MUSE TV & Culturally Obsessed recently attended the 6th annual Etheria Film Night at the Egyptian Theater. Etheria Film Night is the world’s most respected annual showcase of genre films directed by women for an audience including producers, managers, show runners, distributors, and genre fans. Past official selections have included films from directors Axelle Carolyn (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Christine Boylan (The Punisher TV series), Anna Biller (The Love Witch), Amber Benson (SheVenge), Jill Gevargizian (The Stylist), and Roseanne Liang (Shadow in the Cloud).
This year Etheria premiered the Hulu original series Into the Dark feature length episode, Culture Shock. Culture Shock is directed by Gigi Saul Guerrero. The screening was followed by a Q&A with Guerrero and actors Richard Cabral, Martha Higareda, Ian Inigo, Oscar Camacho, Felipe de Lara, Daniel E. Mora, and Barbara Crampton, conducted by film programmer Edda Manriquez (Les Femmes International Underground Film Festival). Culture Shock follows a young Mexican woman (Martha Higareda) in pursuit of the American Dream, who crosses illegally into the United States only to find herself in an American nightmare. Martha Higareda, Richard Cabral, Shawn Ashmore, Barbara Crampton and Creed Bratton star in this socially relevant and painfully human story of desperation and the terrifying realities that accompany the struggle to get a fair chance at life.
Eight Short Films were screened followed by a Q&A with directors in attendance conducted by Rebekah McKendry (Blumhouse’s Shock Waves Podcast). The 2019 Inspiration Award was presented to producer Gale Anne Hurd at the live ceremony by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman. Ines de Los Santos was awarded with the 2019 Stephanie Rothman Fellowship Award for her pilot “Exorcism 101”
Etheria Film Night 2019 is co-presented by the American Cinematheque and will take place at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on June 29, 2019. The evening will include a courtyard cocktail reception and red carpet ceremony sponsored by Blumhouse, SHUDDER, Ving Vodka, Founders Brewing, Topo Chico, and Franca Rebecci Truffles. 2019 Etheria awards are sponsored by The BloodList, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, Final Draft, Fangoria Magazine, and Paramours and Poltergeists. 2019 Etheria community partners include Horrible Imaginings, Slaughter Movie House, Midsummer Scream, and Days of the Dead. The start times, screening schedule, and detailed information can be found on the official Etheria website at www.etheriafilmnight.com.
The 2019 Etheria Jury includes John Skipp (Book of the Dead), Peter Block (Saw), Phillip Kobylanski (Hell Fest), Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator trilogy), Rachel Talalay (Dr. Who), Kailey Marsh (The BloodList), Paul Feig (Bridemaids), Stephanie Rothman (The Student Nurses), Jay Kay (Horror Happens Radio), Chris Alexander (Delirium Magazine), Scott Bradley (Hellbent for Horror), Martin Olson (Encyclopedia of Hell), Amanda Reyes (Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999), Darin Scott (Tales from the Hood 1 & 2), Kier-La Janisse (The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies), Rebekah McKendry (Shock Waves Podcast), and development executives from Shudder, Monkeypaw Productions, Dread Central Presents, Blumhouse, Fangoria Magazine, Crypt TV, Snowfort Pictures, and Atomic Monster.
Etheria Film Night 2019 Official Short Film Selections:
Hair Wolf
Directed by Mariama Diallo (12:00) (Horror Comedy) (USA)
In a black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture.
HANA
Directed by Mai Nakanishi (12:45) (Genre) (Korea/Japan)
A college student goes for a part-time job interview and hired on short notice by a single working mother to be a babysitter for her four-year-old daughter Hana. But when she is left alone with Hana, strange things start to happen.
Bitten
Directed by Sarah K. Reimers (10:00) (Horror, Comedy) (USA)
A mysterious and violent encounter sends a dog on a night of adventure and possibility.
End of the Line
Directed by Jessica Sanders (14:30) (Fantasy) (USA)
A lonely man goes to the pet store and buys a tiny man in a cage.
Lucy’s Tale
Directed by Chelsea Lupkin (17:00) (Horror) (USA)
Between mean girls, her first romance, and budding hormones, Lucy begins to realize that she’s not quite like the other teenagers in her class.
Atomic Spot
Directed by Stephanie Cabdevila (15:00) (Science Fiction) (France)
Cotis is the last survivor of a small, amphibious community of mutants living in the ruins of a nuclear reactor and is crushed by loneliness. Until a group of dumb surfers visit his beach.
Cupid’s Paradise
Directed by Ivy Liao (15:00) (Science Fiction) (USA)
Jenn lives in a world in which everyone is rated on superficial factors such as looks and skin color. Jenn is desperate to find a match before she becomes Cupid’s slave.
GOOD MORNING
Directed by Elaine Mongeon (12:30) (Horror) (USA)
A young woman and her father adapt to terrifying changes they never expected.
