Official Selection - Silver Springs International Film Festival 2016

Man, I cannot believe that we are at our 50th Film Festival Official Selection announcement. It sounds like crazy talk, but here we are. That said, we are so humbled to announce that The Smiling Man is an Official Selection to the 2016 Silver Springs International Film Festival!

We will be screening in competition on Friday April 8 at 11pm at the historic Marion Theatre, ahead of Zachary Butler's Shriekfest Best Feature winning film Interior. That's a pretty crazy combo. No joke, guys, we're going to scare the crap out of people that night! If you're in the area, don't miss out!

About the Silver Springs International Film Festival

The Silver Springs International Film Festival is an international cultural event to elevate awareness of Ocala/Marion County, FL, Florida's Silver Springs State Park and the area's contributions to the history of cinema and the cultural landscape of Florida.

The third Festival is set to be held in Downtown Ocala in April 4th - April 10th, 2016 in the beautifully restored Historic Marion Theatre. The second Festival was held April 8th - 12th, 2015. 

Find out more on their website at http://www.springsfilmfest.com/

Official Selection - Fright Night Theatre Film Festival 2016

Friends in Ontario! The Smiling Man roars back to your town as an Official Selection of the Fright Night Theatre Film Festival 2016! The festival takes place on the weekend of March 11-12, with our film screening in the Horror Short Film Showcase on Saturday March 12 at 3pm!

Check out the full line up here: http://www.frightnighttheatre.com/2016/02/march-2016-fntff-lineup-revealed.html

About the Fright Night Theatre Film Festival

The Fright Night Theatre Film Festival (FNTFF) is the only festival dedicated to horror, cult, and genre cinema in the greater Hamilton, ON area. Operating twice a year, this fan-favorite event screens a combined 20 feature films and shorts each bi-annual season over the course of two exciting nights of genre film mayhem at the Staircase Theatre (27 Dundurn St. N). Fright Night Theatre is not just a scary night at the movies; it’s a celebration of fringe film-making, controversial cinema, tongue-in-cheek B-movies, and the art of the macabre.

Find out more on their website at http://www.frightnighttheatre.com/

Official Selection - Fantastic Cinema & Craft Beer Festival 2016

You know what goes well with a good scare? Craft beer! With that in mind, we are super excited to announce that The Smiling Man will have its Arkansas premiere as an Official Selection to the 2016 Fantastic Cinema & Craft Beer Festival!

About the Fantastic Cinema & Craft Beer Festival

Founded in 2015, Fantastic Cinema brings you the best of genre cinema; featuring Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller, Crime, and hybrid movies from Arkansas, the United States, and around the globe.

Also in 2016, along with the fantastic movies, we are excited to add an exciting new component to the festival… the best craft beer in the state of Arkansas.

Fantastic Cinema & Craft Beer Festival will combine two passionate fan bases that are a natural fit and will become a festival destination for Arkansans and the surrounding region!

Join us April 7-10, 2016 at Riverdale 10 VIP Cinema for a celebration of genre films and craft beer!

Find out more on their website at http://www.fantasticcinema.com/

Official Selection - Milledgeville Film Festival 2016

Woo hoo! We're excited to announce that The Smiling Man is an Official Selection of the Milledgeville Film Festival! We'll be celebrating our Georgia Premiere April 14-17th! As soon as we find out screening dates and times we will update this space.

About the Milledgeville Film Festival

This is the 4th Annual Milledgeville Film Festival, a five day movie explosion in the heart of Georgia's lake country. Features and shorts are welcome in a contest that mixes our city's history and new filmmakers with our Oliver Hardy Comedy Award and Central State Hospital horror screening. Compete, chat, and celebrate with other filmmakers in Milledgeville's iconic buildings with our Magnolia Ballroom Gala and renovated Campus Theatre Workshops.

Located near, GCSU (Georgia's only public liberal arts university) and Historic Downtown, the festival provides a relaxing space for fast-paced artists. Whether you're a creator or avid moviegoer, we hope to see you in Milledgeville, where we're crazy about film!

