Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Film Festival

FROM THE LAND BEYOND

Enjoy a a free afternoon screening for your family to enjoy at the Providence Place Library. These films are age-appropriate and showcase a mixture of fantasy and science fiction.

This event is free, but please register for the event using Eventbrite.

Broken Wand | Anne Yang, Michael Altman, Directors | 3 min. | USA, 2014.
'Broken Wand' is the story of a washed-up magician trying reconnect with his preteen grandson who used to love magic.

Dissonance | Till Nowak, Director | 15 min. | Germany, 2015.
A genius musician lives a lonely life in a surreal, floating world. He plays the piano every day in a gigantic concert hall, but there is nobody to listen. One day his animated world collapses and reality breaks out.

Knock Knock | Anthony Lund, Director | 3 min | USA, 2014.
On a dark, stormy night, a brave little boy decides to find out who is knocking on his door... his closet door, that is.

Lapse of Time | Celine Tricart, Director | 15 min. France, 2013.
On a winter afternoon, in the course of a hide and seek game, a kid finds shelter in the most 
unlikely of places : the huge astronomic-tuned clock of the city's cathedral! Sneaking his way through, he accidentally gets his jacket stuck into the mechanism blocking the entire system...and of time itself!

Life on Juniper | Mark Ratzlaff, Director | 15 min. Canada, 2015.
Following reports of a mysterious crash, an aging farmer encounters a visitor determined on 
disrupting his quiet way of life.

Prelude | Mitra Shahidi, Director | 5 min. Australia, 2011.
Prelude is a whimsical story of a creative little girl and her scientist grandfather. A series of happy accidents cause the relationship between these two get stronger.

Raspberry Galaxies | Noah Sterling, Director | 5 min. United Kingdom, 2015.
When a young girl discovers that the center of our galaxy contains the same chemicals that give raspberries their taste, she is inspired to create a universe of her own out of actual raspberries.

Zéro | Tony T. Datis, Director | 10 min. France, 2014.
In the heart of a small suburban park, a young boy is about to reveal his incredible secret to his classmate.

Side Kick | Puja Maewal, Director |10 min. | USA, 2014.
A little girl mistakes a thief for a comic book superhero. 

FROM THE LAND BEYOND BEYOND: KID’S SHORTS

Part two of our kids' programming during the Festival. Free films continue with a selection of titles from the RIIFF 2015. 

This event is free, but please register for the event using Eventbrite.

Soar | Alyce Tzue, Director | 6 min. | USA, 2014.
A precocious young girl makes a new friend when a tiny boy pilot drops out of the sky on a 
broken flying machine. Now she must race against time to return him home, before her new friend becomes stranded on Earth forever.

The Orchestra | Mikey Hill, Director | 15 min. | Australia, 2015. 
Imagine a world where a band of tiny musicians follow you and play a soundtrack for your life, communicating your emotions, fears and hopes. In this world lives elderly Vernon, a lonely man whose crippling shyness causes his orchestral musicians to perform terribly out of tune.

Josef et Aimée |Ben Shirinian, Director| 15 min. | Canada, 2014.
Josef and Aimee were originally from cities in the north of France, but as the Nazi occupation of France drew near, their families sent them into hiding in the south of France.
 
The Epic of Hershey | Douglas McGinness, Director | 15 min. | USA, 2015. 
God is missing. That's what the homeless children of New York believe, and God having been kicked out of power by the evil demon named La Llorona is how the children understand their suffering on the streets.

The Alchemist’s Letter | Carlos Andre Stevens, Director | 5 min. | France, 2015.
When Veridian, an estranged son, receives his late alchemist father Nicolas' inheritance, he is exposed to the ill-fated reality that his father built a tumultuous gold-making machine powered by his own memories.

Eloise Little Dreamer | Myriam Obin, Director | 4 min. | Canada, 2015
This creative animation manages to bring voice to a day of celebration in the streets of the city; everyone is wearing masks and making noise. However, a little girl discovers things are not what they appear to be. What is, in reality, a peaceful protest is soon disrupted by an aggressive police action.

Fulfilament | Rhiannon Evans, Director | 8 min. | USA, 2015
Travel around the brain with a little, lost thought and discover what it takes to make a great idea.

