After screening 70 films representing 15 countries, Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival announced the winners with the Grand Prize for Best Horror Feature going to “The Unfamiliar” directed by Henk Pretorius.
Vortex Sci-Fi Fantasy & Horror Film Festival
The Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival celebrates and showcases imagination and creativity in filmmaking and includes a bevy of World and U.S. Premieres.
Vortex Sci-Fi Fantasy & Horror Film Festival started in 2000 and takes place in Providence, RI
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THE UNFAMILIAR Wins Top Prize at 2020 Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Film Festival
“The Unfamiliar” directed by Henk Pretorius
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20th Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival Announces Winners
Volition directed by Tony Dean Smith The 20th Annual Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival wrapped with the annual award ceremony. The Grand Prize Sci Film award went to Volition directed by Tony Dean Smith of Canada, and the Grand Prize Horror Film award went to Star Light directed by Lee Cummings and Mitchell Altieri.
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ASCENSION, KILLER UNICORN Win 2018 Vortex Film Festival Awards
A phantasmagoric symphony of international genre films were given their due with the wrap of the 19th Annual Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival through adjudicated awards. The Festival celebrated and showcased imagination and creativity in filmmaking and included nine (9) World and U.S. Premieres. In all, 61 films were selected from over 3,000 genre submissions, representing 16 countries and presented at 15 locations. This year’s Festival was planned, developed and curated by Shawn Drywa, Vortex Program Director and creator of the annual genre Festival with Shawn Quirk, RIIFF Program Director.
“Over the past several years, we have been expanding our screenings to educational institutions, literally bringing Vortex to our audience. We made a concerted effort this year to include a dynamic mix of the Horror, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi genres,” said Shawn Drywa, Vortex Program Director. “These films represent the vanguard of genre filmmaking from across the globe, and showcase a rising generation of filmmakers, who are redefining genre films for the next generation of cinephiles.
“Vortex filmmakers are leaders of tomorrow’s entertainment industry, and it’s our mission to empower them and help them move forward in their respective careers through showcasing their work.”
“We are proud to see that this sidebar to RIIFF has become an important cultural event for the State and an international draw for filmmakers and audiences. This year saw over a dozen filmmakers, cast and crew coming from the United Kingdom, Canada and from throughout the United States,” he added.
“From our ongoing educational outreach with area colleges and universities, free library and museum screenings, high school-based programs, to a master class on filmmaking and conversations on the film industry with noted leaders, this year’s Vortex Film Festival laid the foundation for an even more expanded event next year” noted Shawn Quirk, RIIFF’s Program Director.
Winners of Top Prizes of 2018 Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival
BEST SCI-FI SHORT FILM:
GRAND PRIZE: FACE | Directed by: Luke Tierney, Australia, 2017 First Prize: One Way Wolf Blitzer Freaky Friday| Directed by: Jared Neumark, USA, 2017 Tied With: In Her Image | Directed by: Nikoloz Kevkhishvili, Georgia, 2018BEST FANTASY SHORT FILM
GRAND PRIZE: The Lossen | Directed by: Colin Skevington, United Kingdom, 2018 First Prize: The Whistler | Directed by: Jennifer Nicole Stang, Canada, 2018BEST HORROR SHORT FILM:
GRAND PRIZE: Zombied | Directed by: Matthew Van Vorst, USA, 2018 First Prize: A Doll Distorted | Directed by: Niall Shukla, United Kingdom, 2018 Tied With: The Son, the Father… | Directed by: Lukas Hassel, USA, 2017BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM:
GRAND PRIZE: The Legend of Rasputin | Directed by: Jamie Shannon, Canada, 2017 First Prize: Reruns |Directed by: Rosto —-, Belgium, France, Netherlands, 2017 Tied With: Space Between Stars | Directed by: Samuel W. Bradley, Canada, 2018BEST FEATURE FILM:
GRAND PRIZE: Ascension | Directed by: Ross Wachsman, USA, 2018 FIRST PRIZE: Killer Unicorn | Directed by: Drew Bolton, USA, 2018 DIRECTORIAL DISCOVERY AWARD: Michael Paul, Director of “Strange Clowns,”USA, 2018 H.P. LOVECRAFT AWARD: I Am the Doorway | Directed by: Simon Pearce, United Kingdom, 2018 image via Facebook
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Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival Awards – CHARISMATA Wins Grand Jury Award
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Charismata directed by Tor Mian[/caption]
A phantasmagoric symphony of international genre films were given there due with the wrap of the 18th Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival through adjudicated awards; with Charismata directed by Tor Mian winning the Grand Jury prize for Best Feature Film.
Charismata is a psychological horror about a police detective whose sanity begins to unravel as she investigates a series of brutal ritualistic murders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuZDxviLXVg
“We made a concerted effort this year to expand our programming to include a dynamic mix of the Horror, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi genres,” said Shawn Quirk, Program Director of the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, which produces the Vortex sidebar. “These films represent the vanguard of genre filmmaking from across the globe, and showcase a rising generation of filmmakers, who are redefining genre films for the next generation of cinephiles.
“These filmmakers are leaders of tomorrow’s entertainment industry, and it’s our mission to empower them and help them move forward in their respective careers through showcasing their work.”
The next edition of the Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Festival will take place October 15-21, 2018.
2017 Flickers’ Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival Award Winners
BEST SCI-FI SHORT FILM
GRAND PRIZE: My Best Friend Is Stuck on the Ceiling | Matthew Vesely, Director | 10 min. Australia, 2015. First Prize: Real Artists | Cameo Wood, Director | 12 min. | USA, 2017.BEST FANTASY SHORT FILM
GRAND PRIZE: Ovum | Luciano Blotta, Director | 17 min. USA, 2016. First Prize: Nimmer | Lieven Vanhove, Director | 16 min. Belgium, 2016.BEST HORROR SHORT FILM
GRAND PRIZE: Robb’s Problem | Dianna Ippolito, Director | 19 min. USA, 2017. First Prize: When Demons Die | Daniel Rübesam, Director | 19 min. Germany, 2016.BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
GRAND PRIZE: Meeting MacGuffin | Catya Plate, Director | 10 min. USA, 2017. First Prize: Garden Party | Théophile Dufresne, Director | 8 min. | France, 2016.BEST FEATURE FILM
GRAND PRIZE: Charismata | Tor Mian, Director | 96 min. United Kingdom, 2017. DIRECTORIAL DISCOVERY AWARD: Red Ruby | Jose Holder, Director | 21 min. Canada, 2016.