Find out more on their website at http://www.milledgevillefilmfest.com/

Official Selection - International Horror & Sci Fi Phoenix Film Festival

We're thrilled to announce that The Smiling Man is an Official Selection of the International Horror & Sci Fi Festival, which runs in conjunction with the Phoenix Film Festival! It all goes down April 7-14 in Phoenix Arizona! 

As soon as screening dates and times are announced, we will let you know!

About the International Horror & Sci-Fi Festival

Now in its 12th year, the International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival happens in conjunction with the 16th Annual Phoenix Film Festival with a dedicated theatre all opening weekend and screenings all week long.

Attendees can catch premieres of short and feature horror and sci-fi films from all over the world, along with eclectic programming of older films, special guests and cult classics. Plus, you can enjoy all the great parties and entertainment the Phoenix Film Festival is known for. Patrons will be able to screen awesome horror and sci-fi films alongside over a hundred other independent films. It’s the best of all worlds!

Find out more on their website at http://www.horrorscifi.com/

Official Selection - SXSW Film Festival 2016

I cannot stress to you how amazing it feels to be able to announce that The Smiling Man is an Official Selection of the 2016 SXSW Film Festival. This is, without a doubt, our biggest festival acceptance so far. With 3 screenings over 10 days and attended by 85,000 people, we are humbled at the opportunity to share our little film with the people of Austin.

We know the odds: with over 5,000 short films submitted for 110 coveted slots, we understand how incredibly fortunate we are and we look forward to making the most of this opportunity to spread the word about our little film. Huge thanks to our cast and crew, and to every film festival, big and small, that screened and believed in our film.

We will let you know as soon as screening dates and times are finalized, and we look forward to meeting some of you in Austin!

About the SXSW Film Festival

For nine days in March, creatives of all stripes gather at the SXSW Film Conference and Festival to celebrate raw innovation and emerging talent both behind and in front of the camera.

Featuring a high caliber and diverse film lineup, conversations with today’s most talented creators, one-on-one mentor sessions and more, SXSW Film brings together visionaries from all corners of the entertainment and media industry to share the stories and ideas that will shape the future of filmmaking.

The 2016 SXSW Film Conference and Festival will take place March 11-19, 2016.

Find out more on their website at www.sxsw.com

Official Selection - Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival 2016

The Smiling Man will be coming back to Oklahoma, this time visiting Muskogee as an Official Selection of the Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival! The festival goes down April 19-24, and as soon as we find out screening dates and times, we will let you know!

About the Bare Bones International Film & Music Festival

Bare Bones was created to champion the small budget filmmaker who wears many hats to bring their project to completion By Any Means Necessary. BAMN! 'No Frills-No Waste' is our common battle cry.

If you are a fiercely independent filmmaker producing small budget films or a screenwriter that can craft a script that can be shot on a small (less than a million dollar) budget, this festival is for you.

Find out more on their website at http://www.barebonesfilmfestival.org/

Official Selection - Los Angeles Short Film Festival 2016

We're adding another screening in LA with our Official Selection to the Los Angeles Short Film Festival! We'll be screening March 5-6, in competition with a fantastic selection of shorts from all over the globe!

As soon as we know more about event dates and times, we will let you know!

About the Los Angeles Short Film Festival

Film festivals are still the best place to screen independent work and get it noticed. With YouTube and Vimeo so overcrowded, good shorts often drown in a sea of bad. Showing the best of the best is priority at Los Angeles Short Film Festival. We provide filmmakers  an opportunity to share their shorts with an enthusiastic and responsive audience that’s eager to see new films, new faces, and new art. Los Angeles Short Film Festival – where emerging talent finds a place to shine!

Find out more on their website at http://losangelesshortfilmfestival.weebly.com/

42 Film Festivals! Official Selection - Meme Pas Peur International Film Festival

Friends in France! The Smiling Man heads out to the beautiful Reunion Island of France as an Official Selection of Meme Pas Peur, the International Fantastic Film Festival! We are part of a showcase of 60 amazing genre films, and we are so excited to share The Smiling Man with audiences for our French Premiere!