Theodora | Henry Chaisson and Travis Bogosian, Directors | 6 min. | USA, 2014.
A resourceful young girl prepares dinner for a friend.

This is a free screning, no ticket needed! 

On Tuesday Night at 6:00 p.m., VORTEX presents a special filmmaker conversation called “The Singularity of Imagination.” The evening features documentary filmmaker, Reshad Kulenovic, a writer/director based in Boston, New York, and Sarajevo. His short film Snovi played 20 international film festivals and was nominated for a 2011 Student Academy Award. Snovi was produced by the Centre Andre Malraux Sarajevo, which also produced Jean-Luc Godard’s Notre Musique. Kulenovic became one of the first artists to be funded by the Heinrich Boll Foundation. His documentary 100 Million Dollar House, set in the West Bank, premiered at the 2015 Rhode Island International Film Festival and was acquired for distribution by Al Jazeera. He graduated with an MFA in Film Production from Boston University.

During an in-depth conversation, Kulenovic will speak about his professional journey; screen his work and share insights into what it takes to succeed in the film industry and the fine line between truth and fiction.

This program is presented by the RWU Film Production Collaborative and is a free event.

Using Genre to Tell a Story
This is a free screening event with a lecture from RIIFF Programming Director, Shawn Quirk, about using a film's genre to tell a story. 

The event is free, but register using Eventbrite as seating is limited. 

Dissonance | Till Nowak, Director | 15 min. | Germany, 2015.
A genius musician lives a lonely life in a surreal, floating world. He plays the piano every day in a gigantic concert hall, but there is nobody to listen. One day his animated world collapses and reality breaks out.

YIKES | Michael Fodera, Director | 11 min. | USA, 2015.

A sheltered and struggling young actor, Ian, receives a call from his agent about an upcoming audition. Shortly after, Ian begins to see disturbing visions of the immediate future and he soon realizes that having this ability is not exactly a welcomed gift unless he is ready to do something about it.

Scheherazade | Mehrnoush Aliaghael, Director | 15 min. | Iran/USA, 2014.
In an audition, the unseen man behind the camera is asking the young actresses to share their dark personal stories to prove how well they relate to the anti-hero they are auditioning for. The result is a story tapestry of dark fantasies, secrets, memories, and betrayals. But their stories are not the end, they are only the beginning. What is happening in this audition room?

Whisper  | Jo Lewis, Director | 11 min. | United Kingdom, 2015.
A young woman travels to a remote beach side cabin in an attempt to finally quit her heroin habit. While there she accidentally sets in motion a chain of sinister events. Hauntingly beautiful, Whisper is a modern day ghost story that will keep you gripped from start to spine-chilling finish.

The Bridge Partner 14 min. | Gabriel Olsen, Director | 13 min. | USA, 2014.
Mattie is a timid housewife who has settled into a dull yet comfortable routine. She is confronted with a captivating alternative when she is paired with a new partner at a weekly bridge game. This stranger, Olivia, is everything Mattie is not: foreign, independent and alluring. But as the game ends, Olivia calmly leans across the table and whispers a shocking message.

Or at least that's what Mattie thinks she hears.

Larry Gone Demon | Matt Lawrence, Director | 14 min. | USA, 2014.
When three twenty-somethings must deal with the incorrigible and incredibly demonic Larry, they risk life and limb in an attempt to save the soul of their once-kind-and-unassuming friend while also procuring his five-hundred dollars in back rent.

Tarim the Brave Versus 1000 Special Effects | Guillaume Rieu, Director | 19 min. | France, 2015.
As he is going to save a princess imprisoned in the dungeon of an evil sorcerer, Tarim understands that he is the main character of a movie, and decides to fight against the special effect.

This year's Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Film Festival wouldn't be complete without a film that challenges a traditional genre. In this case, it's a new take on the mob/gangster film.

We're inviting you to a special advance screening of "Friends and Romans." Go out and have yourself a movie night, for free!

Starring: Michael Rispoli, Annabella Sciorra, Tony Sirico, Paul Ben-Victor, Anthony DeSando and Katie Stevens.

