Is Horror the genre for you?Are you a horror geek?
If yes, then this event is a perfect match for you. After a dream run of 14 consecutive years, the Seattle -based film festival NFFTY (National Film Festival for Talented Youth) is going to be organized online. Online based organization of the festival was the need of the hour and the organisers lived upto the expectations. Presented as NFFTY Online, the festival will present 10 days of the best horror films streaming across the globe. So you can back yourself for 10 days non stop horror content streaming your way.
The festival will kick start on 23rd October on Friday to 1st November on Sunday, the virtual festival will be horror movies streaming 234 films in 30 different program showcases. Yes! You got me right the first time only, 234 films from different genres ranging from action, to romance and obviously horror, we can never rule horror out, can we? Each one of them a masterclass on its own.
Moreover, the movies will also be available to watch on-demand throughout the festival. So in case you have missed the premier of any movie, you can still watch it during the course of the festival at your convenience. This was much needed because we are talking about 234 films over 10 days, it is more than obvious that people will miss the premier of some movies they might have shortlisted to watch.
Highlight aspect
Already the fact that the festival is being organized online is a stellar side of the festival and the fact that all the movies, short films, and documentaries to be featured in this festival are directed by directors under the age of 24! So the creativity of young minds will be on display for you to have an idea of how creative and exciting talent we have in our new generation.
Much more than just movies!
Having focused too much on movies, there’s much more than just movies. In addition to movies, there are numerous live events scheduled throughout the festival such as filmmaker Q&As, watch parties, workshops, keynote presentations, mixers, and a lot more.
Live audience of the event can take part actively in the events using the chat feature in the event. So this isn’t going to be a unidirectional flow, it’s an interactive event where you can register your presence through the chat option. Amidst of the free flow of movies you will get to witness all these activities as fillers, but these activities will be interesting to watch too.
Offers for you!
Furthermore, like previous events, NFFTY maintains the champion diversity in this digital year as well. For the selections directed by non-binary identifying filmmakers and women, you can enjoy over 50% off, and on films directed by people of color, you can get up to 42% off. This is done as a measure to promote emerging women and colored directors from around the globe to achieve what they truly deserve.
The most interesting part of this festival is their “pay-what-you-can” scale where you can decide how much you want to pay for an individual ticket. This is done solely to keep the festival as accessible as possible. Because the primary objective of the festival or not to earn handsome revenues, but to promote the less popular movies, short films that have the caliber to outshine.With the purchase of an NFFTY 2020 pass, both the screenings and events will be available.
Details about content streaming.
Talking about horror movies streaming, every program will be available to stream internationally without any geofencing. After you unlock a showcase using a ticket or pass, the screenings will be available to watch for 48 hours. So make sure you avail the program within the time frame.
However, the live events will be limited to a specific range of time. In case you miss the live event, the recording will be available to you to watch it afterward. The festival has gone completely digital this year, which was expected as the COVID-29 pandemic is still out there.
The event includes three showcase screenings namely opening night showcase, centerpiece showcase, and closing night: what do you stand for the showcase. Each of these will be available on October 24th, 30th, and 31st respectively.
What’s on offer on the opening night?
The first-ever virtual festival of nifty will kick off with outstanding works of some of the most prominent and emerging filmmakers in the industry. There will be a great selection of indomitable spirits and inspirational stories on the display.
Also, it comes of age with several characters across the globe and several uncover tunes and tales. There couldn’t be anything better than what you watch in these ten days of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth.
- The opening night showcase includes programs such as Practice, directed and screen written by Moira Fett, casting Lily Brooks O’Brian and Catherine Ashmore Bradley. The film showcases a story of two young girls who need to deal with immense pressure from their school’s administration.
- The school authorities attached body cameras on their uniforms and document a moment of sexual experimentation. The first showcase is a quiet Drama and Narrative kind of movie that will be loved by audiences of all ages.
- Then we have Milk Teeth coming your way from Felipe Vargas with a runtime of about 14 minutes. It will give you some serious chills when a child discovers that the fairy tale creature has arrived to take much more than his Milk teeth.
- The opening night showcase will also feature Ghazaal, a 15-minute short drama directed and written by Ragini Bhasin. The movie features the story of a 13-year-old gold who escapes from afghan and ends up in a refugee camp.
- In the refugee camp, she experiences her periods but couldn’t get access to sanitary napkins. Earlier, the movie has been nominated for several awards and featured in events such as Independent short awards, Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, and many more.
- Coming up next, you’ll also see a music video named Claud – just to see. Directed and screen written by Christina Xing, the musician has talked about pivotal moments from her teenage. Through her song, she conveys the struggles with her hair, love, gender, family, and trauma. As the video comes to an end, the singer realizes that all the memories that keep wandering in her mind – including the ones that hurt her the most – all have contributed to making her a better and beautiful person that she is today.
- The opening night showcase also features some of the most popular biopic and documentaries such as Yves 7 Variation. Directed by Lydia Cornett and produced by Sean Weiner, the film casts Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi. It portrays the story of a doorman in New York City who fulfills multiple responsibilities as a father, violinist, and an art curator. To give back what he gained from his community in Haiti, he works tirelessly without batting an eye.
Soon after the opening night showcase, the festival will organize a Saturday Night shorts watch party live straight from Seattle. This will showcase a handpicked set of stellar cinemas that explores the depths of drama, revelatory resilience, and self-discovery.
There’s also a Call Your Mother Watch Party organized right after the Saturday night shorts. The screenings in this watch party talk about the true bonds of motherhood. It focuses mainly on hardship and heartfelt moms.
The last watch party before the next showcase is the Happy Hours Shorts watch party. This acts as a virtual happy tour where a handful of lighthearted and lovely comedies are featured. It will certainly give you a great laugh and a smile on your face.
The main event- Centerpiece Showcase
Then, it’s the time for the main event of the festival known as the Centerpiece Showcase. NFFTY says that the centerpiece showcase would be the sun if the festival was supposed to be a solar system. This screening features a range of stunning and truth-depicting stories.
- The movies featured in this showcase include compelling stories such as No Crying at The Dinner Table, a portrait of the director, and filmmaker Carol Nguyen. This biopic has won awards such as Short Documentary Jury Award.
- The centerpiece showcase also includes other shorts such as To the Girl That Looks Like Me, Si, Children Play with Fire, heights, and The Mood in the United States Today. It is certainly a great collection of some of the best shorts.
The last showcase includes “Closing Night: What Do You Stand For?” that features stories such as Standing Above the Cloud. There are also several awards such as the 2020 Jury Awards, New Talent Awards, and Audience Awards. The audience award enables the live audience to vote for the film they enjoyed the most. The film bagging the highest votes will win this title. So, make sure you catch up with the festival to make sure that the festival concludes on a high. Awards are also organised to praise the films that stole the show and became the fan favorites.
All right then, see you at the festival! Happy watching.