The Festival kicks off Feb 17-20 in the amazing Cinéma Henri Madoré in Saint Philippe, Reunion. As soon as screening dates, times and ticketing information is up, we will update this space!

About Meme Pas Peur

MEME PAS PEUR, The International Fantastic Film Festival of Reunion Island is the Ocean event for Fantastic films and future images.

Founded in 2011. The festival is held annually in February, in the city of Saint-Philippe, in the Wild South close to the volcano and at the border the ocean, a dream diverse decor, ideal for a independent film festival.

Each year, the festival offers to its public a highly competitive selection of 60 films. 
The selection represents the best fantastic films from all around the world, with a special interest in European, Asian, and American film directors.

Find out more on their website at http://www.festivalmemepaspeur.com/

Official Selection - Geekfest Film Fest 2016!

Bam! Zoom! Pow! We are so excited to announce that The Smiling Man is an Official Selection of the 2016 Geekfest Film Fest! This is a special announcement for us as we were part of year 1 of the festival, and Geekfest was such an amazing experience, touring my first film Carolina Parakeet to a bunch of Cons and getting us great exposure. We can't wait to share The Smiling Man with their audience!

It all begins Feb 20-21 with the Long Beach Comic Expo! From there, we'll be hitting up WhedonopolisCon, Fan Expo Canada, New York Comic Con, Rose City Comic Con, Stan Lee Comikaze, Tucson Comic Con, New Jersey Comic Expo, and who knows where else!

About Geekfest

More Cons, More Cities, More Awards, More Countries, Bigger Prizes!

Over 500,000 Comic-Con attendees were reached in Year 2 and this year we plan on becoming even bigger! Be part of the 1st and best Comic Con Film Festival on the Planet!

GeekFest Film Fests are the first and ONLY traveling Geek Genre Film Festival, bringing the best in genre programming to Comic Conventions around the country! GeekFest Film Fests travels across North America, screening the best Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Action, Superhero, Pop Culture, Fan Films, and Fandom Related themed films. It's the only geek event that awards its winners with screenings across the country at your favorite pop culture conventions!

Find out more on their website at http://geekfestla.com/

The Smiling Man nabs Honorable Mention for Best Horror Short at the Macabre Faire Film Festival 2016

What great news! Out of 146 amazing genre films from all over the world, The Smiling Man gets to bring home an Honorable Mention for Best Horror Short back our NY premiere at the Macabre Faire Film Festival! 

Huge thanks to co-founder Elsie Ginsberg and her awesome crew for putting together an amazing fest that Newsday Entertainment calls "Sundance with fangs!"

About the Macabre Faire Film Festival

A judged film festival that provides a venue for showcasing your films within a celebratory & respectful environment, where fans can enjoy the independent films entered by those who passionately craft your Strange-ifical, Weird-ifical, Horror-ifical, Sci-fi-tastical, Fantastical and Macabre-licious films. The opportunity to win awards, increase film visibility via press and possibly obtain distribution is always part of the equation with the Macabre Faire Film Festival.

Find out more on their Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/MacabreFaireFilmFestival

Official Selection - North Hollywood Cinefest 2016

We are thrilled to announce that The Smiling Man has been chosen as an Official Selection to the 2016 North Hollywood Cinefest! We are honored to screen in North Hollywood with some of the best independent features and shorts in all genres! 

The festival takes place the week of March 18-24. As soon as we get more information on screening dates and times, we will let you know! We're looking forward to sharing The Smiling Man with you!

Check out all the other Official Selections here: http://www.nohocinefest.com/#!2016-official-selections/c1933

About the North Hollywood Cinefest

Located in the heart of the NoHo Arts District in Los Angeles, the North Hollywood CineFest has established itself as a premiere event for independent cinema from all over the world.

By combining a vibrant local social scene with a state-of-the-art cinema, every filmmaker and film lover is sure to be impressed and delighted with the location. The combination of great film screenings, press and red carpet events, parties, seminars, all offered in this seven-day event, is what makes this a dynamic and must-go film festival.