Director: Christopher Kublan   Producer: Michael Mailer   Written by: Gregg Greenberg, Christopher Kublan and Michael Rispoli  

Release Date: October/November, 2015   

Synopsis: Set in a predominantly Italian-American neighborhood in Staten Island, FRIENDS & ROMANS is a winning comedy about an ordinary guy who goes to extraordinary lengths to make his dreams come true. Heading a large and colorful ensemble, Michael Rispoli stars as Nick DeMaio, an aspiring actor who is perpetually typecast as "Gangster Number 3" in films about the Mob.  In an attempt to be taken seriously, Nick and his buddies decide to stage a play, and not just any play, but Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," (which, after all, is just another tale about a "Don" and his "capos," except in iambic pentameter).  Coming and going at odd hours for rehearsals, this motley crew attracts the attention of the Feds, who mistakenly assume these good guys are "goodfellas," and their play is a front for criminal activity. Typecast once again as a gangster--this time in real life--Nick has to prove his mettle, both onstage and off.  Boasting a cast that includes no fewer than eight alumni of "The Sopranos," FRIENDS & ROMANS also stars Annabella Sciorra, Tony Sirico, Paul Ben-Victor, Anthony DeSando and Katie Stevens. 

This is a free screening, but reserve your seating using the link below: 

http://www.gofobo.com/RIIFFRIENDS 

PROVIDENCE UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL: Part 1


Lake Nowhere | Christopher Phelps and Maxim Von Scoy, Directors | 51 min. | USA, 2014.
From the vaults of the golden age of slasher films comes LAKE NOWHERE, a raucous, bloody romp which resurrects the thrill of gory midnight movies for an hour-long plunge into the depths of horror. Inspired by the dusty days of VHS, LAKE NOWHERE is preceded by original trailers & commercials, replicating the experience of watching a long lost bootleg tape.

Preceded by:

Selene Hollow | Mathew Provost, Director | 44 min. | USA (Local), 2015.
Selene Hollow follows recently unemployed journalist Byron, as he struggles to reinvent himself while penning his first novel. Lost in the middle of nowhere, Byron's new home of Selene Hollow, soon reveals itself to be much more than a quiet place for him to escape.

They’re Closing In | Jarret Blinkhorn, Director | 6 min. | USA (Local), 2015.
Tension grows as a tired married couple are forced to deal with each others issues because if they leave... The creatures outside will make them regret it.

Special free event presented by the RWU Film Production Collaborative. Please register for this event via Eventbrite -- link below!

The Answer | Iqbal Ahmed, Director | 83 min. | USA, 2014.
Living a quiet life below the radar, BRIDD is thrown into chaos when he returns home and is 
attacked by masked men. Narrowly escaping, he and his feisty co-worker CHARLOTTE follow clues left by his dead parents to find out who's after him -- and why. In the process, he discovers something shocking about himself -- he's special. The last thing he ever wanted.

Preceded by:
Movies in Space | Chris W. Smith, Director | 15 min. | USA, 2015.
MOVIES IN SPACE is a comedy sci-fi following the rise and fall of Travis Shepard, a future-earth-ambassador, who unwittingly gets caught up in an alien Hollywood-like system.

Special presentation of French Speaking sci-fi and fantasy films at Woonsocket's Museum of Work and Culture.

Eloise Little Dreamer | Myriam Obin, Director | 4 min. | Canada, 2015
This creative animation manages to bring voice to a day of celebration in the streets of the city; everyone is wearing masks and making noise. However, a little girl discovers things are not what they appear to be. What is, in reality, a peaceful protest is soon disrupted by an aggressive police action. 

Zéro | Tony T. Datis, Director | 10 min. France, 2014. In the heart of a small suburban park, a young boy is about to reveal his incredible secret to his classmate.

Josef et Aimée | Ben Shirinian, Director| 15 min. | Canada, 2014. Josef and Aimee were originally from cities in the north of France, but as the Nazi occupation of France drew near, their families sent them into hiding in the south of France. 

Hair Cut | Virginia Mori, Director | 8 min. | France, 2014. A teacher and her pupil linger in an empty classroom. Through their looks and gestures, a strange confrontation begins.

A Vif  | Guillaume Foresti, Director| 23 min. | France, 2014. Beatrice and Laurent are a couple. Laurent mysteriously lost his senses, little by little. Gradually, he lost the taste and smell, and touch. But more worryingly, it only affects his perception of his wife.  He wonders if the problem really comes from him...

