs Down, directed by Zandashé Brown. USA, 2018. 17:28

  A haunting tale of inheritance, daughterhood and demons. When Elise undergoes a frightening transition, her daughter must choose between saving her or protecting herself.

  Based in New Orleans, Zandashé Brown is a writer and director born and raised in and inspired by southern Louisiana. Her directorial debut, Blood Runs Down, was one of five projects selected for the New Orleans Tricentennial Incubator Grant in 2018 and has been screened at dozens of festivals in and outside the United States.

Total session length: 80’.

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