Joseph Granda has won the Palmer d’Or Award at the 9th annual MidWest WeirdFest in Eau Claire, Wisconsin for his film The Sasqualogist. Granda wrote, directed, and stars in the film that presents the microcosm of the Bigfoot research community. The award was instituted in 2023 to honor the memory of Wisconsin sci-fi and Fortean pioneer, Raymond A. Palmer, and recognize excellence in the field today.

“It was an honor to win the Palmer d’Or at MidWest WeirdFest,” says Granda, the veteran actor and filmmaker. “Truly a film festival that embraces and captures the spirit of that lost era of independent filmmaking. I can only pray that my next film is weird enough to be selected as The Sasqualogist was this time.”

Self Driver captured the festival’s prestigious Best Film award. The film follows an Uber-type driver, head-hunted by another more ominous transport company. It’s a spectacular example of just how strong independent filmmaking can be, far surpassing any contemporary multi-million dollar Hollywood thriller.

Best Director was taken by Adam Seidel for his taught, twisting, and character driven neo-noir thriller Anywhere. The film’s star, Harley McFarland, won Best Actress for her captivating portrayal of a very modern femme-fatale. One of her co-stars, Sean Gunn, was awarded the fest’s Best Supporting Actor award for his creepy performance role as a Machiavellian landlord.

Best Documentary was awarded to Loch Ness: They Created a Monster from Scotland’s John MacLaverty; a fascinating film that turns the cameras around focusing on the individuals who researched and popularized Loch Ness mythology, rather than on the monster itself.

Best International Film was also won by a documentary: Beyond Bizarre: The Life and Art of John Willie from French documentarians Charlotte Grondin & Guillaume Pin. The film is a captivating examination of John Wille; the brilliant draughtsman, photographer, and editor, who left his mark on fetish iconography and on the history of erotic and bondage comics with Sweet Gwendoline.

Best Horror Film was awarded to the twisted, confronting, and entirely, original indie gem Dooba Dooba from Ehrland Hollingsworth; Best Sci-Fi Film was awarded to Tim Travers & The Time Travelers Paradox; from visionary filmmaker Stimson Snead; and Cocaine Stepdad from filmmakers and actors Cody LaRue and Dylan Grady captured the fest’s Best Comedy Film award.

Best TV/New Media Feature was awarded to the paranormal documentary Dweller, from directors Ben Goldman and Sarah Lienard, with collaborators Angela Wingard and Brienna Shear. The film tracks the team’s encounters with, and research of, a mysterious supernatural entity known as the Dweller on the Threshold.

While Bean McKee’s twisted coming of age film, come sports fandom critique, Fanboy, took the fest’s “Independent Spirit Award”. This stunning and personal feature debut, heralds McKee as an emerging, and unique, voice of independent American cinema.

MidWest WeirdFest’s “Best Actor” award was presented to Australian performer Alan King for his bravura portrayal of the titular character in Vincent. King also wrote and directed this unique cinematic experience, which is equal parts, comedic, terrifying, and enlightening.

Genre stalwart Maria Olsen won “Best Supporting Actress” for her chilling portrayal of the manipulative matriarch in writer/director Craig Ouellette’s masterful blend of horror and romance which is Straight on Till Morning.

“Best Short Film” was awarded to Ben Tedesco’s Oit, a devastatingly moving film about an obituary writer (played by the incredible Natalie Lynch) who is preparing to write her final piece. And “Best Director – Short Film” was won by Madeline Kate Kann for Honey, her disturbingly beautiful drama about three sisters navigating their relationships with their father and with other men.

The erotic sci-fi/horror Terminal Emulator from Benjamin Capps, won “Best of the MidWest”. That film’s lead Katherine Bellantone won “Best Actress – Short Film” for her brave and convincing portrait of a woman haunted by a tragic erotic relationship, and a demonic predator.

While “Best Actor – Short Film” went to Daniel Berkey for his compelling and sinister performance in writer/director David J. Schultz’s extsitential horror film The Circle.

“Best Short Documentary” was won by Look at My Furniture from Michael X. Ferraro. The film examines how an encounter between the late, great David Lynch and legendary music producer Butch Vig, led to the creation of the Silversun Vig-Ups song “David Lynch has a Painting Made of Fly Eyes.”

Alive Inside, a terrifying, futuristic, fever-dream, about human test subjects trapped in a sterile room, from German writer/director Niklas Heuer-Jungemann, took “Best International Short”.

“Best Horror Short” was awarded to Joseph C Lueben’s Pandora, Inc. A disturbing, erotic, AI nightmare, based on Lueben’s screenplay of the same title that won the fest’s 2024 Short Screenplay competition.

While The Future Soon from Douglas DeVore – a touching, hilarious, and fast-paced short, accompanied by a catchy pop track; about a boy who creates a robot dystopia to impress the girl of his dreams – won “Best Sci-Fi Short”.

Michael Granberry’s Les Bêtes, a mesmerizing stop-motion dark fantasy, inspired by the works of Ladislas Starevich, captured “Best Animated Short”.

Flashes a spectacular ode to Hollywood, as well as a scathing critique of its influence on our violent fantasies, from directors Michael Basha and Larson Rainier, won “Best Experimental Film”. It’s the second time a film from Basha has won this award at MidWest WeirdFest.

“Best Comedy Short” was won by the bloody, and bloody-hilarious, Hat Trick, about a magician’s act at a children’s birthday party that goes horribly wrong; from filmmaking duo Tess Lafia and Noah Deats.

The Sky, The Canvas, and Eau Claire, from director Ian Steven and producer Stephanie Turner, won “Best TV/New Media Short”. Taken from Steven’s YouTube series Alien Wisconsin, this engrossing short news piece deals with the profound impact a childhood UFO encounter had on a local artist.

And “Best Music Video” went to the hilarious and confronting My Face from filmmaker, actor, and recording artist Jeff Hilliard, about a powerful executive who has an interesting way to relieve her stress through creative role-play.

MidWest WeirdFest also hosts both a feature and short screenplay competition.

The winning feature screenplay Restoration was written by Don Stroud and Winter Mead. Adam Seidel’s The Salesman took the 1st Runner-up spot. (Adam also won “Best Director” for his feature film Anywhere at this year’s MidWest WeirdFest.) And the competition’s 2nd Runner-up was awarded to Adam Goudchaux for his screenplay On the Record.

The short screenplay competition was won by Lauren Loud for Liz. The 1st Runner-up was SAM, written by Daniel Talbott. And Matt Shade’s Mulva? was awarded 2nd Runner-up.