Chulyen | Agnès Patron, Director | 20 min. | France, 2015. Up there, so close to the pole, Chulyen is bored. Half man, half crow, with his pitiless eyes he cuts the world into pieces. When Chulyen covets a giant's kayak, he comes down from the air to charm and deceive him.

Tarim le brave contre des Milles et Un Effects (Tarim the Brave Versus 1001 Special Effects) | Guillaume Rieu, Director | 19 min. | France, 2015. As he is going to save a princess imprisoned in the dungeon of an evil sorcerer, Tarim understands that he is the main character of a movie, and decides to fight against the special effect.

The Magus
Director: Guy Green | 117 min. | 1968, USA
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Michael Caine, Candice Bergen
A teacher on a Greek island becomes involved in bizarre mind games with the island's magician (Anthony Quinn) and a beautiful young woman.

FREE EVENT

NOTE: TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE DOOR! 100 seat max capacity so please get there early.

Back to Earth | Thomas Wilson, Director | 14 min. | Australia, 2015.
The sun is setting. A young man, Lou, is sitting next to a re-opened grave, hurriedly preparing an assortment of objects; a mortar and pestle, salts, flowers and a watch, taking cue from a leather-bound book full of notes and hand-drawn diagrams. He places the items on and around a recently deceased corpse that he has pulled out of the grave.

A Boy’s Life | Howard McCain, Director | 7 min. | USA, 2014.
A Boy's Life is a short narrative told only through visuals. It takes what initially appears to be a portrait of a troubled youth and twists to reveal a world gone awry. Harking back to the classic stories of 'Lord of the Flies' and 'City of God,' it examines the power of youth in an environment of chaos and violence.

The Crop | Will Halas, Director | 15 min. | USA, 2014.
On a road in the middle of nowhere, with the horizon stretching out as far as the eye can see, a Man tries to start the car, but the ignition will not catch. He gets out, grabs his bag, and walks around to the passenger side. Bleeding from a wound in abdomen, he opens the door, grabs a gun from the glove box, and for the first time, we see a second man - a very dead man - in the passenger seat.

Playback | Nathan Crooker, Director | 4 min. | USA, 2014.
A man turns on his TV but can only find static, when suddenly the static cuts out to show security camera footage of a masked killer chasing a scantily-clad woman and 
brutally gutting her in an apartment hallway.

Sebastian & Them | Benjamin Bee, Director | 7 min. | United Kingdom, 2015.
Sebastian has to leave is childhood friends behind. the only problem is they don't want him to leave him...

Seule | Didier Philippe, Director | 10 min. | France, 2014.
Claire, a young woman, lives alone in a large apartment. Her fear of the outside world stops her from going out and letting people in. One day, she discovers evidence revealing that a man lives in her home. The presence of that man becomes more and more apparent and eventually threatening...

A Way Out | Jason Tostevin, Director | 14 min. | USA,  2015.
Aging gangster Vic has made a deadly decision of the heart: he's going to risk quitting the life to have one last chance at redemption, saving his grandson before he follows in his Vic's footsteps. But when he reveals his plan to his protege Reggie, whom he's groomed for years to take his place, he discovers he's not the only one who's been harboring a killer secret.

YIKES | Michael Fodera, Director | 11 min. | USA, 2015. 
A sheltered and struggling young actor, Ian, receives a call from his agent about an upcoming audition. Shortly after, Ian begins to see disturbing visions of the immediate future and he soon realizes that having this ability is not exactly a welcomed gift unless he is ready to do something about it.

PROVIDENCE UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL: Part 2

Catch a special screening of films produced by local filmmakers and a RIIFF alum!

Fury: The Tales of Ronin Pierce | Kevin McCarthy, Director | 91 min. | USA (Local), 2014.
Our film revolves around Ronan Pierce, a vigilante cop with a dark past in the fictional Harbor City. Harbor city is full of psychopaths, rapists, gangs,serial killers & corrupt cops/politicians. However, none are worse than The Luna Cartel, a large global human trafficking network enslaves thousands of young beautiful women from around the world, and harvests organs from all of it's other victims 

Preceded By:

Peeved | Rhonda Marie, Director | 17 min. | USA (Local), 2015.
A family becomes unhinged due to their pet “peeves.”  An unstable son takes matters into his own hands while being taunted by the mystery of his deceased sister.

