Since 2014, the Etheria Film Festival has celebrated new horror, science fiction, and fantasy films directed by women. Etheria has just released its dates and lineup for its 11th annual event.
This year’s Etheria Inspiration Award will go to writer/director Axelle Carolyn. Her works include “The Manor” and “Them: The Scare” for Amazon, “The Haunting of Bly Manor” and “The Midnight Club” for Netflix, “American Horror Story” for FX, and “Mayfair Witches” for AMC. Her first feature film is the ghost story “Soulmate,” which premiered at the first-ever Etheria Film Festival. So this award really is a full circle moment for Carolyn and the event itself.
“I’m so stoked that we screened Axelle Carolyn’s first feature, Soulmate, at our first Etheria festival live event in 2014, and now, ten years later, she has this amazing horror directing career that we can celebrate by giving her the 2024 Inspiration Award,” said Heidi Honeycutt, Etheria’s Director of Programming. “We’ve been so lucky to witness the beginning of her horror filmmaking career and are so grateful that she will accept our 2024 Inspiration Award for inspiring other filmmakers and our festival.”
Etheria’s 2024 Lineup
“This year’s lineup will take our audience on an intense, entertaining ride,” says Stacy Pippi Hammon, Etheria’s Festival Director. “Celebrating this year’s finalists while honoring Axelle will be an amazing experience.”
“The throughline in this year’s films is how joyously bizarre they are,” explains Livia Rappaport Programming Coordinator. “They don’t fit neatly into ‘horror’, ‘ sci-fi’ or ‘action.’ It’s a celebration of how women continue to push genre boundaries.”
The Films:
“Tooth”
A 4-minute horror-comedy animated short directed by Jillian Corsie.
Fed up with decades of suffering through the forced perfection of modern beauty standards, a tooth takes matters into its own hands.
“The Thaw”
A 16-and-half-minute-long horror short co-directed by Sarah Wisner and Sean Temple.
In 19th-century Vermont, a young woman’s parents drink sleeping tea to survive the harsh winter, but an early thaw leads to horrifying results.
“1 In The Chamber”
This 7-minute action comedy is co-directed by Annie Girard and Diana Wright.
When an ambitious assassin is sent to “retire” a fellow agent, she’s shocked to discover her target is pregnant and that the baby-proofing in the room is preventing them from killing each other.
“Ten Of Swords”
A 16-minute horror-comedy short directed by Faye Jackson.
Jay wakes up dead – murdered – and discovers that everything the agency told him about becoming a zombie was a lie. This revenge is happening.
“Ride Baby Ride”
This 7-and-half-minute-long horror fantasy short is directed by Sofie Somoroff.
This 1978 Camaro was her dream car. Now, it’s her nightmare.
“Make Me A Pizza”
A 12-and-a-half-minute fantasy-comedy short directed by Talia Shea Levin.
A woman tells a pizza delivery guy she can’t pay for the pizza she ordered. But can the sex she offers instead of currency possibly equate to the true value of a pizza?
“The Shadow Wrangler”
This is a 13-and-a-half-minute long horror-fantasy-comedy short directed by Grace Rex.
When Nan attempts to finish recording the audiobook of a Western erotica novel The Shadow Wrangler, she is interrupted by an unsettling visit from her recent ex and elements of the salacious fantasy she’s voicing.
“Inked”
A 14-and-half-minute-long horror short directed by Kelsey Bollig.
Dylan attempts to honor her father’s memory by tattooing his ashes into her skin. However, what was supposed to be a sentimental tribute quickly turns sinister.
“MLM”
A 19-minute-long horror-comedy directed by Brea Grant.
When Sarah joins a multi-level marketing company, La La Leggings, she isn’t ready for the horrific consequences of not selling.
2024’s Etheria Film Festival will kick off with a live event in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at the Screenland Armour Theater. During this Carolyn will be honored with Etheria’s Inspiration Award from special guest presenters. You can get your tickets here.
However, if you can’t make the festival, all these films will stream exclusively on Shudder beginning Sunday, July 15th, through August 15th.