Find out more on their website at http://www.nohocinefest.com/

Official Selection - Love Your Shorts Film Festival 2016

Friends in Florida: we are excited to announce that The Smiling Man will be returning in February for the Love Your Shorts Film Festival 2016! We will be screening in competition for the Monroe award. Love Your Shorts Film Festival happens over four days on February 11-14. As soon as screening dates and times are announced, we will let you know!

About the Love Your Shorts Film Festival

The Love Your Shorts Film Festival is an annual showcase in Sanford, Florida, of short films from around Florida, the United States and the world. The February festival, founded in 2010 to embrace and appreciate the art of the short film, was first shown at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce. Since then it has been presented at the 1923 Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, one of a handful of historic theaters remaining in Florida. During the festival, film fans can view films up to 30 minutes each in a variety of categories and attend film workshops.

Sanford, the cultural and county seat of Seminole County, sits along the St. Johns River and features a downtown cultural corridor, numerous art galleries, annual art festival, community folk performance, active community-theater troupes, and other arts activities.

Find out more on their website at http://www.loveyourshorts.com/

Official Selection - SoCal International Film Fest 2016

Friends in Los Angeles! The Smiling Man heads back to California as an Official Selection of the 11th Annual SoCal International Film Fest! The festival, named as one of 20 festivals worth the entry fee by MovieMaker Magazine, is held February 10-15 in Huntington Beach. Members of the cast and crew will be in attendance, and there will be a Q&A after the screening!

As soon as we know more about screening dates and times, we will let you know!

About the SoCal Film Fest

Named as one of MovieMaker Magazine's 20 Festivals worth the entry fee, the SoCal has award winning movies and screenplays; industry speakers; professional workshops; Q&As with directors and actors; special guests; a professional panel of jury members and screeners; volunteer opportunities; and scores of film watching attendees ... Our goal is to continually create a truly important film festival for independent filmmakers and screenwriters ... and a truly independent film festival.

Find out more on their website at www.socalfilmfest.com/

Official Selection - Twister Alley International Film Festival 2016

Happy New Year everyone! Our festival run continues with our first Official Selection of the new year, as The Smiling Man is a "First Fifty" selection of the Twister Alley International Film Festival! We are very honored to be in such great company, screening with Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and Fantastic Fest darlings in Twister Alley International's 2016 Midnight Shorts block. 

Take a look at the amazing First Fifty official selections from all genres on the Twister Alley International Film Festival website here: http://www.twisteralleyfilmfestival.com/films.html

The Smiling Man writer/director/editor AJ Briones will be in attendance for the screening, and we are looking forward to checking out the fest and the city of Woodward, OK. The festival runs from May 5-7, and we are looking forward to seeing you there!

About the Twister Alley International Film Festival

Twister Alley International is a unique film festival run by filmmakers...for filmmakers. After screening at hundreds of film festivals, seeing the good and the bad, Twister Alley Festival Directors Josh Hope & TJ Treece are proud to bring their favorite indie films from across the globe back home to NW Oklahoma by designing a film festival that provides the perfect setting for both filmmakers and movie fans alike.  With complimentary food & lodging expenses for screening filmmakers and a jury loaded with working filmmakers and actors, Twister Alley sets itself apart from the mass of tired film festivals by putting the filmmaker first.

Find out more on their website at http://www.twisteralleyfilmfestival.com/

The Smiling Man Nominated for Best Horror at Macabre Faire 2016

We are humbled and honored to announce that out of 130 films selected for the 2016 Macabre Faire Film Festival, The Smiling Man has been nominated for the Best Horror award.

The Smiling Man screens twice at the Macabre Faire Film Festival for our New York premiere on Saturday 1/16 at 5:35pm and again on Sunday 1/17 at 1:25pm.

Tickets are available now, click the button below for ticketing information!