A Tricky Treat | Patricia Chica, Director | 3 min. | Canada, 2015.
A man is kidnapped by a very strange family, and his fate is held in the hands of two kids.

BEHIND THE CAMERA LENS: On the Nature of Genre  Filmmaking

On Friday afternoon, October 23rd, at 3:30 p.m. horror and sci-fi film fans will want to be at the Global Heritage Hall, Room 01, Roger Williams University in Bristol. The Forum, “Behind the Camera Lens” provides audiences with the opportunity to meet some of the movers and shakers in the film, horror and sci-fi production scene.

Rhode Island has become known as the Independent state for film. Starting with the foundation provided by the film and media programs at our colleges and universities, and the unique talent base of creative artists who have made their homes here.  The Ocean State has built a reputation as a one-stop film studio. Among such notable filmmakers as Wes Anderson, Woody Allen and the Farrelly Brothers, and others who have made their films within the Ocean State, the independent horror and sci-fi fantasy genre is steadily becoming an industry standard for RI’s film community.

“Behind the Camera Lens,” will be hosted by Steven Feinberg (“Fortress,” “Peter York,” “Pell Grants: A Passion for Education”), Executive Director of the Rhode Island Film & Television Office, the man behind the state’s high profile within the industry, and filmmaking professionals who have successfully made careers within the industry: Panelists: Kevin McCarthy, (“Fury: The Tales of Ronin Pierce”), Christina Raia (“Summit”), Tommy Denucci (“Almost Mercy”) and Shawn Quirk, RIIFF’s Programming Director. 

The RWU Film Production Collaborative will host the free event.

Things are never what you think they are…

Hair Cut | Virginia Mori, Director | 8 min. | France, 2014.
A teacher and her pupil linger in an empty classroom. Through their looks and gestures, a 
strange confrontation begins.

Pale Blue Eyes | Joe Henderson, Director | 10 min. | Australia, 2014.
Nothing is what it seems.

Chulyen | Agnès Patron, Director | 20 min. | France, 2015.
Up there, so close to the pole, Chulyen is bored. Half man, half crow, with his pitiless eyes he cuts the world into pieces. When Chulyen covets a giant's kayak, he comes down from the air to charm and deceive him.

One Night in Hell | James Hall, Jason Jameson, Directors | 7 min. | USA, 2014.
A devilish and spectacular animation short that tells the story of a skeleton's journey into a 
stereoscopic hell.

Under the Bed | Tamar Ben-Baruch, Director | 3 min. | USA, 2014.
Under the Bed is the story of a little boy trying to escape a horrific nightmare as his furniture and belongings come to life.

The Cure | Xavier Mesme, Director | 14 min. | France, 2015. 
One evening, a mysterious visitor pays a visit to a drug addict, bringing her a miracle cure for her addiction. But the woman realizes that the visitor came with other intentions in mind.

The Cart | Patrik Erikson, Director | 6 min. | Poland, 2015.
A girl is pushing a fish in a water filled cart across a dark plain. 
The cart is leaking, and mysterious beings are attracted to the struggle. What awaits in the 
abyss?

Teeth | Tom Brown, Daniel Gray, Directors | 6 min. | USA/United Kingdom, 2015.
That which is neglected, is lost.

The Morrigan | Colum Eastwood, Director | 16 min. | Ireland/United Kingdom, 2014. 
A young couple's remote holiday cottage comes under attack from malevolent forces when they give refuge to a mysterious young girl.

CAT BIRD COYOTE | Amy Raasch, Director | 3 min. | USA, 2015.
In a stark laboratory, a ruthless bird scientist's experiments cause a freak explosion, freeing one of his subjects. An abused cat escapes from her captor as a coyote digs through trash. Once free, the animals must not only fend for themselves, but face each other in the wild.

Sick To My Bones | Matthew Bailey, Director | 14 min. | United Kingdom, 2015.
A winged warrior wakes up to find herself close to death and bound by chains to her demonic prisoner. It is her duty to walk the wasteland and bring her prisoner to a place where he can be assimilated and become just like her. But as her body starts to shut down, will she be able to complete her task?

