This weekend, from Friday, May 22 through Monday, May 25, The Chattanooga Film Festival (along with its presenting sponsor Gunpowder & Sky’s ALTER and media partner Bloody-Disgusting), will go digital, making this an unprecedented opportunity to see a slew of brand-new genre films and specialty programming. In a nod to the time in which we all find ourselves, the festival is offering a full-access badge for the price of $30. A portion of the proceeds will be divided up and given back to participating filmmakers, as well.
The best part? Features and shorts will be on available on-demand all four days via the CFF streaming platform, meaning you’ll have the entire Memorial Day weekend to devour as many films as you can handle – broken up, of course, by viewing the live events via Microsoft Teams.
What do you get to see? Ohmygod, there’s so much, I don’t even know where to start. If you missed out on recent festival favorites like Brooklyn Horror’s presentations of Koko-Di Koko-Da or The Yellow Night, you can see those international delights, along with the likes of The Wave and The Beach House. CFF is also world-premiering Nicholas Ashe Bateman’s The Wanting Mare and Kapel Furman’s Skull, allowing you a chance to see both a “hauntingly beautiful” film and a “mystical Brazilian bloodbath,” respectively, before anyone else.
There’s also a slew of live events. For those who like their entertainment aurally, there will be tapings of the Shock Waves Podcast, the Junkfood Cinema Podcast, and the Screen Drafts Podcast. The big events, however, are knock-your-socks-off cool. Filmmaker Joe Dante will be presented with CFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award and will participate in an in-depth discussion of his storied career. Joe Bob Briggs and filmmaker/producer Mick Garris will talk the making of Stephen King’s pandemic classic, The Stand. Ice-T (yes, that Ice-T) will join filmmaker and cinematographer Ernest Dickerson for a rare conversation, revisiting their cult classic, Surviving The Game. Oh, and Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead and Dave Lawson will be providing live never-before-heard commentary and insight on the making of Resolution, Spring, and The Endless. This is a fest so jam-packed with stuff, that last one didn’t even make it into the press release.
What? I mean, seriously – what? In person, this would be bonkers, but getting to watch all of this while you’re grilling and taking a long weekend is just exactly what we all need right now. Throw in Gwar, live D&D, a roundtable on film and music, and the Vinegar Syndrome Up All Night Pajama Party (featuring a triple feature of Hell Riders, Hollywood Horror House, and Berserker with host Liz Howell and special music guests, death metal band, Undeath), and you have absolutely no reason to leave the house this weekend.
Not that you can. Or should. But c’mon – hang out with us and watch some awesome stuff and be happy for a few days. We’ll be running reviews and commentary all weekend long, with a few advance peeks ahead of everything, so check out Cinepunx all weekend long, in between stuffing your eyeballs with coolness.
Check out the full slate of films, schedule of events, and (most importantly) buy passes at the Chattanooga Film Festival website.