To check out the complete lineup of films, the schedule and the other nominees at this massive genre festival, click the link on their website here: http://www.macabrefairefilmfest.com/screening-schedule.html

About the Macabre Faire Film Festival

A judged film festival that provides a venue for showcasing your films within a celebratory & respectful environment, where fans can enjoy the independent films entered by those who passionately craft your Strange-ifical, Weird-ifical, Horror-ifical, Sci-fi-tastical, Fantastical and Macabre-licious films. The opportunity to win awards, increase film visibility via press and possibly obtain distribution is always part of the equation with the Macabre Faire Film Festival.

Find out more on their Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/MacabreFaireFilmFestival

The Smiling Man Wins 4 of 5 Award Nominations at the LA Shorts Awards

We are excited to announce that The Smiling Man was Nominated for 5 awards and gets the win for 4 of them at the LA Shorts Awards! The Smiling Man was nominated in the following categories: Best Short Film, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. We took home Gold wins for Best Original Score and Best Editing and received second place Silver awards for Best Director and Best Cinematography!

Thanks go out to our amazing cast and crew, including our Composer Vivien Villani and his 18-piece orchestra for creating our fantastic score, and to our DP David Holechek and his team for the amazing visuals.

This is such a great way to close out the year, and we've got some exciting Festival news coming up soon as we hope to continue this run well into 2016.

Where to see The Smiling Man this weekend - Week of 12/6

The Smiling man screens in Brazil and Australia this weekend! If you are in the area, you're not going to want to miss out on the film that Fangoria Magazine calls, "a lean yet undeniably terrifying horror."

Friday, 12/4 - MAC Horror Film Festival / Brazil

The Smiling Man has its Brazilian Premiere at the MAC Horror Film Fest in Manaus, 

Saturday, 12/5 - A Night of Horror International Film Festival / Australia

The Smiling Man hits Australia for the second time around, this time for Australia's premier horror film event! We screen at 2pm at Dendy Newtown, click the button below for tickets!

Official Selection - Pensacon Short Film Festival 2016

The Smiling Man heads to Pensacola, Florida in February 2016 as an Official Selection of the second annual Pensacon Short Film Festival at the Pensacola Comic Con! The event is held on February 19-21 at the Pensacola Bay Center, a 10,000 seat arena with over 20,000 square feet of exhibition space, with events also held at the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel, the Rex Theatre and the Saenger Theatre Pensacola! As soon as we find out our screening schedule and ticketing information, we will let you know!

About the Pensacon Short Film Festival

Pensacon: Pensacola Comic Con proudly presents the second annual Pensacon Short Film Festival as one of its official events. As part of this convention, the films screened will celebrate science fiction, horror, fantasy, comic books, and geek culture in general.

Find out more on their website at http://pensacon.com/

The Smiling Man Wins Best Film Overall at SF Indie's Another Hole in the Head 2015

Well folks, I have to say, this is pretty damn special. The Smiling Man just took home Best Film Overall at the 12th Annual Another Hole in the Head Festival in San Francisco! We are truly stunned for this audience award, which chose our film out of 11 days of programming covering 26 features and 90 short films in several categories.

Seriously, holy crap, right?

Super grateful for the opportunity to drive out to the city and catch the screening with a great crowd, and I even got to meet up with some dear old friends and catch some great films and chat with some filmmakers and film fans.

Huge thanks go out to the organizers of Another Hole in the Head, including the fine folks at SF Indie and the awesome New People Cinema in Japantown. We hope to see you there with another film next year!

About Another Hole in the Head

SF IndieFest's Another Hole in the Head genre film festival runs 11 days Dec 5-14 2014.This is our 12 year anniversary and we're going big. Our annual festival of horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy and exploitation cinema defies convention to bring you the most outrageous genre films from both emerging and established filmmakers. Almost two weeks of celluloid mayhem not usually found in your local cineplex!

“San Francisco’s original genre film festival is characterized by a scrappy, DIY aesthetic that eschews big studio content and recent trends towards elevated genre. Holehead’s programming remains curatorially committed to the genre’s graphic roots in shockploitation, visceral thrills and gleeful mayhem.” – Michael Guillen, The Evening Class

Find out more on their website at http://sfindie.com/