Day 40 | Sol Friedman, Director | 6 min. | USA, 2014.
In this animated retelling of the Noah's Ark story, various unholy activities fill the great ship, as the animals discover the darker side of their nature.
 

Watch the feature length film "Jackrabbit" that played at Tribeca 2015 and a short film that questions what love really is.

Jackrabbit | Carleton Ranney, Director | 100 min. | USA, 2015.
The planet's technological infrastructure has been wiped out by an event known as The Reset. Now, in the struggling and isolated City VI, a computer prodigy must team up with a solitary hacker to decipher a strange message left behind when their mutual friend commits suicide. What they discover will change their lives forever.

Preceded by:
Lost In Bloom | Michael Messina, Director | 27 min. | USA (Local), 2015.
In the months following an experimental brain treatment, Ethan enjoys newfound confidence and clarity, until unforeseen complications bring him to question the nature of free will and the fallacy of true love.

Get ready for an international short film showcase filled with horror and science fiction.

Havva | Guclu Aydogdu, Director | 8 min. | Turkey, 2015.
The tragic miracle of a father in an alternate post-apocalyptic world.

A Vif | Guillaume Foresti, Director| 23 min. | France, 2014.
Beatrice and Laurent are a couple. Laurent mysteriously lost his senses, little by little. Gradually, he lost the taste and smell, and touch. But more worryingly, it only affects his perception of his wife. He wonders if the problem really comes from him...

Drink | Emily Moss Wilson, Director | 23 min. | USA, 2014.
DRINK is a sci-fi cautionary tale that follows Alice and her two sons, Clint and Billy, as they flee their home in the middle of the night. They arrive at an old desert motel, and it doesn't take long before Alice realizes she has a strange connection to this place. A tragedy of the past begins to reveal secret desires that could send Alice down a path of freedom or insanity.

Mrs. K | Dongneok Seo, Director |15 min. | South Korea, 2015.
Mrs. K, a 9 months pregnant thirty-something housewife, starts to suspect her wealthy husband of something sinister.

La Ropavejra | Nacho Ruipérez | 28 min. | Spain, 2014.
Young Teresita finds herself suddenly being forced to live in a house with a group of 9 forgotten children. Without the slightest hope for escape they spend their days obeying orders and being abused by the Huckster.

Larry Gone Demon | Matt Lawrence, Director | 14 min. | USA, 2014.
When three twenty-somethings must deal with the incorrigible and incredibly demonic Larry, they risk life and limb in an attempt to save the soul of their once-kind-and-unassuming friend while also procuring his five-hundred dollars in back rent.

Screening of "Astraea" a feature film that played at Cinequest, and "Open 24 Hours" directed by a Brown University senior.

Astraea | Kristjan Thor, Director | 95 min. | USA, 2015. When disease nearly wipes out the human race, a telepathic teenage girl named Astraea  believes her visions confirm that survivors are living in Northern Canada.

Preceded by:
Open 24 Hours | Henry Chaisson, Director | 6 min. | USA (Local), 2015. In the dead of night, Russell stops at a backwater convenience store to purchase gas and a pair of suspicious tools. He meets his match in Dixie, an overzealous checkout clerk who misinterprets Russell's dark motives at every turn -- or does she? Russell is forced to play into Dixie's eccentric whims, or risk drawing attention to the eerie rumble that pours from the trunk of his car. 

Barrow | Peter Gurbiel, Director | 15 min. | Australia, 2014. Twenty years to the day her father murdered her mother, young forensic entomologist Carly Jacobs discovers that both time and memory are more connected than she could ever have imagined possible.

One of the most popular Festival events returns for this year's Vortex: College Hill gets especially eerie around this time each year, when the Rhode Island Historical Society celebrates the birthday of H.P. Lovecraft. This would have been his 123rd year, and his macabre stories are no less chilling for their age: See the spots that inspired Lovecraft to write some of his most horrific tales.

Walk the streets he walked, and check out places that he mentioned in works such as "The Call of Cthulhu." The tour lasts 90 min. 

This tour includes free admission to Saturday's 3:00pm Screening at the Bell St. Chapel as part of the 2015 Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Film Festival!

An international mix of short fantasy films from around the globe.

Tarim le Brave | Guillaume Rieu, Director | 19 min. | France, 2015.
As he is going to save a princess imprisoned in the dungeon of an evil sorcerer, Tarim understands that he is the main character of a movie, and decides to fight against the special effects.

Dust | Mike Grier, Director | 27 min. | USA, 2015.
In a harsh and unpredictable natural environment where people have isolated them selves behind massive walled cities, a socially marginalized Tracker teams up with a black-market merchant to save the industrial society that has rejected his way of life.

Trellis | Jackson Miller, Director | 11 min. | Canada, 2015.
Trellis tells the story of Billy, a young boy suffering through a violent family life. To escape the domestic drama, he develops a green thumb and turns to his greenhouse: a magical safe-haven where his imagination is free to run wild. After his drunken father destroys his refuge, Billy takes matters into his own hands. 

Edit/Undo | Daniel Clements, Director | 17 min. | Canada, 2015.
What if you could undo your mistakes in life, like you can undo your mistakes on a computer, with just the click of a button?

Dive | Matthew Saville, Director | 14 min. | New Zealand, 2014.
What if your reflection had a mind of it's own?

In Extremis | Gregory Crosbie, Director | 14 min. | United Kingdom, 2014.
A night watchman is sent to guard the cellar of a museum by its mysterious curator, who tells him that his “usual man” is unavailable that night. He instructs the watchman to set off an alarm bell if anyone tries to gain access to the cellar during the night and warns him to mind his own business whilst there – before leaving him alone to his shift. 

Theme Song Rebel | Luke Patton, Director | 20 min. | USA (Local), 2013.
In a dystopia where a person's social class is determined by their theme song, Louise wants to change her tune.

Join us as we announce the award winners for this year’s Festival and toast the 16th 
Anniversary of the Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Film Festival. Reception follows.

Join us for a screening at the Bell St. Chapel Theatre.

Summit | Christina Raia, Director | 80 min. | USA, 2014. A snowy road lies empty and silent as a parked car sits crooked off to the side. The driver’s door is aimlessly open. A trail of red stains the snow. A woman’s body lies at the end of the blood-stained trail; her skin blue from the cold, her throat slit. Her lifeless eyes stare out at the open, desolate woods. 

Preceded By:
Scheherazade | Mehrnoush Aliaghael, Director | 15 min. | Iran/USA, 2014. In an audition, the unseen man behind the camera is asking the young actresses to share their dark personal stories to prove how well they relate to the anti-hero they are auditioning for. The result is a story tapestry of dark fantasies, secrets, memories, and betrayals. But their stories are not the end, they are only the beginning. What is happening in this audition room?

Night of the Slasher | Shant Hamassian, Director | 11 min. | USA, 2014. A 'shot-in-one-take' slasher film about a teenage girl who must commit horror movie sins by drinking alcohol, doing drugs, and having sex in order to lure a masked killer and defeat him.

LOVEBITES | Andrew Chung, Director | 12 min. | Canada, 2015. In a bleak zombie-plagued future, Carolyn fights to survive day to day with her lover, Maddy. But Maddy has a hard time letting go of the past, while Carolyn only lives for today, because it's the only thing left she can count on.

Screening of feature film "Julia" preceeded by short films "Mae Day" and "Tessellate"

Julia | Matthew A. Brown, Director | 95 min. | USA, 2014.
A neo-noir revenge thriller centering on Julia Shames, who after suffering a brutal trauma, falls  prey to an unorthodox form of therapy to restore herself.

Mae Day | Ryan Clark, Director | 13 min. | USA (Local), 2015.
A mansion heist turns deadly when two thieves come face-to-face with a young woman who has no intention of backing down.

Tessellate | Dario Ortega, Director | 16 min. | USA, 2014.
A experimental film explores the a Father's memories of loss, creation and redemption. The father tries to save his son from certain death by using an experimental technology that allow him to store memories. This eventually creates a circle of life that was unforeseen.

Special showcase of international science fiction showcase that include tales of space, the supernatural and the end of civilization.

Enfilade | David Coyle, Director | 10 min. | Australia, 2014.
You can't escape the loop.

Sumer | Alvaro Garcia, Director | 10 min. | United Kingdom, 2014.
For unknown reasons, the Earth's ionosphere has weakened dramatically during the course of the last century.  All animal and plant species perished decades ago. All that remains is one small group of humans who attempt to resist the hostility and hardness of the external environment from SUMER, the last hive city in the world.

The Last Man | Galvin Rothery, Director | 20 min. | United Kingdom, 2014.
A Deep Reserve soldier is awoken from stasis and finds the world ruined by war.

Intersection | Brendan Beachman | 19 min. | USA, 2015.
Two road construction workers flag for non-existent vehicles on a remote desert intersection. The monotony of their day is smashed by the violent arrival of an object from the sky.

Future Perfect | Nick Citton | 11 min. | USA, 2014.
A time travel movie that take place in the space between then and now. One man is hired to do a job that makes him question every impulse in his body, until he sees a future he cannot unlearn. A sparse, minimalist sci-fi story about the endless nature of grief.

Rose | Tom Stoddart, Director | 11 min. | United Kingdom, 2014.
A widowed mother struggling to cope with her daughter's dark secret is offered help by a 
mysterious doctor, leading to devastating consequences.

Squeezebox | Sam Lerma, Director | 21 min. | USA, 2015.
A musician's ominous dreams intersect with reality after he buys a mysterious box with an 
appetite. 

Screening of RIIFF 2015's Vortex Sci-Fi & Fantasy Award winner "Subterranea" and comedy short "Movies in Space."

Subterranea | Mathew Miller, Director | 99 min. | USA, 2015.
A man raised in complete isolation his entire life is released into society for the first time as an adult and must learn how to live. Along the way, he discovers that he's part of a social experiment and sets off to find answers about his dark past.

Preceded by:
Movies in Space | Chris W. Smith, Director | 15 min. | USA, 2015.
MOVIES IN SPACE is a comedy sci-fi following the rise and fall of Travis Shepard, a future-earth-ambassador, who unwittingly gets caught up in an alien Hollywood-like system.

One of the most popular Festival events returns for this year's Vortex: College Hill gets especially eerie around this time each year, when the Rhode Island Historical Society celebrates the birthday of H.P. Lovecraft. This would have been his 123rd year, and his macabre stories are no less chilling for their age: See the spots that inspired Lovecraft to write some of his most horrific tales.

This tour includes a special screening of short films at the Providence Public Library as part of the 2015 Vortex Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Film Festival!


Devil Makes Work | Guy Soulsby, Director | 7 min. | United Kingdom, 2014. 
A visually dark and sinister short film illustrating the devil's twisted view of humanity; our hopes and dreams, life, love and struggle together with the sacrifices we make for success.

A Vif | Guillaume Foresti, Director | 23 min. | France, 2014.
Beatrice and Laurent are a couple. Laurent mysteriously lost his senses, little by little. Gradually, he lost the taste and smell, and touch. But more worryingly, it only affects his perception of his wife. He wonders if the problem really comes from him...

Drink | Emily Moss Wilson, Director | 23 min. | USA, 2014.
DRINK is a sci-fi cautionary tale that follows Alice and her two sons, Clint and Billy, as they flee their home in the middle of the night. They arrive at an old desert motel, and it doesn't take long before Alice realizes she has a strange connection to this place. A tragedy of the past begins to reveal secret desires that could send Alice down a path of freedom or insanity.

Larry Gone Demon | Matt Lawrence, Director | 14 min. | USA, 2014. When three twenty-somethings must deal with the incorrigible and incredibly demonic Larry, they risk life and limb in an attempt to save the soul of their once-kind-and-unassuming friend while also procuring his five-hundred dollars in back rent. Black metal, excrement, Russian gangs, bowling priests, and aborted fetuses collide in this riotous horror-comedy.

Barow | Wade K. Savage, Director | 15 min. | Australia, 2014. A young woman training to be a forensic entomologist is forced to confront her dark past

Rose | Tom Stoddart, Director | 11 min. | United Kingdom, 2014. A widowed mother struggling to cope with her daughter's dark secret is offered help by a mysterious doctor, leading to devastating consequences.

Squeezebox | Directed by Sam Lerma | 21 min. | USA, 2015. A musician's ominous dreams intersect with reality after he buys a mysterious box with an appetite.